Lucie Wellner

Endless Summer in Central New York

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The months of August and September are the best months for painting outside. During the bulk of the summer, I find myself painting hazy greens on green, but in the autumn, there are so many colors to document in the landscape. Every plant acquires its own startling color, allowing it to stand out from the others. Fields shimmer gold, trees blaze yellows, oranges and red, and every green imaginable is present. The skies tumble with dramatic clouds, the air is clear and pure, and the season is free of biting insects.

I was asked to paint some scenes in Cazenovia. The village is a gem, with many graceful architectural elements and quirky facades behind the village main street. Water is everywhere – the lake, the pond, the inlet and the river – reflecting the bright colors of autumn. Energized by the water scenes, I sought more quiet ponds, which I found in the Kettle Lakes in Tully. By now, it was well into October, thanks to the endless summer we had this year. I painted in the woods on land owned by the land trust and listened to the migrating geese overhead, and enjoyed a feeling of immense peace.