Susan Brubaker Knapp was here last week to teach her popular Paint, Fuse, Stitch workshop. The first process was learning to paint images from photos onto white fabric. 
Some garden inspiration around the inn! It is peak echinacea season at the moment. 
Then next process that Susan taught was raw edge fused appliqué, using a sheet of vinyl to aid in exact placement of each little piece. 
We have finally arrived at the season of beautiful, temperate weather! Just warm enough, with a tiny bit of chill in the evenings. This was taken just after a 5 minute rain storm. 
This was the first painted image by one of the students who said she had never painted before in her life! She credited her success to Susan’s teaching and process! 
Susan brought a whole bunch of her work for the class to see. This is one big stack of talent here. 
The final process Susan taught was thread sketching, which is using machine stitching to emulate the look of pencil sketching. In other words, not as heavy stitching as thread painting. 
On the last day was a critic of the students work, with each person describing what they liked best about their work and what they thought needed improvement. 
Since the chill is back in the evening air, we now have in stock some fabulously soft and warm hoody sweatshirts. They come in black, navy, and blue with a contrast color on the inside of the hood. The minute I put them out most of our staff said they wanted one! 
Watercolor and Pastel
August 15, 2016
Two weeks have sped by and now I have two wonderful workshops to post about. The first one was a 5 day watercolor workshop with incomparable Mel Stabin! Mel had them working in the studio and out around the Hudson / Catskill area. 
Dinner with Mel was always a jolly time. In fact on the final night he had them tapping a rhythm while he sang for them. 
Following the week with Mel, Margaret Evans arrived on the scene to teach Pastels Unleash! The weather that week was a bit on the hot side, but Margaret always found some nice shady areas for painting her demo. 
This is Margaret’s watercolor sketch of the Hudson River as viewed from Olana. 
Margaret then showed the class how she used that quick sketch a reference for doing a pastel painting back in the studio. 
During a couple of rainy days in the studio a model stopped by for a sitting! This is Troy, Alexis’ dog (and our “emergency back-up dog.”) Troy can be found in the office on most days, in case anyone needs an emergency dog petting experience! 
This is Troy up close and personal! 
There are two other inn dogs, in case you didn’t know, Hudson, a dalmatian, and Bree, a ridgeback, who mostly get out and about while the class is in session. They have their own room on the 3rd floor of the Main Inn.
Into the Past with David Dunlop
August 10, 2016
It was another incredible week with David Dunlop taking his students on a trip through time, visiting the vistas and inspiration of the Hudson River artists of the 1800’s, then cruising up through the Luminists, Tonalists, and Impressionists. With each era, David demonstrated their techniques and discussed their methods and tools. The week finished up with the 21st century and talking about new tools, new materials, and new ways of looking at landscapes. If you missed this year’s class, David will be back again in 2018! This is shot at the Rensselaerville Falls in Huyck Preserve. 
Tailgate Party! 
The next several photos were shot at North-South Lake in Haines Fall, NY. 
