 Good Things Come in Small PackagesCrista Pisano is the pint-sized, mini-skirted painter who won the Plein Air Magazine “Best of Show” award at the 2012 Adirondack Plein Air Festival held in Saranac Lake, NY. Her prize-winning painting was a little 3x12” oil of nearby Tupper Lake. She comes from Nyack, NY, just north of Manhatten and said she likes coming up to the Adirondacks because “you don’t have to pay any tolls to cross bridges or enter the park!” Affectionately nick-named Amy Winehouse by her friends at the Festival, Crista also commented, when genuinely surprised to receive the award, that she was so glad she put on her eyeliner that morning! Crista’s talent, however, is anything but small. She won the $200 Saranac Lake ArtWorks Award at the 2011 Adirondack Plein Air Festival. She was given the $250 Cape Air Award at the 2010 Festival - which was the first time awards were given out. Her paintings are usually purchased during the Show & Sale on the last day of the event! Her 2012 “Best in Show” Award was donated by publisher Eric Rhoads and is a 1/4 page full color ad in Plein Air Magazine. Our little Crista is going to become a big, nationally known artist! See more of her work at www.cristapisano.com The 2012 Adirondack Plein Air Festival had a record 56 artists registered from a number of different states, one Canadian, and a good representation of regional New York artists. As before, the first day was the popular “Paint the Town” event. The Village of Saranac Lake saw traffic jams as onlookers gawked at artists and easels set up all over. Each artist donates a 5x7 painting for a Silent Auction - this years not-for-profit beneficiary was Pendragon Theatre, bringing year round live performances to Saranac Lake for over 30 years. While auction figures are not final, it looks like Saranac Lake ArtWorks, the event sponsor, will be donating $2500 to Pendragon Theatre. It rained a little on Friday August 17, while artists were out painting along the trails at the Paul Smith’s College VIC and on Saturday it was 36 degrees at sunrise but a glorious day for painting. Adirondack blue skies and puffy cumulus clouds were apparent in many of the paintings.  Each artist is allowed to frame and hang 3 pieces, completed at the event, in the Show & Sale held in the Town Hall on Sunday August 19. The juror of awards was nationally known plein air painter Ann Larsen, of Edinburgh, NY. Ann paints in plein air events all over the country - but she lives in the Adirondacks! Besides the “Best in Show” Award, donated by Plein Air magazine to Crista Pisano; Janet Marie Yeates, of Northville, NY received the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce “Cover Art” Award and her painting of the historic train depot will be used on the cover of the 2013 SLACC Visitors Guide and web site; Eberhard Froehlich, Montreal, was awarded 2 round trip tickets from Cape Air; George Van Hook, Cambridge, NY, was given the $200 Saranac Lake ArtWorks Award; Fred Holman, Brant Lake, NY, received the $200 Adirondack Artists Guild Award; Marion Kratky, Northville, NY, was given the $200 Pendragon Theatre “In the Moment” Award; Tarryl Gabel, Poughkeepsie, NY, earned the Adirondack Medical Center “Spirit of Health & Healing” Award; Saranac Village at Will Rogers donated 2 nights meals and lodging, which was won by Marilyn Fairman, Johnstown, NY; for the 2nd year in a row Gretchen Kelly, Hudson, NY, received the BookStore Plus Award for the most outstanding watercolor; Judy Soprano, Rochester, NY was given a certificate for dinner for 4 at the St. Regis Cafe for the best painting done at the Paul Smith’s College VIC; and Nicolay Mikushkin won a $100 gift certificate donated by the Adirondack Motel in Saranac Lake. Two honorable mention awards were presented to Nancy Brossard, Childwold, NY and Chrissy Pahucki, Pine Island, NY. The $100 Time Warner “People’s Choice” Award, determined by ballots cast by exhibit visitors, went to Daisy dePuthod, Hopewell Junction, NY, for an outstanding painting of Little Italy done at night! Daisy drew quite a bit of attention for setting up her easel after dark in Riverside Park, across from the restaurant, and painting with the aid of little battery operated lights attached to her easel! Art collectors eagerly awaited the opening of the exhibit and several times had to be asked to please wait until after the awards were given out at 1 pm because the pieces they had selected to purchase were going to receive awards. An original work of art, created by a talented artist, right on the spot, is becoming very valued both as art and as a special souvenir of a visit to the Adirondacks. By 3 pm there were a lot of blank spaces on the display walls and 17 of the participating artists had sold one or more paintings. Special thanks to our media sponsor, North Country Public Radio, as well as the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and WNBZ Radio for their outstanding coverage of the event. The 5th Annu  al Adirondack Plein Air Festival will take place August 15 - 18, 2013. Information is available at http://www.saranaclakeartworks.com. Contact Sandra Hildreth, 518-891-1388 or , to be added to a mailing list; if you would like to be an award sponsor; or if you would like to host artists to paint the views from your home or camp.Art works in the Village of Saranac Lake, where we have several art galleries, a professional theatre, many live concerts and performances, an Arts & Heritage Festival, the 3rd Thursday “Art Walks” during the summer, literary presentations, film festivals, the Plein Air Festival, Hobofest, and the Artist at Work Studio Tour at the end of September. Visitors can find art events going on nearly every week of the year. Check the Saranac Lake ArtWorks web site. |
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