This watercolor is a study of trees, shadows, and light, and is a view of Campsite #86, at the Lewey Lake State Campgrounds, which is located between the villages of Speculator, and Indian Lake, New York. It is easily the favorite campsite of my family where we often went camping during numerous summer vacations when my children were growing up, and as you can see in the painting it was popular in part because it had it’s own small somewhat secluded “private” sandy beach there along the lake shore where we could swim, play in the lake water, make sand castles, watch ducklings feeding, go fishing, leave our canoe, and enjoy the remarkable view of the lake and surrounding mountains.
When I was a child, I often passed close by here when riding with my parents on drives through the mountains, on our way to or from Blue Mountain, Long Lake, Saranac Lake, and other locations. I first came here to camp in the early 1970’s when I was a summer camp counselor near Lake Sacandaga, not far from Speculator, during my high school years. Many years later, this painting was made during an annual camping and painting retreat during the second week of October, around the Columbus Day holiday when the state campground facilities in that general region are having sections closed down and prepared for winter camping. It is a time when there are hardly any other individuals staying at the campgrounds. I had been here earlier that summer with my family, but just like other preceding years, and years since then, enjoyed returning when possible during the Fall season from our home in Indiana, to paint and draw the landscape when there were very few people around, due to the late seasonal time of year, and the fact that the evening temperatures can easily get down into the low 40’s. On this particular visit, I was one of eleven individuals camping that week, which is remarkable considering that this state campground location has slightly more than 200 campsites available to select from, and collectively they can accommodate over 1000 individuals per night.
If you would like to try your hand at drawing and painting lake and mountain settings, but would appreciate locations with modestly easy access, you might want to consider coming to this region and setting up your art easel. You will find that it is beautiful all year long.