Posted by: David Giacalone | March 3, 2023

we did have Stockade Flamingos in 2023

2023FlamingosSHand3 . . 2023 photos by Susannah Hand

2023FlamingosSHand2I was disappointed on February 14 this year, as I was not able to make my customary visit to Lawrence Circle to see the pink, daytripping flamingos. Nor could I post any Valentine images here at Suns Along the Mohawk. Happily, good neighbor and kind friend Susannah Hand stopped at the Circle late on February 13 and captured on her cellphone the recently arriving flamboyance settling in for the night with Lawrence.

Susannah shared a few photos so I would not break my streak of Valentine postings. Susannah’s images give us a little taste of the 2023 Stockade Valentine Flamingo Visitation.  The link in the prior sentence will take you to a dozen   prior postings celebrating the joyous, graceful Valentine treat.

Here’s one more by Susannah:

 2023Flaimingos-SHand1

2014flamingosp.s. This year, I celebrated our Valentine flamingos by putting two of my favorite Lawrence Circle flamingo images (both from 2014) on canvas. You can see them full-sized at the bottom of our Photos On Canvas Page.

Posted by: David Giacalone | January 10, 2023

Jennifer’s sculpture has arrived

SchmidtSculpturePlaqueLast August, Larry Schmidt and daughters Madeleine Stapel and Meredith Hudak were disappointed that their dedication ceremony for a sculpture to honor Jennifer A. Schmidt had to take place without the sculpture. The delay was blamed on Supply Chain problems from across the Pacific, but there was hope it would arrive by October.

Unfortunarely, Schmidt Family disappointment continued for months, and grew when the wrong piece was sent and had to be returned. The chosen sculpture finally arrived and was installed last week, the first week of January 2023. The dedication plaque had already been installed nearby. [The photos below were all taken on January 8, 2023. Clique on an image for a larger version.]

JSchmidtSculpture01Jan8

JSchmidtSculpture1Seeing the real thing (above) made me appreciate why Larry was disappointed with the first sculpture

. Two sculpted children on the bench read a book together, in a scene that would surely have made Jennifer Schimdt smile. Their bench completes a scene started last summer with the installation of two handsome benches for visitors, also donated by the Schmidt family.

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They are situated on the terraced lawn behind 32 Washington Avenue, the home of the Schenectady County Historical Society, in the Schenectady Stockade. It has long been one of my favorite spots to view and photograph in the soft light before sunset. With waterside reeds (phragmites) in the background, along the Binnekill (Creek), the young readers beckon neighbors and visitors to stop by.

SCHSlawn01Jan08

Jennifer’s contagious smile, and her long dedication to literature, education, and her Stockade neighborhood (where she lived for almost half a century, and raised her children), can be felt on the Society’s lawn. Many thanks to the Schmidt family, Jennifer’s inspiration, Mary Zawicki and the SCHS, for making the scene possible. I hope you will stop by soon to feel the serenity.

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Posted by: David Giacalone | December 4, 2022

2022 Stockade tree and community shine

 

Tree2-JustinLawrenceLitTreeSanta

. . songster Justin Friello, MC Colleen Macaulay, and Santa join Lawrence and the newly-lighted Stockade Tree

 

Tree22-Justin-Colleen An ample and amiable crowd of neighbors and City luminaries enjoyed some real, but not mean, winter weather under clear skies this evening, at Lawrence Circle, for the annual Stockade (Christmas) Tree-lighting ceremony. Justin Friello entertained and invoked the spirit with his selection of holiday songs and Stockade Association Vice President presided in the Circle (photo to left); Rev. Peter Carman gave an inspiring Blessing; Samta helped some cute neighborhood children light the tree; and a major portion of the celebrants continued the warm feelings in the After-Glow party in the Great Hall of St. George’s Church, where treats and good conversation awaited them. 

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Here are a few images from the Ceremony (click on a mosaic square for a full, larger version of the photo; scroll over an image for a caption):

 

Tree2-FamilyPhoto The low light was a problem, but here are a few scenes from the crowd; click on a circle for a larger, full image:

Frankly, I was enjoying schmoozing and catching-up with neighbors too much to take many photos inside the Great Hall, where there was a satisfying after-glow. Here are a few of the faces I was happy to see:

. . not pictured, but appreciated:  Omar McGill, Gary McCarthy, Sylvie Briber. 

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A sparkling almost-full moon was also in attendance:

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  •  
  • Thanks Santa, we’re glad you came.

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Many thanks to all who volunteered and came to celebrate. 

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Posted by: David Giacalone | November 13, 2022

Stockade-athon 2022 races by

LeadRunnersEnterStockadeIt only took about eleven minutes for the entire complement of runners from the 2022 Stockade-athon to run pass me on Washington Avenue in the Stockade and turn onto Front Street. As they swarmed by, I frantically tried to snap useful photographs.

Once the first burst of lead runners passed me, I had almost no control over who or what I captured digitally with my Canon SX60. Afterwards, I learned I was taking about 14 shots a minute, almost at random, hoping to make a few winners for this website. To the right is my first photo of the Lead Escort Car and lead runners on Washington Avenue, near Union Street. (Lou Serafini, BIB #1 was in the lead) Immediately below is the smiling last Washington Avenue runner, Meleah Wright (BIB 1107), making the turn onto Front Street, at about 8:50 AM. [Meleah passed more than 200 runners before she finished the Race.]

  MeleahWright . .

The race is “about” the speed and fitness of the leaders, and the perseverance of each runner; they come in every age, size and gender category, and the “noncontenders” get most of the focus here. I apologize to all the racers who I missed or whose images were too unfocused (my fault, of course) to be used. Thanks for your patience, and thank you to the runners and organizers of the 2022 Stockade-athon, which was sponsored by MVP Health Care, FleetFeet, and the Capital Region YMCA. They will have the official Results later today. Their Runner Look-Up lets you easily find the results for an individual runner by last name or BIB number. [And, see the 30-photos taken by the Gazette’s Ken Hudy along the entire race course.]

  • If you are anxious to see more Stockade-athon runners in the eponymous Stockade neighborhood, we’ve been covering the Stockade-athon here at Suns Along the Mohawk since 2009, and you can find links to each year’s posting on our Stockade-athon Category Page.

FOLLOW-UP: TOP THREE WINNERS in the Male and Female Divisions (click here for complete results list for 1009 runners who finished the Race):

MALE DIVISION: First, Louis Serafinia; Second, Sam Morse; Third, Scott Mindel [three familiar Stockade-athon names]

FEMALE DIVISION: First, Karen Bertasso Hughes; Second, Rachel Peterson; Third, Diane Ryan

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HEADING FOR FRONT STREET

Like last year, Niskayuna grad Lou Serafini was in the lead as the Race entered the Stockade on Washington Avenue  Lou kept his lead and was the overall winner in 2021. He has a nice lead below, as he ran past Union St.

BIB1passesUnionSt

. . followup: LOUIS SERAFINI eventually reached the finish line first, as he did last year. .

  • Apology to some fast runners and to readers: Rushing to get out of the way and to find a better location for shooting the flood of runners about to stream by me, I missed capturing a quality shot of the next group of leading runners, especially the half dozen “non-Serafini Leaders”.

NextLeadersMonday Follow-up: This image was taken 17 seconds after Lou Serafini’s photo, as they were passing the same tree. It isn’t crisp or worthy, but I’m posting it, because the runners deserve to be acknowledged, even if you need to squint. Click on it for a larger version:

  The BIB numers are barely legible, but [Left to Right] BIB 20 is Aidean Canavan, who finished 9th; BIB 319 is Ben Fazio (7th); BIB 4 is Charles Ragone (4th); BIB 14 is Steve Soprano (6th); and BIB 13 is Mark Mindel (r4d)

What follows are images shown in about the order they were taken; the first image was taken about 25 seconds after the Serafini shot above. CLICK on an image for the larger, full version.

This next group included the first female runner in the Stockade, KAREN BERTASSO HUGHES (BIB 5).

IMG_5182 (1) . . IMG_5182

                          . . followup: Karen was first to the finish line in the Women’s Division . .

IMG_5183 . . IMG_5184

IMG_5186 . .

………..

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This mosaic tile display shows runners making the turn from Washington Avenue to Front Street. [click on an image for a larger version.]

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  IMG_5196. . IMG_5195

Here’s a Slideshow of two dozen images I hope you’ll linger over (and maybe see yourself or a loved one). I’ve included some photos that would normally hit the editing floor as not focused enough (viz., a bit blurry), because I enjoyed seeing the runners in a picture, and unfocused is better than no picture.

  • For a larger version of an image in the Slideshow, pause the image, right-click on it, and choose Open Image in New Tab”.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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The last segment of runners showed many emotions.

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BIB587RaymondLeeJr . . [L] 80-year-old Raymond Lee, Jr, looked ready for the challenge, with many kilometers ahead of him.

. FinalSmile&Guidance. . And, our corner Officer gave one last smile while pointing up Front Street for me. I then headed inside (I live at that corner) for coffee and a long day and night selecting and editing photographs.

If, like me, you prefer Stockade-athons (and photo shoots) with lots of sunshine and bright colors, check out our coverage of the 2017 Stockade-athon, which included a golden glow for the lead runners and everyone behind them.

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Posted by: David Giacalone | October 23, 2022

past-peak, gray sky, lovely

UnionCollege-GardenGazebo

Autumn foliage always makes the Union College campus even lovelier. Although disappointed this past week that I got there when the colors were past-peak, and the sky was neither sunny nor blue, I quickly realized that the campus and Jackson’s Garden were nonethless a photographic treat and treasure. The photos in this posting were all taken on October 19, 2022, with most shot in a small part of Jackson’s Garden. [to the left, the gazebo in Jackson’s Garden]

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IMG_5109 Before entering Jackson’s Garden, I viewed it from the inviting patio behind the Henle Dance Pavillion [at left], where the Red Dancer [above Right] has a wonderful view:

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. . My visit had to be brief, and I stayed near the Garden’s raised flower beds behind the Reamer Campus Center and its spacious dining hall, which were looking good.

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. . Chester Arthur’s Statue is just outside the Garden’s Kappa Alpha Gate:

UnionCollege-Arthur19Oct22 . . back on the campus grounds,

. . Nott Memorial was stately as ever. . IMG_5104

And, many scenes caught my eye:

IMG_5106 . . UnionCollageClock10Oct22

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Click on a mosaic tile for a full, larger version of an image.

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. . down Library Lane to Union Street . . IMG_5089

Posted by: David Giacalone | October 16, 2022

pretty, windy, not too spooky

PumpkinBouncy2

 

SpookyPhotos2 The blue skies made it difficult for the 2022 Fall Spooktacular to feel very spooky, but it was definitely a treat, with a lot of smiling little and big faces, and scarcely a discouraging word. Even a brisk, canopy-lifting wind couldn’t chase exhibitors, spooks and spook-lovers away. 

As often happens lately, I enjoyed schmoozing with exhibitors and revelers more than snapping photographs. But, I came home with a few I hope are worth sharing for posterity.

BTW: Not arriving until 3 PM, I apparently missed the campaigning politicians who normally flock to autumn events. Not that I’m complaining, but I had hoped to see and photograph a few in seasonal costumes. [Follow-up: Wait, I see Angelo was there, but sans costume.]

Here are images that should jog my memory if anyone asks what I did at the big 2022 Fall Spooktacular, “around City Hall and down Jay Street” in Downtown Schenectady. Presented by DSIC.

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SpookyPhotos2. . mom gets another cute picture . . 
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PumpkinBouncy . . definitely a great day for a pumpkin bouncy-bounce.

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SpookMVP . . SpookNorthernRivers2

. . I enjoyed learning about the Northern Rivers child-caring conglomerate [R] and MVP accessible insurance plans . .

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SpookyMichelleModernistic  . . 

 SpookModernistic

. . above: Michelle Traver brought a coven or two of her Modernistic Tradition handcrafted flying witches, and her three daughters, too . . 

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SpookAllButteredUp . . and, a few steps away, was a table showing the All Buttered Up tattoo designs of Hannah Butterfield, plus a double-buggy with charming 3-month-old twins.

Here are square tiles showing other scenes from the Stooktacular event. I wish I had arrived sooner, so that I could visit more exhibits and activities.

Click on an image for a full, larger version. Scroll over an image for a description

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I had a good time, and hope the weather and activities are as enjoyable next year, when I will arrive a lot earlier.

SpookBobcat
Posted by: David Giacalone | October 15, 2022

remember September

 

CityHall26Sept22

above: Schenectady City Hall (September 26, 2022); lovely on the outside . . 

It seems like September is long gone, but here are a few images since the Stockade Outdoor Art Show that I just don’t want to forget.

. . for instance, a handful of photos taken during the Stockade 2022 Walkabout (click on a tile for a full, larger version):

2022Walka-25WashAvW2

. . a shade tree gives 25 Washington Ave. a dappled look . .

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2022Walka-17NFerry

 . . 17 No. Ferry drew a crowd all day. . 

. . 205 Union St. (work in progress) 2022Walka-205Union

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MexicanRadio26Sep22

. . Mexican Radio Restaurant in light and shadow before sunset (Sept. 26, 2022)

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ImagineMural26Sep22StreetView

. . large new mural by Serrano and Bogrån (Sept 26, 2022) at Broadway and Liberty St. . 

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. . and, an auspicious sunset start to October from my backyard:

backyardsunset02Oct22

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 11, 2022

another fine Stockade outdoor art show

LawrenceCircle7

. . Lawrence Circle is the heart of the Stockade neigborhood and center of the Outdoor Art Show . . 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank you for coming to see our “coverage” of the 2022 Stockade Villagers’ Outdoor Art Show.  There are well over 200 images in the posting. Note that the original section with Show Winners and their art was inadvertently deleted Friday evening (Sept. 16). Rather than trying to reconstruct that section, I’ve inserted columns of Square Tiles here of the Award Winners. Other photos from the deleted section have been added to the extensive Strolling Section. Please enjoy.

      • click on a square tile for a full, larger version of the image; scroll over for description.

. . Grand Prizes . .

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. . honorably mentioned . .

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LawrenceCircle7crop2 . . HonMenHelgaPritchard2

. .above: closer look at HM winners by Kathy Klompas [L] Lisa Burton [M], Helga Pritchard [R] . .

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. . special awards . .


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. . Lawrence the Indian waits for the Awards Ceremony . . 

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STROLLING THE OUTDOOR ART SHOW

FrontAtChurch

My art show stroll always starts on Front Street at North Church St.  On the right (south side) there is a long wall bordering the yard of 22 N. Church Street. Most of that stretch has been occupied by Stockade neighbor Bob Laper for many years, but Bob decided to be an art browser rather than exhibitor this year. Also, half of the wall had to be torn down and is in the process of reconstruction.

  • Click on an image for a larger version of the photograph

DAVID HINCHEN set up along that wall, in Bob Laper’s absence, and displayed his “architectural art.”

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. . above: Hinchen painting with unfinished brick wall in the background; in 2017, the painting won Third Place at SOAS . . 

 

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Here are one Hinchen painting showing Albany icons and two depicting Schenectady buildings:

DHinchen-BroadwayIcons

DavidHinchen-Stockade  . . DavidHinchen-Perrecca's

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PHILIP PARKER set up this year on the north side of Front Street, because the brick wall that had been his background is being reconstructed.

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. . where he shared space with his talented mother, CECILIA PARKER,

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It was clear that the day would bring interesting changes and juxtapositions, along wit  exhibitors who had pleased art lovers in prior years.

HOLLY VAN VOAST

For example, HOLLY VAN VOAST’s array at 25 Front Street, again hosted by Olivia and Emmanuel:

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.  .

Joanne Van Genderen set up at 24 Front Street:

JoanneVangenderen . .

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R.P. Fiorillo had 26 Front Street’s glowing foliage as a background:

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LINDA STARR

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LINDA STARR has spread an extensive exhibit in front of 29 Front Street the past couple of years. The sun glowing in the foliage behind her helps make the display special.

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. .

CRAIG PETREIKIS

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. . Lawrence Circle being prepared for the Awards ceremony

IMG_4837One pleasant surprise was seeing that neighbor Craig Petreikis had turned his talents to sculpture.  You’ve seen his winning Second Place effort in our Winners display (it is also guarding Lawrence Circle in the photo above-right). Its sidekick (on the right) earned quite a few smiles, plus a large but unattributed space in Sunday’s Daily Gazette.

CraigPetreikis3  . .   As he did last year, when he won the grand prize with the painting to below, Craig strolled the art show streets with a broad smile (even before he won), stopping frequently to admire exhibits. Of course, Craig did bring some canvases, too.

CraigPetreikis-IMG_3869 . . CPetreikis-Exh-paint

. .

C.C. MOSES-ROGOWICZ

33FrontBlueDoor The amiable CC Moses-Rogowlcz contingent had also returned to 33 Front Street bringing a tribute to the home’s blue door.

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ERIK RITVIK‘s large canvases, including his new elephant portrait, had natural light and shadows.

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LINDA BIGGERS

LindaBiggersExh . . Much to my surprise, the next tent held LINDA BIGGERS, who I had not seen in years, with her mosaic art. When I last saw Linda at SOAS (2015?), her daughter Molly was displaying her own photography.  Molly has moved on to other endeavors. Thankfully, Linda still loves creating eggshell mosaics:

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NIKKI JONES/ICKIBONES

Next to the Biggers tent, another mother was helping her daughter set up her first Stockade exhibit. NIKKI JONES, who does her artistic business under the name ICKIBONES, had many representations of her sculpture art and illustration skills.

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PETER WATROUS

ShowJudges

. . show judges Gary Shankman and Jackie Watsky stop at Watrous exhibit

Across from the Nikki Jones exhibit, a veteran of many Stockade art shows (and frequent award winner), PETER WATROUS, was presiding over his typical display of varied subject matters and styles. I told Peter that I had forgotten to take his picture last year. He must have been trying to help me do better, when I was snapping this image:

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He stayed out of the way for my next couple of shots:

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. .PWatrous4

. .

EDITOR’s NOTE:

OakleySOAS . . Oakley at 2021 SOAS

ALiu-koi2With the occasional exception of Oakley (above left), and the Hodgkins Kids, I try not to use photos of cute puppies or children to drive traffic to my websites. Nonetheless, I am not above using images of koi and blue heron to do so. Thus, I am arbitrarily inserting here, on the right, a Chinese ink painting of koi by Niskayuna resident Anping Liu. And, immediately below, a watercolor image of a great blue heron painted by Scotia’s Christine Mezzo, who was 70 on Art Show day, and rightly proud of it. Ms. Mezzo makes those wooden frames, too.

ChristineMezzio-BHeron

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GEORGE DIROLF

GeorgeDirolfExhCrossing back to the north side of Front Street from the Watrous display, I passed a tent that deserved more attention than I gave it. Had i known GEORGE DIROLF was going to win the First in Show ribbon at the awards ceremony a couple hours later (for this piece), I would have come home with more than just two shots from the outside of the tent. I’m sorry, George, but at least I know now you don’t need my help for success at the Stockade Outdoor Art Show. I’m glad the location of the Dirolf exhibit gave me the urge to take one more photo of one of my favorite Stockade homes, 39 Front Street, which is also a favorite backdrop for artists:

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RITVIK SHARMA

RitvikSharmaExh4 . .

RITVIK SHARMA was another familiar face I was pleased to see on Saturday. He brought his special brand of calm intensity.

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. . RitvikSharmaExh5

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KILAARTS

KimLeahy-Exh2022 A couple of yards away from the Sharma display, Kimberly Leahey constructed another KILAARTS playland, giving us all her annual dessert cart barge of visual treats.

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THE ACEVEDOS

We can always count on colors glowing at the ACEVEDO compound, located the past few years along the Front Street side of Arthur’s Market. ALEC ACEVEDO’s canopy was at the corner, and his parents HECTOR and DIANE set up theirs a little further down, near the rear of Arthur’s.

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 . . AcevedoDCrafty

H&DAcevedo1. .

PINA CALABRO

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PINA CALABRO crossed over to the northeast corner of N. Ferry and Front Streets this year, right at Lawrence Circle, but her soft-hued work had all the Sicilian charm and hospitality I first encountered last year. I urged her to get a website that would give us all access to her art.

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. MAXIME TACCARDI

MAXIME TACCARDI’s first day at the Stockade Outdoor Art Show was a good one. As told in the Awards portion of this posting, above, Maxime was chosen the Best First TIme Exhibitor by the Show’s art judges, and his full exhibition was given the Gilliland-Weinheimer Oakroom Artists Award. His art got a lot of attention and comments.

Click on a square tile below for a full, larger version of an image.

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ANNA SOCHA

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ANNA SOCHA’s photographs provided a good lesson in the beauty and mystery of flowers, and I wish I could remember their names. (Of course, even I could identify sunflowers after passing 29 Front Street so often this summer.*)

AnnaSochaPhotos . . AnnaSochaRedFlower

*SUNFLOWER THANKYOU. This a good place to thank Lynn Bodden Carman and Peter Carman for giving their neighbors a growing, evolving work of art annually along their white picket fence on the “Art Show block”, at 29 Front Street. If I were not focused on photographing the Art Show, I would have displayed some of my Stockade photos this year, and surely celebrate the 29 Front Street sunflowers, with this beauty (or this one), snapped on July 14, 2022:

A couple blocks away, Gloria Kishton and Bob Limmerman grace us with a grand array of sunflowers at 207 Union St. Thanks, G & B!

. .

KAYLA COONS

KAYLA COONS of DEVOUR-CREATIONS appeared this year for the first time at SOAS. Her exhibit was behind Lawrence, at the corner of N. Ferry and Front Streets. There was a lot to take in:

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InsipidRubioSignINSIPID RUBIO? Yes. As I was stepping away from her display, Kayla Coons pointed me a few feet away to another exhibit by an SOAS first-timer, Insipid Rubio. I don’t have an “a/k/a” for Rubio, but here are two images from his exhibit:

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. . WEDNESDAY EDITION . .

 Turning onto Green Street during the Show, I had no idea how long I would be happily talking with the artists on that short block of exhibits.

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CindySinorExh2  CINDY SINOR, a first-time exhibitor, had her tidy display on the southside corner of Green Street. It was clear that Cindy “likes rocks”, expecially smooth ones that she can paint. Stroll down her Instagram homepage to see her extensive, palm-size, portraiture painted rock collection, and much more.

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CHRISTINE MEZZIO

Scotia’s CHRISTINE MEZZIO, as I mentioned in my blue-heron Sneak Peak above, was proudly celebrating her 70th birthday on SOAS day. When pressed to name her favorite bird image, she walked over to the owl (below), which was next to my favorite, the great blue heron. There were surely many others, plus flowers, that other viewers would choose.

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KAREN ZAYJAH‘s tent was next to Ms. Mezzio. I hope Karen enjoyed the day enought to return next year. Here are four representative examples of her art.

  KarenZahray2  . . KarenZahray

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ANPING LIU and XIAOPING (“SHERRY”) XU

This friendly couple from Niskayuna were two of my favorite exhibitors in 2021, and I was happy to see them back. Sherry was eager to show me a very recent painting that she explained meant “Purple Chi from the West.” (below) .

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SherryXu-purplepaining-skirt Ms. Xu also modeled a skirt she painted to jibe with the new painting, calling it Art on Fashion. Barb Lennox got to see it, too, later in the day.

SherryXu2 I do not know whether any fashion has yet been created (perhaps a tie or scarf) to go with this piece, another new Xu painting.

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Unlike his spouse, ANPING LIU (above at his display) again brought Ink Brush Paintings to the Stockade Outdoor Art Show. Here are three examples:

ALiu-MarilynMonroe . . ALiu-blossoms

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. .

VRobert-Gallaxy

VAL ROBERT‘s expansive display was my next pleasant surprise. It was a revelation for those who think they know what a “Val Robert” looks like, after seeing only the SOAS Winners Circle over recent years. [see his website to explore Val’s many moods and modes]  Even I might not have guessed that the lovely piece to the right, with no sharp edges, was one of Val’s pieces. His wife assured me it is, and named it “Galaxy”.

Click and of the mosaic tiles below to see a larger version of “Last Resort,” “Red Bird”, and “Playhouse” by Mr. Robert.

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Supina-winterforestSUPINA, a/k/a SUSAN BARCZAK from Niskayuna, was next down the block, and I met her for the first time. She uses her lovely maiden name for her art work (or, at least, her business cards), which I applauded. Here are two of her images I wanted to share:

Supina-sunrise

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BRITNEY PRIME

BPrimeExh-Peoples  You met BRITNEY PRIME (a/k/a Britney Knudsen), and her joyous balloon painting, near the top of this posting, as the People’s Choice winner. A first-time exhibitor this year, her Stockade painting on the left is a refreshingly different depiction of our historic district.

Here are two more examples of her artwork:

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. .

JOANNE DESTEFANO

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The Destefano Exhibit was back at the southeast corner of N. Ferry and Green Streets this year (above photo, Joanne in green top). My brain was too weary (after about 4 hours of nonstop snapping and schmoozing) to say how much I liked their straw hats when they complimented mine.  Well, I do like their straw hats. And, Joanne’s watercolors, too.

At first, on the sidewalk, I mentioned that Joanne had not brought her large paintings as in prior years. Well, this was the scene when I stepped out into the street:

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May we need straw hats again at the 2023 Stockade Outdoor Art Show, and say hello at North Ferry and Green.

. .

RICHARD SACCHETTI

RSacchettiExh

IRSacchetti-fishfacet must be difficult for a shy guy like RICK SACCHETTI, winning prizes year after year at the Stockade Outdoor Art Show, and having to stand at the Winners Circle, pausing for a ribbon, a check, and a photograph. You’d think he’d be used to it by now. This year it was “merely” another Third Place prize.

When I got to his grand display on Saturday, I snapped the photo at the top of this section, and was drawn to voices behind the façade of the exhibit. It seems rabid fans of his wanted Rick’s picture with the pudgy orange fish. The artist was so shy, however, he held the painting in front of his face, and I captured the moment. [photo to the left]

Happily, there were two paintings out front that reminded me what Richard looks like next to a fish.

RSacchetti1

Here are a couple more that caught my eye:

RSacchetti-2paintings  . .  RSacchetti-suitcoat

. . and one I grabbed when Rick posed for Courtney with his 3rd Place winner:

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. .

MARK MILETTA

Miletta-StGeo2019

. . above: Mark Milletta exhibit, SOAS 2019 . .

MARK MILETTA has been setting up his painting in a wide display on and along the wrought iron fence in front of St. George’s Episcopal Church for several years.  I love getting photos with St. Geo. festivities, cemetery markers, etc., behind Miletta paintings. (see 2019 photo above) So, I left the Sacchetti display expecting to chat for awhile with Mark and to try to decide which pieces to photograph. Instead, I found Mark in a great rush, trying to pick up and secure several of his paintings that had been knocked off easels and the fence by a strong wind-tunnel wind.

MarkMiletta-windy

Instead of a forest of Miletta pieces, there were only two paintings left in view by the time I raised my camera. [photo above] Mark would not risk leaving any out. So, I’m featuring each of the upright survivors that were the last to be packed away.

. . there was a forest trail that is pure Miletta:

2022MMiletta

. . and, a fanciful depiction of 29 North Ferry Street, across from St. George’s:

MarkMilettaStockadePainting

I hope Mark’s canvases and easels are all undamaged. And, I hope he comes back for many years.

.

Speaking of STOCKADE IMAGES, there were three others on that stretch of North Ferry:

JOHN MORRETTE had one of the sidegate to Joe Fava’s place:

JohnMorretteStockadeScene

. . and, VINCE FORTE had two:

VinceForteStockadeMarket . . Stockade Market . . and,

. . 31 Front Street: Forte029FrontSt

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BARBARA LENNOX

There was much to see at the Barb Lennox tent:

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.

BarbLennoxTent

. . Barb told me about the fluidity of alcohol ink.

BarbLennox-alcored

. . BarbLennox-alcoOils

. . and, Sherry Xu stopped by for a look and demonstrated her Art of Fashion skirt. .

BarbLennox-SherryXuVisit

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DALTON & WALSH

Jaywalking, I backtracked a little to the exhibit of MEG DALTON, which she shared with her granddaughter, CARLEY WALSH.

As you may recall from the winners section at the top of this posting, the family did well at the 2022 art show:

MegD-CarleyW-winners2022

. . above: [L] Best Stockade Depiction, by Meg Dalton; [R top] Youth Artist First Prize, by Carley Walsh . . 

  MEG DALTON

MegDalton-pheasant . . MegDalton-quilts

   CARLEY WALSH

CarleyWalshYA . . CarleyWalshEasel     . .

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MARK POHL

MarkPohlExbChurchTower

MARK POHL got to the Show early enough to grab the coveted spot right under the St. George’s steeple, and as a bonus got a blue sky and gauzy clouds. [Maybe I’m just projecting, ’cause I love photos with that steeple and cloudy blue skies.] His good fortune continued, with an Honorble Mention for his digital painting “October Sunday.”

HonMen-Pohl-OctMorning

Quite naturally, Mark brought along images of farm tractors, too, and I’m glad he did.

MarkPohl1

. .  MarkPohl-tractor

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LAUREL-LE LIPSKI

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LAURA-LE LIPSKI had another display that draws you in with colors and images that please.

Her waves especially intrigued me:

Laurel-LePinski-wave

. .

DON COOPER

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DON COOPER again brought a tent filled with his dense, challenging digital art.

DonCooperExh .

. DonCooper2

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NANCY NIEFIELD – TWO SPRUCE POTTERY

NNiefieldBestHumanForm2022 It was good to see Nancy Niefield. Her pottery shop was once on the Jay Street Pedestrian Mall. Nancy’s three-figure sculpture (at the left) won Best Depiction of the Human Form this year. Here she is at her 2022 Exhibit:

NancyNiefield . . NancyNiefieldExh

. .

QQ:

chickens Nice chickens, but I had to rush back to the Winners Circle before I could identify the artist. If you can help, please let me know in a comment or email.

CRISTINA DOUGALL

.CristinaDougallExh .

. . Christina is 2nd from the Right . .

CristinaDougallExhC2 The last exhibit I reached before rushing back to Lawrence Circle was CRISTINA DOUGALL’s display. I snapped one photo. There were many styles and subjects, but I did not have a chance to linger or chat with Cristina. It was only this evening (Sept. 15) that I discovered Cristina was the 1st Place winner of the Young Artist award in 2018. Checking my 2018 post on the Art Show, I recalled how much I was impressed with her work, chatted with her and her exhibit-mate for quite awhile, and wrote that I hoped she’d be back. It’s good to see Cristina still loves painting and is honing her skills.  Next time she’s at SOAS, I hope to have a conversation again with Cristina.

[Sept. 16, 2022] This is a good place to declare the First Draft of this posting complete. There may be tweaks or an extra photo or two added. Thank you for your patience as it eked out. Here’s my “thank you blue heron”, floating on the Mohawk off the Stockade riverbank on a fine autumn day. 

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