Art On The Trail

Plein air art – drawing on the beauty found in nature – is a noble tradition.   And Olana State Historic Site, home of the famous Hudson River School artist, Frederic Church, seemed like a fine place to let out our inner artistes.

For our second Trails with Tales adventure, we ventured further afield into the magical world of the Hudson Valley Region.  At our first glimpse of Olana, crossing the Rip Van Winkle Bridge to Coxsackie, it almost seemed as if one of the castles from The Arabian Nights had been transplanted in New York.  This Persian fantasy is resplendent with mosaics, towers, and spires.

Yet, this architectural gem is just the crowning glory of a 40-year landscaping project that is arguably Church’s greatest artistic achievement.

“Olana is all of one piece – a unified artistic vision.  When you enter the property, you enter the “landscape painting” that Church created.”

Yes, it is beautiful, but were my kids inspired?

Kayla and Alex came prepared to draw. 

In their day packs, sandwiched between the Game Boy and a novel, they each carried a small sketch pad and a set of high-quality colored pencils.

And, they did sit down at one of the scenic overlooks to draw:

But, I can’t say that they were truly inspired by nature’s majesty.

Alex drew a Pokemon character, admittedly set in the idyllic backdrop.  Kayla also included the landscape, but her focus was on the only out-of-place element – a metal post!

Hey, at least I was inspired to take a few, lovely photos:

And Yoohoo and I got a modicum of exercise strolling the Ridge Road Trail through the 250 acre grounds.

Other Hikes On Living By Learning:

Peebles Island State Park, Cohoes, NY

Bradley Farm Trail, Mt. Greylock, MA

Trails with Tales: History Hikes through the Capital Region, Saratoga, Berkshires, Catskills & Hudson Valley: Russell Dunn,Barbara Delaney: BooksISBN: 1883789486 ISBN-13: 9781883789480

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Tagged as: hike, trails with tales