Last week Ginny discussed the work of Nellie Bly Ballard, a folk artist from the mid-20th century who painted landscapes from around Roxbury, NY (see blog article below). Ballard will join this
week's featured artist, Don Strausser, in an exhibit created by Catskills Folk Connection called "Growing Up to Bush." It will be on display from October 1 through November 5 in the Walt Meade Gallery at the Roxbury Arts Group, Roxbury, NY.
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| Hilt Kelly and the Sidekicks at the Halcott Grange, with guest fiddler Henry Hermann. Don Strausser is on the far left. |
You may recognize Don Strausser's name from his career in music as lead guitar in Hilt Kelly's square dance band, the Sidekicks. Many do no know, however, that Don's talented fingers on the guitar could also wield a paint brush. Until a few years ago when his eyesight began to weaken, Don painted favorite original scenes from his area of Greene County, near Lexington, and favorite views from magazines and other publicaitons. What makes all these paintings unique is that they are painted on a variety of materials: slate, household objects like an ironing board, tools such as saws, as well as canvas board. Perhaps the rarest of 'canvasses' for his art are the huge shelf fungi Don found on his travels in the woods. On these he painted scenes or carved line drawings on the velvet side of ther fungus. .
This blog's Gallery contains a good selection of Don's work, as well as a photo of Don at a music workshop.
Join Ginny tonight at 6 pm on the air at WIOX 91.3 FM or streaing live at wioxradio.org to learn more about Don's painting in his own words, and to hear about Ginny's research about farm boarding houses and other forms of tourism in the 20th century Catskills.
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| Hubbell Farm Boarding House, Bragg Hollow |
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| Hewitt's Crystal Spring Farm, Denver, NY |
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