A place like no other

The Adirondacks has been a muse to many over the years - inspiring art, music, health, exploration. Winslow Homer, one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in American art, is one such visitor to the Adirondacks. His fascination spanned 40 years, and over twenty-one trips, resulting in over a hundred peices of art. It's been said that no other place held Homer’s attention as an artist for so long a period.

About the Artist

Born in 1836, Winslow Homer is regarded by many as one of the greatest American painters of the 19th century. He was born and raised in the Cambridge area of Boston, MA. The first work he did in the field of art was as a print maker, in Boston, as well as in New York, where he eventually made his home in 1859. (source: winslowhomer.org)

Largely self-taught, Homer began his career working as a commercial illustrator. He subsequently took up oil painting and produced major studio works characterized by the weight and density he exploited from the medium. He also worked extensively in watercolor, creating a fluid and prolific oeuvre, primarily chronicling his working vacations. (source: wikipedia.org)

Social and Scenery = Success

Research Winslow Homer and you will read much of his inspiration came during trips to the North Woods Club, where his fishing vacations and time in the great outdoors allowed him freedom to experiment with watercolor, oils, drawing and prints.

I read some of author David Tatham’s information stating that Winslow’s reasons for returning so often to the Adirondacks were as much social as they were professional. And that for Winslow the “warmly congenial social routing coupled with a visually stimulating environment brought forth sustained periods of high quality work.”

“From his Adirondack sojourns came a handful of finely designed magazine illustrations, at least fourteen oil paintings, and about a hundred watercolors, including many of great brilliance.” - David Tatham wrote in Adirondack Life Magazine. David Tatham has a book out “Winslow Homer: Masterworks from the Adirondacks,” which includes thirteen of the artist's greatest works in watercolor and oil, representing a broad chronological overview of Homer's interest in the New York wilderness, from the early 1870s to 1902.

Homer’s art can be found

• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Boston Museum of Fine Arts
• Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• The Brooklyn Museum
• Canajoharie Library

Among others, and locally in the Minerva Historical Society Museum.

Masterworks from the Adirondacks

Some of his works from these trips include:

• Adirondack Guide
• Campfire, Adirondacks
• Netting the Fish
• North Woods Club, Adirondacks
• The End of the Day, Adirondacks
• The Lone Boat, North Woods Club
• The Rapids, Hudson River, Adirondacks

Discover why the Adirondacks inspire you

Winslow Homer came for the fishing, scenery and social engagement - but what inspires you? The Schroon Lake Region, making up the southern tip of the Adirondack Park was where he spent most of his time. This area is easy to get to and close to everything the Adirondacks has to offer. Whether hiking, fishing, boating, skiing, sightseeing, R & R, attractions, art and theatre, and more, there is so much to explore. Start planning your vacation now and come see why Winslow Homer, Albert Einstein, US Presidents, socialites and celebrities, have been making this a vacation destination for decades.