by Jill Stefani Wagner

"Near the Vineyard"   oil   12x16

My next painting adventure this summer took place in New York State at the Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival. I've painted in this event quite a few times and it's a favorite of mine. Our painting area included the entire area around Lake Canandaigua and some miles east and west. That's a lot of ground to cover if you don't know exactly where you want to paint! But the roads aren't crowded and the scenery is breathtaking. What's not to like?

One day the artists concentrated on the southern part of the lake to paint the many vineyards, beautiful landscapes and the quaint city of Naples. (It seems that many Italian immigrants migrated to this area in the 1800s, bringing their grapevines with them. They named their new hometowns after their old ones in Italy.)

"Lowlands"   oil   9x12

I love this area of the Finger Lakes. It has everything from waterfalls (which I must admit I'm afraid to paint) to marshes to farms, all within just a few miles. A plethora of beauty!

"Woodville Early"   oil   12x9

"Vine Valley View"   oil   9x12

After a long day, we framed our paintings and dropped them off at one of the vineyard tasting rooms, where the awards for the day were given and art patrons came by to view and purchase our work. We tasted the wine of the region and sampled local food. And the next day, we started all over again.

Please contact me at [email protected] if you are interested in one of these paintings.