The familiar takes on new light

SACKETS HARBOR — Walking into the downtown studio of artist Lawrence C. Barone in this village is actually like taking a step outside.

Here, the north country familiar takes on a new luster.

Pastels of north country landscapes and animals surround you, each with distinctive lighting patterns of various seasons:

A cow lumbers down a small incline in the moonlight; a bare tree, spotted off Route 3 in Henderson, stands lonely in front of a stone fence on a winter's day; a gray-blue sky reigns over a windy, grassy landscape at Galloo Island, and one of the artist's favorite subjects, Navy Point in the village, is seen in various seasons.

Mr. Barone is one of the artists who has donated works to the Art Literally show and sale to be held 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. May 9 at Flower Memorial Library in Watertown. The event will benefit the library and the American Red Cross of Northern New York.

Mr. Barone and his wife, Constance B., purchased the 115 W. Main St. property last year. Mr. Barone moved his studio into the building, which was constructed in the late 1820s, from a space he had rented in the village.

Mr. Barone enjoys the rarity of having an artist's studio in a downtown north country village but also enjoys being part of what he sees is a growing arts scene in the community.

"It adds to the quality of life and it grows on itself," he said.

He added that his first year in the studio last year exceeded his expectations commercially. For Mr. Barone, being an artist is about putting in an old-fashioned work day.

"I try to put in what I consider a reasonable work day," said Mr. Barone, a retired educator. "Inspiration comes from hard work, keeping at it, looking for new ideas and putting in your time."

The Barones moved to the village five years ago from the Southern Tier. His wife, daughter of Robert E. and Jeannie I. Brennan of Sackets Harbor, is Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site manager

Mr. Barone taught art for more than 30 years in New York and Massachusetts. He originally was trained as a printmaker but expanded his work about 10 years ago to include pastel painting. He has displayed his work in many exhibitions and juried shows around the country.

"I look at myself as a regionalist," Mr. Barone said. "I usually only paint very familiar scenes."

But those familiar scenes are constantly changing, depending on the time of day and the season, which helps to inspire the artist. He mentioned a recent drive from the village to Watertown along Route 3 and seeing a large flock of snow geese landing in a cornfield.

Mr. Barone uses artistic license in many works. He cited a drawing inspired by a house at Military Road and Storrs Road in the town of Hounsfield.

"Nobody lives there," Mr. Barone said. "I just caught this light one day."

He added some homey touches such as a warm, yellow light coming from a window and a slight wisp of smoke coming out of a chimney.

"I call it 'Winter's Sleep,'" he said. "I pictured somebody tucked in trying to muddle his way through a north country winter."

A drawing of a crow was inspired by some bread Mr. Barone threw out one day onto his driveway. He was intrigued by the crow's reactions, especially when it glanced over a wing at its long shadow. Different versions of the scene in different colors and sizes hang at the gallery. But the scene lacks a title.

"It looks like this could be a metaphor for something, but I haven't figured that out yet," Mr. Barone said with a laugh.

He does have an amusing title for a pastel drawing of a lone ice fisherman he spotted off the shores of the village. The figure is seated, staring at the hole in the ice. Its title: "It's a Zen Thing."

Mr. Barone is an avid fisherman, but isn't very familiar with ice fishing. "There's a different mode of meditation here," he said, holding the "Zen" drawing.

Mr. Barone said it's interesting how a particular painting will grab someone's attention while others do not.

"You just never know," he said. "Sometimes you hit a universal theme and people will connect with it," he said. "Other times, it's more of a one-on-one connection between the artist and the viewer. I try not to interfere with it. I'm just the artist who hangs it on the wall."