Charlotte Pruyn Hyde

Photo source: Hyde Art Museum, collections department

Charlotte Pruyn Hyde
1867-1963

Charlotte Pruyn Hyde is the daughter of Samuel Pruyn, co-founder of Finch Pruyn Paper, Inc. in Glens Falls, New York. This is the paper mill where my father was employed at the time of my birth. Charlotte Married Louis Fiske Hyde in 1901 after a 14 year courtship, and they settled in Glens Falls in 1907. Charlotte and her two sisters, Mary and Nell, built adjoining homes not far from their father's paper mill. The homes and the surrounding seven acres now make up the Hyde Collection, a museum complex with a world-renowned collection of art that is availale for
public enjoyment. In the photo slide show titled "The Hyde" you will see some of the photos that I took while I was visiting the museum recently with my two youngest children. As a seamstress and quilter, I was fascinated by the thimble collection. I also photographed the sculpture near the entrance to the museum, a lovely piece depicting a family dancing together.

Another addition to the Glens Falls area, thanks to generous financial donations by the Hydes, is the Crandall Public Library (www.crandalllibrary.org).

This is a place I remember visiting with my mother when I was very young and she was a student at Adirondack Community College. I now take my children to Crandall Library. They have wonderful programs and are very helpful to the many homeschoolers in the area.

I am grateful to people like Charlotte Pryne Hyde and her husband who cared for their community and for the coming generations in such a generous way.

See http://www.hydecollection.org/interact/

for a video documentary on the family. It includes photos of the paper mill and many of the collected works.

Special Delivery!

This is how to prepare a package to send to your favorite nieces...

First, fill a box of your choice with something fun. Mine contains fancy dresses! Make sure that you put everything in that you want to send...once we're done decorating the box, there's no going back!

Tape the box tightly closed. Cover the top with mod podge.


















Place a whole sheet of tissue paper on top of the box, centering the paper so that it drapes evenly over the sides and ends of the box.



























Turn the whole thing over so that you may work with the uncovered bottom. Cut the paper so that you may draw it up over the ends of the box. Spread mod podge on the box where you will be placing the tissue paper. Press the paper in place and dab on mod podge as needed to hole the tissue in place. Do not be afraid to get the mod podge on the outside of the paper as it will dry clear and smooth.























Now trim the extra tissue away and glue in place to cover the bottom of the box. Draw the sides of the tissue up into place, being sure to glue down all edges and corners securely. Use extra tissue if necessary to cover all of the box. Multiple layers and different colors work well, too.

















Once the box is covered, choose a label. I used the front of a notecard that I liked. Since it is going to my two nieces, the two teddies having a tea party was fitting. I covered my picture with mod podge to make it secure and waterproof.

Use a plain 3x5 card to write the address. Secure in place and send!

Washington County Fair

I had five entries for the Washington County Fair this year and two of them brought home Blue Ribbons!!

First, I was finally able to enter my embroidery sampler this year. I had tried to enter it a couple years ago but it did not fit into a category because I had added some cross stitch motifs. This year the entry office made it possible for my sampler to be included, and it won!

I also entered this tea cozy which was knitted with yarn that I spun myself on a simple drop spindle I built. I have decided that I love to spin!

My Gallery

This is going to be my "public viewing" site for my "Make It Pretty" expert level badge requirement. I have several painting of various mediums that I have been working on after taking a beginner level series of classes at the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls (http://shirtfactorygf.com). I received training in pastels, oil, acrylic, and watercolor painting. Included in the fee was a beginner kit with paints and necessary materials. I learned a great deal, had fun, and met some wonderful people.



This first piece is in watercolor and is my attempt to recreate a painting that I found in an art magazine. It is a full sheet of paper, approx. 12x20.

This one is a pastel, and also a recreation of something I found by another aspiring artist. This is on a piece of beige pastel paper and is about 6x9. This is one of my favorites.

This pastel, still surrounded by tape which is used to keep the edges sharp and clean, is finished but not sealed with fixative yet. It is of a scene that I saw at my friend Claudia's in the Adirondack Mountains.

This is a pastel reproduction of a photo I took at the Adirondack Balloon Festival a few years ago. I was looking for a silhouette type image to try. The photo is above and the pastel is below. It is on a blue/gray pastel paper and is unfinished. I was having difficulty getting the right effect and the balloons need to be sharper. I'll work on this one more.

This one is a repo of another artist's work. I am not happy with this one as I could not get the color tone that I was after. It is acrylic paint on heavy paper. I couldn't get the right effect of the sun shining through the trees. This one is done because I kept trying to fix it and only made it worse.

This one is oil on heavy paper. I couldn't get depth into the bowl or the right color in the fruit. I am very happy with the flowers in the vase as they have nice depth and color tone. Even in this reproduction I can see the texture of the paint. That is what I love most about oil.

This next painting was a class project, and was the most interesting class with the best of the four teachers (see http://www.tmyottart.com/). Tom is a talented painter and gifted teacher. The label on the bottle of wine (not included in my painting) was designed by Tom for a special annual event and so we not only painted the bottle, but opened a few as well! I enjoyed about half of my glass of wine, then I mistakenly tried to clean my brush in it.

In this painting I practiced developing compliments with my colors. I like this painting even though it is simple.

This painting was another class project. I like my colors and perspective, but the painting is static. There is nothing happening in the scenery and I cannot think of anything to add to it to make it more interesting. Oh, well.

This is my chicken coop! I have a couple other paintings of my chicken coop, but this is the best one. I could make it better by darkening the outlines of the hens and the coop, but once again, each time I added to it I seemed to make it worse. Sometimes one needs to just call it "done."

I'm sure I'll do this one again as I am rather obsessed with recreating hens, roosters, and coops.

Busy Summer

Always my favorite time of the year...veggies growing, kids swimming, birds chirping, laundry waving in the wind...I love Summer!

New to me this year are eggplant, which I confess I do not know how to cook. My daughter brought home six plants from the organic vegetable farm that she works at, and I innocently put them into the garden. I now have about twenty almost ready to harvest. This is AFTER I picked a dozen and gave them friends who took pity on me. I googled some recipes and had a friend send me a tried and true from her own collection, so I am almost ready to take the plunge. Almost.

Also new to me this summer is the political process that I thought I knew so much about until I decided to run for local office. I learned a new meaning to the word "running" as used in "running for office"...because I have not stopped running since I started! I am on petition #2...58 signatures needed for each petition, with a few extras just in case. I've been through almost everyone I know in town, and I've been knocking on doors of people I have not met before. All in all, it has been a difficult but extraordinarily satisfying undertaking. I am receiving so much support and encouragement...even if I don't win the position, I will have been blessed by the process :-)