Susie Barstow (1836-1923) was a Hudson River School painter who is now enjoying a small exhibition at the Thomas Cole House and Museum in Catskill, New York.
The exhibit includes some of her finished oils, many of them from private collections, together with her field studies, watercolors, and demos.
Barstow was a formidable hiker and outdoors enthusiast. The curators say: "Barstow often left her traveling companions to hike and sketch on her own, enjoying continuous bouts of wanderlust....It was not uncommon for Barstow to hike 8, 10, or 12 miles, only then to set down and commence with the task at hand."
I loved the fact that they included some small canvases just pinned on the wall, which makes it feel like you're visiting her studio.
The painting above was probably done as a composition demo. You can see her experimenting with the idea of putting a tree on the right, and then painting over it.
Exhibit cases include some of the art supplies she would have used, including these "camel hair pencils." (Brushes used to be called pencils.) The camel hair was held by feather quills, with orange dowels put into the open end when they were in use.
The exhibition "Susie Barstow and Her Circle" includes paintings by other artists including paintings by Fidelia Bridges and Laura Woodward. It will be on show at the Thomas Cole Historic Site through October 29th, 2023.
For those who can't make it to the show, there's also a new book by Nancy Siegel called Susie M. Barstow: Redefining the Hudson River School.
Susie Barstow on Wikipedia
Those brushes! Fascinating.
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