Haunting Reflections - A Work in Progress

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Anyway, even though today has a nice breeze blowing and it is going to be a little cooler 83F (28.3C) and 93F (33.9C) with the humidity, than it was yesterday I decided to stay inside and looked through some of the paintings that I had already started including this one that I had painted the background sky (see post 04 February 2011) with plans to put the Alster Tower in the foreground.

It is one of eight structures, including Boldt Castle located on Heart (Hart) Island in the 1,000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River. It is located near Alexandria Bay, in Jefferson County, New York.

I went through the many photographs I had taken of the buildings whenever I had visited Boldt Castle over the years.

Since I wanted the structure reflected into the water I started my sketch of the Alster Tower showing the tower boat dock at the foot of the building.

The Tower was one of the first structures built on the island and was originally built for the entertainment of guests and as a play house for the Boldt family children. However it was occupied by the Boldt family during the first four years when the Castle was being constructed.  

Its design was inspired by the by the castles and towers found along the Rhine and Alster Rivers in Germany by King William, the German Emperor. 

Construction began on the Tower in 1897 and the building was completed in 1899 at a cost of $15,000.00. The six story Tower made of made of brown stone was deliberately built with slanting and uneven walls, ceilings, and roofs.  

There are two stairways leading to the top of the 90 foot (27.4m) tall tower, one on the outer wall of the building. The other is a stone spiral staircase inside the building allowing which when reaching the summit of the Tower guests are greeted by a magnificent view of the area.

I will post this piece at a later date once I have completed the drawing and transferred it to the watercolour paper.

Cloudy Day - A Work in Progress

I came across a couple of photographs I had taken of the Power House - Clock and Chimes Tower before it had been restored and thought this would be an ideal background for the charred remains making them stand out in stark relief against the stormy sky.

It was during a fireworks display on 06 August 1939 that the roof burst into flames and soon the entire framework of the building was ablaze.

The local fire department arrived with the village pumper towed in on a scow, but the fire was impossible to contain and everything burned with the exception of the granite walls of the building.














The Power House - Clock and Chimes Tower remained a burnt out shell for 52 years.

The Alexandria Bay Rotary Club donated the funds to replace the three faced clock in the Clock Tower. The building was restored by the Thousand Island Bridge Authority at a cost of approximately $350,000.00 and was reopened to the public in 1991.

I will post this again once I have transferred the drawing of the shell of the Power House - Clock Tower and Chimes and started the painting.

Dawn Horizon - A Work in Progress

While going through my photographs of Boldt Castle and the surrounding buildings I came across a couple of the Arch of Honour and Peristyle before and after restoration.

What I find interesting in the history of Boldt Castle is that Elizur Kirke Hart purchased the 5 acre (2 hectare) island which was then known as Hemlock Island and renamed it Hart island on 31 July 1871.

On 21 June 1895 Edward Wallace Dewey purchased Hart Island from Elizur Hart's widow and subsequently sold it ten days later to Louise Augusta Boldt.














George C. Boldt and his wife Louise renamed the the property from Hart Island to Heart Island; and the first major change was to turn the island into a heart shape.

The Arch of Honour and Peristyle serves as a water gate allowing the St. Lawrence River to flow into the lagoon surrounding nearly half the island. It is over 500 feet (152 meters) in length and at one spot is 100 feet (30 meters) wide. The lagoon was built out into the water in such a way as to make the heart shape of the island more pronounced.

I will post this again once I have transferred the drawing of the Arch of Honour and Peristyle onto the paper.

Dawn Delight - A Work in Progress

This is a sky I would like to use for a painting of the restored Power House - Clock and Chimes Tower which is one of the buildings belonging to Boldt Castle.

Boldt Castle is found in the Thousand Islands region that straddles the Canada - U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from Lake Ontario. It is part of Alexandria Bay, New York.














Boldt Castle is accessible by ferry, private boat or by tour boat from Alexandria Bay, N.Y. USA or in Gananoque, Rockport, and Ivy Lea, Ontario, Canada.

There is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection office and visitors coming in from Canada or other countries must produce appropriate identification (passport, etc.) when visiting Heart (Hart)Island as you are entering the USA.

I will post this painting once I have the drawing transferred to the paper and have started work on the building.

Haunting Reflections - A Work in Progress

I was in the mood to paint skies and this is the background for a painting I would like to do of Alster Tower which was used as a play house and games room; there is even a bowling alley inside the building. This is one of the buildings belonging to Boldt Castle.

Over the years I have taken many photographs of Boldt Castle and the various buildings on Heart (Hart) Island.














It is one of my favourite places to visit and I try to go at least every other year and see what new improvements (which has been under renovation since 1977) have been made by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority.

I will post this painting once I have the drawing of the building transferred to the paper. Thank you for coming to look at my artwork and I hope you will return often.