2020

Date: January 31, 2020

6 MILLION ACRES, 29 DAYS, 29 PAINTINGS

Saratoga artist Takeyce Walter to celebrate The Nature Conservancy’s work in the Adirondacks through Creative February project

CONTACT: Takeyce Walter, Fine Artist and Instructor | takeyce@takeyceart.com | 518-598-7328

Some people show their love of the Adirondacks through marathon outings. Saratoga artist Takeyce Walter will demonstrate her love for the region with an artistic marathon.

Next month, as part of Walter’s annual Creative February project, the award-winning artist will paint a different Adirondack scene every day. All the places she’ll depict have been protected by the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, of which Walter is a board member.

“The Conservancy has done so much, through science, to safeguard this remarkable region,” said Walter, who joined the organization in 2019. “But sometimes, it’s easier to tell that story on an emotional level. And what better way to do that than with art?”

Walter will paint some scenes while in the Adirondacks and others in her studio, depicting a different season each week during February. One of the first places she’ll paint is the Santanoni Preserve, the 12,500-acre parcel that was also the Conservancy’s first-ever land protection project in the Adirondacks. Acquired in 1971 and donated to the state a year later, that project provided a blueprint for conservation in the Adirondacks; the Conservancy has protected nearly 600,000 acres across the Park since then.

Other places Walter plans to depict include OK Slip Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the Adirondacks; Everton Falls, part of a nature preserve operated by the Conservancy that is open to the public; and Mt. Marcy, the state’s tallest peak, where the Conservancy helped launch a program in the 1980s to discourage hikers from walking on the fragile alpine plants on its summit.

“All our work is guided by facts and data—whether we’re guarding against invasive species on land and water, working to reduce flood risk in communities by improving road-stream crossings, or by using conservation tools to ensure wildlife can move freely as climate change alters habitats,” said Peg Olsen, director of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. “Telling our story through art makes an equally strong case why these places need to be protected. They’re beautiful, and irreplaceable, and deserve all the attention we can give, and we’re so thankful for Takeyce’s work using art to showcase the importance of conservation.”

Walter will share her work daily on her website, takeyceart.com, and on her Instagram account, @takeycewalter, using the hashtag #CreativeAdirondacks. In addition, she’ll show the art in a pair of gallery shows: One at the Spring Street Gallery in Saratoga Springs during April and May, and the other during June in the heart of the Adirondacks at Keene Arts in Keene, NY. The exhibition in the Adirondacks will also feature curated work from other artist participants. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the art will be donated to conservation causes. In addition, Walter will participate in live chats on social media during February, during which artists and others curious about the project can discuss her work.

Walter launched the Creative February project in 2014, aiming to invigorate her own creative process by producing a new piece of art every day. In subsequent years, she has invited others to participate with her and share their works on social media; artists from around the country, and world, have joined in.

Originally from Jamaica, Walter moved upstate in 2003 and visited the Adirondacks for the first time shortly after. “I’m just in awe of this landscape that’s been around for millennia,” she said. “I paint it because I want to share that reverence with people. I want people to realize: We’re the stewards of this. We need to take care of it. And we need to have our children and their children be able to come and experience this.”

To follow the project as it happens, follow Walter on Instagram @takeycewalter, or on her website, takeyceart.com.

ABOUT TAKEYCE WALTER

Takeyce Walter is an award winning contemporary American painter (born Jamaica) and art instructor, living and working in beautiful upstate New York. Driven to create from an early age, Walter has been producing art for as long as she can remember. Most recently, her focus has been on the natural landscape of her surroundings in the Northeast. Walter’s paintings present that landscape in all its glory—flowing rivers, majestic skies and picturesque lakes. There is a great sense of familiarity, tranquility and reverence in each piece.

The paintings feature the natural landscape of upstate New York, specifically the Adirondacks, and Walter’s immediate surroundings. Inspired by, and drawn to bodies of water, her work depicts the many rivers, lakes, marshes and streams located near her home.

In addition to exhibiting her paintings online, she also exhibits in regional galleries in the Northeast. Her art has found homes in many private collections across the country and internationally, as well as local museum and hospital collections.