Artists' palettes bring Keuka Lake to life
BY DERRICK EK THE LEADER

ERIC WENSEL/THE LEADER Cathleen Jenkins' "Million Dollar View," on display at the Hammondsport Visitor Center, is part of "The Palet tes of Keuka," a public art project at 35 locations surrounding Keuka Lake.

HAMMONDSPORT - A new and somewhat unusual art project is splashing lively color through out the village of Hammondsport and all around Keuka Lake.

There are 35 murals, painted on wood cut in the shape of an artists' palette. Some are rather large, roughly 4-feet by 6-feet, and some are smaller, about half that size.

They're set up at restaurants, wineries, a pub, a library, a laundry and other businesses that surround Keuka Lake.

The colors, styles and imagery depicted on the palettes vary wildly, and that's because they were painted by more than 30 artists, who were given the freedom to paint what they wanted.

"We started out saying, 'let's keep this related to the lake, and the wineries, and those things'," said Brett Steeves, a Hammondsport artist who helped organize the project. "But then we decided it wouldn't be good to restrict anybody, so we let them have at it."

Right - "Lake Time," a painting by Brett Steeves, hangs on Hammondsport's Park Inn. Left - "The Bluff from Elms Point " by Jim Burns sits on the sidewalk outside Browser's in Hammondsport.

The only restriction, Steeves joked, was "no nudity."

Still, most of the palettes are reflective of Keuka Lake in some way, he added.

Steeves wound up doing several paintings for the project, which has been dubbed "The Palettes of Keuka."

One, at Hammondsport's Park Inn, involves the face of a clock, with all the numbers falling out. The clock is next to a window depicting a Keuka sunset, and a sign that says "Lake Time."

Another, at a chocolate shop in the village, shows chocolate pouring out of the sky and coating air bubbles. There are fish in scuba gear and a girl blowing the bubbles. It's called "Chocolate Dreams."

Corning artist Gina Pfleegor painted a starry, nighttime lakeside scene, with a bright green frog jumping off a lilly pad and flying through the air with a blissful smile on its face.

ERIC WENSEL/THE LEADER

A painting by Andy Clark shows patrons carousing at Maloney's Pub in Hammondsport's Village Square.

Lucretia West, a Caton artist, did sailboats on Keuka, framed by bunches of grapes. It was a fun project, she said.

"Palettes of Keuka" was the brainchild of Helen Monroy, a teacher from Hammondsport.

Last summer, she was driving her son to college in New England and her route took her through Bennington, a quaint village in southern Vermont.

There were palettes set up on the streets of Bennington and they caught Monroy's eye. So, she stopped to take photographs and ask about them, she said. Monroy liked the idea so much that she decided to pitch it to the Hammondsport Chamber of Commerce.

Monroy's idea was wellreceived, said John Jensen, president of the Chamber.

A committee was formed, local businesses were recruited to host the palettes, a call to artists went out, and the project was set in motion. Jensen said he's impressed by how well the whole thing turned out.

A brochure and map were printed to help people find the palettes. About half are in the village of Hammondsport, and the rest surround Keuka Lake.

On Saturday, Sept. 8, the palettes will be taken down and auctioned off in Hammondsport's Village Square. A preview will begin at noon, and the auction will begin at 1 p.m.

The proceeds will be used to fund future art projects by the chamber, such as public displays or open studio tours, Jensen said.