This month my husband and I concluded a five-week camping tour of New York State from Niagara Falls to Manhattan. We were on a guided adventure along with twenty other Airstream couples. Pictured above are three of our trailers, camped at Bethel Woods (site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival).

We had a wonderful time getting to know everyone on the trip, and enjoyed a wide variety of interesting and educational excursions together. But this post is not about our itinerary.

Instead, I am sharing with you my top twenty photos from our trip, from my perspective as an artist. These photos will provide unique inspiration for future paintings.

I did not expect to find a hot air balloon flying over our beautiful camping spot near Syracuse, but I can see this idea enriching a composition.

Even though I knew the Canadian Shield extends into New York state, I still was surprised to encounter rugged northern scenery, such as this view from Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks.

We climbed to the summit of Whiteface Mountain along a challenging trail pictured at the top of this ridge. Lots of great rocks to see here.

From Whiteface Mountain we could see Lake Placid, somewhat obscured by smoke from distant forest fires. Rocks, trees, water... what more is there for my artist's heart to love? The transition from greens to blues in the distance is sublime.

The Hudson River provided several gorgeous views. This one is from West Point Military Academy. What a pretty spot for a university campus and army post!

The Finger Lakes region is very reminiscent of Muskoka in northern Ontario. I managed to catch these kayakers enjoying a sunny afternoon on the Saranac River near Lake Placid. I think this has all the elements of a perfect painting.

We stopped for lunch at the exclusive, historic Sagamore Hotel on Lake George. I can see why the hotel was established here in 1883. What a glorious water view it has, looking north.

This is the view from the Sagamore Hotel looking south on Lake George. Absolutely breathtaking. I could have sat there all day drinking in the magnificence of the lake, islands, and ridge.

Speaking of luxury properties, this is one of the lovely views from Kykuit, the Rockefeller weekend getaway estate in Sleepy Hollow. The misty hills in the background speak to my artist's soul.

Sometimes I only use one element from a reference photo in a painting. I can envision the foreground flowers shown here in an entirely different northern scene, such as in front of a marsh or lake. I took this photo at Saratoga National Historic Park and this bucolic countryside was a battlefield during the Revolutionary war.

We saw some impressive waterfalls. This is Niagara Falls seen from the American side.

The waterfalls and dam at New Croton Reservoir near Croton-on-Hudson were very pretty. They were constructed between 1892 and 1906. At time of completion, the dam was the tallest in the world (297 feet or 91m). It is part of the water supply system for New York City.

Seen from the bridge portion of the dam, New Croton Reservoir is really lovely. Those hills and reflections will make a wonderful background for a painting one day.

Our cruise of the 1000 Islands provided access to lots of great scenery, including this island I am itching to paint. I like the lighting, the shapes of the rocks, the variety of trees, and the rippled reflection.

Wherever we travel, I always am on the lookout for majestic pines that tower over the surrounding forest. This pair seen near the 1000 Islands will make a stunning centrepiece in a painting soon.

Another natural feature I look for when we travel is dramatic skies. I happened to glance out of our Airstream early one day at Lake George Escape Campground and saw the sunrise breaking through the morning fog. I was still in my pyjamas but quickly opened our door and snapped a photo. Hopefully our neighbours were still asleep! When I paint this scene I will exclude the trailers at the bottom.

We were enjoying a cruise along the Hudson River near New Paltz when these clouds drifted in front of the sun. The back lighting effect would be hard to achieve in a watercolour painting but I may try it one day.

This view of the Hudson River is from the Walkway on the Hudson, a former railway-bridge-turned-pedestrian-trail near Poughkeepsie. I love the clouds in this scene.

We were treated to this pretty sunset with whispy clouds on the last night of our trip. This reference could be used in a northern lake scene with some spiky evergreens adding interest to the horizon.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief glimpse of our New York state adventure. Perhaps you will have a chance to visit these beautiful destinations in person if your travels take you near these locales. And I hope seeing my photos and reading my thoughts about them gives you an idea of how an artist views the world.

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