Studio Visits and Connections

I was so fortunate to visit the studio of George Van Hook , a lifelong plein air, still life and figurative painter in the Hudson Valley back in February. His studio is in his home, just off of Main Street in Cambridge, NY and driving in, he was waiting on the porch waving me in for the visit. It was a pleasure to meet George and learn more about his plein air paintings, how he loves to set up along the banks of the river to paint fly fisherman throughout the season, landscapes along the Hudson Valley all year round, and paint still life and figurative scenes in his studio. During the summers, he has judged past plein air competitions, teaches other plein air artists and also is the resident painter at the famed Paws Up Resort in Montana for a few weeks in July.

I enjoyed seeing his works, organized by size and genre, lining his studio shelves and walls. During our visit and conversations regarding art history, galleries and the many different types of buyers/art collectors, we discovered we had some extraordinary connections. George grew up in the same area and attended the same high school in Abington, PA as my father and he spent many summers in Maine, painting out of the studio of my childhood best friend's grandfather, Frank Benson- a prominent Boston Artist.

George's oil paintings are captivating. His river scenes are tranquil, you can hear the water in the river gently flow by and hear the whip of the fly rod cast. Every time I look at one of his oil paintings, I see a new tree, a new cloud, a new path painted in the composition proving the art theory, that great art gets better and better each time you look at it.

If you are looking to add original works of art to your collection or are a first time buyer, George's compositions are endless windows of joy and peace- something we are all searching for during these challenging times. His works are a reminder to stay present and not to miss these fleeting moments. I feel honored to share his works on my online gallery!