Striper Time

A little over three years ago I had the pleasure of spending a few days at a plein air workshop with my friend Garin Baker. Garin lives along the Hudson River maybe 60 miles north of Manhattan. Besides being a master artist and teacher, Garin is also an avid fisherman. Here on the river, not far above West Point, spring and early summer mean striped bass are running and Garin and his buddies fish for these big fighters in Newburgh Bay. A loose group of men and women spends many mornings working the river, fishing for stripers as they move upstream to spawn. 

Garin Baker, "Remains of Fall," oil on canvas

The spot where the striper fishermen spend their mornings is a favorite painting location for Garin (see above), and we spent two days painting there and one at another locale. It's a beautiful spot on the shore of Newburgh Bay, which is actually a very wide spot in the river. Downstream is the round top of Storm King Mountain, and beyond that, to the south is West Point. The fishermen gather along the point of land and cast their bait far into the current, angling for a strike. We set up all along the shoreline and painted most of two days.

Hoff, "Hudson River Newburgh Bay," oil on panel

The group of a dozen or so painters made two paintings a day. My 9x12 oil sketch of the bay (above) looks as if a flock of birds is flying over the water, but in reality those are gnats caught in my paint. The day wasn't very sunny. Later in the year I made another painting of the Hudson, based on the studies from Garin's workshop. 

Hoff, "Striper Time," oil on panel