Producer Paul Larson created “Art Express” as a celebration of the visual and performing arts. In the video installment in that series above we learn about local Adirondack artist Bill Amadon of Essex, New York.

Amadon usually begins his craft by exploring nature, and most of his paintings are created by photographs he takes while out finding inspiration.

The Adirondacks, for me, has an endless supply of inspiration for pieces of artwork. The variance of the different types of landscapes in the Adirondacks is amazing.

In the video you can see a variety of his landscapes, but near the end are several of the paintings he has done of Essex.

Amadon’s Relationship with Art

Bill Amadon shared with us a bit about how his artistic side awoke and explained the somewhat strained relationship has has with his art. Amadon grew up in Piseco in the heart of the Adirondacks, which he explains led to his first forays with art.

I became fascinated with the landscape there and developed an intense obsession to recreate what I observed by drawing and painting what I saw everyday. I lost that fascination and obsession along the way and it’s a struggle to shake off the constraints art instruction places on the process itself. This includes everything from technique to presentation.

Art in my life has always been just out of reach. Life events have always detoured me, keeping my creative moments on the list labeled “LATER NOT NOW.” Art was easy to put on the front burner when I was a child and had loving parents that fed, clothed and gave me shelter. I feel like I need to create a very minimal life so I can [in] some way recreate this.

I am actually a very optimistic person but this is the essence of much of my life struggle with my creative side.

Fire Destroys Paintings Yet Ultimately Leads to New Dedication

Artist Bill Amadon lost much of his early collection of landscape paintings in a house fire. This swift destruction of his artwork led to a year and a half absence of painting from his life. However, Amadon again picked up his paint brushes and realized that regardless of his lost paintings he could still create that satisfaction he felt as he finished a new painting and he could always paint much more.

Amadon is working to restore or recreate the paintings that were destroyed.

I have been scanning negatives slides and prints that were taken out of the house in Piseco after the fire. The art work is being executed in an updated approach in technique and attitude. These images are sometimes photos that artwork was the result of. There are some [pictures] of artwork [I am working from because] the [original photos] that inspired the work burned in the fire.

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