Essex on Lake Champlain
\"Essex
  • About
    • Essex, New York (Town)
      • Essex Maps
      • Essex, New York Weather
      • Town of Essex Government
      • Close
    • Essex on Lake Champlain (Blog)
      • Contributors
      • Sponsors
      • Testimonials
      • Get Involved
      • Close
    • Close
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Calendar
    • Add an Event
    • Upcoming Events
    • Close
  • Essex on Lake Champlain
  • Connect
    • Social Media
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Google +
      • Pinterest
      • YouTube
      • Flickr
    • Newsletters
    • GET INVOLVED
    • CONTACT
        • Your Name (required)

          Your Email (required)

          Subject (required)

          Your Message

      • Close
    • Shop
    • Search
        • Search
          • Close
        • Categories
            • Agriculture (518)
            • Architecture (76)
            • Arts (353)
            • Business (122)
            • Daily Doodle (62)
            • Dining (151)
            • Doodle Quotes (5)
            • Doodlebomb (3)
            • Education (296)
            • Entertainment (369)
            • Environment (28)
            • Essex Doodles (62)
            • Events (1705)
            • Exercise (54)
            • Government (247)
            • Health & Wellness (134)
            • Heritage (397)
            • History (183)
            • Hyperlocal (29)
            • Landscape (35)
            • Lifestyle (197)
            • Lodging (16)
            • Music (276)
            • Nature (258)
            • News (1217)
            • Nightlife (18)
            • Obituary (9)
            • Opinion (45)
            • Outdoors (177)
            • People (115)
            • Philanthropy (86)
            • Real Estate (3)
            • Recreation (214)
            • Resources (7)
            • Services (7)
            • Shopping (96)
            • Sports (22)
            • Transportation (71)
            • Worship (17)
          • Close
        • Archives
            • June 2018 (21)
            • May 2018 (30)
            • April 2018 (28)
            • March 2018 (30)
            • February 2018 (31)
            • January 2018 (26)
            • December 2017 (23)
            • November 2017 (25)
            • October 2017 (22)
            • September 2017 (32)
            • August 2017 (35)
            • July 2017 (30)
            • June 2017 (30)
            • May 2017 (35)
            • April 2017 (31)
            • March 2017 (33)
            • February 2017 (30)
            • January 2017 (35)
            • December 2016 (30)
            • November 2016 (37)
            • October 2016 (43)
            • September 2016 (53)
            • August 2016 (49)
            • July 2016 (59)
            • June 2016 (70)
            • May 2016 (57)
            • April 2016 (64)
            • March 2016 (69)
            • February 2016 (56)
            • January 2016 (46)
            • December 2015 (39)
            • November 2015 (43)
            • October 2015 (61)
            • September 2015 (57)
            • August 2015 (61)
            • July 2015 (54)
            • June 2015 (41)
            • May 2015 (67)
            • April 2015 (66)
            • March 2015 (72)
          • Load More
          • Close
        • Contact us
          • CONTACT US

              Your Name (required)

              Your Email (required)

              Subject (required)

              Your Message

            • Close
        • Close
      • Log In
        • Log Into Calendar
        • Log Into Blog
        • Close
      • Skip to primary navigation
      • Skip to main content
      • Skip to primary sidebar
      • Skip to footer

      Essex on Lake Champlain

      Essex, New York Community Blog Since 2011

      • Lifestyle
        • Agriculture
          • CSAs in Essex, NY
            • Essex Farm
            • Full and By Farm
          • Farmstead Catering
          • The Hub on the Hill
          • Reber Rock Farm
        • Outdoors
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Entertainment
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
        • Arts
          • Adirondack Art Association
          • Essex Community Concerts
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Essex Poetry Open Mic
        • Music
          • Essex Community Concerts
        • Shopping
        • Recreation
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Health & Wellness
          • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
          • NEW Health
        • Nature
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Education
          • CFES Brilliant Pathways
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Nightlife
        • Worship
      • Events
        • Christmas in Essex
        • Downtown Essex Day
        • Fourth of July in Essex, NY
      • Dining
        • Chez Lin & Rays
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Old Dock Restaurant
        • The Pink Pig Cafe
      • Lodging
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
      • Transportation
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
      • Heritage
        • Architecture
          • Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler’s Field Guide
        • Historic Essex
        • History
        • People
        • Government
          • Essex Post Office
          • Town of Essex Government
        • Vintage Essex Trivia
        • Vintage Essex Artifacts
      • Directory
        • Adirondack Art Association
        • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • CFES Brilliant Pathways
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
        • Essex Farm
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Initiatives
        • Essex Post Office
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Full and By Farm
        • Historic Essex
        • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
        • NEW Health
        • Pedal Power
        • Reber Rock Farm
        • The Hub on the Hill
        • Town of Essex Government
        • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
      • Show Search
      Hide Search
      You are here: Home / Arts / A Folk Artist’s 1000 Islands

      A Folk Artist’s 1000 Islands

      October 19, 2012 By Geo Davis 1 Comment

      Prudence Matthews' vision of the 1000 Islands Region
      Prudence Matthews’ vision
      of the 1000 Islands Region

      So enchanting is Lake Champlain’s siren call that it’s easy to lose sight of other similarly beautiful, culturally formative water bodies in the Northeast. But the spell is temporarily broken by folklorist Hannah Harvester in a recent episode of Borderless North.

      Harvester’s “Wonders in Wool!” is an invitation to discover the maritime wonders of New York State’s 1,000 Island Region through the evocative hook rugs of folk artist Prudence Matthews.

      “From a simple fish to this latest ambitious creation, Prudence Matthews uses art to proclaim her deep love for the life her family has shared in the 1,000 Islands for five generations. Using a simple metal hook and strips of wool salvaged from thrift stores she will continue to imbue her artwork with a spirit of the magical place that inspires her.” ~ Hannah Harvester (Borderless North)

      Thrift stores and closets provide the material for the beautiful hooked rugs created by folk artist Prudence Matthews.  Folklorist Hannah Harvester visited Prudence to learn about  how the 1,000 Islands region has inspired her work.  This story is part of a collaboration between Mountain Lake PBS and TAUNY, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York.  Funding for this segment was provided by the Folk And Traditional Arts program at the National Endowment for the Arts. (Borderless North)

      Matthews’ artistic rendering of the 1000 Island region tempts the imagination, conjuring up a whimsical world of boating, swimming and endless summer vacation. If you’re smitten, here are a few more 1000 Island temptations and resources to consider.

      • Visit the 1000 Islands Inspire your spirit and renew your soul in one of the most beautiful places on the planet boasting friendly atmosphere, fresh outdoors and laid-back pace.
      • 1000 Islands-Seaway Hues of blues surrounded by golds and reds… breathtaking fall scenery… shimmering blue bays… and hundreds of miles of picturesque coastline ablaze with autumn colors. From fairy-tale castles to world-class fishing and whitewater rafting, you’ll find boundless adventures.
      • St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce Information on tourism in and around the St. Lawrence Seaway, local businesses, and the latest news and events.
      • Great Lakes Seaway Trail This 518 mile scenic driving route follows the shores of Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River in New York and Pennsylvania.
      • Boldt Castle Boldt Castle in the 1000 Islands Region of the St. Lawrence River is a monument of George C. Boldt‘s love for his wife Louise.
      • Singer Castle The Bourne family castle in the 1000 Islands Region of the St. Lawrence River, the only such estate completed, fully furnished and resided in during the industrialists heyday.
      • Fort Ontario Star-shaped fort dating to the early 1840’s with 1863 – 1873 improvements.
      • Sackets Harbor Battlefield Center of American naval and military activity for the upper St. Lawrence Valley and Lake Ontario after the outbreak of war between the United States and Great Britain in June 1812.
      • Tibbetts Point Lighthouse Built in 1827, this lighthouse features the only original working Fresnel lens in Lake Ontario.
      • Antique Boat Museum Premier fresh water nautical museum in North America with over 300 unique and beautifully-preserved boats and thousands of recreational boating artifacts.
      • Wellesley Island State Park Secluded wilderness camping sites on the banks of the St. Lawrence River accessible only by foot or boat, full service marina, four boat launches, sandy beach, 9-hole Wellesley Island State Park Golf Course, and Minna Anthony Common Nature Center (museum, varied habitats such as wooded wetlands, 3 miles of shoreline and open granite outcrops, and miles of trails for hiking, cross-country skiing and nature education).
      • Cedar Point State Park One of the oldest state parks in New York offering excellent camping, fishing, boating and swimming at a sheltered, sandy beach with boat docks, fishing pier and picnic grounds.
      • Uncle Sam Boat Tours Providing scenic cruises of the Thousand Islands for over 85 years from its downtown Alexandria Bay, NY location opposite Boldt Castle.
      • Clayton Island Tours Professional tour guides share the legends and lore behind the 1000 Islands region.
      • Champagne Balloon Adventures The ultimate 1000 Islands experience floating a few feet from the water, picking leaves from a treetop and soaring a thousand feet over the 1000 Islands River Valley.
      • Thousand Islands Winery Award winning winery located on an 1836 farm that was later owned and operated by famous Riverboat Captain Massey and his wife Ida in the 1930’s.
      Related articles
      • Theatre Review: “Tempting Providence” at the 1000 Islands Playhouse
      • Home to 1000 Islands Dressing – Alexandria Bay, NY

      Share this:

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Pinterest
      • Email
      • More
      • Print
      • LinkedIn
      • Pocket
      • Reddit
      • Tumblr

      Filed Under: Arts Tagged With: 1000 Islands, art, Boldt Castle, Borderless North, Folk art, Hannah Harvester, Prudence Matthews, Rug hooking, Saint Lawrence River, St. Lawrence River, Thousand Islands, Upstate New York, Visual Arts

      About Geo Davis

      Geo Davis (aka virtualDavis) is a writer, storyteller and unabashed flâneur. He taught and coached at Santa Fe Preparatory School and The American School of Paris, co-founded Maison Margaux: "Paris à la parisienne" in Faubourg Saint-Germain, and owns Adobe Oasis in Santa Fe, NM with his bride.

      Geo chronicles adventures (and misadventures) of rehabilitating an historic Essex home at Rosslyn Redux: Reawakening a home, a dream and ourselves; blogs about doodling and other esoterica at virtualDavis.com; posts sometimes unnerving, occasionally euphoric, and always pollyanna "midlife mashups" at 40x41.com; waxes nautical at Sailing Errant; and delves into matters of parenting, babylandia, and childfreedom at Why No Kids? He meanders on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube and Flickr.

      Reader Interactions

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

      Primary Sidebar

      Rewilding Earth: Best of Rewilding Earth 2019 

      Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide

      View all Essex Editions books...

      Follow Essex, NY on FacebookFollow Essex, NY on TwitterFollow Essex, NY on PinterestFollow Essex, NY on YouTubeFollow Essex, NY on FlickrFollow Essex, NY on RSS

      Search

      Top 10 Contributors

      • Katie Shepard (595)
      • Geo Davis (394)
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall (259)
      • Avatar photoChamplain Area Trails (CATS) (208)
      • Avatar photoEssex Farm (205)
      • Olive Alexander (190)
      • Sara Kurak (165)
      • Avatar photoTom Mangano (142)
      • Avatar photoFort Ticonderoga (142)
      • Avatar photoLakeside School (116)

      Footer

      Resources & Policies

      • About Essex on Lake Champlain
      • About Essex, New York
      • Essex, NY Weather
      • Disclosure Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Submit a Story
      • Contact Us

      Popular Essex, NY Searches

      • Essex, NY
      • Essex, New York
      • Essex on Lake Champlain
      • Essex Charlotte ferry
      • Essex ferry schedule
      • Essex Charlotte ferry schedule
      • Full and By Farm
      • Essex Farm
      • timber rattlesnake
      • Essex NY fireworks
      • Christmas in Essex, NY
      • Champlain Area Trails

      Local Links

      • Adirondack Art Association
      • Belden Noble Memorial Library
      • Champlain Area Trails
      • Champlain Valley Film Series
      • Essex Community Concerts
      • Essex Theatre Company
      • Historic Essex
      • Rosslyn Redux
      • The Crater Club
      • Town of Essex Information
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall

      Copyright © 2023 Essex Editions

       

      Loading Comments...