JUNE
Backgammon, Watercolor & Esther Rose
Folk Summer continues with Ester Rose & The Lostines. Three New Orleans songwriters are coming to Pine Plains on Friday, June 14th bringing their mix of golden-age rock & old-school country: Perfect with beignets & homespun ice creams. Tickets here if you want chocolate sauce on yours.
Backgammon FEAST. Learn the game, or master it, with nationally-ranked backgammon pro, Tim Flateman, on Thursday, June 20th. Local whiskey and game pie for dinner. Let’s play.
Still Life in Watercolor. On Friday, June 28th Helen Dealtry is teaching a still-life watercolor class in our ballroom. Read about her below, and book your ticket here.
Father’s Day. Reservations are open, book here.
A New Local Farmer’s Market. Saturday, June 1st is the next date for the Bear Creek Farmer’s Market located at 108 Hunns Lake Road in Bangall, NY from 8:30 - 1:30 pm.
We’re grilling pretty huge ribeyes over the fire, and baking potatoes in the coals to dip in their juices. Great to share, fight over the bone.
Flowers are at the heart of Stissing House. So we couldn’t be more thrilled to host multidisciplinary artist Helen Dealtry and her longtime collaborator, floral designer Nicolette Camille, for a still-life floral watercolor painting workshop on Friday, June 28. Followed by a roast chicken feast, naturally.
Like many local creatives, painter Helen Dealtry decamped from NYC in 2017 to explore life in the Hudson Valley. Born and raised in Surrey, England, it felt a bit like coming home. She and her partner bought a historic home with a Peter Bevacqua-designed English garden and koi pond–where her 17 year old turtle Mo spent every summer until they moved to the town of Hudson a few years ago. Don’t worry, Mo has a new pond and Helen has a new garden. Having always been deeply inspired by nature, the plants and flowers in Helen’s upstate gardens have been the subjects of her iconic flower studies, from peonies and roses to pansies and irises. Not to mention the surrounding bucolic landscapes.
After receiving her BA in Textile and Fashion Design from Winchester School of Art in the UK, Helen began her career in NYC and rose to become the Creative Director of a leading textile design studio where she cultivated a portfolio of over 4,000 designs. In 2008, wishing to explore and hone her own artistic point of view, Helen founded her own studio. First in Brooklyn, and now in Hudson, she continues to paint original artwork and exquisite textile designs for fashion, interior and lifestyle brands like Anthropologie, Behida Dolić and Aerin Lauder.
An immensely talented artist, Helen is widely known for her distinct and stunning hand painted floral designs created using watercolors, inks and various paint media. It turns out that she’s also a gifted teacher and presenter. She has held painting workshops for more than a decade–some in her studio and some on location at places like Schreiner’s Gardens and now Stissing House. One such workshop included Joanna Gaines of Magnolia fame, and it wasn’t long before they were plotting a multi-part instructional series, Art in Bloom with Helen Dealtry. Debuting on the Magnolia Network and now streaming on MAX, the series covers all manner of painting techniques and some of Helen’s favorite subjects like flowers, landscapes and sea shells. Helen believes deeply in the power of art to transform, and she has an extraordinary way of teaching people not to copy exactly what she’s doing, but how to watch a technique and make it your own. She’s as genuine as they come–funny, self-deprecating and oh-so-seemingly-effortless when you watch her paint. And among Helen’s many gifts, one is certainly her way of helping people find and embrace their individual creative spirit and that soothing rhythm of putting brush to paper. Follow her @helendealtry on IG and read below for our conversation with Helen. A note from the writer: having personally taken one of Helen’s painting workshops, I can tell you they strike the perfect balance between learning, creative expression and just being loads of fun.
What do you want participants to take away from your painting workshop at Stissing House?
At least one new technique, one new friend and a full belly! Stissing House is my dream venue to teach in, so it’s going to be a magical afternoon.
What do you love about teaching painting techniques?
I think what I love most is the ability to demystify the process for people who participate in my workshops. Breaking down a painting into manageable parts transforms what can initially seem like an overwhelming task into an achievable and enjoyable experience. By sharing specific techniques, I help them realize that they can create some great results with fewer brushstrokes and more efficient methods.
What has painting taught you about yourself?
So much. It’s always teaching me something whether I like it or not! It’s taught me that I DO have patience and that I AM adaptable! Not every piece turns out as planned, but each 'mistake' is an opportunity to adapt and grow. I know, a bit annoying, but it's true! It’s taught me to embrace imperfection (not easy for me in other walks of my life), because you’ll always find beauty or a new jumping off point in the unexpected.
What do you listen to when you’re in the zone?
What I listen to while painting depends on the project. For repetitive tasks or studio work, I love audiobooks. When painting large, dynamic abstracts, I prefer music, which could be anything really depending on my mood. If I need to ‘get on with it!!’, I’ll bust out a few moves to get the blood moving. If I’m needing to focus it’s probably something soft and classical or an album I played on repeat in the 90’s that is so familiar it doesn't distract me (thinking of you ‘Tidal’ and you, ‘Songs in the Key of Life’).
What or who inspired you to paint flowers? Do you have a favorite garden and/or memory of being in a garden?
Painting from nature has always brought me peace and was a subject I could access when I was younger at home. I could always pick some greens from the garden or pull inspiration from my collection of found ‘bits’ like snail shells and feathers and whatnot. I became ‘good’ at painting flowers though when I started my job as a textile designer in NYC in 2000. Flowers never go out of fashion, or at least are ever present in the fashion and interior markets in some capacity, so painting them was a win-win in printed textile design, which I specialized in. If you paint any subject by hand all day every day for 11 years straight, you can get pretty good at it.
What is fixed or routine about your creative process; and what is fluid?
I almost always put together a mood board of sorts before starting a project or painting. Without some visual inspiration—like plants/flowers,color swatches, bits of fabric, photos I’ve taken, or artifacts. I find it hard to create from scratch. I also mix my color palettes ahead of time for a new series of paintings. Prepping everything in advance allows me to be really loose and free when I actually start painting. Like mis-en-place for a chef, having everything ready beforehand is crucial for me.
What’s a country or landscape you’ve never been to but would love to visit for artistic
inspiration?
Japan is top of my list!! I’ve always been captivated by Japanese culture—from etiquette and cuisine to Japanese garden and interior design (swoon!). The attention to small details and thoughtful design is so compelling and important. In particular, Japanese gardens inspire me with their harmonious use of moss, water features, and natural elements–that mastery of art in tranquility. The serene balance and meticulous craftsmanship in these gardens resonates deeply in my soul, exploring those gardens firsthand would be a dream come true for me.
Is there one piece you’ve painted that you’re especially proud of and why?
Yes, there’s one piece I’m really proud of—one of my first attempts at oil painting. It’s special to me because I’d been nervous about trying oil paints for a long time, but I ended up loving it! This painting opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. I’m even working on a larger version of it now, which is really exciting.
You’ve been exploring other mediums like oils and other subjects like landscapes and streetscapes. Are there other mediums and/or subjects that you want to explore?
So many! I’ve always loved using pastels, so it's nice to connect with the paper by moving the medium with your fingers, like sculpting in a way. I’d also like to take a trip somewhere and paint in plein air–pastels might be good for that actually, they pack light!
If you had time to become an expert in something completely new, what would it be? Archaeology. I’d love to be working with a team unearthing long forgotten artifacts! I think I would have the patience for that.
A dream collaboration:
It’s happening on June 28th with Stissing House and Nicolette Camille ;)
The best advice you’ve ever been given: “Just get on with it, Dealtry!” When in doubt, because, let’s be honest, forward is the way!
Photos by Paige Green Photography