Get off the tour bus’ at Maxwell Library with new Elkins exhibit
Syracuse artist and architect Bill Elkins sketches as he travels. He will exhibit recent watercolor paintings based on sketches of France, Croatia, Slovenia and other European countries Dec. 2 through 29 at Maxwell Memorial Library, 14 Genesee St. in Camillus. The question he has yet to answer is, does he travel to get material for his paintings, or does he paint to record his travels? His wife, Betsy, refers to their trips as “art for travel, travel for art.”
In addition to the paintings, he will have notebooks of his sketches available for public viewing at the reception. Bill and Betsy Elkins prefer to “get off the tour bus” in order to see some of the more out-of-the-way scenes that become subjects for paintings. Traveling off the beaten path may offer more interaction with the locals, as well. “And sometimes,” Elkins said, “the sketching has helped break the ice.” Elkins, an architect by profession, has been painting seriously since 1995. He belongs to the Onondaga Art Guild and is the current president of the Central New York Water Color Society. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. Call the library at 672-3661 for information, or visit the Web site at maxwellmemoriallibrary.org.