Starks Landing
Title: Starks Landing
Creator: Jane Grace Taylor
Region: Verona
Date: 2014
Medium: paint
Technique: painting
Dimensions: 15 feet (height) x 100 feet (width) (approximately)
Description:
Three different moments from the history of the Erie Canal are portrayed in shimmering hues on a wall of the Town Building in Verona, along Route 46. Members of the Verona Historical Association chose three photos from the archive of the town historian to be the focus for the mural. From left to right the mural depicts New London, Stark’s Landing at Higginsville, and Durhamville's Pfeifer Block business section. In the heyday of the Canal, businesses thrived in these areas, right along the area's major transportation route of the time. Later, the Barge Canal took a more direct route and this portion of the Erie Canal was abandoned.
Both the Town of Verona and the Verona Historical Association provided support for the mural, as a way to honor the area's contribution to the early industry of the state. Artist and retired Rome school teacher Jane Grace Taylor is also an award winning watercolorist. This is evident in her transfer of delicate watercolor effects to the latex paint used for the mural. She calls this style "Historic Illumination." She seamlessly weaves together the three different scenes along the width of the mural, creating an expansive panorama. The Canal's waters reflect buildings, foliage, and other features within the vista of the mural.
Inscription: signed by the artist in the lower left hand corner
Subject: Public art, New York (State)--Erie Canal, Mural painting and decoration
Rights: © Jane Grace Taylor 2014
(In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/)
Find out more:
Jaquays, Mike. “Your Neighbor: Artist Jane Grace Taylor Painting Canal History in Verona.” OneidaDispatch.com. N.p., 18 May 2014. Web. 15 Sept. 2016. http://www.oneidadispatch.com/article/OD/20140518/NEWS/140519690
ID#: AO-00144
Location: Town of Verona Highway Department, corner of Germany Road and Dunbarton Road, Durhamville