Cardinal Country mural at PSU invites Adirondack perspective

PLATTSBURGH | For about two weeks midsummer, a 1,300-square-foot beige wall of brick transformed into an Adirondack landscape at SUNY Plattsburgh. Muralist Brendon Palmer-Angell worked steadily to paint a soaring Adirondack view above walkways into the George W. Angell College Center. The work was supported by SUNY Plattsburgh Alumni Larry and Eileen Unrein and titled "Cardinal Country." The work of art engages the sky over Amitié Plaza, the walkway connecting Angell College Center, Feinberg Library and the John Myers Fine Arts building. Brendon Palmer-Angell is a grandson of Dr. George W. Angell, Plattsburgh State's president for 20 years, from 1954 to 1974. Dr. Angell was named President Emeritus when he retired in 1974. The center was dedicated to him in 1984, the year his grandson was born. Murals are a distinguishing feature of Palmer-Angell's visual arts vocation. Based in New Orleans, he draws inspiration from the natural world and blends it with local custom. He has completed some six murals in and around the City of Plattsburgh. Working with Outside Art: Plattsburgh Public Art Project, the Palmer-Angell series includes portraits of famed residents, NASA Astronaut Michael Anderson, actress Jean Arthur and the city's historic poet sisters, Lucretia and Margaret Davidson. Last summer, in similar partnership with Outside Art and SUNY Plattsburgh alumni, he painted an Adirondack landscape "North Country Dream" on the side of Hudson Hall. Adding Adirondack perspective to the Angell Center was the commission and vision of Larry and Eileen Unrein. Originally from Staten Island, Mr. Unrein admired the region's scenic beauty while attending SUNY Plattsburgh. Mr. Unrein earned his bachelor's degree in accounting and psychology from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1979 and in May was conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. "I've always thought positively of the natural beauty and the Adirondacks," he said in a news release. The landscape view above Heart Lake captured in Cardinal Country was developed with the artist's perspective. Palmer-Angell based the landscape on a popular and short hike up Mt. Jo. Algonquin Peak looms large in the painting. It is the second tallest of the Adirondack Mountains and one of Palmer-Angell's favorite hikes. "And I love this view of it," he said. "My thought was to bring the heart of the Adirondacks to the heart of campus. I know it's easy to end up in college just head down, working and being absorbed. I would love to think that students would spend time in the Adirondacks. I guess part of my idea was to inspire curiosity." Cardinal Country is an invitation. "You just have to step out," Palmer-Angell said. MIDSUMMER MOUNTAINS Work on "Cardinal Country" began mid-June, two stories above the building's steel name plate: George W. Angell College Center. "It's pretty wild," the artist said, pausing for a lunch break. "I didn't know my grandfather thought I always heard these great stories about him, what he did for the community and for the college. "The first couple of days, I wasn't really listening to music. I was just focusing on the project and thinking a lot about him, his values. It was a very different time back then," Palmer-Angell mused. Dr. Angell was close friends with acclaimed American painter and graphic artist Rockwell Kent. The largest collection of Kent's artwork, ephemera and documents was entrusted to SUNY Plattsburgh by his wife Sally Kent Gorton between 1979 and 2000. The work is held as the Rockwell Kent Collection at Feinberg Library, the largest Kent collection in the world. "My grandfather was interested in the arts and supporting the arts," Palmer-Angell said. "He was a musician himself. He was an artist. I don't know that people knew he spent summers playing music at camps and vacation resorts in the greater New York area. He played piano and he sang, he came from a musical family. That was something I missed out on, the family concerts," he said. Asked about his use of color and light akin to Kent's eye, Palmer-Angell demurred. Radiance the mural holds at the horizon seems to refract sunlight, playing in cloud shadows. "Kent divided the ridges, graphically almost," Palmer-Angell observed. "A big challenge for me in this piece was to blend it all geographically. I'm not dividing it up like he did." A pair of red cardinals are painted in the mural's foreground, a touch of SUNY Plattsburgh mascot pride. The college campus was in summer session, and student foot traffic was muted as Palmer-Angell finished the mural. "A couple of high school classes came by early on to see the work. That's a big part of it for me, helping them engage," he said. "It has been fun to chat with staff. It's just great to spend time here with the Adirondacks and a presence of my grandfather. "I love putting art out there for everybody," the muralist said of public art. "It's just an honor to be creating for this community space." The Unreins said the mural allowed them to enrich the university in a different way. They have long supported SUNY Plattsburgh programs and development: Mr. Unrein serves on the Plattsburgh College Foundation Board of Directors and the Investment Committee. They sustain the Unrein Family Nursing Scholarship, the Unrein Family Unrestricted Scholarship, and the Plattsburgh Fund and Emergency Grant Program. "I just thought it was a great idea," Larry said in the release. "It's something that we could support that's a little different and something that would hopefully have a nice, positive impact on the campus." The George W. Angell College Center is located at 38 Rugar Street. To learn more about Brendon Palmer-Angell's work, visit his website: brendonart.com To learn more about SUNY Plattsburgh programs and community engagement: plattsburgh.edu For information about the Feinberg Library Rockwell Kent collection: plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/arts/art-museum/rockwell-kent-collection.html

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Cardinal Country mural at PSU invites Adirondack perspective

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