How many artists jokingly hear, “You ought to hang that palette on the wall!” referring to the egg-shaped board with a thumbhole used to mix paint colors? About twenty years ago, someone listened and Palettes of Keuka was born.

A project of the Hammondsport Chamber of Commerce, the project involves a juried panel of fine artists from throughout the Finger Lakes. Every January, up to twenty-eight of them are given enormous palettes (thirty-one by forty-two inches at their widest) made of pre-primed MDO, a weatherproof material used for outdoor signs, to paint on. Their subject material might—or might not—be connected to the region’s waterways, vineyards, or history. Squint a little and you might decide the shape of a palette is, after all, reminiscent of the shape of Keuka Lake. The completed paintings are returned in late May, and displayed at sponsoring businesses throughout greater Hammondsport.

The Chamber of Commerce offers a map of where each palette is placed, most accessible on a short walking trail through downtown Hammondsport, though a detour along the Keuka Wine Trail is needed to see them all, possibly blending your taste palate with the painted palettes. At each stop, in-person viewers can pick up a clue to a word puzzle based on the self-guided art tour, as well as a map if they don’t have one in hand.

On August 30 at 1 p.m., the palettes will be auctioned at Pultney Park, the center of downtown Hammondsport. The proceeds are divided, with 65 percent going to the artist, and 35 percent for the event’s expenses and to fund two $2,000 scholarships. Three $50 gift certificates will be drawn from the pool of those who successfully solved the accompanying palette tour word puzzle.

Picking up their palettes each winter generates no small amount of excitement among the artists, many of whom have long planned their subject material. Elaine Liberio, from Palmyra, spent time at the Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum, researching the airborne inventions of Hammondsport’s native son (who won the title “fastest man on earth” with one of his early motorcycles) and taking photos of the historical planes on display. Her piece, Cradle of Aviation, depicts the sky over Keuka Lake filled with colorful early aircraft.

Sadie Taylor (whose work was juried in this year) knew she wanted her palette, The Trip Back, to have a sci-fi theme, so hers is a witty take on an alternative reality in which a Curtiss spacecraft whizzes through the ether, about to descend into a “wormhole” over Keuka Lake. What could be waiting behind the palette’s giant thumb-hole? That’s a mystery for the viewer to decide.

The question of how to treat the palette’s unique shape is a conundrum for many artists, who study it multiple ways before deciding where the hole should go. “One year I made it the inside of a bowl,” says Ron Dixon, who lives on Weller Island in Lamoka Lake. This year, Ron, like many artists, oriented his palette so the hole would be less noticeable. In The Red Newt, the hole hides in the foliage. A much-larger-than-life red eft perches momentarily on a leaf, set off by the sparkle of sunlight on raindrops about to drip off. You’d almost expect to see a puddle underneath.

Suzy Bresson, whose Time Well Spent offers a visual collage of Hammondsport’s iconic annual events, filled the space with a working clock.

“The shape is always a challenge,” says Jennifer Fais, from Cameron Mills, whose Sunlit Heron is a tribute to her favorite denizen of a pond near her property. “Great blue herons are so elegant,” she says. “I love them!” In this painting, the heron is looking toward the downward-facing point of Keuka’s Y shape. A lifelong birder, her love for the species is evident. A passerby comments aloud, “Look at that plumage! It looks so real!”

Lisa Gillis, last year’s top-grossing artist, smoothed and primed the palette several times before beginning to paint. Unlike most of the other artists, who use acrylics, Lisa works in oils using Old Masters techniques. Her Autumn’s Embrace features a venerable catawba grapevine bearing iridescent clusters of fruit.

At the opening reception in late June, many of her fellow artists sought out Lisa to admire her work and talk to her about it. “I was an art teacher for years,” Lisa says. “I’m retired now, a full-time artist for the past eight years. I spent the majority of my life devoted to fostering an interest in art, and the fact that it’s for a scholarship means a lot to me.”

Among those eyeing her work was this year’s sole scholarship winner, Ashtyn Manchester from Penn Yan, a passionate portraitist with a talent for painting people. “Ever since I got serious about art, six to seven years ago, I’ve been obsessed with faces,” Ashtyn says. Being awarded the scholarship confirmed her commitment to studying and finding her career in art. Her college career will begin at Finger Lakes Community College and continue at Alfred University. She’s already been asked to paint a palette for next year’s festival.

Kenneth Corey, a former Hammondsport Chamber president and the volunteer who organized the 2025 show, is universally acknowledged as “the man who makes it all happen.” He will once again be the emcee for the auction. “I talk a little about each artist. I’m sort of the schmoozer,” he says.

Several years ago, he recalls, he suddenly heard a familiar voice in the audience—his wife’s. “She’s an aggressive bidder,” he says. “She did jump-bidding until the people she was bidding against dropped out.

“We’re not doing this to make money,” he continues. “We’re happy if we can pay the artists, underwrite the ($2,000) scholarships, and break even.” And if people seeing the palettes on the art trail try a Hammondsport eatery, or visit a winery or shop, the part of Ken invested in the Chamber is happy about that, too.