february 2020 | volume 1, issue 1
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After working on the Big Dig, I drove my RV to Manchester, VT. Intrigued by the sentinel of antique tractors at Dorr Farm, I asked the owner, Don Dorr, if I could set up my paints and easel. He politely agreed. I returned the next day, then the next. As my painting got more involved and larger, he said, "stay as long as you want," and I did.
Stay as Long as
You Want
It’s been about 15 years of painting at Dorr’s Farm.
I built my routine around painting, swimming at Emerald Lake State Park and Dorset Quarry, hikes at Merck Forest, visiting the local farmer’s markets, and my favorite, Someday Farm.
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Sometimes, I would paint underneath the RV awning if it was raining or the sun was too strong. I had to remove the awning after a storm—the wind ripped it off, leaving the metal arms arched clear over my camper. Now I paint in my Vermont Art Studio. But, I loved the awning so much, I replaced it with a 13-foot, octagon tent which I use for afternoon naps, and have fun decorating for lunch visits and evening parties
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Check me out on
Instagram
for other adventures at the Dorr Collection and Vermont.
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KINGSLEY COMMISSION
Morse Farm • Whitingham, VT
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I was commissioned by the Kingsley’s granddaughter to paint their tractor and included a reminiscent landscape of their farm located between Greenfield, MA, Brattleboro and Bennington, VT. I camped my mobile studio at Morse Farm from September through October, working on the piece, taking daily walks and hiking at the state forest, visiting the village artisan cheese shop, and reading the three local newspapers.
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Who and what is that RV?!
For years, I drew the construction sites of Boston’s Big Dig, parking my mobile studio in and around Charlestown, MA. Funny thing is, I recently got chatting with the rug installer I hired to refurbish the entrances to an office building I manage, and he recognized the RV.
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He couldn’t believe that I was the owner of the RV and that my Big Dig drawings were hanging inside the office building! He and his buddies had wondered for years why the RV was parked in Charlestown. Little did he know that there was an artist on site. We had a good laugh and the mystery of the RV was solved.
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NEW COMMISSION
Westport, MA
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Here’s a photo and my painting (right) in progress at Westport MA. I’m working on this piece for my new client, Barbara, who saw my show at the Christ Episcopal Church in Needham, MA. After visiting her, I returned to Vermont to work on a series of preparatory sketches, followed by three weeks of painting in Westport last fall.
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With tractors center stage, I wanted to incorporate multiple views not actually visible from the tractor field
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including the bay seen from the hilltop, and the marshes visible only at the water’s edge.
During my stay, I explored the many beautiful nature preserves and conservation land, the dunes of Horseneck Beach, and met other artists on these walks.
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