Here is the beginning of "Village Center". It assumes a compact village, surrounded by fields, a small river running through that formerly powered a mill of some sort. So far, the buildings are traditional wood frame, no taller than three floors. There are fruit trees and animals grazing among the buildings. The sky is an ominous color, suggesting unstable weather. Meadowlark and Field Sparrow are the first birds to appear, although there will be some more familiar and common birds, such as Goldfinch.
New buildings will rise up among the existing ones. New crops and farm animals will be possible.

Valley Farmland: Overgrown apple trees, stone wall, overgrown pastures have become forests. Barn owl...


Forest: Abandoned road,maybe a ruined dam, Whitetail Deer, Cooper's Hawk, Blackburnian Warbler


High Meadow: To remain open, these meadows can be used for pasture. Fencing can be solar- powered electric. Least Bittern in wetlands.


These three paintings are the beginnings of a triptych on the subject of the "Working Landscape". In these three kinds of New England landscape I find a distinctive beauty that I associate with Vermont : "High meadow", "Forest", and "Valley farmland". The views will be framed by native birds, other animals and plants, some endangered. I hope to hear from viewers, suggesting what species should be shown and what land use practices are appropriate for these places. I will be adding and updating images of these paintings as they develop.

Soon to come: "Village Center".

On Tuesday I met with Northern Woodlands Magazine people. We discussed ways to interact as the paintings develop, linking up to their expertise in the working landscape, forestry management, and endangered, native and invasive species. Over the next week I will provide links to some of their sites. I also will schedule the actual dates for the workshops at the Strafford Library- the first one will probably be in July 9 at 7PM and the second will be early in August.

The  Valley News article has been very helpful in publicizing the Art of Action project.

Here is an image of a large painting (3'h x 6'l) that I have hanging in a show at the Cambridge Arts Council- I had the opportunity with this show to exhibit not only paintings but also the references that I drew from. In this case, I combined a favorite walk in Cambridge with a view of eastern Turkey; my Armenian grandparents came from that region.  This is a fantasy- not based on one particular place but several, woven together. 

I am posting this to show an example of my most current work. My work for the Vermont Arts Council will be Vermont based but will be constructed in a similar fashion- using references from existing and old Vermont with new buildings, infrastructure, plants and animals in a mostly  harmonious  future (signs of discord small and in the distance).

This way the first week of classes, so I've been immersed in that down here in Cambridge and Andover, but this morning I am reading recent postings and reentering the Art of Action project. I  heard a quote from Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" this week, referring to the current downturn in the economy as the inevitable result of the kind of commerce that our culture has become engaged with: Non-essential goods production as opposed to a more fundamental needs-based economy founded on, for instance, cultivation. Perhaps this has been taken out of context, but a return to agriculture and cultivation would restore and enrich  the Vermont landscape. Its hard to farm in this climate, but there may be an increasing regional market for locally grown food, and with incentives it could become profitable again. I've heard that there's a very limited market for Vermont wool and that some sheep farms end up burning it...

In thinking about the future I have also thought about the past. Here is another aspect to my relationship to Vermont: The painter Winthrop Chandler is a forebear. He was an early American painter-self-taught- and I feel a kinship with his work. He painted the Crafts family that's in the Craftsbury Common Library. Mahitable Crafts was his sister.














Mostly he painted portraits, but there are a few landscapes-"The Battle of Bunker Hill" is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
This painting has a futuristic and/or apocalyptic quality which I admire.

I've just returned from Strafford Vermont where I've been for over a week- no access to high speed internet, no cell phone service, little electricity (we're off the grid), limited heat (wood stove only). Its been a reminder of the challenges that many Vermonters face, some by choice, some not.
I've been stuck in a snowdrift and rescued by helpful neighbors, visited the store, the library, the post office- to be greeted by name everywhere. This has been a different reminder- of the sense of tight community and support, of being known, that isn't as true here in Cambridge.
This project has made me think differently about life in Vermont.