Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Another Vermont winter scene


"Silent World"
North Danville, VT
14" x 20" Watercolor

Last week son Jeff put some photos on Facebook of Bailey tagging along with Beth as they went cross country skiing on new-fallen snow in their small rural Vermont town. They exit their kitchen door and ski up the hills -- no flat lands here.

The quiet scenes bring back memories of growing up in Barre, VT, and skiing on the hillside across the road from our home. In later years, Mom took the younger of her seven children to Mount Mansfield ski resort, but we older children had rubber boots, cheap skis held on with straps, and lots of fun for no admission. We would ski every day after school. I can see the row of skis lined up against the house next to the back door where we left them to have "supper" (a Vermont term for the evening meal).

In this piece I hoped to evoke the feeling of a crisp sunny day. It's obviously mid-afternoon as the shadows are getting longer. The mountains in the distance recede against a clear cobalt sky. The world is silent except for shushing of skis and deep breathing of people climbing hills. Bailey follows along, quietly sinking her paws into the snow. 



6 comments:

hmuxo said...

Beautiful watercolor, Mary!! I love how you painted Bailey!

Mary Paquet said...

Thanks, Hilda. I came up with the composition by combining two different photos. The primary photo showed Bailey right behind Beth. I felt this made a better design and I could make out the color of Bailey's fur.

Sadeu said...

a charming watercolor : )

Autumn Leaves said...

A beautiful illustration of your own memories, Mary. I also love that the dog is following Beth. Exactly as they are wont to do.

hw (hallie) farber said...

You chose the perfect title for this beautiful piece; I love the blues and whites. We ate supper here in VA, too.

Rosemary said...

Great job Mary! What a wonderful scene. I've never been to Vermont but can feel the cold crisp air in this piece with the distant mountains. Love the post - you paint beautifully with words. We ate supper in Western North Carolina too! - memories of winters past...