to Vermont to be closer to my family in NY and
Philadelphia. Anyway, for those years my art
bounced around, trying to find a happy medium
between representational and non-objective work.
Having left the energy of Boston and NY, I lost some
of the directional focus that is fostered in those
environments and the population of artists that
support each other.
As long as I can remember, being a mother has
been in the forefront of my desires. When I became
pregnant, my art was still in a state of flux, trying to
find itself and I was newly living in Vermont, far
from my previously known art community. When my
first child was born, I realized that parenting itself
could easily be a full time job and I stopped making
art. My husband was putting in long days as a
carpenter, soon to start a small building business and
we were financially fine living very frugally. That
was easier to do back then, things not being as
inflated as they are now.
Untitled fabric painting (1974)
color. Those studies were painted plein air, though I
don‟t think I really knew that phrase back then and
actually, until writing this, forgot. It just made sense
if you wanted to learn about light and color, you are
best painting outside. And the daylight never really
left there (which was why I chose northern Norway as
a destination for the fellowship). I had not really
painted images since high school.
After returning from Norway, I moved to NYC,
giving up my role in Art to People, Inc (which
happily proved beneficial for the organization, for
under its new leadership, it prospered and grew to a
million dollar budget. It no longer exists). I painted in
NYC but wanted to paint landscapes such as those I
had explored in Norway so, missing the country I
discovered Vermont, and spent a year there painting
landscapes which I showed and sold within the State.
Being young with a car, I then did a stint in Vail
Colorado, working and saving money so I could paint
some more – then moved to Florida and painted 5
foot primarily color field cloudscapes in a covered
patio, delivering Miami Heralds during the night and
renovating the attached tiny concrete block structure
we called home. I sold work in and through a couple
of galleries in Florida and then, pregnant, moved back
Woman in Hat (pencil drawing c 1971)
That was the end of art as a professional
endeavor for me. Mother nature took over, as I am
sure it does for many women who are not totally