Chee Kludt Ricketts , the featured artist, shares her thoughts and feelings about the experience of painting at Montpelier:
"Grounded for many years in a style of traditional realism, today my paintings navigate between reality and interpreted vision. My approach is varied – both spontaneous and controlled – where quick brushwork and manipulated light are countered by passages of precise rendering. Watercolors and acrylics are the media by which I convey my enchantment with the beautiful world we inhabit. It is my goal to express my feelings — to interpret, rather than record; to inspire, rather than simply remind. Evoking the essence of the familiar, I seek to transport the viewer to a heightened appreciation of ephemeral moments in time. My collection of acrylic paintings was created almost exclusively on site on the grounds of Montpelier during the spring, summer and fall of 2020. Typically, I would set up my easel beneath one of the majestic English oaks on the grounds and, as I painted, I would become enveloped in a sense of reverence for my surroundings. Often groups of visitors would stop to see my work and to engage me with questions about Montpelier and its history. As one who paints in isolation, I found the interactions with interested visitors to be energizing. My paintings do not tell the story of "how", they simply record what existed on a given day in the year 2020. As a plein air painter, my goals were to capture the light and to communicate the freshness of being “in the moment” in this beautiful, historic location. The challenge with this method of painting is to paint quickly without sacrificing accuracy, necessitating the use of a small format and a limited palette. I cherish every moment that I painted here last year and have continued to be inspired by these pristine surroundings throughout the warm months of 2021."
All of the paintings in Chee's collection are framed. The frames are identical to the sample image on page 55.
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