Sarah Wesson paints still lifes & landscapes in the mountains and farmland around Middlebury, Vermont.

Sarah Wesson

“I grew up by the sea and am drawn to long and unobstructed views.   Wide open fields remind me of the sea.”

Sarah began her career writing for a prominent Vermont newspaper.   The journalistic skills in her early work stayed with her as she shifted to fine arts, seeking to represent her version of the truth in her paintings.   Showing her love for the Vermont countryside and coastal Maine, she paints truthfully but with a romantic slant, capturing the natural beauty for all to enjoy.

Often driving the roads of Addison County looking for her subject, Sarah finds art in the majestic countryside of the Champlain Valley but also creates magic from the mundane.

In her snowy painting of homes lining Route 125 in East Middlebury, her subject is a winter village with a romantic view of snow.   The painting is quaint and suggests a peaceful village street; there are no suggestions of labor intensive shoveling here.

Using her car as a studio at times, Sarah paints what she sees.

“In lieu of an easel, I clamp a piece of Masonite to the steering wheel, push the front seat back as far as it will go, spread an old towel on my lap, lay my palette over the towel, and begin to paint.” She works despite the elements and paints her winter scenes quickly before her fingers lose their feeling and agility to the cold.

Creek Road, Middlebury by Sarah Wesson

Sarah, like many local artists, exhibits her work to the public.   Middlebury celebrates its creative professionals and the artistic community is thriving.

From spring to fall each year on the second Friday of each month, the Middlebury Arts Walk encourages members of the public to walk around downtown and visit up to forty different galleries, studios, restaurants and other businesses.

The 2010 Art Walk has featured in the local media and plans are progressing for a similar walk in 2011.   Sarah’s studio is in the heart of downtown and is one of the many stops on the walk.

The Art House, in the historic Marbleworks district of Middlebury, is primarily a studio and gallery for the visual arts.   Opened by artist Mary Swanson, it provides an ideal space for Sarah and others to exhibit their work as well as providing performance space for music, dance and the spoken word.

Having just finished a showing at Lincoln Peak Vineyards in New Haven, Sarah intends to paint throughout the winter months.   Next year her studio will be open to allow visitors to see the world through her eyes and her brushes.

Spring Street in Bristol by Sarah Wesson

Details:

To visit Sarah's studio in the Battell Building in Middlebury, VT please contact her here.

The Art House

99 Maple Street, Middlebury, VT 05753

(802) 458-0464

The Art House Website

The Middlebury Arts Walk

For details of the 2011 walk, either call (802) 388-7951, Extension 2 or email the organizers at info@MiddleburyArtsWalk.com.