ABOUT
Our mother painted pretty much through all the years of our childhood, as you can see by some of her paintings. When we were small she worked in a studio in our house and once we got a bit older a large barn on the property became her summer studio. Having the larger space opened up her paintings – almost all of the large sweeping landscapes and flower paintings were done in that studio. We saw that painting was a fundamental part of her life, like cooking and homemaking, and she was certainly willing to share with us whatever part of that we were interested in. This was what painting was for her; not something esoteric, but immediately accessible and that should be available to anyone who was interested. The subject matter of virtually all her work is from her everyday surroundings in Woodstock. The mountains always refer back to Overlook, streams refer back to the Sawkill Creek which runs through the property where she lived, the treescapes all have the familiar feel of trees around the property. In summer flowers make their appearance in her paintings – plucked from her beloved gardens to live permanently on the canvas. The paintings evoke a feeling of calm, peace and order which was a state of mind where she was most comfortable. In the end her work is not separate from our memory of her. It’s an aspect of who she was, and how she related to the world.
Carolyn P. Wilson
John H. Wilson
February 2011
The Woodstock School of Art is grateful to Carolyn P. and John H. Wilson for their invaluable contributions to this exhibition.
