Great Ice Festival- North Hero

Title

Great Ice Festival- North Hero

Artist

Patty Donoghue

Medium

Painting - Acrylics Painted On Paper

Description

My painting challenge was nocturnes, nighttime paintings. I found this one from my family in Vermont. One wonders how people survive winter in the bitter cold New England States. They look forward to the North Hero, Great Ice Festival. These must happen elsewhere, but it seems to be an anticipated event at these Lake Champlain Islands. In the scene, you see the firemen close to the flames, tossing in Christmas trees, while the families, silhouettes from the flames, stand around staring, drinking, talking and enjoying themselves. I felt challenged to paint this one, because of all the figures, and the glowing snow. I wanted to show the interaction, involvement, and celebration, of the people, the fun. They are all bundled, looking at the same thing. I especially wanted to capture the child, and the woman holding her baby. This is an event the residents look forward to, bundling up the family and setting out in the cold night, to hang with friends and neighbors. The population of North Hero, in the winter, is small. Grand Isle County has less than 10,000 residents, North Hero is shy of 1000. Small town gatherings get people to Spring. I painted this one using acrylic paints, on paper. I worked to move the focal point down into the people, but the fire retains a huge, warm, presence in this piece. I hope you enjoy this story telling painting.

Uploaded

February 29th, 2024

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Viewed 138 Times  -  Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 04/28/2024 at 12:12 AM

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