Sharp pencils and the tiniest brushes — these are the tools of four Addison County artists who specialize in realistic art in fine detail. Characterized by a way of seeing and a level of patience that allows them to go beyond form and into the small elements and textures of the scene, these artists render their images in sharp focus with precision and passion.
Mike Mayone, a self-taught artist, puts great care into creating his acrylic and oil paintings. His landscapes and animal portraits are known for their high realism, and his artwork is representative of his desire to preserve and share those moments of beauty we too often overlook. “Although I paint in a variety of styles, occasionally I really enjoy getting carried away with the detail in a piece and challenge myself with the level of it,” he said. Mayone maintains a studio in East Middlebury.
Catherine M. Palmer is an artist from New Haven, where she lives surrounded by her favorite subject matter — draft horses and the many other animals of agricultural life. Raised on a dairy farm, she sketched and painted from an early age, but her education followed another path — music and theater coaching. Since retirement from teaching, she has experimented with acrylics and pastels, but most importantly, colored pencil. Working with high-quality pencil pigments allows for many layers of under painting and building of intensity with control and precision. She calls her style softened realism and is especially interested in the personal, close-up, candid moments of the relationships of working animals and people.
Gayl Braisted took a couple of studio art courses in college, one of which was a watercolor class with the “rather colorful” Arthur K.D. Healy at Middlebury College. She then moved to New York City and worked in advertising and graphic design while raising a family, but one request from a real estate broker led to a business of drawing architectural renderings. She later returned to watercolors in hopes that it would “free my style from the accurate detail work required for architectural renderings,” said the Cornwall resident. “I looked at the work of a few watercolorists I admired and found, alas, that I could be nearly as exacting and detailed as I am in pen and ink.” She has worked primarily in watercolor ever since.
Lincoln artist Reed A. Prescott III is often found studying his native Vermont out “among the maple trees and rolling hills” before he gives his images life on the canvas. The accomplished artist and illustrator is widely known for his detailed landscapes in oil, as well as his animal imagery. His paintings have been published in national magazines, posters for regional flower shows and concerts, and calendars. He has illustrated 10 books, including “Owls” by Floyd Scholz and Floyd Scholz’ “Birds of Prey,” as well as naturalist writer Ron Rood’s capstone examination of the Vermont wilderness and the New England coast — Ron Rood’s “Vermont” and “Beachcombers All.”
The Jackson Gallery is located in the lower level of Town Hall Theater in Middlebury. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 12-5 p.m., and an hour before any public events in the building. For more information, call (802) 382-9222 or visit townhalltheater.org.