Vermont

Then Again: An accident with an ax fueled a Vermont artist’s career

Published

1 year ago

February 5, 2023

Then Again: An accident with an ax fueled a Vermont artist’s career

If not for an errant swing of an ax, Vermont might need been disadvantaged of certainly one of its most necessary artists.

James Hope in all probability attracted little consideration in Castleton when he arrived there within the early 1840s as a newly married schoolteacher. If something was noteworthy about him, it might need been that he spoke with a slight lilt, a vestige he might have carried from his childhood in Scotland.

It’s possible that few folks on the town, if anybody, knew of his tragic previous. Hope’s mom died when he was a 12 months outdated. When he was 9, Hope and his father moved to the wilderness of Jap Canada. Tragedy struck once more 4 years later, when Hope’s father died of cholera throughout an epidemic. Biographical sketches of Hope don’t point out who cared for the orphaned boy throughout this era or why he determined to go away Canada two years later.

No matter his reasoning, on the age of 15, Hope headed south to Vermont. On foot. He walked the 150 miles to Honest Haven, the place he discovered work as an apprentice to a wagon maker.

The commerce would have earned him an honest residing, however he needed one thing else. His actual curiosity was artwork. He squirreled away what cash he may to pay for an artwork course on the close by Castleton Seminary. Then he took a job in West Rutland, instructing varied topics, together with artwork.

In 1841, whereas in his early 20s, James Hope married Julia Smith of Rutland and the newlyweds moved to the close by city of Castleton.

Quickly afterward, Hope had his run-in with the ax. His ankle bore the brunt of the blow, so he was bedridden whereas the wound healed. As a distraction, Hope grabbed some home paint and a wood plank and commenced to color.

He determined to color a portrait and selected for his topic the one individual with nothing higher to do than pose: himself. He was happy with the outcomes, as had been others who noticed the crisply rendered, reasonable self-portrait.

Phrase of Hope’s expertise unfold shortly and other people started to ask him to color portraits. Beforehand, Castleton residents needed to depend on itinerant artists in the event that they needed a portrait. Now, folks had a portraitist of their midst whose talent far outstripped the skills of the touring painters.

Painter James Hope was born in Scotland, however his youth as an artist had been in Vermont. Vermont Historic Society

Quitting instructing was a chance, however Hope devoted himself full time to portray portraits. He determined to cost the then-high payment of $100 a head for his works and located that folks had been prepared to pay.

However Hope wanted extra well-heeled patrons, so he moved his household to the extra profitable market of Montreal. The colder local weather, nonetheless, didn’t agree along with his household. He later defined: “The well being of my household made it advisable to return to the hotter local weather of Vermont.” Which says one thing about Montreal’s climate.

Returning to Castleton after two years away, Hope supported his portrait work by instructing portray and drawing on the city’s seminary. However portraiture wasn’t his true ardour. He most popular landscapes, although on the time they weren’t as modern, and subsequently as marketable, as portray portraits.

Serendipitously, round this time James Hope met one of many nation’s nice panorama painters. Frederic Church spent the summer time of 1849 on the spa in close by Clarendon Springs. How the 2 males met is unknown. Maybe Hope heard of Church’s presence and sought him out, or maybe it was pure happenstance.

Both method, Hope discovered an excellent deal from Church, who simply the 12 months earlier than, at age 22, had been named academician on the prestigious Nationwide Academy of Design in New York.

The encounter proved a turning level for Hope. He started to color extra landscapes, utilizing the refined type Church taught him. Within the coming years, Hope would produce a number of the best Vermont landscapes of the nineteenth century.

For topics, he selected the close by countryside. His massive, finely detailed rendering of Hen Mountain in Castleton, accomplished in 1855, now resides on the Museum of Positive Arts in Boston. One other 1855 portray by Hope, “Tavern in New Boston, Vermont,” is owned by the Smithsonian American Artwork Museum.

He additionally executed charming portraits of close by cities. Depicting communities from a chook’s-eye perspective, Hope painted cities — together with West Rutland, Poultney, Castleton and Clarendon Springs — nestled amidst the encompassing hills. These work proved standard sufficient that he painted a number of variations of some scenes, which explains why the Shelburne Museum and the Currier Gallery of Artwork in Manchester, New Hampshire, personal almost similar views of Clarendon Springs.

Years later, reflecting on his profession, Hope wrote that two artists helped him develop his craft, “the one (presumably Church) via colour energy — the opposite via majesty of line … helped me with essentially the most grateful outcomes. It was solely their subtleties of method I had wanted. From then on the transcription of nature was the transcription of my very own ideas.”

Who this second artist was stays a thriller. Taking a look at artists who Hope might need encountered, researchers have prompt famed panorama painters Asher B. Durand and Albert Bierstadt as potentialities.

Church, and maybe this unidentified second artist, satisfied Hope that, to be a part of the bigger artwork world and become profitable, he ought to arrange store part-time in New York. Hope started spending his winters within the metropolis, leaving Julia to care for his or her 4 youngsters.

As he had hoped, his transfer to New York drew the eye of the artwork world. The New York Unbiased newspaper claimed he had “no rival in Europe in forest or brook surroundings” and the Philadelphia Night Telegraph, maybe overstating issues a bit, referred to as him the “father of the reasonable faculty of panorama painters in America.”

Hope tried to show the reward into gross sales. In an 1854 letter, now within the assortment of the Vermont Historic Society, Hope wrote Julia a couple of potential shopper who he had heard “shouldn’t be stingy; his earnings is from 30 to 40 thousand a 12 months (that’s encouraging).”

Hope discovered that portray for a residing wasn’t at all times liberating. Writing to Julia about what he was engaged on, Hope talked about “a duplicate of Castleton, which I suppose I shall need to do.”

The separation was exhausting on James and Julia. She wrote him in 1855: “Sabbath eve. and I’m so lonesome I don’t know what to do.” She shared tales about their youngsters, household and associates. In a single, she enclosed a stick-figure sketch by their younger son Douglass, who was maybe making an attempt to emulate his artist father.

Hope wrote again that he missed all of them, and even composed poems to his youngsters. However he requested Julia whether or not he may keep within the metropolis a number of weeks longer than deliberate.

In 1861, he was taken farther from residence, this time by warfare. Hope helped recruit an organization of volunteers for the Union Military and was named its captain. Recognizing his abilities, the Military assigned Hope to work at instances as a topographical engineer.

Nonetheless, he noticed motion in 13 battles. In his spare time, Hope sketched the battles as he recalled them. He used the sketches as references for 12-to-16-foot-long panoramas that toured broadly after the warfare. The Nationwide Park Service has since preserved at the least 5 of the panoramas, that are on show on the Antietam battlefield in Maryland.

“Winter Quarters of the Vermont Brigade in Entrance of Fredericksburg 1862-1863,” which is within the assortment of the Vermont Historic Society and at present on show at its museum in Montpelier, is amongst James Hope’s depictions of camp life throughout the Civil Battle. He additionally painted battle scenes, together with an enormous panorama that’s on show on the Antietam Nationwide Battlefield in Maryland. Vermont Historic Society

After leaving the Military, Hope once more divided his time between Castleton and New York. Cash was seemingly at all times tight. He grew to become an agent in New York for Middletown Therapeutic Springs Water, a Vermont firm, to subsidize his artwork.

Then, maybe hoping {that a} change of surroundings would assist his gross sales, Hope and his household moved in 1872 to Watkins Glen, New York, persevering with a profession that had began in Vermont as a result of he was more proficient with a brush than with an ax.

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Vermont

Vote now for Vermont Varsity Insider Athletes of the Week: Ballots for May 20-26

Published

2 hours ago

May 27, 2024

Press Room

Vote now for Vermont Varsity Insider Athletes of the Week: Ballots for May 20-26

Welcome to the sixth installment of the 2024 spring season for the Vermont Varsity Insider Athletes of the Week voting by high school sports fans.

This week, and every week during the sports seasons, members of the public may vote for a top girls athlete and a top boys athlete.

Varsity Insider Athletes of the week: Winners for the 2023-24 school year

How do I cast my vote?

All voting is through the two ballots at burlingtonfreepress.com. We will not accept votes through email or through social media.

Voting began May 27, and continues through 11:59 p.m. Thursday.

How do we learn who wins?

The two winners will be announced in a story published at burlingtonfreepress.com on Friday.

How can I nominate an athlete?

We accept nominations via email: sports@burlingtonfreepress.com (Subject Line: Athletes of the Week nomination).

Girls Athlete of the Week nominees

More on this week’s candidates:

Madison Beaudoin, U-32 track and field: The junior raced to first place in the 800-meter run with a personal-best time of 2:17:11 at the Essex Invitational, which serves as Vermont’s qualifying meet for the New England championships. Beaudoin was also on the victorious 4×400 relay squad for U-32.

Alayna Havreluk, Rice softball: After hurling a two-hit shutout with an earned run and nine strikeouts to beat Milton 12-1, Havreluk popped a grand slam for the momentum-swinging play in a 9-5 decision over the Yellowjackets.

Jazmyn Hurley, Middlebury track and field: The junior dropped a pair of PRs in sweeping the 200 (25.50) and 400 (58.12) at the Essex Invitational.

Bea Molson, Mount Mansfield tennis: The 2022 individual singles tate champion posted a trio of victories at No. 1 singles last week. The junior won a pro set vs. Essex, a three-set tiebreaker vs. South Burlington and a retire in the second set vs. Colchester.

Grace Thompson, Champlain Valley Ultimate: Thompson totaled three goals and five assists in a 15-5 win over South Burlington. Then in a 13-3 victory over Montpelier, Thompson tallied three goals and six assists.

Boys Athlete of the Week nominees

More on this week’s candidates:

Matt Chamberlain, Burlington baseball: After quieting St. Johnsbury bats with seven-hit shutout that included six Ks in a 1-0 victory Friday, Chamberlain played hero again the next day, with a two-run double in the 10th for a 6-4 win at Rice.

Adam Coburn, Colchester lacrosse: In a 2-1 week, Coburn was Colchester’s top scorer in both of the wins, collecting a goal and two assists in a 5-4 decision over Milton and recording a five-goal, one-assist game in a 16-4 victory over Spaulding.

Walker Forand, Mount Abraham/Vergennes lacrosse: The goalie came up with 10 saves, including a big stop in overtime, as Mount Abraham/Vergennes outlasted BFA-Fairfax 8-7 in two OTs.

Aidan Lybarger, South Burlington track and field: On his final throw, the senior broke the meet record in discus (173-10.25) for the first-place medal at the Essex Invitational. Lybarger also placed third in shot put with another PR of 49-10.5.

Andrew Thornton-Sherman, St. Johnsbury track and field: The junior shattered his own overall state record in the 800 (1:51.82) to win over an impressive field that included five other runners dipping below 2:00. Thornton-Sherman then capped his day on the winning 4×400 relay squad that also reset the state and meet marks (3:24.58).

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Vermont

Former longtime Vermont Sen. Dick Mazza has died

Published

10 hours ago

May 26, 2024

Press Room

Former longtime Vermont Sen. Dick Mazza has died

This story may be updated.

Former longtime state lawmaker Dick Mazza has died, Gov. Phil Scott’s office confirmed Sunday. He was 84.

Mazza, a Democrat, spent 42 years in the Statehouse, serving briefly in the House of Representatives before joining the Senate in 1985. He resigned in April, citing health reasons.

WCAXand NBC5 both reported Mazza died Saturday.

More from Vermont Public: ‘This is Dick Mazza’s chair’: After dean of the Senate resigns, colleagues reflect on a legacy

In his letter of resignation to Scott, Mazza said it had been “the privilege of a lifetime to represent Colchester and Grand Isle County in Montpelier.”

“Each of those days I considered it an honor that Vermonters have trusted me with their stories and had faith that I would act on their behalf, regardless of party affiliation or politics,” he said.

In a statement at that time, Scott said Mazza was regarded as “the conscience of the Senate.”

On Sunday, Scott said in a statement that Mazza left a mark on everyone he met.

“In a world that has become so politically divided and full of hate, Dick Mazza stood out like a shining star – an icon of decency, hope and humor,” the governor said. “His impact will be felt for generations to come, and he will be greatly missed.”

Mazza was known as an influential powerbroker, both from the seat of government in Montpelier and the office at Dick Mazza’s General Store in Colchester. He chaired the Senate Transportation Committee and was a longtime member of the Vermont Committee on Committees, a powerful three-person panel that sorts out committee assignments for the body.

VTDigger reported in February that Mazza had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He said in his resignation letter that he was “unable to provide the quality of service and dedication I have always given to my constituents.”

“Having dedicated representation has always been one of my top priorities, and I believe the people I serve deserve someone who can provide their full attention to this critical position,” he wrote.

Scott on Tuesday appointed Andy Julow, executive director of the Lake Champlain Islands Economic Development Corporation, to fill Mazza’s vacant Senate seat for the upcoming veto session.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.

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Vermont

‘My homeland’: Former local high school star powers to victory at Vermont City Marathon

Published

17 hours ago

May 26, 2024

Press Room

‘My homeland’: Former local high school star powers to victory at Vermont City Marathon

When it comes to racing, Hannah Rowe favors much cooler temperatures than the sunny and warm climate of the 2024 Vermont City Marathon & Relay on Sunday morning.

Rowe is, after all, a Vermont native.

“I prefer snowy conditions,” Rowe said.

But after navigating the twice-looped, 26.2-mile course in Burlington, Rowe had no problems dealing with hotter weather. Her time and finish tell that story.

In her VCM debut for the marathon, the 2010 St. Johnsbury Academy graduate stormed to first place in the women’s open division, clipping the line at 2 hours, 46 minutes, 56 seconds. Rowe, 32, currently resides in Boston.

“It means a lot. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time,” Rowe said, who previously ran a two-person relay at VCM with her husband. “Vermont is always my homeland.”

When she did live in Vermont, Rowe was a star high school athlete at St. Johnsbury, located in the Northeast Kingdom. There, she was a four-time Gatorade runner of the year between cross-country running and track and field, and was on SJA’s first girls basketball state championship.

In 2017, Rowe was inducted into the Vermont Principals’ Association Hall of Fame. And last summer, Rowe was the top women’s finisher at the USATF national trail championships held in New Hampshire.

RESULTS: Click here later Sunday for full marathon and relay results

Sunday’s marathon reminded Rowe of her high school days. Stretches on the bike path brought back memories of racing at the Burlington Invitational.

“It was a really cool moment,” said Rowe, a 2014 Dartmouth College graduate.

To avoid overheating, Rowe said she executed a “conservative” race strategy. “I was definitely trying to not blow up and staying within myself,” she said.

“I knew it was going to be a PR day. That didn’t matter to me, it was just being here and being with the crowd.”

Kiplangat Terer, a Kenyan native who spends half the year in Amherst, Massachusetts, captured the men’s open division in 2:23:13. The 37-year-old said he’s won half-a-dozen marathons in his career.

Top Vermont woman overcomes heat, quick start

Joanna Fortier nearly went out too fast.

“I really wanted to push myself and I paid for it,” the 34-year-old from Richmond said.

But Fortier regrouped, motivated by family, friends and thousands of cheering spectators, to complete the 26.2-mile course and claim top prize as the first Vermont resident to finish Sunday’s marathon.

File coverage: Course record shattered at the 2023 Vermont City Marathon & Relay

Fortier completed her fourth marathon in 3:09:04.

“I had no idea,” Fortier said about being the top Vermont woman. “I would say it was very hot. I’ve never blown up so much in my life. But I wanted it. It was rough, but really the community is so special.

“Having everyone cheering you on and screaming — it’s the best feeling ever.”

Nick Orlando of South Burlington was the first Vermont man to finish on Sunday. Orlando toured the course in 2:36:53, which was good enough for 10th overall and just ahead of Ben Groleau of North Ferrisburgh by 16 seconds.

Handcyclist champion raves about Vermont City Marathon course

Devann Murphy has won the handycle division at the Boston, Chicago and New York City marathons. Nothing, though, compares to the nearby Vermont City Marathon for the native of Keeseville, New York.

“This one is home, it’s that home crowd. It’s the race that hugs you,” said Murphy, a cancer survivor.

Murphy praised the race — VCM handcyslists have competed in a half-marathon in each of the last two years for safety reasons with the double-looped course for marathoners — and the atmosphere in retaining her crown from 2023. Sunday, she recorded a performance of 57:33.

“It was a little toasty and few bumps here and there, but the crowds made up for that,” said Murphy, who has raced at VCM for the better part of a decade.

Erik Corbett also repeated on the men’s side for handcylists. The Conway, New Hampshire, resident finished in 57:16.

Contact Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

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