Mary Montague at Bridgmont Studio

Happy Holidays 2011

2011-11-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

A very Merry Christmas and Holiday Season and a Peaceful and Happy New Year to you and yours!
Mary Montague

Two Barns

2011-11-30T15:51:00.000-08:00

Two barns are all that is left and those are barely standing. The pastures are growing up to brush and if the neighbor didn't mow the fields, the Sumac would creep out to overtake the hay. Peaceful, beautiful and sad.

Laurel Lake

2011-11-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

We're lucky enough to have a wonderful and lasting group of friends that have managed to cherish our friendship enough so that we have taken a few days every summer to get together at Laurel lake, in Vermont, to catch up, relax and laugh. This beautiful spot provides the relaxation with a morning in the kayak.

Another Grand Birch

2011-10-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

This birch could be anywhere but I captured the image in a forest and on the lake shore below the Grand Tetons. Now that is a place to find painting inspiration! I was looking for a moose but had to settle for this grand birch.

Memories

2011-10-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Long before the smart phones, and and the DS's, the Wii and the Playstations, there were tricycles and capguns to make believe and stir our imaginations. We spent many hours racing around the driveway and hiding behind trees to get the bad guy and we got a little exercise too! When I found these toys at Richard Richardson's Good Time Stove Company, in Goshen, it brought back many good memories.

Red Tailed Hawk

2011-03-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

So if you are a mouse or some other unfortunate rodent you may be in trouble with this guy. I love the determination in his eye or is that hunger? It's been a long winter and the snow was deep so I guess he is due a mouse or two. You can't imagine the talking I had to do to get him to hold that pose for even ten minutes!

Yellowstone Young Bull

2011-03-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

We found this young bull at Yellowstone Park last summer when we had one of the best vacations! There were hundreds of bison everywhere but especially in the Lamar Valley where we also saw grizzlies, proghorn deer, swans and fox I hope to paint more of these great animals.

Cow/calf pair

2010-12-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have always loved animals and have been drawn to paint more of them lately. I try to paint what I know such as cattle and goats, but I'm getting closer to trying to capture the essence of other animals as well,with my art. Look for wild animals, such as the buffalo I saw in Yellowstone last summer, or wolves, from a friend's web cam in the woods.

Our Boar Goats

2010-12-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

This may sound strange to those of you who aren't familiar with goats but they are some of the sweetest animals. Everyone thinks little lambs and puppies are the best but there is nothing like a baby goat's silky hide and sweet face. Much easier to raise than sheep. Come visit our herd sometime while you stop at my gallery!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-17T15:20:00.000-08:00

Wishing all of you, my collectors, family and friends, a very warm holiday and a peaceful and safe New Year!
Blessings, Mary

Locust Survivor

2010-07-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

There isn't much left of this old tree, what with half of it already cut down and dead branches hanging and waiting to fall. But you have to admire it's tenacity; the beauty of burls at the bottom that may one day be beautiful bowls and the design of the craggy bark. I find great beauty in the way it breaks the blue of the sky with it's wisps of graceful branches that are in such contrast with the rugged ones below. I'll probably paint this one again but I guess I shouldn't wait too long.

As you can see I have painted it again with a change of color and value. I think I like the second one better. Do you know which one it is?

Waterfall at the Center of Town

2010-05-12T07:13:00.001-07:00

I love to work with water or rather I love what my pastel does with water. I find that I do a few painting then it;s back to water again. This very small falls in the center of Westhampton became quite powerful when increased in size with my paper choice. This painting was in Springfield at the Academic Artist's Association Member's Show for the month of June.

Wild Turkeys

2010-05-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

I've been saying for a few years that I'm going to paint the turkeys that stop me on the back roads, as they so slowly meander across in front of the car. Then, with all animals and small children, it's impossible to get them to sit still for a session
of painting, so I have to take photos and correct for what the camera does. I've found that wild turkeys always give you their posterior side if they know you're looking. Not quite sure what that means but here is the backside of a group of them.

This Painting has just been juried into the Laumiester Fine Art Competition at the Bennington Center for the Arts. August14-December 19. 2010

Washington Harbor

2010-02-23T09:45:00.000-08:00

When I was visiting Butchart Gardens in Washington State, a number of years ago, I found this hidden harbor through the shrubs in the oriental garden. It was well hidden, but I believe I noticed it because of the fishing boat resting there and the quiet little cottage perched on the rocks. I took many photos to paint from later and I never forgot the mystery and feelings of my discovery.

Foggy Morning

2010-02-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite places to paint. This is looking over our hay meadow on North Road while the sun is trying to burn through the fog and the grass is laden heavy with dew.

Maine Lupines

2010-02-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

While I was traveling the back roads of Maine in the springtime, I was delighted with fields and patches of the most beautiful lupines!
The Maine folks must scatter the seeds themselves for there is all colors and they are more vibrant and vigorous growing there, than in my garden.

Spring's Coming

2010-02-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

Whenever we start to think about sugaring I know that spring is coming. Yes, there will be more snow storms but the days are becoming longer and the sun is warmer. The days spent gathering sap and doing all the chores that are involved in making that sweet gold we love to eat, gets us back outside and exercises our muscles and our hearts once again.

Hotel Northampton

2010-01-10T10:25:00.001-08:00

Downtown Northampton always includes the elegant Hotel as it's centerpiece for me. I loved capturing it this past fall with the "ball" on the top waiting for a new year and the antique sign on the side.

Just a back road

2009-12-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

Wishing you peace and health in this new year. May you prosper in ways that don't depend on wealth. Mary

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

2009-09-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

We traveled the Cabot Trail on a summer day in August. I found that the lobster season had passed and most of the lobster boats were tied up: the traps stacked neatly by the fishing huts. Good for me because I was able to paint these boats as they rested in the harbor. I am always atracted to reflections in water.

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

2009-09-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

On a recent vacation to Nova Scotia we started our trip with a stay at a lovely bed and breakfast overlooking this bay. This morning was gray but could not dampen my eagerness to get out there and paint.

Birch III

2009-03-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

During the ice storm this past winter this great birch went down in the Ashfield cemetery with many others. After years of standing over the quietness of a resting place it fell among them. What is there about a birch so very white against a cerulean blue sky?

Devons at Watson Farm

2009-03-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Early last summer we visited Watson Farm on the coast of Jamestown, RI. These red Devons seemed delighted to be in this tall, lush grass and could hardly look up from their feast. I loved the deep red against the green with the sun warming it all.

Young Bull Moose

2009-01-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Twenty years ago we were visited by just such a young fellow at our farm in Westhampton. Seems he was lonely and took a liking to one of our Guernsey heifers. Well, he finally moved on; probably realized "she wasn't his type".

More Clouds

2009-01-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's because I was raised by a farmer but I'm always looking up outside. To me it's one of the most enchanting shows there is. The changing moods of the clouds, give us messages of what is to come and decorates our immediate landscape. The vastness and infinity of the sky with clouds puts our personal importance into place.

Ashfield Waterfall

2009-01-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

Tucked in back of one of the cemeteries in Ashfield is a revene that hides a small brook and the path that follows it. Because of it's downward flow and the esker soil, it spills and flows gently over and around rocks and brush. The coolness of the hideaway becomes a welcome respite on a summer day.

White Resevoir

2008-11-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

This basin was once filled with water for the city of Holyoke. Now it lies empty now as the birches start to encroach on the small stream that remains.

2008-11-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

Sunflowers are always such a draw for me. The size and brilliance make it impossibe for me not to grab a picture. This one found it's home on our compost pile. I thought the back and stem were almost as interesting as the front.

Late October Splendar

2008-11-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

We've been so fortunate to have beautiful days with spectacular colors. So often we go about our business and forget to look and it only lasts a very short time.

Rocky Neck Ocean View

2008-10-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

In the early morning the sun just sparkled off the water and lit up the rocks on the shore. A breeze swept the clouds along softening the bright blue of the sky. The coolness of the September day kept the 'people' crowds at bay and we just had to share the shore with a few curious Canadian geese that were eyeing my colorful pastels with way too much interest.

Rocky Point Marsh

2008-10-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

A week in Essex and Old Saybrook painting with twenty other artists. My idea of a great vacation. Totally exhaused at the end and very inspired.

Mary Montague Knightsville Dam Basin

2008-09-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

A foggy morning before the heat arrived. The trees are starting to color around the edges with copper and gold. A time to savor summer before it speeds away.

Mary Montague Chester Birch

2008-09-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist the sparkling white of this birch against a deep blue summer sIt's what plein air is all about. A moment where nature draws you in and you try to fit, in some minute way.

Upper Leeds Resevoir

2008-07-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

When I heard that this resevoir, that I had driven by for most of my adult life, was going to be drained, I knew that I had to find the time to capture it's beauty with my pastels. I love change but this view is something that I'll miss.

Moonstone Beach

2008-06-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

We found this deserted beach at Trustom Pond Wildlife Preserve. The waves were rolling in that morning and the breeze was sure cold. Still it was a great place to paint with no a sole in sight.

Naragansett Marsh

2008-06-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

Catching the laziness of a coastal marsh on a late afternoon in May.

Mary Montague Wyben Farm

2008-06-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

A cool, early spring morning in the Wyben area of Westfield. The long shadows caught my attention.

Mary Montague Hydrangeas

2008-05-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

I do love hydrangeas, especially the real blue ones. Reminds me of the Cape and summer and vacations. I planted a couple in my garden out by the fence and painted this last summer. Can you tell I'm ready for summer?

Mary Montague Waiting for Summer

2008-05-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

It seemed like spring last week but with these cold, rainy

days I'm wishing for some sun again so I can go play in my gardens and feel the warmth of the earth. This painting of a drainage ditch in the lower meadow was done late last summer on a hot and clear sky kind of day.

Old Ice House

2008-04-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

I saw this ice house before I found the old truck hidden behind the overgrown roses. The aging of the glass in the door caught my eye with it's blue green hues. It reminded me of an old medicine bottle one might find in a dump near a farm.

Mary Montague Residents of Northwest Road

2008-04-13T09:07:00.001-07:00

Residents of Northwest road
14x18 original pastel
Just a few miles up the road from where I live in Westhampton is a beaver pond that goes through years of being full of water and then the beavers get too ambitious and the road floods so measures are taken and the pond is drained. I caught this when the pond was full and the beavers were working. I love catching reflections in the water of aged trees and spent reeds.
Price for original or giclee prints on request

Mary Montague Yesterday's Memory

2008-04-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Memory
9x12 original pastel or giclee print

I’m fascinated by old trucks that are left along the side of the road to rest until they are hauled off to be reclaimed into scrap or just rust into the ground. Having grown up on a farm I remember these vehicles that were kept for “parts” or just never were moved from where they were last parked. I love to paint the fenders dusted with rust and think of what these trucks did in their heydays. How important were they then and now they are forgotten with weeds and roses growing through the grill and mice living in the seat cushions.
Prices for original or giclee prints on request

Mary Montague Bubba and the Girls

2008-04-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Bubba and the Girls
18x24 pastel or giclee print

No I didn’t name him. My 4 year old grandson did. He doesn’t yet realize that there have been several Bubbas in his life time. I caught this Bubba one morning while I walking down from the upper field and there he was with “his girls”, with his male attitude. The light was wonderful and they held their pose until I could take some digital photos and catch a sketch to remember them by.
Prices for original pastel or giclee prints on request

Mary Montague Forgotten Worker

2008-04-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

Forgotten Worker

9x12 original pastal or giclee print

I came upon this truck while hiking to find a plein air painting at the Becket Quarry. First I painted the pond left by the excavation of the stone but this image kept calling me, so one snowy winter morning I just had to put it down on paper. It seemed to flow like I was still there in the cool woods on that summer morning.
Prices for original pastel and giclee prints on request