Vermont Escape Artist
Finding my familiar people while on a painting trip on the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall UK
My path as an artist has been anything but the traditional career trajectory most people follow in their lives. My journey has had more of a resemblance to the rugged mountain trails, meandering rivers, and steep sea cliffs that I love to explore with sketchbook, camera, or easel and paint, seeking out my next inspiring composition as a landscape artist. How else could the path of a single mom of three and visual art/educator from a tiny rural town in the mountains unfold but with many blind turns, natural obstacles, rolling waves, and crashing storms along the way--each of which has taught me essential lessons and helped me grow as both an artist and human being:
Above all things, family first
Dig in with grit and perseverance
Continue to expand, learn, and grow
Always aim for presence, patience, and humility
Be a connector - building relationships and community
Believe in yourself and in something bigger than yourself, as well
Each leg of my journey has helped shape my voice as an artist and my passion to educate. I always feel the compulsion to use my gifts to communicate and share about what is important to me. Nurturing and inspiring future artists, celebrating and protecting the landscape, and creating authentic (and often healing) connection with others through art are a few examples of how I convey my artistic voice.
I am at my happiest when I am painting out in the landscape or nested into my studio, elbow deep in ink as I transform a printing plate or with ten sticky fingers surrounded by piles of handmade papers from around the globe.
Spring Afternoon Plein-air painting in Mullion, Cornwall UK
My identity as a professional artist, art educator, and art activist has evolved from each adventure I embarked upon, each path I chose, and each leap of faith I have taken. These choices took me from my home in the small town of Newport in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont to living, teaching, and creating art all over the United States and Europe. I have somehow embodied my Instagram handle of @vtescapeartist I made up years ago, hoping to forge myself as the artist I wanted to be: A decade of summers teaching in the South of France, road trips across America painting and advocating for our National Parks, sharing my stories and work as a visiting artist at school across the US and Europe, an artist sabbatical in Georgia O’Keeffe’s inspirational lands of Northern New Mexico, moving abroad to teach and explore the natural wonders of the UK and Ireland. Becoming the Vermont Escape Artist has woven itself into every aspect of my life’s work. All the places, experiences, memories, mishaps, and people I have collected on my journey manifest themselves in my artwork and empower me create the best version of this life.
This blog represents one important step toward that ‘best version of this life’ I am chasing. In addition to this traveling artist’s blog, Chronicles of the Landscape, I am finally dedicating myself to creating inspiring works of art full-time while continuing to teach my dedicated students locally and through destination workshops and retreats.
I can’t wait to share my adventures and misadventures, my experimentations and works in progress, my lessons and technical tips about art making, artists and exhibitions from which I am taking inspiration, and excerpts from where this journey of the Vermont Escape Artist will take me next! As I close the London chapter of my story this spring, I leave inspired by all the sites, the experiences, and especially the friends I gathered on that leg of my path. After three years in England, I am following the sound of the siren call that is ever present in my head, luring me back to the mountains and lake. Stay tuned for the next blog post: Coming Home.
Thanks for reading and I hope this snippet of my story piques your interest enough to continue following along as the path of this blog unfolds. Take a minute to glance through my website to see recent work, class offerings, and please subscribe to my mailing list so I can keep you up to date on new blog posts, art happenings, and classes!
With gratitude,
Alyssa