Craigville Painters
Craigville Painters
In summer 2011, Avis Strong Parke, a longtime village resident, began Craigville Painters to bring together art-minded people for drawing and painting in scenic locations around the village. These on-site gatherings are called en plein air, French for “outdoors.” From the Red Lily Pond Gazebo to the Causeway Beach, on the Forty Steps and the Bluff, and back to the Village Green, we’ve seen fish, turtles, and frogs in the lake; geese, swans, and ducks floating and flying; and friendly humans as they pass by with their children and dogs.
In 2013 neighbor Norm Vester joined the group, and his eyes just lit up when Avis mentioned her vision for a community mural featuring the complete Craigville ecosystem of waterways as they wrap around the village--- from Red Lily Pond to Lake Elizabeth to the Herring Run to the Centerville River marsh, into the old cranberry bog and then out to Craigville Beach on Nantucket Sound. Norm made the canvas, and for the next two years more than 26 villagers, from ages 4-88, painted on this yellow mural, now hanging in the Tabernacle.
In 2015 Norm suggested a mural featuring the birds and fish of Lake Elizabeth, and after he and Alison built a 9 feet x 12 feet framed canvas on the wall of his deck, Avis, Norm and Alison spent the summer painting the blue mural, now shown in the Tabernacle.
Dick Delaney approached Norm with the idea of a 30-foot square bird painted on the empty cement slab next to the labyrinth on Sandy Lane (between the Lodge and marsh). So Norm brought the idea to Craigville Painters, but when making a canvas that size proved unwieldy, the idea grew to eight circles, depicting different birds seen around the village. Each bird circle came to be three feet in diameter, with one six-footer included. Dick helped install the canvas circles and beautify this area on the cement platform. It is now called "Birdland."
Over the next 11 years, we documented this art made by villagers and visitors - some of which was sold at the annual Red Lily Pond Project (RLPP) auction.
In 2018, after nearly three years of direct sun, rain, high tides, snow, and human interaction, these circles were ready to be refreshed. In June 2018 Birdland was replaced, again painted by Norm, Avis, and Alison. This time bible quotes were included to honor the village leadership's focus on environment, education, and our religious connections.
In 2019, the Craigville Cottage Owners (CCOA) and the Christian Camp Meeting Association (CCMA) donated two teak benches to Birdland, dedicating one to Avis and the other to Norm.
Although our dear friend Norm Vester passed away in 2020, his art and vision carry on as we continue to paint the village and its wildlife. In celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the founding of Craigville Village, Craigville Painters will unveil our next installment of art circles at Birdland.
Stay tuned this June!
