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.
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."
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!