Meandering, a Pastel Painting by Wendy Soliday
As I Pass By…
Pastel Paintings by Wendy Soliday
at THE GALLERY at Central Vermont Medical Center
through November 18, 2017
Berlin, Vt – As I Pass By… is a collection of pastel paintings by Wendy Soliday. Many of these paintings begin as “drive-by “ moments – a flicker of light through the woods, a glimpse of beauty in the rear view mirror, a temporary reflection on the water – that beckon and compel Soliday to stop and paint.
Spruce Mountain in Fall, painting by Wendy Soliday
“I am always ready to paint. My paints are kept in a small back pack in my cluttered car along with bug spray, sun screen, hand warmers, an old smock, and almonds. I’ve been known to carry this on kayaks, bikes, skis, rafts, and have even stopped to paint while golfing. (I let people play through.) I paint until the cow moves, the light changes, I start to shiver, or, most often – I paint until I’m late. It is easy to pause and pay attention to the moment when I have my paints with me. When I paint the world disappears. It is a process of intense focus and I become somewhat frantic trying to pause the unpausable. I have many unfinished paintings. There simply isn’t enough time to look back and there are so many more stunning moments beckoning… As I Pass By.”
Soliday’s paintings may feel familiar to those passing through and living in Central Vermont. They are of the world she notices and loves.
Turrenne Turkeys, painting by Wendy Soliday
Wendy Soliday has lived in East Montpelier for almost 35 years with her husband, Greg MacDonald, a recently retired cardiologist from Central Vermont Medical Center. She was for many years a school counselor at Berlin Elementary. She grew up in a family of artists and never considered herself artistic until she studied drawing in 1997. She became obsessed, often pausing on her way to and from work for a “drive-by” sketch. Though she loved her day job her real passion became painting. When her youngest child left for college she left Berlin Elementary for the fields – to paint. She delved into various mediums, studying intensely with wonderful teachers including those at the Art Students League in NYC, the Putney Painters, and a vast array of talented artists throughout the country. She continues to study with Kathy Becker at Lake George and Jeneanne Lunn in Montpelier, both teachers who offer wisdom and humor and tough critiques.
Wendy teaches watercolor and pastel locally and with the Roads Scholar Program which provides multi-generational adventures for grandparents, parents and children. She is active in numerous professional organizations including American Impressionist Society, the Vermont and Connecticut Pastel Societies and the International Association of Pastel Societies and has participated in Plein Air Magazine invitationals and many international and national juried exhibits. Wendy has exhibited in New York, Boston, and Phoenix and at The Wood Gallery, Mary Bryan Gallery, and Southern Vermont Arts Center. She is represented by Green Mountain Fine Art Gallery in Stowe.
Please contact Wendy directly to purchase her paintings: wsoliday@gmail.com. For more information about Wendy and her paintings go to her website: www.wendysoliday.com.
THE GALLERY at Central Vermont Medical Center is located in the lobby of the hospital and is open every day. For more information on THE GALLERY at CVMC please contact Maureen O’Connor Burgess (802-279-6403) or moetown52@comcast.net.