#7 Birdhouse, Peggy Watson

Description

My art often depicts the many places around Vermont that I love. I get inspired by the beauty in its nature and simple, joyful everyday life. Watching a parent and child walking hand in hand, or a person riding their bike can stop me in my tracks- making me want to run home and try to capture these moments at my easel.

     At first, I had a bit of artist’s block about what to do with my birdhouse. I was in the middle of a Tunbridge Fair painting, and it was hard to pull myself away. As the birdhouse deadline approached, so did fair season, and I decided to make a Tunbridge themed birdhouse. That’s when the fun began… 

     I go to the Tunbridge Fair every year. I love the drive from Montpelier through the rolling hills of Williamstown, then Chelsea, then past the fire department’s coin drop as we enter Tunbridge. The excitement grows as we glimpse the ferris wheel rising above the houses off of Main Street. The Norwich cadets guide us to a parking spot in the field, and then we ride in the wagon pulled by a tractor to the entrance gate. We buy our tickets and walk under the Welcome to Tunbridge Fair sign, then up the hill past the history exhibits, the smell of kettle corn wafting around us. We visit the biggest pumpkin, eat fair food, watch the oxen pull and ride that ferris wheel that lifts us high above the trees. Tunbridge Fair is as much part of my family’s traditions as is Christmas or Thanksgiving, and it is one of my favorite places in Vermont. How could it not seep into my art?