Mother-Daughter Duo Art Exhibit
Many of you will recognize the names Jenny and Annette Goyne, but for those of you who don't know these two charasmatic and talented women, Jenny was on the Board of CHC several years ago, contributing her attention to detail, thoughtfulness, and nature photography to her seat in the organization; and her mother, Annette, is locally famous for her elegant and whimsical nature-inspired watercolor paintings, often featured on the walls of local restaurants, galleries, and shops. Both women have been long time CHC supporters and stewards of the land, donating to CHC, and participating in local conservation initiatives and volunteer efforts; and so, in recognition of their contributions and in order to elevate their talents for a public audience, CHC is collaborating with them to host an exhibit of their work this August at the Montgomery Center for the Arts. This visually stunning collection will feature Annette's delicate watercolor paintings side-by-side with Jenny's striking landscape photographs. In the spirit of conservation and giving, both women have agreed to donate 25% of any sales of art back to CHC in support of our mission.
The combined works of mother-daughter artists Annette and Jennifer Goyne
At the Montgomery Center for the Arts
August 16th - 30th
Gallery hours and reception TBA
Annette Goyne
Annette Goyne is a watercolor artist who has been inspired by the woods, fields, waterways, and skies of South Richford and the Cold Hollow Region for over forty years. Since a very young age, she has been an avid reader of field guides and books on nature, a smitten birder, and intrigued by wildflowers and trees. Her artwork thus gravitates towards depictions of landscapes or nature. She drew a lot in high school, has taken a few art classes here and there, but has really put in the paintbrush miles in the past decade or so to grow as an artist.
I attended the initial meeting for the public that Cold Hollow to Canada offered, and that meeting was the catalyst for me and a few other citizens to establish a conservation commission in Richford. I've been a part of that organization ever since, and appreciate the thoughtful efforts of these two organizations on environmental protection and public education awareness, I have personally taken advantage of incredibly informative programs that Cold Hollow to Canada has sponsored. My husband and I have been in the Richford Woodlot Program for many years, and we are grateful for all the knowledge and assistance with land management that we have regularly received from CHC. The woodlots program helps its members think about stewardship on a larger scale than just their own backyard. It's been fun and meaningful to meet other landowners and think about our various habitats and the larger picture about what is happening for wildlife in northern VT and beyond. I also took part in an amazing CHC sponsored six session tracking workshop with Sue Morse several years ago. I am forever grateful for that experience, It really changed how I experience the woods and ways to observe nature on a deeper level. --Annette
Jenny Goyne
Jenny Goyne has spent most of her life along the the western side of the Green Mountains. She was raised in South Richford, where she played often in the woods and brooks behind her house, and now lives in Underhill, next to Mount Mansfield State Forest. In high school she worked at Hazen's Notch Camp, where she was paid to lead campers up Burnt Mountain. At the time she took the Cold Hollow Mountains for granted, but in her mid twenties became aware of the importance of conservation white travel nursing, and hiking often, in California and Alaska. Her dad had recently completed a patch cut in their woods, and her parents were newly involved with the Woodlot program. This exposure, and attending the CHC annual meeting, opened her eyes to the importance of humans taking an active role to manage and protect the local landscape.
Describe your medium and how nature inspires your work?
J: I first was drawn to using a camera to capture photos of nature around me - initially of flowers and insects in my parents' yard, and later to capture travels out west in my twenties. I was fortunate to visit many national parks while road-tripping and travel nursing. The features and wildlife in these places were so different than home, that I wanted to capture them on camera. This transpired into a love for capturing images of landscapes around me, and later, working to tell stories of people within these landscapes.
A: I have always felt comfortable with the medium of watercolors. I love its transparency and its sometimes spontaneous nature. Nature sparks my curiosity on a daily basis and I find its complexity fascinating. Nature offers us endless shapes, colors, patterns and behaviors to notice, ponder, and marvel at. And we don't even see all the colors that other animals can see! I can be inspired by the shapes and hues in a fall mushroom, the way the sun can peek out through clouds and light up a landscape, or notice a bird feeding its mate, and then I will want to paint that scene to capture the beauty or share what I noticed with others. I am so grateful to live in a place where nature dominates the terrain and I have opportunities to be "witness to the wonder" on a daily basis.
What kind of patterns, routines, or rituals do you have when creating?
J: I don't necessarily have any that come to mind, but I always love going on a walk or hike or bike ride with my camera. Looking through the viewfinder requires my full attention and focus, keeping my wandering thoughts in the present moment.
A: I have a small table beside a window which is my usual go-to spot to paint, although sometimes I will work outdoors in the summer. I usually mull over a composition in my head for a while before an initial sketch to see if it satisfies me. That contemplation might take 10 minutes or a few days, depending on the subject matter. I like to paint when it's either too cold or wet to go outside, but I also often paint on Sunday evenings listening to VT Public's "All the Traditions" music selected by Robert Resnik. It gives me a solid 3 hour stretch of focus and I find the combination truly relaxing and rewarding!
Is there a particular element in nature that you are especially inspired by?
J: Mountains! and light!
A: My favorite element in nature to paint is birds. I really enjoy observing birds' behaviors and learning more about them. Painting helps me do that. I started out as more of a landscape painter, though, and still love depicting compelling scenery. I especially love painting trees. I am sometimes drawn to painting flowers, and I started painting animals about five or six years ago, and am eager to try more. When I finish the eye on a bird, it really comes to life, and the same is true for any animal painting I've attempted, so I have many ideas of more species I want to paint: fish, salamanders, or wolves; it's going to happen!
What is your connection to the Cold Hollow region?
J: Growing up here, I didn't even know the term the Cold Hollow Mountains. I really just thought about the individual mountains nearby: Jay Peak, Burnt Mountain, Haystack, and Belvidere. I hiked all of them at some point in my youth, but at the time didn't fully appreciate them. Hiking was work! I was paid to lead campers up Burnt Rock at Hazen's Notch Camp and had to hike up extra water for the kids. I saw this as a tough workout, not necessarily enjoyable! However, these experiences, and being outside from a young age, at all hours of the day, would lead to a deep appreciation for having access to the mountains and woods. At camp we were taught to respect nature (and not strip ferns!), and learned about all sorts of animals, such as beavers and the ecosystems created by their dams. Later, as a camp counselor, I would study up on frogs and beavers so I myself could teach the campers about them. These were really formative moments in my youth, and I'm grateful to Rolf Anderson and Sharon for providing a place for young people in the area to really connect with this region directly through play and exploration. My parents also provided this out the front door, holding the same sentiments of respect and appreciation for nature, and I feel very fortunate that they chose a place so adjacent to nature to raise me in.
A: I feel blessed to have lived in South Richford for over forty years now watching the marvels of the seasons unfold around me. Our woods, fields, and brooks have soothed my soul daily and it's been a special place to share with my husband and two daughters and to welcome others to. Our property has given me rich fodder for my curiosity over the years because of the variety of habitats on it, but I love how the Cold Hollow Region offers even more habitats to explore.
Can you name one (or several) artists who have inspired you and why?
J: Chris Burkard has been a big name in photography over the past decade. He took his love for surfing, which he developed in California, and combined that with a love for remote and wild places, creating stunning images of surfera under the northern lights in Iceland. I also was inspired by Ansel Adams in my twenties as I started travelling out west and in Alaska.
A: My Dutch grandfather on my mother's side died before I was born, but I grew up with his paintings in our house. He painted in oils and watercolors, but his subject matter was usually landscapes, old farmhouses, and trees. I admired his renderings of trees from a young age, and felt a connection to this man I never knew through his art. His paintings told me he loved trees and nature like I did. I love the way art transcends a mortal lifetime and affects people through time whether it is painting or literature or music, and I really treasure my grandfather's artwork. I love the Impressionists and how they capture light and mood in really pleasing colors, subject matters, and compositions. While I love how the Impressionists steered away from realism, I also love a realistic painting like Albrecht Durer's famous hare! Throw in local artists like Michael Domina, Bobby Anderson, and Corliss Blakely, and I stand in wonder and admiration before their work!
Painting and photography are very distinctive mediums; aside from the nature content of both your works, what parallels do you see between them?
J: I feel they both draw you in to the present moment, requiring your full attention. My mom and I tend put too much on our plates, and I think these mediums help each of us slow down and be present. It feels meditative for me.
A: I think Jenny and I are both thoughtful about composition in our approach to a chosen subject matter. Capturing a unique perspective or moment intrigues us, and I feel both of us want to share more than just the beauty of a place. Both of us feel privileged to live in a place where the nature that surrounds us inspires us, and on some level, I think we hope that our depictions of that beauty resonate with others as well and inspire that same sort of appreciation and sense of responsibility to ensure the safeguarding of this region's riches for future generations.
Jenny: how did your Mother's creativity and nature paintings inspire you as a child and influence your photography?
My mom brought me to some watercolor classes at the Richford library when I was a child, and I was encouraged from a young age to embrace creativity and take time for it. There was artwork hanging in our home created by both her father and grandfather, and her appreciation for art rubbed off on me, even if I didn't appreciate visiting museums with her as a child! In the past couple decades I've watched as she has grown as an artist, and has put her artwork out for the community to enjoy. This growth has inspired me, and taught me that this is a lifelong journey. Mastery takes time, and it's been a privilege to have direct access to watching another artist's progression.
Annette: what do you admire most about Jenny's photography and her evolution as an artist?
I admire how Jenny's photography captures both stunning places and personal moments that either stop me in my tracks or instrantly force me to look at something from a new angle. Her outdoor photography can take me to places I've never been, but they can also be scenes of places that I'm familiar with rendered from a unique perspective. Her compositions and sense of light and shadow make me really admire her technical skills. She has a great eye for composition, whether it's freezing a mountain biker in an upside down flip in mid air, to a mesmerizing photo of a campfire's ascending sparks into darkness, to filling the frame with a carefully composed mountain summit sunset, Jenny pays attention to where your eye will travel through the photograph and what it will land on. She creates photographic poetry through keeping that part of the photograph crystal sharp while blurring other edges which the viewer can fill in for themselves. That's not simply capturing life with a camera; that's art.