The Florence Griswold Museum

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Miss Florence's Artist Tree	Museum Trustees Accept Palettes into Collection One of the most exciting additions to the Museum's annual holiday celebration has been “Miss Florence’s Artist Tree,” a 12-foot tree decorated with artists’ palettes painted by professional artists from Southeastern Connecticut and beyond. This signature tree began in 2004 with 52 palettes. Each year the Museum invites more artists add to the collection. Displayed in the Krieble Gallery together with a selection of beautifully decorated holiday trees and art works from the Museum, visitors are lingering over the display and delighting in all of its creative dimensions. Visitors are not the only ones impressed with the outstanding quality of what was produced for the tree. The Museum’s Collection Committee, a standing committee of the Board of Trustees, recently voted unanimously to accept all 52 palettes into the Museum’s Collection. “I am particularly pleased with their decision,” said Director Jeffrey Andersen, “for it recognizes the growing role that contemporary artists are having with the Florence Griswold Museum.” The Museum is committed to growing the number of palettes each year for its “Palette Collection” so that this signature tree can become a cherished hallmark of the season. The idea for the “Miss Florence’s Artist Tree” came about through discussions between Andersen and Director of Education and Outreach David Rau. It was decided the Museum should have a signature tree, one that related to its core story. Because many of the artists who stayed at Miss Florence’s boarding house over one hundred years ago painted directly on its doors and wall panels, Rau had the idea of inviting artists to once again leave their mark on the Museum. A small wooden palette, a traditional artist tool used to hold and mix paints, seemed like the perfect means of expression and was sent to a selected list of artists. Some of the artists who participated include Sandy Garvin, Brad Guarino, T. Allen Lawson, and Sol Lewitt. Their styles and subject matter are as varied as the individuals. Oils, acrylics, watercolors, ceramics, and collage are used to transform the palettes into traditional holiday scenes, delightful landscapes, and more than a few surprises! “Watching visitors gaze up into the tree with the look of wonder is so rewarding,” states Rau, “and truly magical.”
Palettes for Miss Florence's Artist Tree
2011 ARTISTS
Terry Eddy (Niantic, CT) Miss Florence's Garden in Summer, 2011 Watercolor on paper on wood palette	Nancy Friese (Cranston, RI) Landscape in Line, 2011 Line etching on wooden palette
David Graybill (Old Lyme, CT) Untaken View, 2011 Acrylic on wooden palette	Gail mally-mack (Chester, CT) Color Expression, 2011 Oil paint and charcoal on wooden palette
H. Gray Park IV (Ledyard, CT) Orange Marsh, 2011 Oil on wooden palette	Crista Pisano (Nyack, NY) "Old Lyme Marsh," 2011 Oil on wooden palette
Claudia Post (Chester, CT) Faith on Christmas, 2011 Oil on wooden palette	David D.J. Rau (Chester, CT) Miss Florence Dreaming About Her Family on Holiday in London on the Day of Her Birth, Christmas Day in 1850, 2011 Collage on wooden palette
Julie Garvin Riggs (Old Lyme) Flo Gris or Bust, 2011 Watercolor on wooden palette	Dennis Sheehan (Bedford, NH) December Moon, 2011 Oil on wooden palette
Dennis Sirrine (Stonington, CT) Cold Spring in Winter, 2011 Oil on canvas on wooden palette

2010 ARTISTS
Mary L. Avery Norwich, CT Untitled, 2010 Oil painting with gold leaf on wooden palette
Catherine Christiano Old Lyme, CT You’d Better Watch Out!, 2010 Oil on wooden palette	Kate Leigh Cutler Bay Head, New Jersey Let Heaven and Nature Sing, 2010 Acrylic on wooden palette
Angelo J. Franco Stamford, CT Untitled, 2010 Oil on wooden palette	Matthew Ferrer Lyme, CT Self Portrait, 2010 Recycled acrylic paint and posterboard on wooden palette
Heather Gibson-Lusk Mustic, CT Untitled (Oysters), 2010 Oil on wooden palette	Kim Muller-Thym Old Saybrook, CT Untitled, 2010 Oil on wooden palette
David Rau Ketchum, ID Feeding Koi Fish, 2010 Oil and mixed media on wooden palette double-sided palette	David Rau Ketchum, ID Feeding Koi Fish, 2010 Oil and mixed media on wooden palette double-sided palette
Dina Varano Chester, CT Silver Palette, 2010 Sterling silver and acrylic paint on wooden palette	Guy Wolff Bantam, CT Flower Pot Parade, 2010 Redware pots on wooden palette

2009 ARTISTS
Jan Blencowe Clinton, CT Crescent Moon, 2009 Chroma interactive acrylics on wood palette	Jerry Caron Uncasville, CT Christmas Future, 2009
Laurel B. Friedmann Old Saybrook Nest, 2009 Silverpoint on wood palette	Alicia Mellizzo Deep River, CT If You Were the Ocean and I Were a Bird, 2009 Oil and pencil on wood palette
James Murphy Howe’s Cow, 2009, Acrylic on wood palette
Pam J. Nelson Old Lyme, CT Santa Mouse, 2009 Acrylic paint on wood palette	Pam J. Nelson Old Lyme, CT Santa Mouse, 2009 Acrylic paint on wood palette
Jean Callan King East Haddam, CT Mirror of the Past, Reflection of the Future, 2009 Photograph and mirror on wood palette	Mark Petrovic Centerbrook, CT Constellation, 2009 Collaged map and glass on wood palette
James Polisky Branford, CT Hello Holiday Volume 13, 2009 Screen ink, varnish on wood palette	James Polisky Branford, CT Hello Holiday Volume 13, 2009 Screen ink, varnish on wood palette
Marryanne Rupp Killingworth,CT Chickadee with Holly, 2009 Acrylic on wood palette	Kari Russell-Pool Centerbrook, CT The Diatom Palette, 2009 Glass on wood palette
Nelson White Florence, Italy and Waterford, CT Cable Beach, Bahamas, 2008 Oil on wood palette	Laura Williams Chester, CT Noriega Street, 2009 Ink and silkscreen on wood palette

2008 ARTISTS
Al Barker Bordentown, NJ Deep River Marina, 2008 Acrylic and oil on wood palette	Gregory Bowerman New London, CT Hey Diddle Diddle the Cat and the Fiddle the Cow Jumps Over the Moon the Little Dog Laughed to See Such Fun, and the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon!, 2008 Oil on wood palette
Michael Budden Chesterfield, NJ Untitled (View of Griswold House), 2008 Acrylic and oil on wood palette	Pamela Ehrlich Mystic, CT Archangel Michael -- Patron Saint of Artists, 2008 Tempera and gesso on wood palette
Scott Kahn Old Lyme, CT Untitled (Winter Nighttime Landscape), 2008 Oil on wood palette	Paul Lipp Old Lyme, CT Basket of Bings, 2008 Oil on gesso on wood palette
Kat Murphy New London, CT Untitled (Griswold Bird House), 2008 Encaustic on wood palette	Walter Rane Salem, Oregon Untitled (Studio Still Life), 2008 Oil on wood palette
Karen Santry New York, NY A Kabuki Christmas, 2008 Pastel on wood palette	Nancy Schroeder East Haddam, CT Autumn at Echo Farm, 2008 Oil on wood palette
Rex Prescott Walden Guilford, CT Bank, 2008 Acrylic/collage with found objects on wood palette	Tom Yost (Oxford, CT) Old Oak on Platt Farm Preserve, Southbury, CT, 2008 Oil on wood palette

2007 ARTISTS
Elizabeth Gourlay Chester, CT Untitled, 2007 Acrylic on wood palette	Sarah Gustafson Deep River, CT Untitled, 2007 Acrylic and mixed media on wood palette
David Macaulay Norwich, VT Holiday Palette/Platter, 2007 Colored pencil on wood palette	William McCarthy Hamden, CT Junipers Along the Lieutenant, 2007 Oil on wood palette
Eleanor Miller Preston, CT Reverence, 2007 Oil on wood palette	Amy Jean Porter New Haven, CT Tiny Horses Show Some Love, 2007 Gouache and ink on wood palette
James Prosek Easton, CT Untitled, 2007 Acrylic on wood palette	Lori Warner Lyme, CT Untitled, 2007 Encaustic on wood palette
2006 ARTISTS
Del-Bourree Bach Mystic, Connecticut Clams for Miss Florence, 2006 Oil on wood palette	Bonnie Buggee Portland, Connecticut Untitled, 2006 Oil on wood palette
Moira Daniells Essex, Connecticut Violets, 2006 Oil on copper plate and copper leaf on wood palette	John Himmelman Killingworth, Connecticut December Night (An Homage to Metcalf), 2006 Oil on wood palette
Loretta Lee Essex, Connecticut River Morning, 2006 Oil on wood palette	Gregory Lewis Upper Montclair, New Jersey Red Jasper, Malachite, Milky Quartz, Norwegian Rose, 2006 Oil on wood palette
Cora Ogden Killingworth, Connecticut Untitled, 2006 Oil on wood palette	Sydney Bella Sparrow Silk Palette, 2006 Oil on wood palette York, Maine Oil on wood palette
Chip (Anthony Bacon) Venti Union, Maine The Bow Bridge, 2006 Oil on wood palette	Christopher Zhang East Lyme, Connecticut Untitled, 2006 Oil on wood palette
2005 ARTISTS
Sean Beavers York, ME Palette Notes, 2005 Oil on wood palette	Michele Katen Hartford, CT West Coast/East Coast, 2005 Oil on wood palette
Jack Montmeat New London, CT A Corner in My Studio, 2005 Oil on wood palette	Deborah Quinn-Munson Chester, CT Waves, 2005 Oil on wood palette
Keith Ragone Philadelphia, PA Purple Abstract (1), 2005 Oil on gesso on wood palette	Keith Ragone Philadelphia, PA Purple Abstract (2), 2005 Oil on gesso on wood palette
Tom Rose Hadlyme, CT Florence’s Dinner, 2005 Acrylic of wood palette	Maurice L. Sapiro North Haven, CT And the Angel’s Sing, 2005 Oil on wood palette
Daniel Stegos Wallingford, CT Cardinal Season, 2005 Oil on wood palette	Brian Stephens Lyme, CT The Surviving Love, 2005 Oil on wood palette
Steven Stroud Shelton, CT Audubon Sunrise, Milford, CT, 2005 Oil on wood palette	Billie Tannen & Robert Nielsen Brooklyn, NY The Billie Beads Tzarina Palette, 2005 Polymer clay and Swarovski crystals Oil on wood palette
2004 ARTISTS
Diane Aeschliman Killingworth, CT Untitled, 2004 Oil on wood palette	Rachel E. Armstrong Mystic, CT Winter Evening’s Glow, 2004 Acrylic gesso, oil/alkyd paint on wood palette
Roland Becerra New Haven, CT Untitled, 2004 Charcoal on paper on wood palette	Noel Belton Deep River, CT Legacy, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Lois Bordner Old Lyme, CT Along the Raspberry Road, 2004 Acrylic on wood palette	Mary Bourke Lincolnville, ME Night Falling, 2004 Acrylic on wood palette
David Brown Old Lyme, CT Moon Over Blue Fields , 2004 Oil on wood palette	Judith Selleck Chapman Old Lyme, CT Florence Griswold Garden, Late Summer, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Rosamund Christinson Hadlyme, CT Angel, 2004 Oil and gesso on wood palette
Charles Chu New London, CT Merry Christmas (Cardinal Side), 2004 Acrylic on wood palette Acrylic on wood palette	Charles Chu New London, CT Happy New Year (Woodpecker Side), 2004 Acrylic on wood palette
Judy Cotton New York, NY Morning Glory (Side 1), 2004 Encaustic on wood palette	Judy Cotton New York, NY Sea Dogs (Side 2), 2004 Encaustic on wood palette
Jan Cummings Chester, CT Sinking Feeling, 2004 Color print on canvas on wood palette	Jon DeMartin White Plains, NY Pomegranates, 2004 Oil on wood palette
David Dewey Old Lyme, CT Tomatos on Green Tray , 2004 Oil on wood palette	Hollis Dunlap New London, CT Self Portrait in 2004, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Angie Falstrom Lyme, CT Falls Brook, Lyme, 2004 Casein and glitter on wood palette	Judy Friday Lyme, CT Tiffany Farms Cow, 2004 Watercolor crayon, gouache, acrylic and Ralph Lauren sand paint on wood palette
Sandy Garvin Essex, CT Trio, 2004 Oil on wood palette	Dan Gheno Old Lyme, CT California Christmas 2004, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Donna Gilberto East Lyme, CT Pond Lilies, 2004 Oli on wood palette	Nancy Peel Gladwell Old Lyme, CT On the Fly, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Peter Good Chester, CT Stripes and Spots, 2004 Latex paint and holographic paper and glue on wood palette	Olga Gourko Brookline, MA Pineapple Fireworks, 2004 Terracotta clay and glazes
Brad Guarino New London, CT Caroler, 2004 Oil on wood palette	Curtis Hanson New London, CT Untitled, 2004 Acrylic on wood palette
Eric Jacobsen Hood River, OR Untitled, 2004 Oil on wood palette	Gray Jocobik Pomfret Center, CT Untitled (Winter Road), 2004 Pastel on paper on wood palette
Christine Karpinski Waterford, CT Homestead and Ruins, County Kerry, Ireland, 2004 Oil on wood palette	Deane G. Keller Marlborough, CT From J.A. Weir’s "The Christmas Tree," 1890, 2004 Oil on wood palette
T. Allen Lawson Rockport, ME Untitled, 2004 Oil and white lead primer on wood palette	Sol LeWitt Chester, CT Not Straight Black Lines, 2004 Gouache on wood palette
Gigi Horr Liverant Colchester, CT Chromatic Barn, 2004 Oil and oil stick on wood palette
Pamela Marks Quaker Hill, CT Untitled, 2004 Acrylic on wood palette	Lance Mayer and Gay Myers New London, CT Work in Progress, 2004 Acrylic, mixed media on wood palette
Maureen McCabe Quaker Hill, CT Colors - The Story of Dyes and Pigments, 2004 Feathers, minerals and gems on wood palette	Timothy McDowell New London, CT Untitled, 2004 Beeswax, pigment, hide glue on wood palette
Kimberly Monson Astoria, NY Cold Sunset, 2004 Oil on wood palette	Leif Nilsson Chester, CT Chester Center, Snowy Night, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Michael Pater Colchester, CT Lights of Stonington, 2004 Acrylic and paper on wood palette	Michael J. Peery Old Lyme, CT Still Life with Palette, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Christian Petenberg-Brechneff Lyme, CT Untitled, 2004 Mixed media on wood palette	Nancy Pinney Old Lyme, CT Untitled, 2004 Acrylic on wood palette
Douglas Smith Camden, ME The Griswold Museum, 2004 Oil on wood palette	Susan Stephenson Ashaway, RI Great Tree: Late Afternoon, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Michael Theise Wallingford, CT Untitled, 2004 Acrylic on wood palette	Michael Viera Astoria, NY Distant Clouds, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Sandy Wakeen Somers, CT Untitled (Painting Angel), 2004 Oil in wood palette	Jerry Weiss Chester, CT September behind the Flo Griz, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Judy Rathbun Whitney Old Lyme, CT Cats – Cats – Everywhere, 2004 Acrylic watercolor on laminated paper	Katy Wood Denver, CO Crestone, Colorado, 2004 Oil on wood palette
Peter Zallinger Old Lyme, CT Untitled, 2004 Oil on wood palette