NEWFANE-During December, Crowell Art Gallery at Moore Free Library, 23 West St., will present "Nature's Joy," a show featuring a variety of artwork by Jen Wood.
The show includes landscapes and other subjects of nature in watercolor, a medium that Wood says she has been doing seriously only for about three years.
"I've been doing oil painting since my early 20s, sporadically in and around kids and life," says Wood.
Born in Putney, Wood grew up on a farm, so she had a lot of free rein to be out in the environment.
That experience included horseback riding lessons from her mother, who introduced her to both the arts and to nature. "She is a very big influence on that, and still is," she says.
Wood explained she left Vermont to start a cosmetology career in Northampton, but returned when she got married. She now lives in Newfane.
"Vermont is home, and everything just happens for a reason. And so here I am. I love it. I'm not going anywhere," Wood said.
Her watercolor adventure began when she went on a backpacking trip and needed something to do in her downtime.
"I had a little watercolor set of my daughter's, and I just painted what I saw out the window just for fun - not even on watercolor paper. And I hated it until it got dark."
But when she took a fresh look at the painting in the morning, "it just made me so happy to have this painting completed just purely for fun," she said.
Wood said the exhibit started with her daughter, who was volunteering at the library and played the role of matchmaker.
"She was helping take down one of the exhibits, and started asking about what it takes to get into the gallery," Wood said. Her daughter showed the gallery her mom's Instagram page and encouraged her mom to call them.
"So one thing led to another […] and so now it's finally happening," she said.
'It's an adventure'
Though Wood said that she's "dabbled my toes in pretty much every artistic pond out there," she's been focusing on watercolor painting, which she described as "almost addictive."
Ironically, "I really didn't think that I was going to start watercolor painting at all," she said.
But surprises like that can be part of a creative journey, with Wood advising potential artists to "just go ahead and stick your neck out there."
"You know, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work - as long as you're having a good time, it really doesn't matter," she said. "It's an adventure, and you might surprise yourself."
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An opening reception for Jen Wood's "Nature's Joy" show takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 3 to 5 p.m. The show will be on display at the library and gallery through Dec. 28.
The paintings in the gallery will be available for sale. Other works of art by Wood are available in Brattleboro at Hippie Twigs, 22 Harmony Place, and Studio 20 Hair Salon, 20 Technology Drive, as well as via Instagram @jenwood.art.
This Arts item by Alyssa Grosso was written for The Commons.