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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
POMFRET — A former farm gives life to art.
At a Connecticut Audubon Society reception, the words and artwork born from inspiration at Trail Wood, were celebrated.
The Artists-in-Residence program, held each summer at the Connecticut Audubon Society Trail Wood: Edwin Way Teale Sanctuary, touched the hearts, souls, brushes and pens of six artists. An exhibit of their work is at the Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret on Day Road through March 3.
Three writers selected for the program were: Ginny Lowe Connors, Alison Granucci and Ashley Makar. Visual artists at the reception included: Jen Iwasyk and Diane Nizlek.
At the Feb. 3 Trail Wood Reflection 2023 reception the artists described the transformative effect Trail Wood and Edwin and Nellie’s spirit had on them when they arrived at Trail Wood last July.
Connors said it was nice to focus on her own work “instead of being pulled in 17 different directions.” Her transformation came in the realization of the connectedness of life. Through her poetry written at Trail Wood, reminds us that we’re all connected and there are rich veins of life. “Everything and everyone is connected.”
Granucci, writer and photographer, said “What an extraordinary experience it was to be in Trail Wood. It was more of a pilgrimage than a residency.” She called her transformation profound.
Iwasyk’s transformation came with an appreciation of the eccentricities of the townspeople represented at Trail Wood. From fearless deer to mullein that moved and danced more like people, she said she really felt Ed and Nellie’s presence. “Ed and Nellie’s message is alive through me,” she said.
Artist Nizlek said her naturalist bend started in Girl Scout Camp and grew from there. She said the week allowed me to get back into sketching. She called her transformation a “magical experience I will never forget as long as I live.”
Makar was traveling and sent her impression to be read by Trail Wood caretaker Laura Tedeschi. She said she’d been primarily a non-fiction writer but Trail Wood transformed her, as she returned to poetry.
Sara Heminway, Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret director, said the like artist Nizlek, she got a little emotional. “I think Ed and Nellie are absolutely smiling ear to ear.”
Tedeschi said the residency program is in its 11th year and was the brainchild of Richard Telford who took a sabbatical from his English teacher job at Woodstock Academy to write a book about Trail Wood and the Teales. “He felt there should be a way to share this Teale legacy.”
Tedeschi recommended additional information about Teale in a video of the UConn MFA students talking about their “Raid the Archive” work last year.
Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMd3dxiqYaM&t=45s
More information on Trail Wood and the artists on Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger.
captions, page 4:
Journal from Trail Wood
Painting by Jennifer Iwasyk
Artist Diane Nizlek speaking
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