Made Well Through Painting

By Becky Fullerton

lthough I had started painting scenes from the White Mountains a few years before I moved out of Boston, coming north solidified this region as my main focus i n t e r m s o f s u b j e c t m a t t e r B u t t h e m o v e a l s o h e l p e d m e broaden the types of compositions I create. When I had been a visitor to the area, I felt the time pressure to collect as many reference photos and sketches as possible to paint dramatic and iconic mountain scenes As a resident, I have the time and access to study the more intricate and subtly beautiful snippets of the greater landscape. For example, I decided to commit to studying and deciphering the mysteries of painting water, and especially water in motion, which I avoided before.

Hikers who view my work will also notice the careful attention I pay to depicting the character of the rocks and plant life in the higher reaches of the mountains. I could paint these things more generically but making them recognizable types and species that you would find in this environment is my way of paying homage to the mountains and giving the work a deeper sense of place I don’t think I ever expected to call myself a landscape painter, much less a White Mountains painter, but I have fallen in love with the scenery here and find I will never run out of things to paint

Painting and outdoor recreation feed off each other in maintaining my overall wellness. I must spend time in nature to glean ideas and subject matter for my paintings, but I find the outdoors also acts as a barometer for my overall health I start to get what I call the “no-hike grumpies” when I’ve been away from the trails too long Be it an all-day hike in the Pemigewasset Wilderness or just a couple miles of trail running through the Forest Society’s Bretzfelder Park, recreation fuels my soul Coming back into the art studio with inspiration from my latest hike gives me capacity to get into that cherished flow state we all pursue to be taken outside of the stressful things we deal with in life While painting, I am actively thinking about how the place in the image felt on the day I was there The finished painting then has a lasting after-effect on me in bringing up the positive emotions and sense of adventure I experienced.

Based in Bethlehem, N.H., Becky holds a bachelor’s degree in studio art and art history from Hartwick College, as well as a master’s degree in museum studies from the Harvard Extension School To see more of her work, visit rmfullerton.com.

Above: “A Little Pond Shore” | 9 x 12 inch oil on panel painting | Bretzfelder Park

Right: “Sound of Water” | 16 x 20 inch oil on gallery wrapped canvas |