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Blog
by Marie K. Thompson on 10/27/2010 5:24:08 PM
Tommy Thompson painted "Lobster Shack" while staying at 18 Clamshell Alley on Vinalhaven Island in late September 2010. This weathered old shack was located at the end of a pier overlooking Carver's Harbor. The front window of the rental cottage where the artists were staying framed the view of the shack.
Vinalhaven Island is inhabited by scores of lobster boats and small, huddled New-England-style houses decorating the shoreline. Vinalhaven is primarily a working-class community of lobstermen. It is a place of rocky shorelines, dense forests of pine and spruce, swooping sea birds, and quiet secluded coves. The island is home to numerous walking trails such as those at the Basin Preserve, Lane Island Preserve, and other locations worth visiting for their unique beauty. Vinalhaven has not lost sight of what makes it so attractive; it has maintained the natural beauty of its numerous dramatic vistas for all to enjoy.
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by Marie K. Thompson on 10/27/2010 3:18:18 PM
Tommy Thompson painted "Beached" after finding this old abandoned boat on the shore near the rental house on Clam Shell Alley in Vinalhaven, Maine, which he, his wife, and two artist friends had rented for a week of painting and relaxation in late September 2010. The old boat was probably once used by lobstermen to bring in a day's catch.
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by Marie K. Thompson on 10/27/2010 11:51:38 AM
Jill Wood, publisher of the regional magazine, Valley Planet, has chosen Tommy Thompson’s figurative painting,
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by Marie K. Thompson on 10/26/2010 10:00:21 AM
While visiting Kennebunkport, Maine, on our way to Vinalhaven, Tommy photographed President George H.W. Bush's speedboat as it cruised around Walker's Point. We then had a tasty lunch at Mabel's Lobster Claw Restaurant on Ocean Avenue, near the Bush home. Here we learned that the restaurant is a favorite place of Bush '41. It was featured in Gourmet Magazine and Down East Magazine, as well as Time magazine. We hope to revisit Kennebunkport because it is such a picturesque place for artists to paint.
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by Marie K. Thompson on 10/26/2010 9:46:28 AM
On our way to Vinalhaven Maine, in September, we spent two nights at the Seaside Inn, 5 Cold Storage Road in Port Clyde, Maine. The Seaside Inn is a 9-guestroom bed and breakfast in an 1850's sea captain's home overlooking Port Clyde Harbor and Muscongus Bay. This fishing village is located at the tip of a peninsula in the Town of St. George. At the Seaside Inn the welcome is warm, the breakfasts are a treat and the pace is slow. The innkeepers, Betsy and Dale, are perfect hosts, and the breakfasts are delicious. While visiting there we took the boat to Monhegan Island for a day trip (we will cover that trip more fully in another post.) We would like to visit Port Clyde and nearby Tenants Harbor again to paint.
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by Marie K. Thompson on 10/24/2010 1:13:21 PM
Tommy Thompson painted "Radnor Stroll" for the Chestnut Group-sponsored exhibition benefiting Radnor Lake. The show is scheduled for November 5-7 at the Radnor Lake Visitor Center; hours are from 8 am to 6 pm.
by Marie K. Thompson on 10/22/2010 6:10:43 PM
Tommy Thompson painted "Morning Flight on Radnor Lake" for "Love the Lake Art Show," being conducted by the Chestnut Group of Nashville, TN. The show will be open to the public from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. during November 5-7, 2010, at the Radnor Lake Visitor Center.
by Marie K. Thompson on 10/22/2010 6:03:32 PM
Tommy Thompson painted "Otter Creek Road" for "Love the Lake Art Show" to be conducted at Radnor Lake during November 5-7, 2010, from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. at the Radnor Lake Visitor Center. This show is being conducted by the Chestnut Group of Nashville, TN.
by Marie K. Thompson on 10/19/2010 3:45:42 PM
"Daisy," a 16 x 20 Oil by Tommy Thompson has found a home in Florida. Congratulations to the new owners!
The collector who purchased "Daisy" had this to say about the painting, "My wife loved 'Daisy' the minute she saw it on the wall at Laurel Leaf Gallery in Leiper's Fork, TN; she was captivated by the innocence and expression of the cow with the world swirling around it, and I am giving it to her as a 10-year anniversary gift. My wife's grandmother was from your hometown of Florence, AL, and I am sure that will make the painting even more special to her." Tommy Thompson enjoyed creating this painting, and hearing the response by its new owners makes the effort even more meaningful to the artist.
by Marie K. Thompson on 10/10/2010 7:49:31 PM
The Chestnut Group's fine art show and sale to benefit the restoration of one of Nashville's historic homes, Glen Leven, features paintings of several properties of the Land Trust of Tennessee. The properties are located across several counties in Middle Tennessee. One of the areas featured in the paintings is the community of Bell's Bend, northwest of Nashville. Bells Bend is an area encompassed by a U-shaped bend in the Cumberland River. Numerous archaeological sites indicate that the area has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years. Bells Bend has thrived as an agricultural community since the early 19th century with land owners that included Montgomery Bell and David Lipscomb.
by Marie K. Thompson on 10/10/2010 7:00:59 PM
Members of the Chestnut Group, a group of plein air painters, are contributing their painting talents to help restore the historic home of Glen Leven, located at 4000 Franklin Road in Nashville, TN. Glen Leven’s original matriarch, Mary Thompson, would be pleased to know that the Chestnut Group artists have painted more than 300 paintings to sell; a portion of the proceeds will be used to help restore the mansion to its former glory. The paintings can still be purchased tomorrow, Monday, October 11, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
 Glen Leven is a two-story Greek Revival home, which was built in 1856 on part of an original 647-acre tract claimed by pioneer Thomas Thompson, an early Nashville settler and signer of the Cumberland Compact. The home and the surrounding 65 acres were willed to the Land Trust for Tennessee in 2006 by the late Susan McConnell West. Glen Leven epitomizes the Land Trust’s overall mission to conserve the unique character of Tennessee’s natural and historic landscapes and sites for future generations.
During the Civil War, Glen Leven’s first owner, Mary Thompson, cared for injured soldiers both in her home and on the battlefield. In fact, the home was used as a field hospital during the Battle of Nashville.
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by Marie K. Thompson on 10/8/2010 3:34:00 PM
Members of the Chestnut Group (www.chestnutgroup.org) and the Land Trust of Tennessee (www.landtrusttn.org) are excited about the festivities of "Once in a Blue Moon '10" slated for Saturday evening, October 9, 2010, beginning at 6:30 at Glen Leven Estate, 4000 Franklin Road, Nashville, TN.
This is the 10th anniversary of The Land Trust of Tennessee's signature fundraising event in Middle Tennessee. The Land Trust will be having their party under a huge tent on the rear of the property, while the Chestnut Group will be exhibiting and selling their paintings in the Glen Leven mansion. Tommy Thompson and his daughter, Michelle Rideout, are two of the Chestnut painters, who will be exhibiting more than 300 original paintings at this art event.
For several years Tommy Thompson has belonged to and participated in the activities of the Chestnut Group, a nonprofit alliance of landscape artists and friends dedicated to the conservation of open spaces in Middle Tennessee. Funds earned from the sale of artwork inspired by the area’s scenic richness are donated to organizations that help protect local environments and historic properties.
Welcoming practitioners of different skill levels, Chestnut Group's 140 members also offer support to help each other grow as successful landscape artists. Membership benefits include:
Camaraderie with other landscape artists
Access to private locales and other scenic properties
Instruction by nationally known artists
Exhibition opportunities in galleries and other venues
The most recent activities of the Chestnut Group have focused on raising funds to restore the Glen Leven historic estate. To learn about becoming a member or sponsor of the Chestnut Group, check out the organization’s web site at www.chestnutgroup.org.
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