Week's Pond

Weeks Pond
Belmont, Massachusetts
25 June 1997

In June, I spent some time back at Anchor East in Watertown which lies directly next to the comfortable and sedately charming town of Belmont.

Whenever I was in or near Belmont and had the time, I would park off Pleasant Street, walk up Somerset then cut off down an unmarked path to Week's Pond. I have no idea how I first found my way there. I probably just risked the cut through the woods. Week's Pond is part of the Mass Audubon Society's Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary though separated from the main acreage by private properties.

I've never learned the history of Week's Pond but would guess that it was part of a private property donated to the Mass Audubon Society at some point. It's quite hidden away, home to many, many bullfrogs and species of plants that may have been planted in the 1920's or 30's, definitely before 1940. There's a little island in the center of the pond where I would not be surprised to find fairies in residence.

During high season, you can not only see the ripples through the water made by vibrations of frog songs, you can feel them right through your own internal organs.

Week's Pond is a little bit of land, not a very long walk from the road, through the paths, around the pond and back again, but at any time of year, it's a magical place.

Week's Pond
Belmont, Massachussetts
Watercolor on hot press Lana paper
6 x 4", archival mat & backing to 10 x 8" US$ 295 + USPS Priority Shipping

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Special edition of 5 signed and numbered $39 giclée prints

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Victim

Victim
Tamworth, New Hampshire
8 June 1997

Just after painting the violets shown in last week's post, there was a familiar flurry of chaos in the house. One of the cats had captured yet another chipmunk for tortuous play. I managed to rescue quite a few of these feline playthings but alas, this one was doomed, but immortalized!

A companion piece for Quinn, a percentage of the proceeds from this painting will go to HSUS, The Humane Society of the United States.

Victim
Tamworth, New Hampshire
Watercolor on hot press Lana paper
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
US$ 295 + USPS Priority Shipping

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Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Violets

Violets
Tamworth, New Hampshire
8 June 1997

Surrounded by nature, almost always within sight of Mount Chocorua, I fell in love with Tamworth, New Hampshire where the heavens shone clear at night. Unfortunately, the living situation there turned out to be impossible and it was just as well that I worked on tour during most of that time. I traveled for what I thought would have been the snow season but returned in March just in time for several feet. On April 1st, I left Boston as a few flakes were falling and arrived in Tamworth, driving 2 mph up the Chinook Trail in full white out conditions. I was never so relieved to pull into a garage. I learned to love the snow and even discovered an untapped passion for shoveling!

Spring came very late and, when the violets finally popped up, I put a few aside after weeding for this painting.

The song I wrote that winter (with a nod to P.B. Shelley and Conrad Aiken) captures an essence of my Tamworth experience.

This song is featured on my Ephemera album and can be purchased through cdbaby.com or downloaded through

West Wind

West Wind sang September night
accompanied by the leaves in flight
stirred the birches with a solemn rub
teased the clouds across the moon above

Caught me in its fragrant air
stung my eyes, played with my hair
brought the first frost of the year
Winter is near
Winter is near

I listened to the lyrics of the song
the words were clear and the meaning strong
In darkness they declared the mighty rule
no thing would dare to fight

The garden could not disobey
the warm air, the birds flew away
the hunters killed all that remained
The weather changed
The weather changed

Silent snow descends and comforts the cold, hard ground
Secret snow encircles me with an oath unbound

A fist of gust against my face
pushed me into the saddest place
across the freezing season line
and there a voice roared through my mind

“Take me in like I am your breath
Like I am your lover, like I am your death
I will instruct and you will learn
The lessons are hard but worthy to earn

I will teach you to stand alone
How to walk tall with a strong backbone
How to greet your enemy on the road
How to heal your weakness and atone”

Silent snow descends and comforts the cold, hard ground
Secret snow encircles me with an oath unbound

I built a snow girl in the wilderness
I formed and smoothed the icy mess
Up to my knees in a creamy drift
I stood alone in the flaky mist

And I stood alone in my little life
and all I could see was white on white
and all I could hear was the singing wind
bitter cold but my closest friend

Silent snow descends and comforts the cold, hard ground
Secret snow encircles me with an oath unbound

Spring shall come again
Spring shall come again

©1997 Suzanne McDermott/Drexel Road Music (ASCAP) (STIM)
All Rights Reserved

Violets
Tamworth, New Hampshire
Watercolor on hot press Lana paper
6 x 4", archival mat & backing to 10 x 8"
US$ 375 + USPS Priority Shipping

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Special edition of 5 signed and numbered $39 giclée prints

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Quinn

Quinn
Tamworth, New Hampshire
6 May 1997

If you've been following this story from the beginning, you'll know that I lost my beloved cat, Willi while I was on tour in Europe. He wandered into the New Hampshire woods one dark and stormy night, never to be seen again. When I finally returned, I immediately papered the White Mountains with Lost Cat fliers. A woman who had found a stray resembling Willi’s photograph called and invited me over to see the cat. He wasn’t Willi but he was exceptional. I brought him home, named him Quinn and discovered that, like Willi, he played a mean game of fetch and retrieve. In this portrait, I captured Quinn with a superball, his favorite fetch toy.

Quinn became my walking partner while we were together. At first, he could only accompany me a short distance into the woods or up the mountainside. But after some conditioning, he built up his cardiovascular system and was soon by my side for good long walks.

A portion of the sale of this painting and the prints of this painting will be donated to Save Our Strays, a marvelous no-kill rescue organization in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Quinn
Tamworth, New Hampshire
Watercolor on cold press Lana paper
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
US$ 375 + USPS Priority Shipping

Choose shipping US International

Special edition of 5 signed and numbered $39 giclée prints

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.