JULY 27

SET JULY 17

AA - #290219 HELEN HOWARD PAINTING DEMONSTRATION AND SHOW AT THE BRICK HOUSE AUGUST 11 & 12 - “HOWARD” W/1 CUT

CBR/KC

GILMANTON, N.H. – Helen Howard of Woodstock, Conn., a watercolor artist of early American themes and techniques, will be painting and showcasing her works on August 11 and 12 at the Brick House, a 180-year old Colonial mansion filled with handmade Eighteenth Century furniture reproductions and other early American antiques.

Howard discovered her affinity for art well over 30 years ago, more as a necessity than as a career. She and her husband had moved into an 18th Century Cape in Connecticut. Charm aside, the house needed help, lots of it. The kitchen, for example, although conveniently located over the root cellar, had cracks in the floor funneling enough cold air up through to chill the marrow of the staunchest New Englander.

Howard know how to solve the problem. Her interest in antiques and early Americana brought to mind the canvas floorcloths that resourceful colonial Americans had constructed as barriers against drafty floors, so she made and painted one for her kitchen. It worked beautifully, and soon a visitor offered her money for it.

She sold her first creation and made another, which also sold quickly, and the rest is history.

From this modest beginning, Howard began to research early American artifacts and art forms in earnest and taught herself the intricacies and subtleties of painting in watercolor. Today she paints lots more than floorcloths. She paints on floors and ceilings, murals, fireboards, naïve portraits, theorems and nauticals. And more often than not, 18-year-old Ashley, one of her seven grandchildren, works right along with her in the studio and on projects in clients’ homes.

Howard has been featured in nationwide magazines, including Colonial Homes, House Beautiful-Home Decorating, Showhouse, Design Times, Yankee Country Living. Her works have won acclaim from art gallery curators and art critics throughout the US. Helen and her husband operate a small shop, Antiques & Worthwhile Goods, and a large studio in Putnam, Conn.

For information, 603-267-1190.