Old Rochester Fueling BMW/ORR Girls Hockey

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Old Rochester Regional High School has become the driving force behind the Bourne/Mashpee/Wareham/Old Rochester girls hockey program, which sits at 3-3-2 (2-2-1 Southeast Massachusetts Girls Hockey League).

Senior captains Kaitlin Kelleyand Chelsea Petersonare at the forefront of the ORR contributors. Kelly leads the team with five assists and is second in points with six. Peterson helps control the blue line, but has also done well on offense, scoring two goals and notching two assists. Sophomore forward Carly Drew(five points) has also done well, tied for second on the team with freshman forward Erin Craigwith three goals. ORR players have scored 13 of BMW/ORR’s 17 goals on the year.

However, BMW/ORR’s leader remains goalie Megan Nolan. The junior has surrendered 13 goals over the eight games, posting a 1.63 goals-against average. She’s had 269 shots come her way, saving 256 for a .952 save percentage. She also has two shutouts on the year.

“As we get close to the halfway point of the season, we continue to work on increasing our scoring opportunities,” BMW/ORR coach Kristyn Alexander said. “This team has a great work ethic and continues to improve each time we step on the ice. We have been in every single game this season.”

Following BMW/ORR’s matchup against Latin Academy on Wednesday, the Canalmen take the ferry to visit Martha’s Vineyard over the weekend where they’ll work to defend their Nan Rheault Tournament title.

“This will be an exciting week of hockey for us,” Alexander said.

ORR boys basketball extended its winning streak to six games after knocking off Fairhaven on Friday. Although it’s been a team effort from the start, the Bulldogs on pace for another successful year in large part thanks to the play of Nick Johnsonand Cole McIntyre.

“[Johnson has] done everything we’ve asked him to do — offensively and defensively — and he’s come up big more than a few times,” ORR coach Steve Carvalho said. “Cole is Cole and the offense pretty much runs through him.”

Old Colony

Old Colony boys basketball was unable to build off its 6-0 start, which is the best start in program history, as the Cougars suffered their first loss of the year to Upper Cape on Friday, 55-51.

“They know they’re far from perfect,” Old Colony coach Matt Trahan said after his team extended the winning streak to six games after an 86-56 win over Old Colony. “This is not a team that’s going to get a big head. We have to work every night. And now that we’re getting into the teeth of our season it’s a grind because it’s Monday, Wednesday, Friday. There are late practices. There’s a lot of factors involved that they have to perform every night, whether it’s practice or a game.”

Jake Jason, however, did inch closer to the 2,000-career points mark. The senior forward scored 17 against the Rams, bringing his double-digit scoring streak to 74 games. He currently sits at 1,829 points. Jason only needs 171 more to become the second player in school history to score 2,000 points and only needs 10 more after that to break Karen Walsh’srecord of 2,009 points scored by an Old Colony basketball player.

Although Apponequet/Bishop Connolly/ Old Colony (2-5, 1-4 SCC) has struggled since winning the first two games of the year, the Lakers have still received contributions from Old Colony student-athletes. Ethan Harropis second on the team in both points (eight) and assists (five). Captain Zach Lovendalecurrently ranks second on the team with four goals. He’s also chipped in two assists, as well.

After visiting ORR/Fairhaven on Wednesday, Apponequet/Bishop Connolly/Old Colony plays Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk on Saturday at Driscoll Arena at 5:00 pm.

High School Sports Update

By Nick Friar

 

Hand Felted Soap “Stone” Workshop

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Attend a free workshop at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library on Sunday, February 3from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm with local fiber artist Chey Soares and learn the basic steps of making felt. Fashion a covering over two bars of body soap using natural Merino sheep undyed wool fibers and wet felt it into permanent loofah cleansing bars with the look of stones for the bath or shower. All project materials and soaps will be provided. However, if allergic to Yardley soap bring your own two bars, round shaving square edges slightly with a potato peeler before class). Note also that all wool contains lanolin in case of allergies.

Space is limited and registration is required. Please register by calling 508-758-4171, signing up in the library, or emailing rsmith@sailsinc.org with contact name, phone number, and email. The Library is located at 7 Barstow Street and is handicapped accessible.

Mattapoisett Bicycle and Recreational Path

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To The Editor:

The Friends of the Mattapoisett Bicycle and Recreational Path are delighted that our long-awaited bike path from Depot Street to Mattapoisett Neck Road is almost under construction. We are pleased the work will be done by a local contractor, D.W. White of Acushnet, who prepared an exceptionally competitive bid. It is important to also recognize that support for this project by year-round and summer residents has been phenomenal over the years. So many people following progress with so much enthusiasm has kept the Friends alive and well. We thank everyone who has supported the Friends and the Bike Path Committee with donations, volunteer hours, and heartfelt thanks. We look forward to groundbreaking and ribbon cutting.

Wouldn’t it be great if the next part went faster? We think so and have also quietly worked on progress elsewhere: we see potential to connect to the neighboring Marion Pathway in 2021. Governor Baker is a supporter of trails work and has added 25 million dollars to the MassTrails grant fund to expedite progress. Marion could be under construction by MassDOT in 2021. Mattapoisett needs to pave a ½ mile segment leading to it, and there are state grant sources to do that. There are also matching requirements and we are now asking for assistance with that.

The Friends are helping the Town to write grant applications for a very straightforward project that we call “The ½ Mile Marion-Mattapoisett Connector.” There are many reasons it will be an attractive project for state funding.

To help the Town meet the matching requirements, we are starting a Gofundme fundraiser. Already two incredibly generous donors will match, dollar for dollar, every donation up to $35,000. Please help us reach our goal of $100,000

For online donation and to learn more go to: www.gofundme.com/the-mattapoisettmarion-connection.

Checks may be sent to Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path, P.O. Box 1336, Mattapoisett, Massachusetts 02739.

Sincerely,

Bonne DeSousa

President, Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path

Kitchen Table Conversation

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Grief comes in many forms. There’s no one size fits all. Plymouth County has experienced many suicide deaths by suicide in the last three years leaving several families, friends, schools and local groups in need of grief support.

A grief support program for those who have lost someone to suicide will start on Tuesday, January 29at the First Congregational Community Center 144 Front St. Marion from 6:30 to 8 pm, Kitchen Table Conversations will continue the fourth Tuesday of each month.

This is not clinical. It’s a peer-to-peer gathering open to anyone ages 19 and over who has been impacted by the loss of a loved one, friend, co-worker, etc., who died by suicide. If you are uncomfortable coming alone, bring a friend.  The doors are open to anyone in need of suicide related grief support.

These gatherings will be coordinated by certified facilitators under the auspices of the Plymouth County Suicide Prevention Coalition and the Bristol County Regional Coalition for Suicide Prevention. There are currently Kitchen Table Conversations also taking place in Taunton, Attleboro and Fall River.

These grief support programs are funded, in part by, the Department of Public Health’s Suicide Prevention Program and through funds raised at our fundraising event Dancing with the Dignitaries which was supported by the Tri-Town area.

For more information on other resources available through the PCSPC, please contact Coordinator Jennie Babcock at 508-254-9320 or email: plymouthcountypreventssuicide@gmail.com

FinCom Chair is a “(Bleep)”

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Matters involving money are often tense. Add in pressure from an impending municipal budget season and consternation over a couple town employee raises well above the average 2.5 percent that municipal workers usually anticipate, and it might even start resembling the early rumblings of a bar brawl. Now you have an idea of how the January 15 Marion Finance Committee unfolded.

It was Town House versus FinCom over two Reserve Fund transfer requests and the subject of whether the items to be funded – a 5.4 percent raise for the town administrator and an 8.8 percent raise for the fire chief – needed to be funded that evening.

Selectman Jon Waterman asked the committee, since the employment contracts have been signed with both gentlemen, why not approve the Reserve Fund transfers now?

“There’s a good reason why not, actually,” said Finance Committee member Alan Minard. “It ties the money up, Jon. In the case of [Town Administrator Paul Dawson], it’s not going to be necessary.”

Finance Director Judy Mooney disagreed, saying that unless the salary increases are funded soon, “I think the selectmen are gonna be in a tough situation come March.”

Dawson is set to retire as town administrator in March of this year.

“Then do it in March,” said Minard.

“You’re gonna have to do it at some point; a Reserve Fund transfer has to be made,” said Mooney. “These are salary things – keep that in mind.”

“The Town’s legally bound to pay it,” added Waterman.

“And we are gonna pay it,” said Minard. “Are we gonna run out of money before he retires?”

This brought the discussion towards talk of reactivating the Town’s Personnel Committee, a dialog led by Finance Committee Chairman Peter Winters.

Waterman said what the Town really needs is someone part time to handle human resources matters, which he added Rochester might be interested in sharing.

Minard mentioned it should be someone who could “scream bloody murder” at the size of Dawson’s pay raise.

Waterman said the raises were negotiated “under another Board of Selectmen,” later adding, “because they were stepping down and they did that.”

Finance Committee member Margie Baldwin said the FinCom is trying to “make a statement” by delaying the Reserve Fund transfers, “and I think we’ve made the statement and we’ve been heard.”

Perhaps, Minard added, the committee should appear before the selectmen so that statement could be broadcasted on television.

“The Selectboard can give anyone they want a raise, but with a personnel committee, we don’t end up with raises that are off the chart.” “Giveaways,” he called them.

“Both Paul and Judy are both uncomfortable that those transfers haven’t been made,” Waterman told the FinCom.

“And I say tough,” said Minard. “In the case of the town administrator, it is not necessary at this point. The fire chief, it is.”

Although Fire Chief Brian Jackvony has been getting paid his newly negotiated rate, no one could verify during the meeting if Dawson had been collecting his pay raise.

When asked what the argument was for not issuing the transfer for Dawson’s salary increase, Minard simply stated, “It’s not necessary. It just ties up $8,000 or whatever it is.”

The Reserve Fund is there for precisely what is stated in its name – for a reserve should unexpected costs arise whether in or outside the budget.

“We almost ran out of money last year,” Winters said. “We were shuffling at the end.”

The committee took a vote on whether it would take a vote that evening to make the transfers. Still following? FinCom member Karen Kevelson wasn’t.

“I’m just confused,” said Kevelson after a vote that appeared to support taking a vote.

“That’s because we don’t have a proper process for this,” said Baldwin.

“If you work for a town, you shouldn’t expect more than a two-and-a-half-percent raise unless there’s a change in your duties or responsibilities,” Winters asserted.

As one of those who “work for a town,” Mooney didn’t like where Winters went in the conversation.

“You know what, Peter? I do work really hard. And when you make those comments, you’re making it about me, too.”

Mooney kept going.

“I bust my ass off for this town, and to hear you talk like that, you stereotype us all. I bust my butt … and you’ve done pretty well by me.”

Mooney said for two unspecified years she didn’t get that 2.5 percent raise, “And I never said anything.

“You know what? I’m taking it personal (sic) because I’ve been here for 15 years and your bond rating has gone from a double A to a triple A.”

Baldwin tried to convince Mooney that the committee did in fact appreciate Mooney and that she should not take any of Winters’ comments personally, but Mooney had more to say.

“I know how you guys feel about my raise. I get that you could’ve negotiated better, but trust me when I tell you, you know what? The market out there is pretty good,” Mooney suggested, “so go ahead and make your comments, but you might lose some good people, too.”

Mooney said the Town’s undertaking to establish a wage classification and updated job descriptions could put some perspective on things, and then defended Dawson and his role in sitting in on contract negotiations.

Things settled and the FinCom voted in support of the Reserve Fund transfer for the fire chief’s pay raise, but voted to delay the one for Dawson’s.

After the meeting was adjourned, Winters apologized to Mooney and asked her to understand his frustration and not to take his comments personally.

“You’re one of the good guys,” Winters told her, and the group shared a few laughs as the contention subsided, concluding with FinCom member Jay Pateakos’ affable assessment, “Judy, he’s just a (bleep).”

The next meeting of the Marion Finance Committee is scheduled for January 29 at 6:00 pm at the Atlantis Drive building. Starting in February, the committee will begin meeting weekly through budget season.

Marion Finance Committee

By Jean Perry

Judge Hears Fraud Defendants’ Request to Dismiss

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The two other defendants named in a fraud and embezzlement complaint against former CMWRRDD executive director Ray Pickles, Pickles’ wife Diane Bondi-Pickles, and former Carver health agent Robert Tinkham Jr., were back in court on January 14 with a request for dismissal of the nine fraud-related counts that allege the three conspired together to defraud the regional trash district of over $838,000 over five years.

Pickles was fired in January 2018 from the position he held since the inception of the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District back in 1972.

The Brockton Plymouth County Superior Court Judge Robert Cosgrove presided over the case that was moved to the Brockton location from the Plymouth court location back on November 23, 2018. Court documents indicate that Judge Cosgrove has heard the matter and has taken it under advisement and must issue a decision within 30 days.

Tinkham who individually and under his business 33-35 Wareham Street, LLC was also named a defendant, filed for dismissal back on November 7, citing the district’s failure to effectively state a claim against him. The district filed a motion of opposition to Tinkham’s motion to dismiss, as well as to Bondi-Pickles’ subsequent November 26 motion to dismiss, which included a dismissal of the civil complaints against Bondi-Pickles as owner and president of Moss Hollow Management Corporation, the now defunct consulting business under which Pickles had been doing business as executive director.

Under Moss Hollow Management Corporation, listed under Bondi-Pickles, Pickles paid himself an additional $281,909 between July 1, 2012 and January 2018, in addition to his salary.

Tinkham, who was assigned to perform inspections of the Carver landfill that was under Pickles’ management, is accused of conspiring with Pickles “to personally convert more than $262,000.00 of the District’s funds for his own personal use from 2010-2018,” as stated in the original compliant.

The complaint alleges that Pickles, who is the former town administrator of Marion and remains Marion’s current town clerk, withdrew more than $295,548.00 of the district’s funds for his own personal use, including $113,321 in unauthorized checks, more than $150,000 in cash withdrawals between 2016-2018, and $31,227 in mileage reimbursements from 2012-2017.Under Moss Hollow Management Corporation, Pickles allegedly paid himself an additional $281,909 between July 1, 2012 and January 2018, in addition to his regular salary.

The case is slated for a trial by jury in 2021.

By Jean Perry

Tabor Winter Morning of Service

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Tabor’s first morning of service of the school year on Wednesday, January 16, is a little bit different than in the past. The first difference is that it’s being held in January instead of September. This poses a few challenges, not the least of which is watching the weather forecast carefully, but it appears as if the weather gods are going to cooperate.

Instead of working alongside their advisors, Tabor students will be working in class clusters side-by-side with faculty. The class of 2019 will spend their morning off-campus volunteering at the Happy Hope Factory in Pocasset; the Falmouth Service Center, an organization with the mission to reduce hunger and improve the quality of life for neighbors in need; and at Carney Academy in New Bedford, where 40 Tabor students will act as reading partners in first grade classrooms. A small group of seniors will remain on campus in Tabor’s Charles Hayden Library, from 9:30 to 11:30, to offer drop in tech help to area residents seeking assistance with technology questions — everything from learning to use Skype to how to upload photographs into an email.

Juniors and freshmen will be on campus coaching and supporting young athletes participating in the Special Olympics of Massachusetts’ School Day Games. Games will include everything from basketball to gymnastics to bocce and more. The school expects more than 250 Special Olympics athletes to participate in this growing tradition. Following the games, all athletes will enjoy lunch in Tabor’s Dining Hall with their new Tabor friends.

Tabor sophomores will also be out in the local community in force on the Morning of Service.  In Marion, they will assist various organizations to include the Elizabeth Taber Library and Sippican Lands Trust. A group of students will have the opportunity to work alongside Sippican Elementary school children, assisting with projects ranging from reading enrichment to STEM work. Another environmental organization partnering with Tabor that day is the Buzzards Bay Coalition; students will be clearing and developing a new trail at the Horseshoe Mill/Conant Hill property in Wareham. My Brother’s Keeper, a Christian ministry which delivers furniture free of charge to people in need, will also receive the volunteer support of tenth graders on the Morning of Service.

Tabor’s winter morning of service has been organized by faculty members Amelia Wright, the coordinator of the program; Tim Cleary and Cheryl Moore, who organized the Special Olympics School Day Games; and Lauren Boucher, who coordinated the program for seniors. As the team finalizes the plan for their winter effort, they are already thinking about the second school-wide morning of service to be held in May.

For more information about Tabor’s community service program, please visit their website at www.taboracademy.org/page/campus-life/community-service

MNHM After-school Programs

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Marion Natural History Museum’s after-school programs for Winter/spring 2019 will include the following:

January 30 – Winter Tree Walk Wetland scientist Sarah Porter will help us take a close up look at some twigs and buds from local trees, and then take a walk in the woods to see if we can identify trees without using their leaves. Please dress appropriately.

February 13 – Great Backyard Bird Count February 15 through the 19th is the Great Backyard Bird Count, an important citizen science effort to discover more about bird populations in our area. It’s a simple and fun to do project that can be done over the weekend and submitted online to Cornell University. Let’s learn a little about the Bird Count together and get ready to start our study!

February 27 – Popsicle Stick Catapults with Mark Whalen, Engineering Professor at Mass Maritime. Explore the relationship between Elasticity, Energy, Mass and Velocity. Build and test your own small catapult. Launch objects big and small, and try out various modifications to improve performance.

March 13 – Exploring Shells Did you know that the museum has an extensive shell collection? Some of the specimens include shells that were donated by Elizabeth Taber herself! Let’s take a look at some of the more exotic shells in our collections as well as some of our native ones, and see if we can match which animal made what shell.

March 20 – Weather with Channel 6’s Chelsea Priest Weather reporter Chelsea Priest. will be talking about weather patterns, what we might expect come spring, and what it takes to be a televised meteorologist.

April 3 – Alewives Herring Officer Dave Watling will be in to talk about the life cycle of this important fish species. Dave will explain what he does in his role and what efforts are being made to help them survive.

April 24 – Insects with Blake Dinius Blake is an entomologist with Plymouth County Extension Service. We will be using insect nets to see what bugs we can catch. Then we’ll take a close look with the use of magnifiers and microscopes, and hopefully identify a few of the species.

May 1 – Bird Island Trip with the Marion Harbormaster’s office. We will be visiting the newly restored nesting habitat of the Roseate Tern. The center of the island has been filled in and vegetation added to make the island more hospitable for these rare and endangered birds.

May 8 – Bird Island Trip 2 Our rain/overflow date for our popular Bird Island trip.

May 15 – Soil Critters with Maggie Payne, Soil Scientist with the U.S.D.A. Did you know there are more living organisms in a tablespoon of healthy soil than there are people on earth? Come explore the life beneath our feet and discover the importance of not treating our soils like dirt.

May 22 – Water Bottle Rockets with Dr. Dills of the UMass Dartmouth Chemistry Department. During construction of our rockets we will learn a little something about aerodynamics, altitude and how our design impacts the duration of the flight. Please save up your 2 liter bottles now for this explosive program!

June 5 – This is Rocket Science! Join us while learning about propulsion and lift with Mike Cronin. Each child will have his/her own rocket with motor to assemble and set off. The cost for this program is $20 per participant. Submit payment to Marion Natural History Museum. Space is limited to 12 children ages 6 and older, on a first-come, first-served basis. Parent volunteers are encouraged to help with rocket assembly. This program tends to run long, so please plan accordingly. Rain date June 6.

All programs are held at the Museum from 3:30 – 4:30pm unless otherwise noted. To register please go to the museum’s website: www.marionmuseum.org.

Old Boy Scout Camp Illegally Cleared

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            It was late into a long night of complicated cases being heard on January 15 when the members of the Rochester Conservation Commission were shown photographic evidence of illegal cutting taking place on property known as the Old Boy Scout Camp located at 0 Mary’s Pond Road.

Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon displayed photos she recently took at the property.

“I was notified of cutting taking place at the old Boy Scout Camp,” she began. She said she contacted the owner, Jose Araujo, who confirmed to her that he had in fact cut down trees in advance of construction of a new single-family house. After receiving permission from Araujo to visit the site, she met with the owner’s representative, Richard Charon of Charon Engineering, on January 14 for a site inspection.

Once at the site, she took photos that showed tree clearing within the 100-foot buffer zone and within 25 feet of the wetlands. As the images were displayed, the commissioners had a hard time controlling their horror.

“It’s unfortunate,” Farinon sadly declared, especially given that the previous owners had given the Town the right of first refusal and the commission had supported the purchase. However, the price tag put the proposed acquisition out of the question. Now the virgin woodlands were being cut down without regard for local and state regulations, she said.

Farinon said she had prepared a letter for the commission to consider sending to Araujo that confirmed the illegal cutting as a violation of regulations, but the commission wanted something more.

They discussed whether or not they had the authority to demand a planting restoration plan with fines if not submitted by a requested date or completed within a specified timeframe. They also discussed whether or not they could mandate erosion control measures now, considering that the pond’s bank area may have been compromised in some areas and stormwater runoff becoming problematic.

Farinon was authorized to discuss the matter with town counsel and to prepare to move forward as directed by counsel and the commission.

Earlier in the evening, Bob Rogers of G.A.F. Engineering discussed two filings for the same property, the former U.S.D.A offices located at 15 Cranberry Highway.

As Rogers explained, the first part of his presentation was a request for a Certificate of Compliance for work that either took place in the late 1990s, was constructed but not to the plan of record, or was never constructed at all.

The property owners, Decas Real Estate Trust, are presently planning on selling the property to Schoen and Bonnie Morrison who plan on renovating the existing structures into a daycare center and event rental space. That proposed project was the second application Rogers was representing on this night.

Rogers explained that the current Order of Conditions registered against the deed needed to be cleared in order for the sale to be completed in April.

The commissioners struggled with which should go first, the Certificate of Compliance or the Morrisons’ Notice of Intent filing. Rogers explained that the NOI plans would in essence repair and clean up work that was improperly done with the original Order of Conditions. He launched into a detailed explanation of the stormwater drainage plans, a major component of the current state of the property being questioned. If the certificate was approved, they wondered, and the sale fell through, it would leave Decas with a clear deed to move forward to another plan.

In the end both cases were continued until February 5.

Also continued until February 5 were continued public hearings for: an Abbreviated Notice of Resource Delineation filed by Steve Longo for the installation of a solar array located at 75 Vaughan Hill Road necessitated by a question of wetlands being missed on the far western corner of the property; and a Notice of Intent filed by REpurpose Properties for the construction of 22 duplex units for an age-restricted community located at Rounseville Road owned by Gibbs and Patricia Bray. The continuance was necessary when Commission Chairman Michael Conway asked Brian Wallace of J.C. Engineering where the discharged water eventually flowed. The filing requested upgrades to an existing discharge pipe that currently does not provide any water filtration. Conway thought that, depending on where the water eventually flowed, it might impact which regulatory office was responsible for the work. The hearing was continued until February 5.

Related to the REpurpose filing was another Notice of Intent filed by Sofia Darras, a third owner of the same site. Darras hired G.A.F. Engineering to review water calculations and other aspects of the discharge pipe upgrades with a plan to install a new drainage system. That was continued until February 5.

Also continued until February 5 was a new Notice of Intent filing by T-Mobile for property located at 98 Bowen’s Lane for the installation of a new back-up generator. Questions raised by commissioner Daniel Gagne as to whether or not the filing contained documentation on maintenance and emergency clean up procedures prompted Marty Cohen of Network Building and Consulting to request the continuance.

Receiving a Negative determination for a Request for Determination of Applicability was Kenneth Viera, 54 Vaughan Hill Road, for the removal of fallen trees and the application of new blue stone on an existing driveway.

The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for February 5 at 7:00 pm in the Rochester Town Hall meeting room.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

Understanding the Art that We “See”

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On January 11, the Sippican Woman’s Club hosted its member luncheon at their headquarters in the historic Handy Tavern Building on Front Street in Marion. The tables were laden with sumptuous morsels that were described on tiny little easels, a clever nod to the guest speaker.

Jill Sanford, who holds a cum laude Bachelor of Arts degree in art from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, was the guest speaker. But what the participants might not have realized while enjoying the cozy warmth of food and friends was that they were about to take a journey through America’s art history.

Sanford brings a wealth of knowledge to all her lectures on art, focusing on specific time frames, or artists, or styles of painting in a truly deep dive that can leave the listener breathless.

Beginning with a painting of one Mr. Tiffen of New Hampshire, one of a stiff amateurishly rendered gentleman in a black coat, Sanford asked the viewer to imagine the painter, his background (for assuredly it must have been a male), the material the portrait was painted on, and the paints themselves, for all of these are clues to understanding the painting itself.

Carefully pulling the clues out of the image displayed, Sanford explained the details – this was an iterant painter with no formal training and few tools at his immediate disposal. Contrasted against portraits being produced in Europe with its centuries of artistic achievement, one could easily see that this portrait, while not hastily executed, was not expertly crafted. Sanford said this style of painting carried the not-too-pleasant title of “primitive” or “folk art.” The portrait lacked depth, appeared cartoonish, and maintained none of the tricks artists came to understand as necessary in drawing a viewer into the image.

As Sanford focused for several minutes on Tiffen’s painting, she was preparing her audience for all that was to follow. This was profoundly demonstrated when she contrasted the Tiffen portrait against the one done of Paul Revere some years later. The famous Copley rendering of Revere is everything the Tiffen portrait is not – painted by a trained artist whose command of the art form immediately is without doubt, for here was a near-lifelike face.

By spending sufficient time establishing the difference between the untrained and the trained artist, Sanford granted the viewer professional insights in the craft itself. She then enhanced that appreciation by adding in perspective.

Introducing the artist Albert Bierstadt, Sanford explained the artist’s trick of using light and lines and the position of the horizon itself to give the eye and the mind a perspective intentioned by the artist. The finely crafted sweeping vistas created by Bierstadt of the American West as seen by Lewis and Clarke gave an early American’s sense of the majesty of the country most would never see for themselves. Sanford told the group how perspective gave the image its nearly three-dimensional treatment.

Sanford was like a piped piper whose tune drew the viewer along a journey towards discovery from the earliest paintings done on American soil to the twentieth century modern and contemporary art of today. From Remington to Mary Cassatt, from Winslow Homer to Jackson Pollock, Sanford left no painter or their unique talents unexplored.

Sanford also credits American artists for bringing contemporary art as well as abstract expressionism to the level of high art, away from the heretofore presence of Europe as the art capital of the world.

A full hour of learning and entertainment was enjoyed as Sanford shared her knowledge of the art world in her clear and expertly presented style. To learn more about Sanford, visit www.artforyourmind.com where you can also find a listing of Sanford’s presentations in local venues. To reach the Sippican Woman’s Club, visit www.sippicanwomansclub.org.

By Marilou Newell