November 30, 2024–January 5, 2025

A Little Friendly Holiday Competition—Artistic Mantels in the Griswold Boardinghouse

It was a muggy afternoon on the side porch of the Griswold House when the members of the Hot Air Club’s conversation turned to winter in New York.

“Isn’t it always when you are too hot in the country that you dream about the snowy nights in the City?” offered up one artist while shooing away the mosquitoes with his dinner napkin. “These horrid, little beasts.”

“Ah, to be on the frozen streets of New York right now, bundled in layers of wool, wind blowing fresh air in your face,” offered another fanning himself with his palette, not yet dry from this morning’s outing.

“I’d rather be shivering in front of the store windows along Fifth Avenue looking at the glitz and glamour than being eaten alive in this heat,” said a third. “Even the marsh grass looks about to burst into flames. Here, here, for a chilly blast of winter wind.”

“Just remember that in a few short months. Then we’ll be wishing for warmth. Better yet, let’s revisit this hot vs. cold idea in this very spot then. How about we all plan to meet right here at Miss Florence’s, five months from now and see then how we feel,” an artist chimed in just as Miss Florence’s walked onto the porch with a pitcher of cool lemonade. “Chilly I bet, and wishing for these summer days filled with this endless blinding sunshine.”

“I think the windows are tacky, all dressed up and over the top,” remarked one of the older painters, lost in his own reverie.

“Not me, I just love them,” said a newer artist to the colony. “I’ve actually done a few to pay the bills between paintings. I nearly won a prize.”

“By jove, that’s it,” said a leader of the group. “We are going to have a little artistic Christmastime competition, but instead of windows, we’ll decorate the mantels over the fireplaces in Miss Florence’s boardinghouse. We can use stuff from our studios and perhaps a few things from the shops. One mantel per artist. What do you say?”

“What all this?” Miss Florence asked pouring her frozen sunshine into glasses for the painters.

“Oh, that’s a splendid idea,” a new artist offered. “Just a friendly artistic competition to design a winning holiday mantel with matching painting overhead.”

“If it’s a competition, we’ll need a judge and jury!” the oldest of the group asked, getting suddenly excited about the new idea. “There needs to be a carrot to spur on the competition.”

“I can do that if you’d like,” said Miss Florence, “Me and the kitties will decide. For the jury, I can easily tally all the remarks about the mantels I hear from my holiday visitors. And then, award ribbons!”

“Ribbons?” rang the chorus of excited “boys” dressed in men’s clothing. Anticipation hung in the air for what was to come next……

“And, I’ll do it on my birthday,” she added.

“Huzzah!, on Christmas Day” said the crowd in unison.

“Huzzah, indeed,” said Miss Florence, returning to the shadowy house with her empty pitcher, a cat-like smile upon her face.

When you visit – Please help Miss Florence make up her mind by voting for your favorite mantel. Winner announced Christmas Day. Watch the Museum’s social media for the awards!

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Love the painted palettes? Every year since 2004, artists from all over the country have added to the palettes on Miss Florence’s Artist Trees which are displayed in the Krieble Gallery.

In 2019 we finally reached over 200 palettes—so many that we need four delightfully-decorated trees to present all of them. And we’re still adding! To commemorate the event, we published Miss Florence’s Artist Trees: Celebrating a Tradition of Painted Palettes, which showcases each of the works of art on its own page. Look for it online here and in The Shop.

 

 

Enjoy History Blog posts that feature hand-crafted Christmas cards by Lyme Art Colony artists. Learn how artist Thomas Nason spent Christmas during World War I.