Gray Gallery Presents Local Artist’s First Exhibit

ST. JOHNSBURY, VT (July 29, 2024) – The Charles M. and Hanna H. Gray Gallery at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) is excited to announce “Contentment In Imperfect Beauty” by Newark painter Marianne Burkholder. Her paintings will be on display until Monday, September 23, 2024.

Burkholder was born and raised in Connecticut and studied Early Childhood Education at Brigham Young University. She moved to Middlebury, Vermont in 1982 and Newark, Vermont in 2006. Throughout her life, she has embraced numerous creative endeavors.

“Whether it was cake decorating and quilting, or designing clothes and painting crafts, each of these pursuits has been a unique expression of my love for creating and bringing beauty into the world,” she said.

A pivotal moment in Burkholder’s artistic journey came in 2017, when one of her daughters gifted her oil painting supplies for Mother’s Day. This gesture rekindled her passion for painting, a joy she had set aside during her college years to focus on raising children. This was not the only Mother’s Day that had a significant impact on her creative process.

“My mother often recounted a story from my childhood that encapsulates my approach to art and life,” she said. “As an elementary school student, I made her a Mother’s Day card featuring an illustration of a woman with three legs, one of which I had crossed out. When she asked me about it, I explained that I had changed my mind about the placement of the legs and didn’t see the need for a new piece of paper.”

For Burkholder, art is not about achieving flawlessness; it is about the joy and fulfillment that comes from the creative process, and her paintings reflect this philosophy, embracing the beauty in imperfection and the stories that each brushstroke tells.

“I am grateful to my daughter for reigniting my passion for painting,” she added. “And I am grateful to my mother for teaching me to find contentment in every creative endeavor.”

The Charles M. and Hanna H. Gray Gallery is located on the hospital’s main floor. This exhibit will be on display until September 23, 2024. You may also view a short video of the exhibit on the Charles M. and Hanna H. Gray Gallery webpage at nvrh.org. Some paintings are for sale and a portion of the proceeds benefit the NVRH ARTs program. For more information, please contact Art Gallery Curator Jennifer Layn at j.layn@nvrh.org or 802-748-7313.