Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

'Impressions of Lake Champlain and Beyond'

Gail Bessette used to be an accountant. But while taking some time off from number crunching to raise her two children, she rediscovered her childhood obsession: observing and drawing the natural world. These days, Bessette uses oils, encaustics and pastels to re-create the moods and memories she associates with a stand of pine trees, a rolling field or a river bend. “Perhaps it’s wonder or awe, a lost love, a childhood long past, sadness, inspiration or religion,” she writes in her artist statement. Bessette’s newest works are part of a group show at Luxton-Jones Gallery in Shelburne, September 29 through November 28. Pictured: “River’s Edge” by Gail Bessette.