Despite being a member of the Southern Vermont Arts Center for 52 years ( 1945-1997 ), best friends with Kacy Hughes ( George Hughes ’ wife ), and a respected fine artist ( particularly adept at capturing the nuances of nature ), Lea has not been recognized as part of the famed Arlington Artists ’ Colony – until now .
In July 2019 , Old Mill Road Gallery in East Arlington , Vermont opens - shining a spotlight on Lea Ehrich . The exhibition / pop-up gallery features rotating Ehrich art – the first solo show of the artist ’ s work in over 20 years .
An artist of tremendous discipline , Lea painted every day . She was known for painting multiple versions of the same landscape – variations on a theme - in her attempt to accurately capture the beauty of Vermont . Like her illustrator neighbors , she was an excellent storyteller – primarily through nature – but also evidenced in her figurative work .
Among the gallery ’ s work , there is a wonderful watercolor of a little girl standing in front of a tree , looking at her shadow combined with the tree ’ s on the sidewalk . The child ’ s outstretched arms blend with the trees branches . Had the sketch been fully realized , it could very well have been accepted as a Saturday Evening Post or New Yorker cover . It is charming and whimsical ; a captured moment .
More often than not , however , Lea ’ s paintings of humans feature a woman in isolation .
11