Reunited at Last
Reunited at Last
Lyman Orton ’ s name is instantly recognizable to many Vermonters as the second-generation proprietor of the beloved Vermont Country Store . He has also played a critical role in supporting Vermont ’ s vibrant visual arts scene for years . Over the past several decades , he has gone to extreme lengths to repatriate celebrated paintings by Vermont artists and bring them back to the Green Mountain State . Before Orton began his campaign , many exceptional paintings by Vermont artists tragically ended up in gallery storage rooms across the country . Oftentimes , the paintings were acquired by out-of-state collectors , who had little respect or regard for their cultural significance . Orton grew his collection over time through exhaustive , comprehensive , artistic search-and-rescue missions . He traveled from coast to coast and enlisted the services of multiple illustrators , appraisers , and curators , each of whom played a key role in furthering his efforts .
Fahnestock - North Ruport Valley
Blodgett - Auction Stow
Blake - Baptist Church
Shokler - Equinox Hotel
Barbara Melhado , a seasoned art appraiser who sadly passed away in 2016 , served as a business liaison for Orton , who negotiated direct acquisitions of artworks with galleries in Vermont and beyond . Donnel Barnum , a celebrated illustrator who has worked with Vermont Country Store for decades , oversees the curation of the collection of paintings that are on display at the Vermont Country Store corporate office in Manchester . She has also picked up several paintings for Orton and bought them back from galleries across state lines . Jamie Franklin , the Curator of the Bennington Museum , has worked directly with Orton in a collaborative capacity for years . Their symbiotic friendship played a pivotal
Faucett - Putney VT
Blodgett - Winter Night
Jones - Red Hay Barn
Blodgett - Departure of the Draftees
Belaski - Gathering Sap
Grimaldi - The Orton Barn
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