Who Is Grammy Mouse?

Welcome to the world of Grammy Mouse, Maine Folk Artist. I have painted ALL my life.  In fact, I can never remember not painting.  My mother and older sister loved to paint and so from the time I could hold a paintbrush the opportunity, the materials, and the encouragement were there. I was allowed to explore my creativity with no limits, to enjoy the heady pleasure of creating my own little imaginary world and bring it to life on canvas.  

Growing up on my grandfather's farm in rural New Hampshire in the 1940's gave me plenty of subject matter for inspiration.  My grandmother, who we affectionately called Nana, cooked on a woodstove (a tradition that I still carry on today) and actually drove a horse and buggy 5 miles to the little general store in the town center.  I loved it when she would harness up "Old Red" and we would fly down the dirt road to Moore's General Store.  My grandfather tried to teach Nana to drive his old Model A Ford but she couldn't master the clutch and shifting.  One day when he laughed at her as she "ground the gears" she got out of the car mad as a wet hen, walked home and never tried again. 

I went to elementary school in a two room school house with grades 1-3 in one classroom and grades 4-6 in the other. My teacher, Miss Florence Parker, always encouraged my art and my creativity.  She had me enrolled in a special gifted children's experimental program that took me by bus to an adjacent city where I could have special art classes once a week.  Boy, did I love that!!! I have never had any formal training in art, just the typical high school art classes in the 50's and 60's.  My parents did arrange for me to take art classes with a local commercial artist named Maurice Easter, and a portrait painter named Tempest Johnstone. 

Over the years, I have developed my own distinct style of painting that I started to sell at craft shows in the 1980's.  I didn't even know that my style was folk art until I was exhibiting at an outdoor show in Salem, Massachusetts and I met Rosebee, a folk artist from Osterville (on the Cape) Massachusetts. She was showing at the same show and we were drawn together like bees to honey.  She loved my painting and gave me my earliest education in the world of folk art.  That chance meeting gave me direction as to where to go with my painting.  After retiring here in Maine, I have been able to devote my life to  my art selling my work through gift shops and small galleries here in Maine and at  arts and craft shows in the New England area.