By Patrick Adrian
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CLAREMONT — The ancient Greek tragedian Aeschylus once said: “From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow.” It is a fitting proverb to describe Erica Sweetser’s one-year journey from experimentally painting with her daughter on a window pane to establishing a team of local women to transform storefront windows into canvases for seasonal artwork.
Sweetser, who recently won her race for at-large city councilor, began window painting in Claremont last year after sharing a piece she made with her daughter, Abby, that drew the attention of local business owners and ultimately the city.
Restaurant owners Michael and Christine Charest were first to invite Sweetser to paint some holiday scenes on their windows at Taverne on the Square located at 2 Pleasant St. Soon after, city staff at the Planning and Development Department allowed her to decorate the windows of the Connect Center located at 1 Pleasant St.
“Once I did that building the story went into the Eagle Times, and more businesses asked me to paint for their windows,” Sweetser said in an interview on Monday. “So I kept doing them.”
Sweetser, along with fellow volunteers, paint the windows with any design they wish free of charge. The volunteers even cover their own expenses for paints and brushes.
Sweetser estimated doing about 23 windows last fall and winter. This year, she has the help of seven other women, each bringing their own creative talents and vision to the project: Sara Breisch; Susan Walker and her eight year-old daughter Mikayla LaRocque; Julie Richardson; Amy Sue Huppe; Ruth Wadleigh; and Krystal Deveney. All the volunteers live in Claremont except for Wadleigh, who resides in Charlestown.
The new team formed during the summer when the other women joined Sweetser in a volunteer project to paint illustrations on the walls at Fiske Free Library in Claremont. Sweetser had not planned on renewing the holiday window painting projects until the other women expressed interest in participating.
Recruiting more painters proved a wise decision, as word-of-mouth about the project has grown the number of interested businesses. About 28 businesses so far have asked for window decorations this year, some from as far as Lebanon. There is currently a waiting list for some businesses until the volunteers can determine scheduling feasibility as they have to schedule time outside their work and family schedules.
“I had a request to do a whole plaza in Lebanon,” Sweetser said. “I had to tell them ‘maybe next year.’”
With the growing interest from outside communities, Sweetser said she is now exploring starting a business, though she would not charge businesses or organizations in Claremont. Like the other painters on the team, she does it for the community and her love to paint. Despite loving to do art as a child, Sweetser said in adulthood she stopped for about 12 or 13 years, other than some sketching and doodling here and there.
“When I was a kid I painted a lot, and took art classes in school,” Sweetser said. “But when I became an adult, I didn’t do art for 12 or 13 years, other than some [casual sketching]. I didn’t take it back up until last year.”
Breisch, who joined Sweetser in illustrating the library walls, said this venture is a great opportunity for all people and businesses involved and hopes Sweetser makes this into a business.
A parent-educator at TLC Family Resource Center in Claremont, Breisch is also a self-taught illustrator and owner of Rabbit Dog Fine Arts, through which she sells hand-illustrated cards, artwork and other artisan gifts.
Like Sweetser, Breisch sees window painting as a way to contribute to the community.
Sweetser says each painting takes her approximately four to six hours to complete. Moreover, she needs to schedule the work for same-day completion since the paints are acrylic and must be cleaned off the brushes before they harden.
Breisch said that while tempera paints are easily washable, they have a reputation for flaking when applied to glass. While initially skeptical about using acrylics on windows, she found by experimenting on her own windows at home that the paints do wash off.
“It’s a clean up job for sure,” she said. “It can take multiple times washing, but it does wash off. It may seem like a pain, but it’s no different from [the time and work] in putting up a Christmas tree.”
In her second year of window painting, Sweetser has learned through experience a few dos and don’ts when putting acrylics on glass. In cases of older or thin windows, she learned to apply the brush gently, because if one can’t put pressure on the glass when scrubbing the paint won’t come off, requiring one to scrape it off the glass. Additionally, the glass’ exposure to sunlight and temperature will affect the paint’s properties. Paint on warmer glass will not harden as much, whereas painting close to a winter draft — perhaps from the opening of a front door — will harden the paints to the glass.
“I also find soaking the paint first with soap and vinegar helps,” Sweetser said.
Sweetser finds her reward from helping to revitalize downtown aesthetic and connecting with other people and her passion.
“I wish more people would bring their ideas to contribute to the city, instead of assuming the city won’t let them,” Sweetser said. “The city will let people try their ideas if they are good ideas. When people get together with their ideas and action, it’s amazing the things we can actually do.”
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