Artist, Avid Hiker

By Rosalie Triolo Photos Submitted by Rebecca Fullerton

Encouraged to draw by her mom and introduced to hiking by her dad, Rebecca Fullerton, today a talented and accomplished artist, as well as an avid hiker, looks back on her childhood and explains, “Before I started school — probably when I was three — my mom would take out crayons and paper and draw a horse or other animal fi gures for me to copy.” Smiling, Rebecca admitted, “Not a very good horse, I’m afraid.”

Rebecca copied the horse and other fi gures, improving each time she put crayon to paper.

At an early age, Rebecca’s dad took her hiking through the White Mountains, fostering her appreciation and love of its landscapes of rugged hilly trails and its streams of cold mountain water rushing over boulders and rocks. By the time she was in second and third grades, she remembers looking out her classroom windows at the tree-covered mountains she would someday set to canvas. Rebecca credits her elementary school teachers with encouraging her to pursue her dreams and enrich her drawing skills.

“My paintings are love letters to the mountains,” Rebecca goes on to say. “The tough, rugged, steep, tree-covered mountains are ever-changing and never the same because of the unpredictable weather. The White Mountains have been referred to as the Switzerland of America.”

She exquisitely expresses in her Artist’s Statement, “I want the viewer to experience a walk in the woods through my work, to feel the rocky trail underfoot, smell the earth tones of moss and soil, feel the delicate warmth of a sunbeam, and face the force of the wind on a mountaintop.”

Rebecca’s fondness for the White Mountains is unmistakable in her landscape paintings. “I paint the White Mountains of New Hampshire and other New England scenes in watercolors and oil paints. In my work I try to capture a sense of place: the deep forests; rushing rivers, steep trails and incredible mountain scenery found in this region.”

An admirer of nature’s backdrops, Rebecca embraces her role as archivist for the Appalachian Mountain Club. She has had the opportunity to explore some of the off-the-beaten-path, sometimes wild and at other times precarious trails in the White Mountains. Always prepared with a sketchbook and camera, using her extensive hiking skills and talent as an artist, Rebecca has visited all eight of the “AMC’s High Huts of the White Mountains.”

Returning to her studio, Rebecca captures in fi ne art prints or in small blank greeting cards the beacons of safety in the vast and rugged wilderness of the White Mountains. She transports you through her art to the AMC’s huts with their own characteristics, each hut having its own story.

Lonesome Lake Hut is a short, yet steady 1.2-mile uphill climb from Lonesome Lake Trailhead.

Located at Mount Lafayette is the third-highest hut, the Greenleaf Hut, with views of the Franconia Range.

The relatively diffi cult hike of 4.6 miles from the trailhead to the Galehead Hut is thought to be in the most remote area of AMC’s White Mountain huts, on the Garfi eld Range.

An easier hike in summer to the Zealand Falls Hut, located in Zealand Notch, is 2.8 miles. However, in winter, the trail is rated as a moderate 6.5mile snowshoe or ski trail.

Mizpah Spring Hut near Mount Pierce in the White Mountains has incredible views of the Dry River Wilderness and Crawford Notch.

Known for its diffi cult and steep rocky terrain, Lake of the Clouds Hut sits between Mount Washington and Mount Monroe.

The Madison Spring Hut is the oldest hut, built in 1888 in the White Mountains, located between Mount Madison and Mount Adams.

Open all year-round, Carter Notch Hut, the easternmost hut in the White Mountains, is nestled between Wildcat Mountain and Carter Dome.

Over the years, Rebecca has hiked

Beyond the Ravines

• Fullerton

continued on page 4

COZY CABIN RUSTICS COZY CABIN RUSTICS

—FURNITURE & MATTRESSES— —FURNITURE & MATTRESSES—

FREE Local Delivery & Setup

Cozy Cabin Rustics

-Furniture & Mattresses-

PLYMOUTH

599 Tenney Mtn. Hwy. 603-238-3250

Mon-Sat 9-5 / Sun 10-5

MEREDITH

312 Daniel Webster Hwy. 603-279-1333

Mon-Fri 9-5:30 Sat 9-6 / Sun 10-5 OPEN DAILY • COZYCABINRUSTICS.COM ROUTE Along16

Shop, Play, Dine and Stay the Route 16 Corridor and the Surrounding Area

Smiley Publishing Group, LLC dba Panoramic Publishing Group/The Laker

P.O. Box 119, Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896 603-569-5257

pressreleases@thelaker.com • lkr@thelaker.com • www.thelaker.com

This newspaper assumes no fi nancial responsibility for typographical errors but will reprint that part of an advertisement in which the typographical error affects the value of same. Advertisers will please notify the management immediately of any errors which may occur.

PUBLISHER

Dan Smiley

EDITOR

Tom Caldwell

PRODUCTION MANAGER

GRAPHIC DESIGN Gina Lessard

ADVERTISING

Phil Ouellette Maureen Padula LIFE-SIZE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE SPOOKY HALLOWEEN SHOP ICE CREAM & CANDY PATIO WITH PANORAMIC VIEWS TOYS & NOVELTIES ...and so very much more!

FREE ORNAMENT

Present this coupon with a retail purchase (limit one per group)

many of the trails within the White Mountains, discovering subjects of interest, as revealed in her vibrant paintings of “Franconia Brook Winter,” an 8x8” oil painting on panel, “Kinsman Falls,” a 5x8” watercolor and ink painting on paper, and “Beyond the Ravines,” a 16x20” oil on canvas. And, on a whimsical side, Maps and Doodles of “Crawford Path,” Mount Monroe to Mount Washington Trail Map, and “Around the Lake” Trail Map, watercolor and ink on paper. As for Doodles, “Where to Next” and “What’s all that Racket?”

Recently, Rebecca wrote the introductory page for the Jackson Historical Society’s catalog for the permanent exhibit added in 2021, entitled “Early Women Artists in the White Mountains.” It acknowledges those women who, through their art, brought to life the landscapes of the White Mountains from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. It includes biographies of 14 women and 20 of their paintings.

Martha A. Hayes Safford, a classical formal landscape artist between 1875 and 1900, recognized for her landscape painting, “Autumn Colors,” and documented in the catalog, was a student of Benjamin Champney, an artist/ art instructor, in the mid-19th century. (Champney Falls off the Kancamagus Scenic Highway in northern New Hampshire is named after him.) Anne Cory Bradley, also included in the catalog and known to be an eccentric 1920’s impressionist painter, was painfully shy and had never attended an art school.

During the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, male artists were the only recognized artists. Last year, 2020 was the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, and Rebecca referred to Suffragette Purple, which represented royalty. The royal blood that flows in the veins of every Suffragette was the instinct of freedom and dignity, and the first attempt to organize votes for women. In July 1848, a national movement occurred in Seneca Falls, New York, to support women’s rights — a meeting which launched the suffrage movement.

Rebecca Fullerton is a member of the board of directors for the Women’s Rural Entrepreneurial Network (WREN) which promotes small businesses in New Hampshire’s North Country counties of Coos, Grafton, and Northern Carroll. Located in Bethlehem, WREN fosters innovation in rural economic development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bethlehem and other rural areas witnessed a dramatic decrease in visitors to the region. WREN was instrumental in keeping businesses and, especially, the smaller businesses of women artists in the North Country afloat by shifting to an online marketplace shop.

They offered online business development classes and technical assistance via Zoom. Also offered were classes in Developing Your Marketing Strategy; How To Plan a Website; How To Use Canvas for Digital and Print Marketing; and How to Use and Maximize Media Advertising. They took advantage during the COVID closure to completely redo their stores. Storefront Gallery repeating shows offered opportunities for professional artists to display their artwork to art lovers. Today, the Gallery presents a new show every two months, featuring local and regional artists.

WREN is the recipient of the 2021 Governor’s Silver Lining Resilience Award, given to individuals and business owners for their persistence and determination to continue to move forward during COVID-19.

A woman of many talents, Rebecca Fullerton has won awards and exhibits many of her paintings on her website, rmfullerton.com. She exhibits paintings at the Cassidy Gallery, 28 Main Street, Conway, and The Gallery at WREN, 2011 Main Street, Bethlehem.

Crawford Path-Monroe to Washington map. RMFullerton

Whats That Racket doodle. RMFullerton

MACDONALD MOTORS

Now Buying Quality Preowned Cars, Trucks & SUV's! Now Available!

Two (2) 2021 Full Size Ford Bronco's

Stop In Today & Let Us Make An Offer On Your Vehicle Enjoy First-Class Customer Service

•If you're looking for a fair, honest deal on a sharp, high-performing new Ford or used car, visit Macdonald Motors Ford! •People from all over have been coming to us for all their automotive needs because we treat them like family. •Everyone who enters our doors is treated with courtesy and respect, because your satisfaction is our number one goal. •Once you’ve bought a car from Macdonald Motors Ford, we’re still here to help. •Our complete service center can assist you in keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape.

MACDONALD MOTORS

61 East Conway Rd., Conway, NH • 844-868-6368 www.macdonaldmotorsford.com FULL SERVICE BODY SHOP • Service Hours: Mon-Fri 8-5, Sat 8-12 Sales Hours: Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat 8-4 • Parts Hours: Mon-Fri 8-5, Sat 8-12 •Alex, our Service Manager, and our staff of certifi ed technicians know all about your Ford and how to keep it maintained. •If repairs are needed, we’ll give you an estimate of the cost in advance.