Lyme Academy College Alumni to Exhibit Work, Speak, Teach in Old Lyme

It is the first joint exhibit the artists, Tom and Peggy Root, have had since the student exhibition during their senior year at the college in 1987.  

The exhibit, titled "On Familiar Ground: An Exhibit of Paintings by Two of Lyme Academy College’s Most Prominent Alumni – Peggy and Tom Root" will open with a reception on Thursday, July 7 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Later this summer, the Roots, who live in Tennessee, will both give artist lectures and spend time in residency offering special art classes at the College.

Tom Root, a painter, illustrator, songwriter, musician and writer of children’s stories, will discuss his work on Tuesday, Aug., 9.

 Peggy Root, whose work combines her love of nature with her love of art, works in oil and paints landscapes on location all over the Eastern United States. She will lecture on Thursday, Aug. 11.

Both talks are at 7 p.m. in the college’s lecture hall, preceded by a 6 p.m. reception. Seating is limited and reservations are required. For more information or reservations, contact Kristen Brady at kbrady@lymefs.newhaven.edu or 860.434.3571, ext. 121.

Both artists will also teach adult students at the college. Tom Root will offer a class on figure drawing called "Painting What Matters" from Wednesday, Aug. 10 through Friday, Aug. 12.  Root, known for his sympathetic portrayals of people, will help students focus on the setting of artistic priorities in painting.

Peggy Root will take her students into the Connecticut River Valley to paint in several beautiful and versatile locations. The Connecticut River Valley is affectionately referred to as the birthplace of American Impressionism.  Her class is entitled "Old Lyme, Revisited."

"These two artists are returning with a group of mostly current paintings that will give us a glimpse into the artistic life that they share," said Marguerite d’Aprile Quigley, director of the Center for Arts Programming at the college. "Tom’s figurative and portrait paintings are informal, personal and direct ‘conversations,’ as he calls them. He has a keen interest in people, and his drawing and painting skills reveal a lifetime of learning how to observe and select and to trust intuition above all else. Peggy's poetic naturalistic landscapes accentuate feeling and the sense of place via carefully arranged compositional structures."

The artists firmly believe in working from life, basing their work on direct and actual experience, said Todd Jokl, campus dean. "It is this shared interest that brought them together originally and eventually led them to Lyme Academy College. On this foundation, they have built their careers and teaching methods."

Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts of the University of New Haven is located at 84 Lyme St., and the Chauncey Stillman Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from  10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Friday from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. For more information about the classes, please click here.

About Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts

Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts is a college of the University of New Haven.  Its mission is to educate aspiring artists through a rigorous studio curriculum rooted in figurative and representational art.  The college offers a comprehensive liberal arts education essential for advanced critical and creative thought.  For more information, click here.

About the University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a private, top-tier comprehensive institution recognized as a national leader in experiential education. Founded in 1920, the university enrolls approximately 1,800 graduate students and more than 5,000 undergraduates. For more information, visit newhaven.edu.