Maine artists’ ornaments hanging on White House tree

ALEXANDER – Artist John Foley has much to celebrate this year – including a visit to the White House.

Foley, 65, was one of two Maine artists asked to paint an ornament that is hanging on the Christmas tree in the Blue Room at the White House.

The other Maine artist selected was Michael Vermette, 50, of Old Town.

The two ornaments, one representing Acadia National Park and the other Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, are prominently displayed on this year’s tree.

The tree is the centerpiece of elaborate decorations celebrating the theme of “Holiday in the National Parks,” the National Park Service said in a news release.

The artists were invited to attend a dedication ceremony on Nov. 28 at the White House, hosted by first lady Laura Bush. Only Foley attended.

The ornaments on the tree in the Blue Room represent the country’s 391 National Park Service sites. “Each ornament on the magnificent 18-foot Fraser fir was designed by an artist selected by the park,” National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar said in the release. “The ornaments tell the stories of our parks, just as our parks tell the stories of our nation.”

Foley, who is a retired teacher and landscape artist, said Sunday he was honored when earlier this year Saint Croix Island Park Ranger Meg Scheid selected him. “I’d never done a Christmas ornament in my life. I do landscapes and portraits,” he said. “Anyway I got curious about the island and went down to look at it and thought I’d try it.”

Saint Croix Island is visible from U.S. Route 1 in Red Beach, south of downtown Calais.

Foley decided to depict Saint Croix Island against a vibrant golden sky dotted with colorful clouds.

The title of Vermette’s project was “First Light,” he said. The ornament featured Acadia at first light, with a sunrise over Frenchman Bay and a lighthouse shining brightly.

“The first light of the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain, the first lighthouse that was ever built was on Baker’s Island … and then the first light of the moon from Schoodic Head,” he said. “As [the ornament] turns it melds one into another.”

The artist said he was selected by people at Acadia National Park because he is a two-time National Park Artist in Residence. “I was very excited about it, very honored,” Vermette said Tuesday.

Vermette, whose art is on display in a show at the Bangor Public Library, explained he was unable to attend the unveiling because, in the secrecy surrounding the project leading up to it, he could not make last-minute travel arrangements for himself and his wife. All of the artists had to pay their own way to Washington, D.C.

“I would have loved to have gone,” he said. “There was a lot of hush-hush about it. You couldn’t say anything and by the time they notified us, it was late November and it was too late for me to get a flight for my wife and I. It would have been astronomical.”

He said a patron of his who lives in the Washington, D.C., area went in his place.

Foley said Sunday he purchased a bus ticket and set out on his adventure alone.

“I am not used to big cities,” he said. “I got a map and walked around and found my way to the [White House] east entrance and went through the checkpoint. … I got right there and thought they’d turn me away, but my Maine driver’s license seemed to be enough.”

Foley walked up the steps to the East Wing and was greeted by men in dress uniforms.

He said there were about 200 people at the event.

“They were our escorts, pointing us around in different ways. It was kind of an overwhelming experience,” he said. The artists were wined and dined by the White House. “It was quite a leisurely event,” he said.

The Alexander painter said a White House photographer then took pictures of each artist with his ornament.

“The snafu was the ornaments were on the other side of the tree,” he said with a laugh. “It was sort of like, ‘Where’s Waldo?’ Everybody was looking for their ornaments. So we were all circling around thinking it was like a bad joke … but everyone was in good spirits and amused by it all. I found mine on the other side” of the tree.

First lady Laura Bush made an appearance and talked about the parks. “Then she went back up the stairs,” Foley said. “She didn’t really circulate with the people individually or anything.”

Foley said he was glad he went. “I was impressed with the other people’s works because there was a tremendous variety [of ornaments],” he said. “So it was really a tremendous effort by different people who contributed.”

The holiday displays at the White House incorporate the wide variety of natural, cultural and recreational features preserved by the National Park Service. Models of icons such as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the Statue of Liberty share space with paintings of vistas from Grand Canyon, Zion and Rocky Mountain national parks. Holiday garlands intertwined with park objects including seashells, pine cones and gold aspen leaves added to each room’s festive feel.

Diana Graettinger may be reached at bdncalais@verizon.net or 454-8228.