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| Painted on the tiled patio of the Everett Mansion during a crisp Bennington autumn. |
Nobody will mistake it for a masterpiece, but this is my watercolor interpretation of the Southern Vermont College campus.
It was my sophomore year, and my course load was looking pretty intimidating. Hoping to balance things out, I enrolled in Introduction to Watercolors as an elective, taught by the legendary Professor Greg Winterhalter.
The start of the fall semester always meant long lines in the basement SVC bookstore.
I knew I was in for a treat when manager Wanda handed me paints, brushes, and a palette—but no textbooks. At last, a class where I could relax while learning a new skill.
Of course, it wasn't all fun and games. Greg's trademark slide presentations taught us the fundamentals of watercolor technique and color theory.
Once we had mastered the basics, he gave us a demonstration of his own. The class watched in amazement as he transformed a blank sheet of paper into a stunning watercolor in just a matter of minutes.
After a few sessions painting fruit and still lifes, we graduated to bigger and better subjects: the great outdoors.
Armed with jackets, coffee, and the occasional cigarette, we gathered on the Everett Mansion's tiled patio, where sweeping views of Bennington and the Green Mountains served as our classroom.
Stone walls, fiery autumn leaves, stately evergreens, and the Battle Monument rising in the distance—an aspiring artist couldn't have asked for a more inspiring landscape.
More than 20 years later, this watercolor still brings a smile to my face.
Life at SVC wasn't always easy. Between demanding classes and a part-time job, there was rarely much time to slow down. But Introduction to Watercolors offered a welcome escape from those daily pressures.
Sitting on the Everett Mansion patio on a crisp autumn afternoon, paintbrush in hand, surrounded by good friends and spectacular scenery—that's the kind of college memory that stays with you for a lifetime.
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