Thibeault's tribute to Perley Pond on display at Belknap Mill Art Gallery

If you've been thinking about giving to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Operations Fund, Russ Thibeault has an offer that will put your thoughts in motion. President of Applied Economic Research in Laconia, and a multi-talented artist, Thibeault has organized an exhibit at the Belknap Mill that will benefit the Katrina Relief Fund.

His exhibit, "Beauty in a Small Place: Images of Perley Pond," opens today (Sept. 23) and will remain on view through October 20. Profits from the sale of his watercolors and photographs will be donated to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Operations Fund. People can take home a watercolor or photograph and help someone in need.

The exhibit also includes a multi-media, video collage of nearly 150 of his photographs, set to music.

The public is invited to attend a catered reception on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m.

By day, Thibeault makes a living looking at facts and figures. What he sees as an economic advisor has helped hundreds of businesses and non-profits. Yet Thibeault prefers to use those valuable eyes in other ways. In his spare time, he looks at Perley Pond.

Perley Pond is a tiny, often unrecognized, body of water off North Main Street. It became the focus of his attention two years ago, when he drove by and spotted the locally famous "state champion white oak, said to be 400 years old." The body of water was so small, it appeared to be a drainage basin, possibly even polluted.

A few months later, he stopped by with his camera to take a photograph of the tree.

"Once out of my car, what caught my eye wasn’t the tree, but the pond," he said.

He was struck by the peaceful quality of the pond, "as stunning as a Zen garden, ordered and varied in subtle ways."

Ever since, he has documented the pond as obsessively as Monet took to his garden, photographing and painting it in different times of day and different seasons, to catch the changes in light and activity that swarms this deceptively dormant body of water.

The moral of the story, according to Thibeault, is that "with focus, one can find beauty almost anywhere. Even a drainage basin by the side of a busy road."

Thibeault's first venture as an artist began in grammar school, but he admits to being the "worst student in a class of 40 kids." He took up painting again at the age of 40, studying under nationally prominent watercolorists Charles Reid and Mel Stabin. Thibeault now paints three-four times a week.

"If I can do it, anyone can," he says, about being an accomplished artist.

"About 5 out of 30 pieces end up in the trash. Just like with music (he is also a musician and a founding member of the local band "Rusty Rockstar Roadshow"), you must practice, practice, practice," he adds.

The photography came after the watercolors.

"I'd set up my easel outdoors, and because people know me, they'd stop and talk to be pleasant. Then I'd be pleasant back. I can't do that. When you are working with watercolors, you are manipulating the water. You can't stop. I'd end up ripping up the painting."

Although he continues to paint en plein air, he also takes photographs and quick sketches, and brings them back to his studio for his watercolor treatment.

Thibeault has received several first place awards in the Laconia Art Association’s annual juried show. He has been taking photographs, painting watercolors, and creating a video collage to document Perley Pond in its various states, for two years.

Thibeault’s watercolors and photographs document spring’s emergence of turtles and fiddlehead ferns, summer’s water lilies, fall’s brilliant colors and winters vibrancy.

He began organizing this exhibit nearly a year ago, but when he heard about Hurricane Katrina, he was inspired to donate the profits of the sale of his watercolors and photographs to the Relief Fund.

To preview his exhibit online, visit "http://russthibeault.artspan.com/".

The Thibeault exhibit was selected to be part of "New Hampshire: The State of Art," a project of the NH Visual Arts Coalition to showcase Granite State art and artists in 26 museums and galleries in the state this fall. The statewide project is presented in partnership with the NH State Council on the Arts and is sponsored by Ocean National Bank, Public Service of NH and US Trust Company, NA.

"Water is always the aesthetic in the Lakes Region. But we usually focus on large bodies of water. This little pond is intimate, and has subtle beauty," Thibeault says.

"Art has taught me to see instead of just look — nearly 20,000 cars a day drive within fifteen feet of Perley Pond, but unless you take the time look carefully, you’ll miss its beauty. You have to take the time to do it — it's about seeing rather than looking."

The Belknap Mill art gallery is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 9 a.m. to noon, and at other times for special events.

For directions, call (603) 524-8813 or e-mail Kathleen LaBranche at "klabra@metrocast.net".