Around the world and back

SHARON — Salisbury resident Allen Blagden’s paintings of wildlife have been exhibited in New York, Boston, Pittsfield, Hartford, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, London, Paris and elsewhere. He served as an illustrator for the Serengeti National Park in Kenya; the Department of Ornithology at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and Abercrombie and Kent in East Africa. He has earned numerous awards for his work.The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will host a two month show of Blagden’s work, from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30.His technique is what makes Blagden’s work so interesting. He begins with pencil line drawings and then builds them up with multiple layers of watercolor. He prefers dry brush, working slowly and intensely with delicate brushstrokes. Blagden’s paintings range in size from 4 by 6 inches up to 3 by 5 feet. The show at the Hotchkiss Library will include paintings of animals and birds, including some remarkable local scenes.“One day while swimming in the lake, I saw an osprey catch a fish and then become entangled in a fight with an eagle for the catch. I had to paint that and that is a 3-by-5 foot painting,” he said.Blagden has traveled extensively but has lived most of his life here in the Northwest Corner. His father was an art teacher at The Hotchkiss School for 22 years. “I’m truly a local,” Blagden said. “I attended Town Hill School, Indian Mountain School and Hotchkiss School.” After graduating from Hotchkiss, Blagden earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. He was then awarded a fellowship to the Yale University art program. “Though I paint mostly in watercolor I also do some etchings, lithographs and some oil. With oil I do not always get the desired effects. But I never use acrylics.” He wants to try some sculpture next, probably of birds.Though not currently married, Blagden has two grown daughters and two grandchildren who live in Boise, Idaho, “which is the reason I like to go there.”He remains an old-fashioned kind of artist. He avoids computers and cell phones and doesn’t have a website. He recently purchased an iPad but uses it only to communicate with his children and grandchildren. He always travels with a camera; his children say that even when he’s on vacation, he’s still working, looking for new images and scenes to paint. He’s just purchased a digital camera, which he hopes will help him catch wildlife scenes from around the world that he can paint upon returning home. Blagden’s show at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will have an opening reception on Oct. 2 from 4 to 6 p.m. For more information, call the library at 860-364-5041 or go online to www.hotchkisslibrary.org.