FOR WYETH LOVERS
Along with the the Brandywine River Museum outside Philadelphia, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland has one of the largest collection of works by the Wyeth family. Here are works by Andrew Wyeth of Cristina’s World fame, by his son Jamie Wyeth, by Andrew’s father, N. C. Wyeth, and some by other Wyeth relatives. This year’s featured exhibit is works from Betsy Wyeth’s estate, a gift to the museum. Betsy, wife of Andrew, died in 2020 at the age of 98.
I was also struck by a couple of works in their permanent Maine collection, a striking woman in white and a still life of intense golden flowers.
Another highlight for me this year was the Women of Vision exhibit. It focuses on thirteen women who are either artists or patrons of the art whose work and/or philanthropy has ties to Maine. Some are historical figures like Edna St. Vincent Millay, one was a Passamaquoddy basket weaver, while others like photographer and gardener Cig Harvey are actively working. I was particularly struck by a charming strawberry basket.
PERFECT FOR AN AIRPLANE FLIGHT
A Good Mother by Lara Bazelon
Author Bazelon is a law professor who also spent seven years as a federal public defender in Los Angeles. She knows how the federal court system works and has penned a fascinating and gripping courtroom drama set in LA. This is her first novel.
Lead defense lawyer Abby Rosenberg is a bit of a hot shot who utilizes bold and sometimes questionable techniques to win her cases. She is also a new mother still on maternity leave. Her client, Luz Rivera Hollis, is a nineteen-year-old accused of murdering her soldier husband at an army base in Germany. She too is a new mother to infant Cristina. Abby’s co-counsel, Will Ellet, is young, ambitious, and unsettled in his marriage. You may wonder about the ethics and behaviors of these lawyers, but their actions make for a good story! What exactly constitutes being a good mother?
Note: Photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved). Header photo is cone flowers at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.
