Date: Fri 08-May-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

Baxter-slate-Edmond-Manna

Full Text:

Little Pieces Of Stone With A Lot Of Historical Value

(with cuts)

BY SHANNON HICKS

When Diana Baxter was driving along Main Street in Newtown one day in March,

she, like many recent passersby, could not help but notice the work that was

being done on the roof of Edmond Town Hall.

The old slate roof on the historic building has undergone a massive

reconstruction. Pieces of the old slate had begun to crack, and a few sections

of the roof were leaking. So the old slate was being removed by workers,

making way for new slate.

Diana, an artist who has been painting on pieces of slate from historic homes

for two years, had a brainstorm: What was going to be done with all the older

pieces of stone? After being told to check with the Board of Town Hall

Managers and then going through the proper channels, a few weeks later the

Newtown artist acquired a large number of the pieces.

As Diana drove toward her Pebble Road home that first March afternoon, she

continued to think about the slate shingles that were being discarded. It

wasn't difficult to come up with an idea that is now being shared with the

residents of Newtown. Diana is painting images of Newtown onto the slates from

the historic building. A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of each

shingle will benefit the town hall.

A series of four images will be created, with each image limited to 75

depictions. Each shingle will be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity,

and each will be numbered. Eventually, prints of the four images will also be

available for purchase.

On April 17, the first slate painting was debuted at Newtown Country Mill on

Route 302, where the slates will be sold exclusively. The image is the view

from atop Castle Hill Road. It shows Newtown's flagpole, the steeple of

Newtown Congregational Church, and the buildings of Newtown Meeting House and

Trinity Church. Across the top of the stone are the words "Newtown, CT."

While she will be doing three additional pictures, Diana is also open to

suggestions and personal requests from people who may wish to have their home

or business painted onto one of the slates. The turnaround time for orders

will be between three to four weeks, she says.

"This slate is not an easy surface to paint on," Diana said recently. Each

piece of slate, she said, requires some work to get them in paintable

condition. Each heavy piece of stone has to be cut down to an appropriate

size, and the stone needs to be washed before the surface can be painted on.

"The pieces will vary a little bit in size when they're finished. The shingles

were a lot bigger than I expected. [The surface] is rough on the brushes and

very uneven," she said. "It can be very tough to get those fine lines straight

on such a bumpy, rough surface, so it gives each piece I do character." All

images will be painted using fall colors in the scenery. "It gives it a little

more color," Diana said.

A sample slate is on view at the Newtown Country Mill, and the store is taking

orders from anyone interested in purchasing one of Diana's works.

Linda Manna, a co-owner of Newtown Country Mill, said she was thrilled the

first time she saw one of the completed slates.

"They're breathtaking," she said. Now that the pieces are available for

purchase, Mrs Manna has been witness to some very positive reaction from

visitors to her store.

"The initial reaction is people love them," she said this week. "They just

love them, and they think it's great they're getting a piece of Newtown's

history, plus something beautiful to hang in their home.

"Realtors love them as gifts. I had a realtor who wanted to buy the display

piece, but I couldn't sell it."

Diana recently painted a mural depicting a farm landscape for the new owners

of Newtown Country Mill. It is a charming depiction, with rolling hills, barns

and farm animals filling a full wall of the country shop. It gives the store a

very comfortable feel, and offers customers a look at Diana's painting style

and technique.

"People have been seeing the mural in the store, so now they're calling her to

do murals, too," said Linda Manna.

Orders have already been placed for the slate paintings, even without

customers having the opportunity to see the second, third and fourth available

images. There is a good possibility future slates will incorporate the

flagpole again, along with Edmond Town Hall and Newtown General Store.

Diana's work is very entrancing, and the public is very interested in all

things Newtown. The board of managers at Edmond Town Hall were surprised when

so many requests started coming in for pieces of the slate when the roof

project first began. The town hall will be offering some pieces of slate for

purchase, and Diana has another project in the works to use some of the

smaller pieces she still possesses: bluebird houses that have slate roofs.

"I've already started taking orders on the paintings," Linda Manna said this

week. "We have just one in the store right now, but once more people see and

hear about them, I'm sure they're going to be ordering them like crazy.

"I mean, who wouldn't want them? It's a part of Newtown."