Maine artist Carlton Plummer passed away in 2020, but his spirit lives on through Pine Tree Society’s holiday cards. His painting “Christmas Village” was selected from the archive as the design for this year’s card.
Plummer was born in Brunswick and spent his childhood on his grandparents’ farm just outside of Augusta before attending art school in Boston, where he met his wife Joan.
At 20 years old, his first illustration appeared in the Boston Sunday Globe. He then served as a combat artist during the Vietnam War before going on to become a full time painter and professor of art.
He went on to teach for 55 years, 20 of those as a full professor of art at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He loved to teach and taught more than 10,000 students.
His watercolor scene for the 2023 Pine Tree Society holiday card “Christmas Village” brings us a captivating painting featuring the Maine tradition of finding and bringing home the perfect tree. This snowy scene features a picturesque, coastal fishing village. Wooden boats and a church steeple dot the horizon as two boys pull a freshly cut Christmas tree towards home.
Plummer received over 200 awards for his paintings, including from the prestigious American Watercolor Society and Allied American Artists. His holiday card artwork for Pine Tree Society has helped raise more than $3 million dollars to support Maine people with disabilities.
Pine Tree Society holiday cards can be ordered online at this link, by calling 207-443-3341 or visiting 149 Front Street in Bath.