Gift of paintings a ‘sweet treat’ for library
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
LIBRARY RECEIVES PAINTINGS — A series of five maple sugaring paintings done by Caribou resident Chester Gage that once were owned by Ray and Sandy Gauvin, of Mapleton, now can be enjoyed by patrons of the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library at 39 Second Street in Presque Isle. The Gauvins recently donated the set so that others could enjoy the series depicting the area’s long tradition of collecting maple syrup. Pictured form left are: Ray and Sandy Gauvin and Librarian Sonja Plummer-Morgan.
PRESQUE ISLE — The Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library recently received a ‘sweet’ gift from Ray and Sandy Gauvin, of Mapleton, in the form of five maple sugaring paintings by local artist Chester Gage, of Caribou.
The Gauvins first got interested in the New England tradition of collecting sap from maple trees nearly three decades ago.
“About 30 years ago, we had a camp on Fish Lake in the North Maine Woods. I got into maple sugaring as a hobby, starting with 20-30 taps,” said Ray Gauvin.
He’d head to camp each spring and while there, go about collecting syrup.
“I went up in April — stay a good time. Friends and family would come up and helped with the process,” he said.
After about 20 years, he decided to move the operation closer to home, selecting property on the State Road for the purpose of tapping maples.
“I built a sugar camp. It’s off-grid — uses solar for power. I was one of the first ones in the area with a solar-powered system — lights, water and the motors to process syrup all use electricity generated from solar panels,” said Ray.
On average, 50-60 taps were put in place each season.
“Back when I was working and putting in long hours, to go to camp for a week was wonderful. It helped me get my bearings after working in the ‘jungle,’” he said.
Ray said when he bought the land, he needed to learn how to manage a woodlot. That’s when the couple first met Gage.
“I brought Chester, a licensed Maine forester, to the lot. He started asking me about maple sugaring. He asked Sandy about doing a series (of paintings) on maple sugaring. That’s how this series about the tradition of maple sugaring, dating back to the Indians, came about,” said Ray.
“Chester did his research, finding out how sugaring started and has progressed through the years. He did much of his research at public libraries,” said Sandy Gauvin.
The Gauvins commissioned Gage to do the oil paintings, with the initial plan being to do one piece a year. In the end, it took about seven years for Gage to complete the five paintings.
“The series was featured in the 2010 spring issue of ‘Our Maine Street,’” said Sandy.
It’s been a few years since the Gauvins last took part in the tradition.
“I haven’t been maple sugaring in four years, due to an accident I had. I can’t be on my feet,” said Ray.
Partly because they’ve stopped gathering syrup and have moved, as well as a desire to share the works with others, the couple decided to donate them to the library.
“We showed Sonja (Plummer-Morgan, librarian). Once the new addition was built, she found a place to put them up,” said Ray.
“We decided to make the donation to the library because we no longer had room in our home and thought they could be enjoyed by others. When we built our new home, we have a lot of sunlight now but not a lot of wall space,” said Sandy.
Sandy said she’s very happy the paintings have a new home.
“I love coming to the floor and seeing them on display. They blend well with the wall colors,” said Sandy.
Plummer-Morgan is grateful to the Gauvins for sharing a piece of local history.
“These are pieces of local art that tell the story of community. They capture a piece of our history,” said Plummer-Morgan.
The response from library visitors has been positive, said the librarian.
“I knew the series would be popular with patrons, I just didn’t know how popular,” said Plummer-Morgan. “I’ve already had requests for reprints.”
To view the paintings, visit the library at 39 Second Street during regular business hours or for more information, call 764-2571.
