On Wednesday, July 12, Victoria Browning Wyeth, granddaughter of famous artist Andrew Wyeth, arrived at the Opera House to deliver her lecture, “I Paint My Life.” Wyeth’s wit while interweaving her grandfather’s techniques, her favorite works, and personal family stories often got laughs from the audience of about 200, but Wyeth had started out her own day in tears. 

July 12 is her grandfather’s birthday, and she did not know if she would be able to lecture without getting emotional. However, she was encouraged by the words of her boyfriend.

“He said, ‘I think the best way you could possibly honor your grandfather is with people who absolutely love his work,’” Wyeth recalled. “And if you don't love his work, don’t tell me,” she added, smiling and drawing attendees’ laughter.

While Andrew Wyeth worked in several mediums, most of his well-known pieces were done with egg tempura and dry brush techniques. Egg tempura involves mixing egg yolks – he always used white eggs, never brown – distilled water, and ground color pigment. This mixture and minuscule paint brushes allowed Andrew to achieve finite detail in his subject’s hair, eyebrows and clothing. His granddaughter’s slideshow included close-up shots to highlight these intricacies, from barely noticeable wall cracks, to tiny flowers on hat strings, which often drew gasps of appreciation from the audience. 

She also discussed the iconic Olson House in Cushing, featured in many of Andrew’s works, including “Christina’s World” (1948), which hangs in the Museum of Modern Art. Andrew was inspired by how Ann Christina Olson, who was diagnosed with a degenerative muscular disorder and refused a wheelchair, would transport herself around the property. Olson and her brother Alvaro became close friends of Andrew’s. “His paintings are not just about the images he is documenting. They are about his lifelong friendships with people and his fascination with the world around him. It is my goal in life to communicate this to the world,” wrote Wyeth in an email.

Wyeth began lecturing on her grandfather’s works when she was a teenager as a docent for Farnsworth Art Museum’s Andrew Wyeth Collection. This is when she started gathering guest questions and posing them to her grandfather in a series of interviews. 

“I was really taken aback by how much misinformation there was about his technique, who the people in the paintings were, etc. I read countless articles where people went into the symbolic meaning behind his paintings. This drove me absolutely nuts because it is the exact opposite of what he told me to discuss,” wrote Wyeth.“I never realized, as a young girl, that I would be traveling the world lecturing on his work. That still surprises me but energizes me at the same time.”

Attendees Tom Hanley and his wife Kathy are avid fans of Andrew Wyeth’s. In addition to owning several books on him, the pair have visited Brandywine Museum of Arts in Wyeth’s hometown of Chadds Forth, Pennsylvania which houses work from multiple Wyeth family members. The Hanleys visit the Boothbay Region every July and always try to attend multiple shows at the Opera House. “It’s terrific. It's part of our enjoyment in coming to Maine that we don't have to leave art and culture behind just for the beautiful nature,” said Tom.

In addition to his artistic abilities, Wyeth also impressed upon the audience what a warm, loving person her grandfather was. She explained the profound impact he and his subjects – his friends – had on each other. “No matter how famous he was, he was just like everybody else at the end of the day. He was just like you. He just had this really neat talent.”

Wyeth ended the event by bringing her father, Nicholas Wyeth, on stage and leading the audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to her grandfather.