Verne L. Thayer, son of Milford artist Elton V. Thayer (1907-1975), was born in Somerville, MA in 1951, and spent much of his early youth growing up on a three-hundred-acre farm in Readsboro, VT, until he came to Milford in 1959.
During these years of relative seclusion, Verne developed a passion for nature which, thanks to his father’s inspiration, he learned to represent on canvas when he acquired his father’s paintbox in 1974. Since then, he has completed many works in oil, principally landscapes, of the New England countryside and of New South Wales, Australia, where he lived from 1975 – 1983. Thus his works are displayed in homes located on two continents.
Along with a love of nature and skill with the paintbrush, Verne acquired from his father a keen, discerning eye; and he sees artistic value not only in the pastoral and the picturesque but also in the prosaic: an old tree stump, for example, can offer as much beauty as a breathtaking sunset. In addition to his father’s art, from which he continues to draw inspiration, he is influenced by the works of Earl Daniels, George Cherepov, John Constable, and those of the Hudson River School.
Verne has been the feature artist at the Milford Library Ateliers and at the Milford Cable TV station. His work has been displayed at many gallery shows in the local area and was featured in the art magazine Mused. The Thayer Family Association has used many images of Verne’s paintings for promotional material, and one of his painting is featured on the association’s website.
Verne is a member of the Blackstone Valley Art Association, the Milford Library Ateliers, and the Framingham Artists’ Guild.