Ballou Family History: Introducing "Gam"

Our mantra, "with love and care," runs deep in our family history. In the case of my beloved grandmother, Lora Eberly Ballou, or "Gam" as we affectionately called her, this commitment spanned an extraordinary 106 years.

Lora Eberly Ballou was a unique woman who was, at one and the same time, both of her time and ahead of her time; on the one hand, comfortable with her "traditional" life but always creating room for her "aspirational" life. She lived during a time of enormous change in this country. In her youth, the last quarter of the 1800s, she lived in an agrarian society in Ohio where the seasons were distinct, the phasing of the moon lit the night skies, and the horse and buggy was the primary mode of transportation. By the time she died in, 1976, she had witnessed—on a television screen, from the suburbs of New York City—the landing of a man on the moon.

For almost all of my life I thought of my grandmother as an extraordinary, quiet, little woman who over a very long life had witnessed an incredible variety of historical events, traveled practically everywhere in this world, and lived in a grand house that provided my brother and me with endless memories of youthful experiences and adventures. We were aware of her painting, but it was not central to our family life, and visits to her home were more or less "structured" events where being on your best behavior was the order of the day.

I do remember when I was around nine or ten, wandering into her 3rd-floor studio on a weekend sleepover as she was struggling with a new technique of pallet knife paint application. Rather than continue to labor in frustration she decided to set her work aside and engage me in helping her with a rather laborious clean-up activity. Mostly she painted out of family view, and this activity was never a primary conversation topic. Her finished art was often given away to friends and family, or donated to the local hospital; thus we never saw it as an entire collection. However, as time passed and homes were sold, my late wife Pat and I made the effort to collect, store, and maintain the Lora Ballou art along with other objects of family history, much revolving around our Vermont history.

Gam primarily painted in her studio, so the effort of traveling back to the Vermont Ballou family countryside, home of my great grandfather's birthplace, without her husband, underscores the significance of her artistic pursuits. As I began to collect her dispersed artwork and rediscovered scenes she painted of Wilmington, I realized the profound connection between her art and the Vermont roots of our family.

Gam's legacy continues to inspire us, and we honor her memory by sharing her art and values with the world. With each Classic Collection, as a token of our appreciation, you'll receive a keepsake notecard with a true Lora Eberly Ballou print perfect for treasuring, displaying or sharing the gift of the written word with those you love. 

With love & care, 

- Bob