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colorful journey
New Hampshire is a small state, but it has seven distinct and engaging regions. Colorful Journey includes an illustration and some history about every town from each region by artist Sue Anne Bottomley. From the smallest settlement to the major cities of Concord, Nashua, Manchester, and Portsmouth, follow along on one artist's endeavor to draw New Hampshire.
Sue Anne Bottomley is a New Hampshire native. Raised in NH and Massachusetts, and an art major at the University of New Hampshire, she left the area after her college graduation to live in Washington state, Maryland, and England. After many years away from home, she returned to live in New London, NH.
With her goal of exploring every corner of the state within two years, she drew all 234 towns on location-with colored pencil, ink and watercolor.
Sue Anne Bottomley is a New Hampshire native. Raised in NH and Massachusetts, and an art major at the University of New Hampshire, she left the area after her college graduation to live in Washington state, Maryland, and England. After many years away from home, she returned to live in New London, NH.
With her goal of exploring every corner of the state within two years, she drew all 234 towns on location-with colored pencil, ink and watercolor.
268 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 5, 2025
Currently reading from the Nashua Public Library . Great Fun.
May 9, 2022
A comprehensive love letter to the state. Amateur in artistic moments of line and shade only in such ways that endear you further to the wonderful whole.
June 30, 2015
When artist Sue Anne Bottomley and her husband retired to New Hampshire, she chose a cleverly artistic way to rediscover her home state; she decided to visit and draw each of New Hampshire’s 234 towns. This book is the result of her two-year travels.
From all of her drawings, Bottomley selected one to represent each town. That drawing might not be the most famous or unusual feature of the town; it was just what caught her fancy. As she says, “I make the rules.” Obviously she is fond of libraries, quaint churches, bell towers, bandstands, and carved eagles. The drawings feature buildings or the natural scenery but rarely contain people; this book is about the towns. They are done in a combination of pencil, ink, watercolor, and colored pencil, and all of them are charming.
Each town gets one page. Its drawing is supplemented by a few comments on the town---the item represented in the drawing, perhaps past names by which the town was known , the town history, its past and present primary industries, etc. Again, the comments seem to reflect whatever caught her fancy. Although the focus of the book is certainly the drawings, the narratives were also fun. For example, The Brick Store in Bath, NH, is the oldest continuously operated general store in the
US., and Daniel Webster led a peace rally against the War of 1812 in Brentwood, NH. I was surprised to learn that several towns are located completely within national forests or parks.
Bottomley’s Colorful Journey obviously was a lot of work, but I’m glad she did it and glad she shared it. I don’t know whether I’ll ever get to the annual Rubber Ducky Race in Auburn, NH, or visit the Always Ready Engine House in Hollis, NH, but I can enjoy these and many other facets of New Hampshire life through her eyes and return to it whenever I want a smile.
From all of her drawings, Bottomley selected one to represent each town. That drawing might not be the most famous or unusual feature of the town; it was just what caught her fancy. As she says, “I make the rules.” Obviously she is fond of libraries, quaint churches, bell towers, bandstands, and carved eagles. The drawings feature buildings or the natural scenery but rarely contain people; this book is about the towns. They are done in a combination of pencil, ink, watercolor, and colored pencil, and all of them are charming.
Each town gets one page. Its drawing is supplemented by a few comments on the town---the item represented in the drawing, perhaps past names by which the town was known , the town history, its past and present primary industries, etc. Again, the comments seem to reflect whatever caught her fancy. Although the focus of the book is certainly the drawings, the narratives were also fun. For example, The Brick Store in Bath, NH, is the oldest continuously operated general store in the
US., and Daniel Webster led a peace rally against the War of 1812 in Brentwood, NH. I was surprised to learn that several towns are located completely within national forests or parks.
Bottomley’s Colorful Journey obviously was a lot of work, but I’m glad she did it and glad she shared it. I don’t know whether I’ll ever get to the annual Rubber Ducky Race in Auburn, NH, or visit the Always Ready Engine House in Hollis, NH, but I can enjoy these and many other facets of New Hampshire life through her eyes and return to it whenever I want a smile.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews