Wayne Thompson - artist and friend of Artistree
Wayne Thompson was a gifted artist and a true friend of Artistree. He was a regular exhibitor in our gallery shows, working in both 2-D and 3-D mediums. He attended Life Drawing sessions and was one of the original members of the Daily Artists. He always had a compliment and an encouraging word for other artists and readily shared his expertise with both kids and adults in the community.
Before Wayne passed in October 2024, he donated much of his remaining artwork to be sold to benefit Artistree's Scholarship Fund. With gratitude, we are hosting an exhibit and sale of Wayne's work in the Lobby Gallery from April 12 - May 24, 2025.
His artwork will be available to purchase by donation. We will suggest "Valued at" prices (where possible), based on Wayne's previous submissions to our exhibits. All proceeds will benefit Artistree, per his request.
Please join us for a reception honoring Wayne and his artwork on April 12 from 3-5 pm.
‘Wayne knew everybody and everybody knew Wayne’
Friends and admirers share memories of Woodstock’s Wayne Thompson
By Tom Ayres, Senior Staff Writer from The Vermont Standard
Dapperly topped with one of his signature hats, often complemented by a linen jacket, dress shirt, bowtie, and sporty slacks, Wayne Thompson was a jaunty presence in his native Woodstock for decades.
“Wayne knew everybody and everybody knew Wayne,” Thompson’s longtime friend and theater collaborator Tom Beck said at the outset of a eulogy he offered at a chockfull memorial service at North Chapel on Nov. 17.
Painter, sculptor, photographer, actor, political activist, philosopher, raconteur, and friend to all, Wayne Thompson passed away at Mertens House in Woodstock on Oct. 28. A 1959 graduate of Woodstock Union High School, where he finished at the top of his class, Thompson was 83 years young when he died.
Wayne wore many hats, both literally and figuratively, as his obituary noted. He touched countless lives with his talent, humanity, gentle spirit, philosophical asides, and tenderly offered advice, often given over a toast with a cocktail at weekly gatherings at Bentley’s or the Public House or a casual breakfast at one of his favorite haunts, the Mon Vert Café in Woodstock Village.
Scores of mourners packed the fabled North Chapel for Wayne’s remembrance service on a joyous, memory-laden Sunday afternoon earlier this month. Eulogists spoke with reverence and abiding emotion about their longtime friend, while others added their musical talents to the memorial mix. Over the course of last weekend, some of Wayne’s most beloved friends and admirers expanded on the accolades they shared that Sunday, providing more insights into the life and times of a quiet, debonaire, thoughtful, self-effacing, and immensely kind man of enormous, if often unsung, artistic talent.
“I had a deep and immediate friendship with Wayne, based initially on our shared passion for art and design,” Woodstock-based landscape architect and visual artist Jack Rossi recalled. “Known or unbeknownst to Wayne, beyond our friendship, he was my spiritual teacher,” Rossi said. “He taught me to slow down and savor the moment. He once told me, ‘I don’t rush’ — exemplified by his casual daily stroll from Mellishwood to Mon Vert,” Rossi, who befriended Wayne about 15 years ago, continued. “Wayne was a bit of a philosophical Stoic. He understood there were things in life we have no control over, but with the things that we do have control over, we could change the world and make our community a little better. He was always in the here and now. You always felt attended to in his presence and I never met a better listener.”
At left, Wayne Thompson is shown at the time of his graduation from Woodstock Union High School in 1959. Right, A young Bill Stetson captured this photo of his honorary “Big Brother” and River Street neighbor Wayne Thompson atop his “ancient Raleigh bicycle” in 1972. Photos Courtesy of Bill Stetson and the Wayne Thompson Estate
Bill Stetson was a teenager when he and his family lived on River Street in Woodstock in the 1970s. Wayne and his former wife Barbara lived next door to the Stetsons and Bill and his older, wise neighbor nurtured what was to become an abiding friendship of some 60 years’ duration.
“He was a kind of big brother — a curious artist, a person with a twinkle, an ever-present smile, an ancient Raleigh bike with a basket full of stuff, an ancient and lovable ‘60s VW Bug, always carrying.... read the full article here >>
Wayne Thompson was a staunch political activist and community servant throughout his adult life. Thompson and his friend Bill Stetson fostered a revitalization of the Democratic Party in Woodstock and Windsor County in the late 1970s.
Courtesy of the Wayne Thompson Estate
“It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind when you go.”
Click here to see the original article in The Vermont Standard
Wayne Merton Thompson
September 25, 1941 - October 28, 2024
Join us for a Special Exhibit Reception to honor the artwork of Wayne Thompson on April 12th!