By Nance Ebert, Contributing Writer

After studying Frank Vining Smith, Abbe painted this ship which is a study of his work. Photo/Nance Ebert
Marlborough – Abbe Gould is in 10th grade at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, but her artistic abilities go well beyond her years. She has currently completed 37 paintings and has seven of her works hanging on the walls of Jake’s Restaurant and Coffee Shop in Marlborough.
At the age of 9, Abbe took her first art class at the Gallery in the Pines in Hudson. The owner of the gallery, Tracy Wesinger, is a friend of Abbe’s mother, Lisa. Abbe’s week-long summer camp program resulted in her first completed painting. She has been taking classes there ever since and spends an hour and a half every Monday honing her craft and studying the master painters while working on completing a canvas. She participates in all five of the gallery’s eight-week sessions.
“I have worked with oils and pastels, but I mostly work with oils,” Abbe said. “I love being able to sit down and concentrate on what I am working on. I find it very therapeutic and just love everything about it. I particularly like working with a lot of cool colors like blues and purples that are found in the Norman Rockwell paintings. I also enjoy painting birds, animals and flowers.”
“When she was little, I realized she was pretty creative, so any time there was an art class being offered, I would take her. My husband and I have no idea where she gets her artistic ability from, but we do know that it is not from us,” Lisa joked.
At the Gallery in the Pines, the students follow a curriculum and study the greats and their techniques, including Claude Monet, Norman Rockwell, Ray Ellis and Frank Vining Smith. They also study people, landscapes, seascapes, animals, rocks and more.
“Learning about these great artists truly helps me to be a better painter. After I studied Frank Vining Smith, I painted this ship which was a study of his work,” Abbe said.
“A personal favorite of mine is one of Abbe’s paintings that she did for her Nana and Opa. It was a painting of an old cottage and it came out amazing. We all love it, “ Lisa said.
Each of Abbe’s completed paintings are numbered and titled for competitions. She participated in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards; she won two gold awards in seventh grade and a silver in eighth grade. The ceremony was held at the Museum of Fine Arts and those who won awards had their artwork displayed at Boston University’s Art Museum.
Five years from now, Abbe can see herself in college and working in or owning a beauty salon. She is currently studying cosmetology at Assabet Valley and loves makeup. She can also picture herself doing some kind of art therapy.
“I think I have a little while to decide. I just havn’t figured it out yet,” she said.
“She is so talented and I am really proud of her. I’d like to see her stick with it,” said her father, Paul.