When neighbors tore the tin roof off their home, Debra Monteith seized the opportunity. The Morristown artist claimed the tin for her latest project, fashioned angel wings and mounted them on a piece of driftwood. She affixed some red hair and dubbed the sculpture “Florence of the St. Lawrence,’’ in honor of her late grandmother.
That spontaneity is how she often decides her next project.
“It all depends,’’ said the 68-year-old grandmother of seven, who paints, sculpts and makes jewelry. “I have ideas that come to me, and I think about the mechanics of them. I’ve used copper roofing, and I use a lot of recycled stuff, and driftwood, too.’’
Monteith has built a reputation as a skilled North Country artisan with her work on display at the 1000 Islands Artisans & Delicacies in Clayton, and before that at Michael Ringer’s galleries. You’ll find her creations on Etsy, Instagram and Pinterest, and she is considering re-opening a website.
She probably is best known for her jewelry – earrings, pendants, rings and charms made mostly from metals infused with vivid colors.
“As far as jewelry goes, whatever pops into my head, I pursue. I use recycled copper, recycled aluminum, driftwood and resin, anything that comes my way, I’ll use. I think, ‘What can I do with that?’ Then I go with it.’’
Her current project involves cutting old vinyl records into earrings. She also has gravitated toward painting panes of glass, etching the surfaces, infusing color and making prints.
When she hunkers down in her studio and garage on Gouverneur Street, is she a sculptor, jeweler or painter?
“How about all of the above?’’ Monteith answered.
She took a circuitous route to reach the riverside village.
Born and raised in Montreal, she spent summers with her grandparents in Rockport, Ontario, across the St. Lawrence River from Alexandria Bay. That’s where she developed her love for the region.
Her great-grandfather painted scenes on carriages for the Brockville Carriage Company and dabbled in calligraphy. Her grandfather, a stained-glass artist, also worked in carving and cabinetmaking. These family traditions instilled a love of art.
She married a resource conservation officer, whose work led them to the wilds of the Northwest Territories at Nahanni National Park Reserve. The Nahanni River begins in the Mackenzie Mountains and cuts through the Selwyn Mountains, plunging 300 feet over Virginia Falls. The entire scene resembles the box of a 1,000-piece jigsaw, but in truth it was untamed and remote.
The winter temperature could reach 65-below (Fahrenheit) and the closest village was Fort Simpson (population 1,100) at 200 air miles away.
“There was no running water in our cabin, there were grizzly bears and wildlife, we took mountain climbing and emergency rescue classes along with rifle training,’’ Monteith recalled. Eventually, when mudslides threatened their location, she and her husband were evacuated. She left with sketchbooks filled with scenes of wildlife, landscapes and the Virginia Falls.
“Nahanni,’’ she paused, “I suggest people do that. Go to the middle of nowhere. You become so humble and you feel so small. I think everybody needs that.’’
Her husband was reassigned to the southernmost location in Canada, Point Pelee National Park in Leamington, Ontario, a destination for thousands of Monarch butterflies. Monteith filed that experience as another influence on her art.
Their next stop was Newfoundland, where they lived in Terra Nova near the island’s Atlantic side before settling into Rocky Harbor on the island’s western coast, along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Monteith was shopping in a town called Corner Brook when she ran into a prominent Newfoundland painter, Helen Byrne.
They didn’t simply cross paths; Monteith was strolling her infant daughter, Kristin Nahanni Clark, when she collided with Byrne. Over a cup of coffee, Monteith convinced Byrne to give her painting lessons.
The coastal scenes were picturesque. Whitecaps tossed on the gulf. But the wind was relentless. Monteith figured in her four years there, she wore shortsleeves twice.
By 1997, Monteith, now divorced, was back along the St. Lawrence, where her sister lived in Kingston and her brother on the opposite side of the river from Morristown.
How does one transition from the breathtaking vistas of Nahanni to the rolling waves and sunsets along Lake Erie to the rugged coast and lighthouses of Newfoundland, then back to Morristown, population 400 with no stoplights?
“It was a man,’’ she laughed. She met her husband, Edward Ayers, in Alexandria Bay and they settled in Morristown, working together to pursue their art.
Soon, she was teaching an art class at the Morristown library when she was asked to support special education classes in Ogdensburg as a teaching assistant. She has published a poetry book, “Sounds from My Heart,’’ and her next writing project will be an autobiography.
For now, she is working toward an art show from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 30 at Sally Port View at Three Mile Bay, near Chaumont.
“I think you have to follow your passion.’’ Monteith said. “You need to find something. I know I’m pretty sure I’m ADD. People tell me that anyway. But when I paint or when I write, my mind is there. Totally 150 percent. It takes you away from any turmoil in your life. I think everyone needs that. To find your passion is the key.’’
Morristown native Jim Holleran is a retired teacher and sports editor from Rochester. Reach him at jimholleran29@gmail.com or view past columns under “Reflections of River Rat’’ at https://hollerangetsitwrite.com/blog/
Holleran Gets It Write 
DUDE!!! interesting article, as always, but how the hell did you not include a pic of “Florence of the St. Lawrence”. That’s like doing an article on basketball hackers and not including a picture of Caddy!!
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