Davison Bolster did his first painting of a sailboat, his mother told him, when he was just two years old. He knew he wanted to be an artist from the time he was in kindergarten.

At nine years old, he inherited a set of pastels following the death of his grandfather — the man who had first inspired him while watching him paint at their duplex in Barrington in the early 60s.

Although he wasn’t particularly interested in the medium at the time, something inside him must have told him to cherish those dusty boxes of colorful, chalky sticks.

He had no idea, at the time, what lengths his grandfather took to secure them.

From France, with love
Gilbert Davison Johnson was was born in 1890, north of Chicago in a village called Glencoe, which sits on Lake Michigan. While he had dreams of studying painting in Paris, his father steered him towards engineering instead.

Johnson would get his chance to go to France after all, just not in the way he had imagined. He served in the United States Army as a Lieutenant with the 15th Field Artillery, 2nd Division. He joined in 1917, and fought in France until the war ended in 1919.

While stationed in Vannes, near the northwestern horn of France, Johnson somehow made his way 300 miles southeast to a specialty pastel company that was founded in 1780 and remains in business to this day.

“This was before paved roads,” Bolster recalled. “I have no idea how he got there.”

He bought boxes of them in all arrays of colors, and Bolster reckons he must have brought them home in his Army-issued footlocker after the war ended, because there was no cross-continental airplane travel in 1919.

The earliest painting known to be created by Johnson is from 1927, and depicts a rural, tranquil scene of a silhouetted church among a serene forest alongside a body of water. Bolster figures this scene is from a memory of a French village.

When Johnson passed in 1967, the story of the pastels could have ended with him, but thankfully for lovers of art and a good story, it didn’t.

One hundred and some odd years later…
Davison carried those pastels with him through more than 50 years of life — moving around through wet and humid climates, and snow-laden winters in Maine. So long as you didn’t get them wet, he says, they can last almost indefinitely.

Bolster would go on to achieve everything an artist can dream of — opening his own gallery, gathering numerous accolades from the art community, recognition and respect among his peers.

But it was sheer chance (or maybe fate) that reignited his interest in his grandfather’s pastels. He was asked to take over creating artful scenes for one of the decorative chalkboards on display at the Coffee Depot. The reception to his monthly works was immediate, and resounding. He wondered, if he could do this with simple chalk, what could he do with high-quality, authentic French pastels?

Bolster set off reading his grandfather’s art books, and watched over 60 YouTube videos on how to master the form. Since January of 2022 he has completed 40 pastel paintings — 20 of which now hang on display at The Coffee Depot as part of an exhibit titled “Our Beautiful World”.

The paintings are heavily inspired by his grandfather’s work, depicting beautiful and peaceful scenes of nature. While his grandfather chose to evoke a more impressionist style, Bolster references professional photography to create more photo-realistic, vibrant pieces.

It’s the same inspiration, the same feeling, and the same tool of the trade — now residing proudly in Warren after over a century since their purchase and thousands of miles traveled.

“It’s never too late for anything,” Bolster said. “If you dig down deep, you might discover something about yourself you never knew. Never stop pushing the boundaries.”

Bolster’s display will be up at the Depot for the entire month of November, with some pieces already sold and others for sale. Except his grandfather’s original.

Some things, you just can’t put a price on.