About

Galen Edward Bigelow was born in Cheever, New York on August 3, 1929 and died in Westport, New York on October 8, 2018.  The second son of Theodore Roosevelt Bigalow, of Bigalow Hill, Westport New York and Lillian Smith Bigelow, of Sullivan Township, Pennsylvania.  Formerly a school teacher and orthographer Lillian pressed Ted to change the surname spelling to Bigelow, arguing that the Bigalow spelling was “ignorant”*.

After two years at Canton Agricultural College, Galen married Rosemary O’Brien of Mineville, New York in March of 1952 shortly before being drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War.  Popular in the service because of his sign painting and illustrative abilities he quickly rose to the rank of Corporal.  After basic training he was offered to choose service in either Korea or Iceland.  Word was that the fishing was better in Iceland where he spent the remainder of his active military service.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Galen and Rosemary spent most of their life in the Adirondack Mountain region never living far from where they were born.  In fact, Galen passed away less than three miles from his birthplace on Route 9N alongside Lake Champlain.  They brought up three sons, who upon reaching adulthood scattered South along the Atlantic seaboard.  And try as they did over the years, the sons were never able to convince their parents to leave the Adirondacks for the warmth of the South.

Over those years Galen taught himself how to paint.  Especially in oils.  And especially during the cold winter months.  Subject matter varied from the landscapes that surrounded him, the family farm and later, the bulb flowers he dutifully tended and grew alongside their modest home on an acre-sized plot.  A display so colorful and large that for many years it could be easily seen from Vermont on the other side of the lake.

The paintings shown on this memorial site are a small sample of the number of canvases he completed.  Almost 1,500 altogether by his count.  Many were sold at North Country Arts and Crafts Fairs, and many more given to family, friends and neighbors.  He also received commissions from summer home owners in the area who became familiar with him through regional craft fairs or had stopped by to admire his massive patch of gladiolus and lilies.

Galen documented, photographed and cataloged all his work.  He also made his own stretcher bars, stretched canvas and built custom-made frames for many of his paintings from the boards of the dilapidated barns that dotted the two hundred year old Bigalow farm.  If one is lucky enough to have one of these, you will note the unique picture hanging device on the back of the frame.  A beer can ring-tab.  These aluminum rings were a popular opening device on beer starting in 1965, to be replaced by pop-tabs in the early 1980s.  The ring-tabs unto themselves qualify as a historic artifact.  The paintings speak for themselves.

1. *Early historical and genealogical records contain at least the following fourteen ways of spelling Bigelow: Bigelow, Biggelow, Bigelo, Bigalow, Biglow, Bigglow, Biggilo, Biglo, Bigulah, Bigullah, Biggalough, Biggullough and Begaloo.