After almost 37 years as an administrator in the Vermont departments of Health, Corrections, Banking and Insurance, and the Office of Economic Opportunity, Robert Aiken of Essex Junction is following his boyhood love of drawing and painting full time. And judging by his reception in Vermont galleries, he is good at it.

A sixth generation Vermonter who loves the land and knows it well, Aiken paints landscapes in the northwestern part of the state. "My goal," he says, "is not to reproduce exactly what I see, but my impression of what I see." But his work is not abstract. "I know that I have connected," he says, "when people say, 'I could just walk right into that scene."

"I paint what grabs me," he says, " backlit scenes, vivid colors, places that reflect Vermont, places where my family hunted or fished." He paints at home, not at the scene, drawing from memory or from photographs. He uses acrylic paint and a palette knife, "an unusual technique," says Elizabeth Prior of the Vermont Fine Art Gallery in Stowe.

"With a single swipe," Aiken says, "I can put a tree on a hillside. That impression of a tree is more effective than a mirror image. The specifics of an image are less important than the right light and shadow. My work is like a Betty Crocker cake mix. It's better when you add the egg yourself." Aiken may make a composite of a scene from different photographs, "but I will never succumb to the computer," he says.

"Bob spends a lot of time in the places he paints," says Prior. "They are clearly real places. He is one of my most popular Vermont artists, a highlight of my summer show." Jim Allmon of the Gallery on the Green in Woodstock agrees. "Bob creates his impression of a covered bridge," he says, "and people like to complete the picture for themselves. His work is well received by the public."

Aiken believes that there are two parts to a painting: technical skill and "what comes out of your heart." And technical skill is less important than something intangible that he calls "creativity." "You can be technically good," he says, "but not speak to anyone. What separates the best art from good art is intangible."

Aiken does not remember a time when he wasn't drawing or painting. Although no one in his family was a professional artist, his mother painted. His father painted when he found time during his 27- year career as commissioner of the state Health Department. His younger brother, now living in Colorado, paints also. For all that, Aiken never considered art as a career. After graduating from Dartmouth College, training with the Peace Corps, and serving three years in the U.S.Army, he came home to Vermont and started his long career in state government. But he never stopped drawing and painting. In the 1970's he did sketches of Dartmouth athletes for the College's press guides. This led to contracts to produce sketches for sports program covers for Dartmouth, Yale, and Princeton. He is most proud, he says, of his 300 drawings for the Cornell Hall of Fame.

Now that he no longer works in an office from 9 am to 5 pm, Aiken feels free to paint for one hour or for five. "When you are working, you have to carve out your time," he says. "It's helpful not to have so many distractions. I feel like I have transitioned, not retired."

These days Aiken's paintings are selling for $2500. "If anyone had told me ten years ago that my work would sell for that much, I wouldn't have believed them," he says. He enjoys the money, but he enjoys its meaning more. "The money is a concrete signification that people approve. I'm putting myself out there. If people are willing to pay, it's a validation of myself as an artist. It's not just the money. I live for the applause."

You might see Bob Aiken driving around northwestern Vermont in his red truck – sometimes with his dog, sometimes carrying a kayak. On the door are painted the words "Robert Aiken, Artist." "It's for my own head," he says. "I look at it, and I know who I am."

"Quintessential Vermont: Vermont Life in Landscapes," a show featuring Robert Aiken and other Vermont painters, opening July 14, 5 – 7 pm at the Vermont Fine Art Gallery in Stowe. Contact: Elizabeth Prior, 802-253-9653, vtfineartgallery@aol.com or visit their website.

Barbara Leitenberg writes on senior issues for the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging. This article originally appeared in the Burlington Free Press.