| About the 2007 Trail
Consider beginning your visit at the South Bristol Cultural Center, in Canandaigua, New York. The Center has been with the Trail since its conception 6 years ago. Here you can see and purchase art work at the Susanne Kennedy Gallery and Gift Shop the works of many of the artists on the trail, who are consigners to the Gallery. While visiting the Center be sure to inform yourself with the many activities that SBCC offers from classes in many areas of the arts, music in the barn gatherings, as well as membership opportunities.
New artists to the Trail this year are Karl & Melissa Neubauer. As a husband and wife team, their world of sculpture is each separate and apart. Karl says, " I have an interest in drawing parallels between natural history and the structures and systems developed within each that allows him to attempt to transcend the limitations of existence." Melissa’s sculptures take bits and pieces of form and objects that allows her to create fragments of her memories.
Another form of sculpting is seen through the eyes of newcomer Brent Gillette, a well known nenonist and sign maker. Brent uses neon along with wood, metal paint and gold leaf to produce his finished products.
Glass Blower, Ben Bennett of Blue Heron Glassworks produces Christmas ornaments using 14th Century Venetian techniques. Besides the ornaments, Ben also has an array of perfume bottles, vases and other colorful glass pieces that enhances any glass collection or home décor.
A long time member of the Artists Trail is Stephanie Marshall and her pottery studio. Stephanie’s love of ceramics and Chinese painting bring together exquisite creations as well as functional pottery.
Carol Battle of Falling Waters Studios is one of the original founders of the Trail. Without the efforts of people such as Carol the Trail would not be the experience for all that is has become. Carol’s beautiful studio is located in the Naples Hillsides and has become a true source of her inspirational watercolor paintings. Carol says that nature plays a vital role in the fabric of her daily life as a landscape painter. The cadence and rhythms that occur throughout the changing seasons gives her the gift of inspiration necessary in a painter’s life.
Another of the most beautiful objects of art is the works of glassblowers Kurt Carlson and his wife Lynda Pownall-Carlson of Carlson Glassworks Studios. Together they create through a collaborative effort that consists of contemporary and elegant glass sculptures. While Kurt does the hot sculpting and glass blowing, Lynda adds the detailed designs through sandblasting, than handpainting with enamels and firing. Truly their glass heads, bowls, vases, and all creations are unique and stand apart from all other designs.
If one is looking for true beauty in traditional fine art, or the thrill of some contemporary art, than artist Albie Alliet of Grape Moments Studios is the place to visit. Albie creates beauty of memories and places around the world that intrigue the imagination through the motion and action that each painting brings forth. Albie says that he works with a realistic style that brings an awareness to the many different subjects he paints. From sailing ships of today and yesteryear, seascapes, rustic European Villages and old Lighthouses, he finds that anything which can tell us a story and stir our emotions has become his passion with paint and canvas. He has won many awards throughout the years for individual works of art and Best of Show awards through his years of showing and displaying his work.
John Dodd is a studio furniture designer whose contemporary pieces enhance any residential or commercial interior. John’s objective as a designer is to create furniture that enhances the rituals of everyday life. His work has been exhibited in the Smithsonian Craft Show and the Museum of Art & Design, as well as other national museums and galleries. John’s current body of work entitled "Foyer Greetings", is a series of pieces designed to create a distinctive greeting when entering a home of commercial interior.
Possibly through ones travels they have come across a rather unusual piece of yard art that is colorful and whimsical. If so you may be seeing one of artist Charlie Kingsley’s "wind machines". Charlie was the contractor of his own home and work studio where today he creates his treasures of everything art. Some have said that this talented glass blower and sculptor is like his many creations, and calls him "a real character unto himself". There is basically no piece of equipment, rusted piece of scrap metal, or whatever can be found that Charlie cannot make into something. While visiting Charlie’s studio be sure to allow yourself time to walk the trails of his property where you will treasures of his work.
Rejoining the Trail this year is artist and educator Kit Corti. Kit brings forth an exuberance of art that is seen through her drawings and paintings that abound with color, texture and emotion. Currently working on a series of figurative drawings, exploring communications, Corti’s art pushes the viewer to look beyond the obvious and add their history to the visual story. Her new studio will also house her works going back four decades.
Suzanne Larysz, owner of S&G Imaging, a Graphic Design, rejoins the Trail with a whole new array of her graphic designs and photography that encompasses her trips around the world. Sue has traveled the world from Europe to Africa as she has searched for images and textures that she uses to create her photographic talents and paintings. Her knowledge of the new technologies for digital imaging has helped her create a unique inspiration that she marries with old techniques. Through these processes Sue finds that she has created final pieces of art that she can share with everyone.
Also new to the Trail this year is Professionally trained glass lampworker, Rebecca Congdon. Rebecca creates/captures worlds of colors in soft glass from Murano, Italy. Each piece is handmade, and formed using a torch, and then annealed, cleaned and assembled into my designs. I am never bored with glass. I enjoy the vibrant colors and depth you get with glass. Working with glass gives me immediate satisfaction and training in patience. It is both technical and artistic which satisfies both the left and right side of my brain.
The art of Chinese Papercutting has become a lost art accept for the talents and beauty of this craft by artesian Jo Krajci, of Me and My Shadow Studio. What beauty says Jo one can create with such simple materials such as paper, pencil, scissors, craft knife and glue! Subject matter is all around us, from nature, art, music, poetry, people…the creative possibilities are endless. My traditional style continues to be influenced by everyday observations and events in my life, whether it is a bird song, a poem, a beautiful day shared with a fried or a special celebration.
The 2006 Studio Trail was the first time for ceramic sculptors Paul and Suzanne Frazer of Frazer Studios. Together they have been creating unique ceramics, sculptures and pottery for over twenty years. Their studio showcases a diverse selection of modern, utilitarian forms and classically inspired sculptures.
For the many of our nature lovers and people who truly love the beauty of finely crafted wooden canoes, you need to put the West Hollow Boat Company on their list of studios to visit. Owner Patrick Smith creates his designs from carefully selected trees with each one bringing forth its own special character. Pat approaches each and every boat that he designs and builds as a truly unique piece of art.
Lacey Kotlik’s beautiful home based studio allows Lacey the opportunity to expand upon her creativity of oil painting and wooden print making. Through the use of figures and portraits she finds that her work is greatly influenced by the lights and shadows of the natural world she finds herself surrounded in.
The Studio Trail is ever so proud to have the continued participation of Jeannette Klute of Woodland Studios. Jeannette creates her visions of the natural world through her photographs and paintings. He work has been featured in many publications and a part of permanent collections nationwide. She was a pioneer in the science of her photography for Eastman Kodak Company, where she is best known for perfecting the process of dye transfer to enhance and enrich the vibrancy of color in photographs. Jeannette’s work has been exhibited through the years at the Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Royal Photographic Society in London.
Well known Glass Blower artist Peter Secrest should become a key place to visit while on the Trail. Peter’s creations of hand blown glass are shown in his final creations of vases, vessels, and bowls. His murrini vases are created from decorative cross sections of canes. His fused sculptures are formed through the use of larger murrini. The final result of each piece is spectacular in its clarity, color and beauty that are the signature of Peter’s delicacy.
Bob Fladd of Fladd’s Creative Stone allows everyone the opportunity to watch as Bob demonstrates through the use of stone and wood both figurative sculpture and benches that explore the connection of humanity with the natural world. Bob’s love of nature and the awe of its beauty can also be seen through his unique pastel drawings.
Paul Wilsea along side his wife Carol O’Brien creators of Wilsea O’Brien Glass Studios will set the stage as you watch demonstrations of glass blowing at its finest. Paul and Carol combine blown and cast glass to create classic contemporary bowls, vases and platters. Their work is elegant and refined and reflects architecture using the effects of time and complex colors making each piece a masterpiece within itself.
The Trail would not be complete for anyone without making a visit to Abraham Studios, where artist, educator, award wining artist Darryl Abraham will take you on a tour of his works. Darryl says that through both sculpture and illustration he is able to portray the everyday life of the "unsung heroes" in rural America. Through the use of wood, clay, metal and soil, Darryl is able to add a little humor and compassion to the struggles and joys of just ordinary folk.
These short stories only begin to touch the very tip of the artists work and their backgrounds. You truly must visit them and their studios to find why they are amongst the very best in the country within their own fields of art. To obtain more information on the artists and crafters and to get a map of the Trail, visit our websites at www.southbristolculturalcenter.org or at www.naplesopenstudiotrail.com. You may also call 585-374-6563 or 585-396-5950 to learn more about the Finger Lakes area, places to stay and dine. Make sure that you visit us for this great event that last year brought in hundreds of visitors each day of the Trail during this two day event. |
