GUILFORD — It was a good summer for John Dimick. His painting “Ice on the Ledge” earned him the Outstanding Vermont Artist award at the Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition.
Dimick's paintings will be on view at the 18th Annual Guilford Holiday Open Studio on Friday, Nov. 17, and Saturday, Nov. 18.
For many area residents, an annual trip to Green River Road marks the beginning of the holiday season. Friends and neighbors, as well as people from afar, mingle and enjoy tasty treats while looking over the myriad beautiful, locally created products.
New to the event, Hanako Jones' Whimsy Soaps will provide a nice olfactory addition to the work of returning craftspeople, farmers, and artists. Jones started making personal care products because she “always loved smells.” She strives to create soap that is “pleasing to the eye, nose, and touch.”
Vicki Houghton makes hand-knotted bead necklaces, a skill she learned years ago while working in a jewelry store. She says everything about the craft delights her - there are so many combinations, shapes, and colors to work with, and her necklaces are completed with a magnetic catch, making them easy to put on and take off.
Susan Rosano is a mosaic artist living in Guilford. She creates one-of-a-kind mosaic pieces using hand-cut stained glass, ceramic tiles, old jewelry, and found objects that are cemented, grouted, and waterproofed. Her pieces are functional and consist of mosaic jewelry, flowerpots, slates, framed mirrors, angels on bricks, and other types of wall pieces.
Dennis Waring is an ethnomusicologist, instrument maker, educator, and performer. He has built traditional and ethnic musical instruments of all types since 1975. Comfortable with all styles of music, Dennis performs throughout the northeast with various music groups. For this year's Holiday Open Studio, Waring will sell and play various instruments including cigar box guitars, folk harps, dulcimers, psalteries, and thumb pianos.
Nancy Detra and Margaret Dale Barrand return with a variety of their handmade puppets featuring recycled materials.
Lois Pancake will debut her 2018 photo calendars.
Once again, Mary Ellen Franklin comes to the sale with maple products from the family farm on Weatherhead Hollow Road. Their sugar house features an energy-efficient, clean-burning system that produces good old-fashioned syrup.
Carol Schnabel, who hosts the event at her Green River Road studio, will have a wide array of handwoven bamboo, rayon, and tencel scarves and shawls. Schnabel recently participated in an exhibit at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters.