The Vermont Craft Council's annual Spring Open Studio Weekend takes place this weekend, May 26 and 27.
Participating studios will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, with many sites offering demonstrations as well as the opportunity to purchase art and talk to the professional artists who made it.
During the month of May, visitors to the Vermont Welcome Center on Interstate 91 northbound in Guilford, can preview samples of works from several studios on the tour.
Visitors can find their way to studios by following the bright yellow signs or by using Vermont Studio Tour Guide Maps. These are available free online at www.vermontcrafts.com and at the Mount Snow Chamber of Commerce and area businesses.
Brattleboro area
Here is the complete lineup of tour stops in the Brattleboro area, listed according to their site numbers on the statewide tour. The studios marked with an asterisk are those of Brattleboro-West Arts members.
*93. Applewoods Woodworking Studio and Gallery, David and Michelle Holzapfel: 2802 Rt. 9, Marlboro. (holzapfelwoodworking.com)
*94. Matthew Tell Pottery: Potters Hill Road, Marlboro. (matthewtellpottery.com)
*95. Chris Lann Designs silver jewelry: 1420 Sunset Lake Rd., Brattleboro. (chrislanndesigns.com)
*96. Greg Moschetti, landscapes in oil paint: 623 Kelly Rd., Dummerston. (gregmoschettipainter.com)
*97. Orchard Street Pottery, Walter Slowinski: 658 Orchard St., Brattleboro. (walterslowinskipottery.weebly.com)
*98. Lesley Heathcote, pastels of animals and nature: 32 Larkin St., Brattleboro. (lesleyheathcote.com)
99. Vermont Mosaics and Waring Music, mosaic art, jewelry and folk instruments by Susan Rosano and Dennis Waring: 82 Country Drive, Guilford. (vermontmosaics.com and http://waringmusic.com/)
*100. Jason Breen Fine and Custom Woodworking: 1197 Bonnyvale Rd., Brattleboro. (jasonebreen.com)
101. Vitriesse Glass Studio, Lucy Bergamini: 122 Birge St. #21, Brattleboro. (vitriesse.com)
102. Vermont Artisan Designs (Tour information center): 106 Main St., Brattleboro. (vtart.com)
103. Colorquilts, dyed fabric, quilts, and wooden jigsaw puzzles by Carlene Raper: 62 Spruce St., Brattleboro. (colorquilts.com)
For profiles of participating artists, as well as links to interactive maps and other resources to help enjoy the weekend around Brattleboro, visit www.brattleboro-west-arts.com/osw. For a complete list and maps of tour stops statewide, visit www.vermontcrafts.com.
Deerfield Valley
In the Deerfield Valley region, artists in the following galleries/studios in Wilmington, Whitingham, and Readsboro will welcome the public to their studios. Tour maps are available at he Mount Snow Chamber of Commerce and area businesses:
• Studio #88 Readsboro Glassworks: Mary Angus and K. William LeQuier of Readsboro Glassworks have been creating hand blown glass and glass sculpture in their Readsboro studio since 1983. Their glass is exhibited in many galleries and juried shows nationwide and is included in numerous museum and private collections.
On display during Open Studio Weekend will be carved glass sculptures by LeQuier and Angus's hand blown and sandblast-carved perfume bottles, as well as the unique glass candy cane and icicle ornaments that the couple create together. Glassblowing demonstrations will be ongoing throughout the weekend.
Readsboro Glassworks is located at 6954 Main St. (lower level), Readsboro, Vermont. 802-423-7706, [email protected], www.maryangusglass.com and www.kwilliamlequier.com.
• Studio #89: Bill Matuszeski and Mary Procter. The Vermont studio of husband and wife painters Bill Matuszeski and Mary Procter is in their second home, called Witch Hobble, in Whitingham. They spend much of their time creating plein air paintings of the ponds and lakes, the barns and woods of Windham County.
Both Procter and Matuszeski work in acrylic paint on canvas. They also create small watercolors while on painting trips in Greece, Spain, Italy, and Eastern Europe. Procter's and Matuszeski's acrylic paintings have been selected for juried shows from Washington, D.C., to New England. Their address is 488 Faulkner Rd.
• Studio #90, Jen Violette: Violette creates unique glass sculptures and landscape paintings that often include Vermont barns. She has been a full-time artist since 1996, and has been working with molten glass for the past 27 years. She is known for her colorful, garden-inspired glass sculptures which often incorporate metal and wood.
Violette received her BFA with Honors from Alfred University in 1994. Her work is shown in a number of fine art galleries across the country. Locally, her work can be found at Gallery Wright in Wilmington, Epoch Gallery in Manchester, and 'Davallia Gallery' in Chester. Violette's studio is at 12 New England Power Rd., Wilmington. 802-464-5206. www.jenviolette.com.
• Studio #91, Eric Sprenger. Fine Woodwork Eric has been creating original, contemporary furniture and furnishings for over 30 years. These uniquely sculpted pieces have been exhibited in galleries nationally and internationally. Eric will demonstrate and display his work in his studio at 72 Castle Hill Road in Wilmington. www.ericsprenger.com.
• Studio #92, Vermont Pressed Flowers, Ellie Roden's pressed flower creations, including original framed pieces, cards, prints, and bookmarks, feature the flowers of southern Vermont. Her pressed flower art has been exhibited at shows and in galleries throughout New England and has been featured in national publications.
Ellie will demonstrate microwave flower pressing and share tips for creating with pressed flowers in her home studio at 32 Ray Hill Road in Wilmington. 802-464-5265. www.vtpressedflowers.com.
•Studio #92 Dalan Wells is an award-winning plein air oil painter who has just moved to Vermont from California. Dalan will exhibit his work outdoors in front of Ellie Roden's Studio at 32 Ray Hill Rd. Weather permitting, there will be ongoing painting demonstrations all day. More paintings and information at www.DalanWells.com.
Bellows Falls area
Rockingham Arts and Museum Project founding director Robert McBride says he and other participating artists, including Phyllis Rosser and Chris Sherwin of Bellows Falls; Clare Adams and Jeanette Staley of Saxtons River; and Ailyn Hoey and Mark Goodenough of Rockingham are participating in the Open Studio Weekend.
The work of these artists will be on display through June 4 at the Flat Iron Building, 51 The Square, Bellows Falls. Project Space 9 Gallery at 9 Canal Street in the Exner Block (circa 1905), and the Canal Street Art Gallery, 23 Canal St., will both be open.
The Flat Iron is the designated information center for the weekend, offering brochures including maps and listings of local eateries and businesses. Yellow balloons and placards will indicate arts venues open to the public.
The Flat Iron also is wheelchair accessible. Call 802-460-0357 to make arrangements. There is plenty of all-day parking at the Amtrak train station, near the oldest chartered canal in the U.S. (1792), just two blocks from the downtown square.
West River, Connecticut River valleys
Several artists in both river valleys will participate in the Open Studio Tour, welcoming visitors to see demonstrations and sample home-baked refreshments.
• Caryn King, animal painter, 16 Miller Lane, South Newfane. Visit a painter's studio full of animals. Painted from local animals, the paintings range from 4 inches to life-size.
• Glass-blowing demonstrations will be ongoing at Robert DuGrenier Glass Art Gallery at 1096 VT Route 30 in Townshend.
• Kim Eng Yeo, watercolor painter, 628 Peaked Mountain Rd., Townshend. Yeo says her watercolors “are journeys of visual discovery.”
• Darlene Eisenhuth, RUST, recycled art, 911 Dover Rd., South Newfane. Working with both wood and metal, Eisenhuth turns rusted and weathered salvaged items into fun and functional pieces for the home and garden.
• Ahren Ahrenholtz, Partridge Road Pottery, 228 Partridge Rd., Dummerston. Maker of wood-fired stoneware pottery.
• Alchemy Arte, Fiona Morehouse. 659 West Hill Rd., Putney. Maker of unique, hand-built, wheel-thrown pottery.