Bridge Street and the locale surrounding the Waitsfield covered bridge are the focus of the art community on Saturday, July 10 as artists and art aficionados gather to celebrate PAINTING THE GREAT OUTDOORS. The first plein-aire paint-out to be held in the Mad River Valley is one of the premier events of the Festival of the Great Outdoors.

A paint-out is a great opportunity to observe various artists at work on location and to purchase an original piece of art. Artists begin painting in areas surrounding the Waitsfield covered bridge at 9:00 on Saturday morning and continue painting throughout the day. A map to the artists’ locations is posted on the porch of the Bridge Street Emporium and Gallery where a showing and sale of the completed paintings takes place at 3:00 in the afternoon. The paint-out is open to all artists and mediums. Simply show up and register your painting location on the map.

The paint-out is hosted by Candy Barr and Gary Eckhart and is co sponsored by Moosewalk Studios and The Bridge Street Emporium and Gallery.  Painting takes place from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday, July 10 with a rain date of Saturday, July 17.

The entire mad River Valley is gearing up for the annual Warren 4th of July Parade – a parade unlike any parade anywhere! This is an event that has to be seen to be believed. Tiny little old Warren, barely a half mile long and with less than a thousand people opens its streets and walkways to more than 10,000 visitors to watch the politics, funk and art that is called a parade.

The Vermont Festival of the Arts (of which Moosewalk is a huge part) will be participating again this year with a float promoting the upcoming 2010 Lucky 13th Festival. In fact, the float is being built in our garage and will be moved into parade position about 7:00 am on the morning of the 4th. We always get there early so we can be first in line since the parade lineup is first-come-first in line. That way we get to watch all the fun of the remainder of the parade. Yeah! And fun it is!

The parade stats at 10:00 am or thereabouts – it depends on when they can get the cannon to fire. Get there early and plan on a walk to get into town. There are parking lots at Sugarbush and other locations along the highway where you can get busses into town, but, whatever you do, don’t plan on parking in town – vehicles are a no-no after 8:30 am

The parade usually last about 1 1/2 hours and then the party begins with dancing on the street in front of the Warren Store.

Will Moosewalk Studios and Gallery be open for business on the 4th of July – get serious! Miss the parade? No way!

The Mad River Valley welcomes Bridge Street Boutique to the list of outstanding galleries and studios scattered throughout the Valley. Ten artists and crafts people are bringing together their talent and energy to open this unusual and exciting gallery. Fine art, jewelry, antiques, one of a kind gifts and hand crafted furniture are all very creatively displayed. Gary and Roarke from here at Moosewalk are two of the ten artists. Gary is showing new, original works as well as some of his more popular, framed giclees. Roarke has selected some of his finer silver gelatin prints and printed three new, large format images specifically for the opening.

Bridge Street Boutique, along with The Artisans’ Gallery, is located in one of the older buildings adjacent to the 1833 covered bridge on historic Bridge Street in Waitsfield, Vermont. Two outstanding restaurants, numerous fine shops and several galleries are within walking distance. Hours for the gallery are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.

THE OXBOW - a new pastel painting by Marilyn Ruseckas

The Mad River Valley here in Vermont is blessed with the talents of numerous fine artists and craters – a few are worthy of national recognition. Marilyn Ruseckas, pastel artist of Warren, has earned such recognition. OUT OF THE ORDINARY, LANDSCAPES IN PASTEL is a new, one person showing of her work and is well worth going out of one’s way to see. The pastel works of Marilyn are best described as Modern Realism. Her work emphasizes expressive gesture and bold color relationships using landscape as design.

The Tea Store and Artisans’ Gallery on Bridge Street in Historic Waitsfield, Vermont are hosting the show beginning Saturday, October 3 and running through Sunday, November 1 during their regular business hours. A reception for the artist will be held on Saturday, October 3 from 5-7 pm. 802.496.6256 or www.vtartisansgallery.com for more information

A festive time at the Mad River Valley Craft Fair.

The 39th Annual Mad River Craft Fair is set to move into Kenyon’s Field for Labor Day weekend. The Valley Player’s Theatre hosts more than 100 juried artists for a fabulous craft fair under a tent or outside in a carnival type setting. Shop for handmade items from Vermont and beyond while you admire majestic mountain views. The fair offers decorative and functional items, clothing, jewelry, pottery and more. Live demonstrations and excellent food round out the offerings.

Gary will be presenting a watercolor demonstration on Sunday morning from 10:00 to noon in the main tent.

SEVEN OUTSTANDING ARTISTS – ONE TERRIFIC LOCATION.

Dotty Kyle works "en Plein Air" to create another beautiful work.

On Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9 seven artists turn Moosewalk Studios and Gallery into an art enclave as part of the Vermont Festival of the Arts OPEN STUDIO WEEKEND. The yearly event provides the opportunity for art lovers to visit the numerous artists’ studios throughout the Mad River Valley.

Here at Moosewalk, Kris Chamberlain works in watercolors and is becoming a very collectable Valley artist. Dotty Kyle, known for her whimsical chicken paintings, and Ellen Crafton, who always puts a new twist to her landscapes and indoor subjects, paint in traditional oils while Karen Ware creates her bold still life paintings in acrylics. Joan Lane, new to the group this year and known for her etchings and mono-prints, demonstrates her print-making techniques. Gary and Roarke round out the ‘seven’ demonstrating and answering questions in the main studio.

Special weekend hours are in effect for Saturday and Sunday. Visit the studios and gallery between the hours of 10:00 am and 5:00 pm each day. Demonstrations are happening all day long and, naturally, there is always great work for sale. Right now the gardens and grounds around the studio and gallery are in prime shape and you are welcome to take a leisurely stroll around the property, relax in one of the Adirondack chairs on the lawn or take a break on a rocker on the porch. If you like, bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the deck.

Saturday rounds out with three gallery receptions in the Valley. The Artisans’ Gallery  hosts the Vermont Pastel Society (4-6 PM), The Big Picture features Palettes for Paws, a fund raiser for the Central Vermont Humane Society (5-7 PM) and the Festival Gallery presents Crafty Vermonters, a new show this year, (5-8 PM). All three galleries are located in Waitsfield. A great way to finish out Saturday.

Roarke's entry in the Vermont Photo Show

In three days the 2009 Vermont Festival of the Arts begins its 33 day stint here in the Mad River Valley. The nearly 125 events are all lined up, artists and photographers are depositing work at their respective show sites, chefs are busy and the fine crafters are putting the final touches on their works.

This is the time to take part in what Travel and Leisure Magazine has listed as one of the finest summer festivals in America.

Here at Moosewalk we are busy preparing the gallery for our visitors, finalizing the plans for our workshops and deciding which pieces of work we want to place in the shows. Roarke is exhibiting two pieces in the Vermont Photography Show at the historic Round Barn and Gary has selected three prime pieces to show in the Big Red Barn Art Show. Last year more than 3000 people witnessed the work in the Red Barn Show and more are expected this year with the three additional days of the Festival.

To learn more about the Festival, click on the Festival icon on the left.

The Vermont Festival of the Arts, held each August here in the Mad River Valley, recently received kudos from two nationally recognized magazines. YANKEE  magazine notes the Festival as being one of the ‘top summer events in Vermont’ while TRAVEL AND LEISURE magazine lists the Festival as ‘one of America’s Top Summer Activities.’ The 12th annual Festival begins with preview events on July 31 and concludes with the 39th Annual Mad River Valley Craft Fair on Labor Day Weekend. In all, there are more than 125 events from the culinary to the musical, workshops to art shows and a country fair to a photo show.

Two of the highlights of the Festival are the Big Red Barn Art Show and the Round Barn Photo Show. Gary always exhibits some of his finest paintings in the Big Red Barn Show. Last year’s show was seen by more than 3,000 people.  Roarke is a regular exhibitor in the Round Barn Photo Show.

While a few of the events are ticketed, the majority of the events are free to the public, but some do require advanced registration. To find out more about the Vermont Festival of the Arts, click on the Festival icon.

The Vermont Festival of the Arts booth was well-attended by both locals and tourists at the Fair Haven Welcome Center in Fair Haven, VT.

This past Saturday, June 27th, Roarke and Gary packed their car full of brochures and calendars and traveled to the Fair Haven Welcome Center in Fair Haven, VT – site of the third annual Vermont Fun Festival. They were one of many Vermont businesses and organizations that set up display and information booths. Showcasing their gallery/studio business and the Vermont Festival of the Arts has become a yearly event. The Vermont Fun Festival draws approximately 1800 tourists and locals.

Gary Eckhart sketches a composition for his next watercolor painting.

The MARRIAGE OF FIGARO performs this weekend and promises to be a huge hit for the Green Mountain Opera Festival. An outstanding international cast under the direction of the talented Ellen Schlaefer performs some of the greatest music ever written. The Barre (Vermont) Opera House  comes alive with performances on Friday, June 19 at 7:30 and Sunday, June 21 at 3:00. The comic opera, an all-time favorite, performes with a full orchestra. A few tickets are still available for both performances and can be purchased by calling the Barre Opera House at 802.476.8188