Chris, the very talented carpenter from Turtle Creek Builders, has again worked miracles for Moosewalk Studios. By removing a door frame and enlarging the opening to the photo lab we are now able to increase the gallery wall space.  The change, complete with additional lighting, gives us more than 30 feet of continuous wall space for displaying the large format prints that Roarke is able to produce on the archival printer. The galleries are also going to receive a fresh coat of paint for a brighter appearance.

Moosewalk Studios and Gallery are open by appointment throughout the winter months and will be reopening with regular hours in May. Our work is also available down in the Valley at both the Parade Gallery in Warren and Bridge Street Emporium and Gallery in Waitsfield.

Anyone, yes anyone, interested in water media as an art form should make it a point to go out of their way to see the spectacular solo show of Lisa Beach’s paintings currently occupying the East Gallery at the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, VT. Lisa is an absolute master of composition, design and color and uses all three superbly to translate her ideas on to paper both in traditional watercolor and acrylics. She has also mastered the use of negative space to develop very dynamic forms in both her representative and abstractive works. The inclusion of a few intimate, almost realistic pencil and ink studies lets one know that she totally understands form and structure in nature and that the abstracts are not merely flukes but well thought out plans.

The show runs through November 27.

COLORS OF AUTUMN 

Autumn, with its dazzling display of color has inspired artists for eons and one would be hard pressed to find a better example of this than in the show Colors of Autumn currently on display at the Festival Gallery in Waitsfield. Twenty-seven Vermont artists, mostly from the Mad River Valley, have come together to show their interpretation of autumn through paintings, photography, glass and ceramics in a stunning collection of work. Gary and Roarke each have a piece of art as part of the exhibit.

A ‘meet the artists’ reception is planned for Saturday, November 26 from 5 to 7 pm.

The show, presented by the Valley Arts Foundation, is free and open to the public at the Festival Gallery, 2 Village Square (next to Tempest Book Store) Monday thru Friday during normal business hours. 802-496-6682 for more information.

Gary recently found out that his watercolor painting DERELICT was accepted into the North East Watercolor Society’s 35th Annual International Exhibition.

There are two reasons behind the painting of DERELICT. Old barns are disappearing far too quickly as are the Mail Pouch Tobacco signs that once graced the barns. Mail Pouch Tobacco painted barns free or for minimal cost if they could paint their colorful ads on the side. Most times this was the only way a farmer could afford to have a barn painted. Many barns are disappearing from the landscape because they are too costly to maintain. The barn that is the subject of this painting was found in the village of Wurtsboro, NY. The barn did not have the tobacco sign painted on its side. I used artistic license and added it. Unfortunately, the barn was torn down shortly after the painting was completed.

The 35th Annual International Exhibition will be held at the Gallery at the Kent Art Association in Kent, Connecticut. The show opens with a public reception on Sunday, October 23 (2:00 to 4:00 pm) and closes on Sunday, November 6. Hours are noon to 4:00 daily.

A flood just can’t beat the people of Vermont and the Mad River Valley. While work continues at a feverish pace at many locations, most of the Mad River Valley is back in business. We lament the temporary loss of three favorite restaurants (Tracks at the Pitcher Inn in Warren and Mint and the Green Cup in Waitsfield) but there are many other restaurants open and ready to serve while these three continue their cleaning. The Lareau Farm and American Flatbread go back into production Friday which means the Big Red Barn Art Show will once again be welcoming guests. There are more than 140 works of art in this show – none damaged by the flood.

On Bridge Street in Waitsfield you will find Artisan’s Gallery and The Bridge Street Emporium cleaned and ready for customers. None of the photos in VINTAGE VERMONT at the Emporium were damaged and this is the last week to see these images in their first printing since the early 1900′s. Across the street All Thing’s Bright and Beautiful have their European glass ornaments all sparkling next to Gaelic’s hand painted ornaments, cats, dogs and Santas. Just be careful not to step into the 10 foot ravine the river so carefully carved out of their driveway next to their side porch.

The 41st annual Mad River Valley Craft Fair will go on as planned at Kenyon’s Field on Saturday and Sunday 10 to 5. Moosewalk Studios will be joining Mad River Antler for the first time at the fair. Gary will be working the Craft Fair while Roarke keeps the home gallery open. Moosewalk Gallery will be open noon to 5:00 Saturday and Sunday. We will be taking Labor Day off this year

Join the Flood Fund-raising Block Party on Bridge Street this Saturday starting at 5:00. The Detonators will be playing for dancing and you can see the 1833 covered bridge still standing proud.

Route 100 is now open from Interstate 89. Lincoln Gap Road, Route 17 through the Appalachian Gap and the Roxbury Gap are also open. You cannot access the Valley by Route 100 from the south.

I would also like to take a moment to thank the hundreds of people who are helping the Valley recover – visitors, locals, utility workers from near and far and, especially, the students from the Green Mountain School who have been working steadily since Monday morning. In addition, a huge thank you to the moms and kids who have been baking cookies and cakes and distributing them to the workers. Those treats from a hand connected to a big smile mean so much.

Hope to see you!

The river is not quite so mad today, but what is left is a mess in the towns of Waitsfield and Moretown. Bridges are gone but the locals are finding back roads to make it around detours, hundreds of locals and tourists have turned out to help clean and the Valley is coming back to life. All Things Bright and Beautiful, Artisans’ Gallery and the Bridge Street Emporium are cleaned up and ready to go. The students from the Green Mountain School showed up to remove debris and load dumpsters, farmers came with their plows and moved dirt and volunteers washed dishes and equipment from restaurants. Dozens showed up to help American Flatbread recover from the 3 feet of water that invaded their restaurant and inn – both of which will be open for the weekend.

What does the Valley need now? Well, most events for the Vermont Festival of the Arts will resume Thursday, shops are cleaned and ready to re-open, roads are being repaired, Sugarbush activities are going and the gulf course is open, the Craft Fair and duck race will go on as scheduled, the Green Mountain Stage Race (bicycle) will run on an altered route and the residents and business people are optimistic – so we need you to come to the Valley and support the business community and where else can you see 3 covered bridges – one from 1833 – still standing after being battered by walls of water?

The Mad River pummeling the side of the Waitsfield Covered Bridge.

Yesterday’s visit by the hurricane Irene brought a great deal of rain and wind to the Mad River Valley and Vermont resulting in pockets of severe damage. Fortunately, Moosewalk Studios and Gallery and Lincoln Gap Road escaped harm and remain damage-free. The villages of Waitsfield and Moretown seemed to have taken the worst hits with Warren close behind. As of today, many of the roads are still closed, some requiring major work. While the state of Vermont lost at least four historic covered bridges, the three bridges here in the Mad River Valley appear to be in decent shape. The Waitsfield bridge, oldest in the state, is currently undergoing inspection and may remain closed for a while. Cleanup is happening throughout the Mad River Valley.

THE VALLEY IS OPEN! Businesses are re-opening and will be welcoming guests for the Labor Day weekend.

Ellen Crafton and Gary Eckhart explain a painting technique to an Open Studio participant.

Five artists will be invading Moosewalk for the Vermont Festival of the Arts annual Open Studio Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, August 20 and 21. Throughout the Mad River Valley galleries, shops and especially artists will be opening their doors to welcome guests. For many, this is the only opportunity of the year to get to see the inner workings of the many artists’ studios in the Valley. Most locations are open both days from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm with a few open only on Saturday.

Open Studio Passports, a way to keep track of your studio visits, are available at participating locations or at the Farmers’ Market in Waitsfield on Saturday morning. A map to locations is included in the Passport. Look for “Open Studio” signs throughout the Valley.

Here at Moosewalk we convert our garage into a gallery where four artists will be showing there work, be actively creating new pieces and entertaining the public with chit-chat about the creative process and the artist’s life. The main studios and gallery welcome Kris Chamberlain with Gary and Roarke showing new works, painting and explaining the operations of the photo lab. Naturally, refreshments are available. The studios and gallery are open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday.

The 14th annual Vermont Festival of the Arts is gearing up for a gala ‘kick-off’ on Monday, August 1. Part of the pre-Festival activity is the weekly presence at the Saturday Farmers’ Market  in Waitsfield. Each week the Festival tent welcomes guests to observe artists at work, garner information about Festival events and activities and to purchase tickets for the likes of The Annual Taste of the Valley and the Art in the Garden tours.

This year’s festival begins on Monday, August 1 and completes its run on Sunday, September 4 with the Mad River Valley Craft Fair and Duck Race. From opening day through the closing events, one has the opportunity to experience nearly 125 art-related activities – art and photo shows, workshops, open studios, Barns and Bridges tour, Art in the Gardens, theatre, music and culinary delights. One of the highlights will be on Saturday, August 13th when the Festival hosts the first annual Great Vermont Plein Air Paint Out. Twenty artists will set up their outdoor studios throughout the towns of  Waitsfield and Warren with the goal of completing a painting in five hours culminating with a showing of their work on the lawn in front of the Festival office at Village Green in Waitsfield.

Many inns are offering special packages to ‘Artful Lodgers’ throughout the Festival. Just mention that you are an Artful Lodger when you make reservations.

Moosewalk Studios is very active throughout the Festival. We will be open our regular, weekly hours except for Saturday and Sunday, August 20 and 21. For two days we welcome 5 additional artists to our studios for Open Studio Weekend when the Studios and Gallery greet visitors from 10:00  to 5:00. Our grounds will also be featured  as an ‘Encore by Request’ location

Gary painting at the Festival tent at the Waitsfield Farmers' Market

on the two Art in the Garden Tours. Click on the Festival icon on our web-site for a direct link to the Festival page.

We are pleased to announce the watercolor and photography workshops for August 2011. The workshops are events of the Vermont Festival of the Arts. Advance reservations are required for all workshops.

WATERCOLOR WORKSHOPS

Gary Eckhart works on a watercolor painting inspired by the Vermont scenery.

NEW THIS YEAR -Intro to Watercolor Painting, the Tools, Materials and Techniques

During this two-evening workshop you will discover the tools, materials and techniques that are basic to all watercolor artists. Time will be spent exploring color mixing and paper surfaces. This workshop is recommended for the beginner or the novice who would like to refresh knowledge. No prior experience required.

Monday, Aug. 22 & Tuesday, Aug. 23 – 6:00 to 8:30 pm. Fee: $60

fineart@moosewalkstudios.com for more information and materials list

BY REQUEST – Painting Trees and Foliage in Watercolor

This one day workshop explores the techniques of painting believable trees and foliage. techniques of painting the distant groups of trees up to the individual featured tree. Novice to advanced painters will experience numerous demonstrations and exercises. Some experience in watercolor techniques and color mixing required.

Saturday, Aug. 27  - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Fee $85

fineart@moosewalkstudios.com for more information and materials list

Composing the Perfect Landscape

Explore techniques and tricks of the trade for composing the perfect landscape painting. Using color to create atmosphere and depth will be part of the experience. Novice to advanced painters will experience numerous demonstrations and exercises. Some experience in watercolor techniques and color mixing required. The prior Saturday workshop is recommended.

Sunday, Aug. 28 –  9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Fee $85

fineart@moosewalkstudios.com for more information and materials list

BOTH WORKSHOPS FOR $160

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

Roarke Sharlow prints an iconic Vermont image of an old rock wall and beautiful tree.

Creating the Digital Photograph I

For the amateur photographer who desires to take a more artistic digital photograph. A brief instructional session will be followed by visits to various locations in the Valley. This workshop will concentrate on landscape, architectural and event photography. Knowledge of the basic functions of your camera required.

Saturday, Aug. 27  - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Fee $85

fineart@moosewalkstudios.com for more information and materials list

Creating the Digital Photograph II

A one day workshop designed to utilize the technical capabilities of your digital camera to create a better, more artistic digital photograph. A brief instructional session will be followed by visits to various locations with a concentration on the figure in the composition, architectural detail and surface texture. Part I workshop recommended.

Sunday, Aug. 28 –  9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Fee $85

fineart@moosewalkstudios.com for more information and materials list

BOTH WORKSHOPS FOR $160