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.

Roarke adds finishing touches to the new gallery

The new Moosewalk Studios and Gallery opened to the public this morning after a preview gathering of friends last evening. The four week renovation and expansion by the crew from Turtle Creek Builders brought a comfortable, pristine setting to display the art of the five artists currently showing in  the gallery.

Included in the renovation are a new wood floor, enhanced lighting, air conditioning (for comfort and to control the humidity that can have an impact on the art papers) and a reconfigured office area.

The studio and gallery are open Saturday and Sunday for the Vermont Open Studio Weekend from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Our normal summer hours Thursday thru Monday (noon to 5:00 pm) resume June 1. Tuesday and Wednesday are by appointment only.

A new tile entry to Moosewalk Studios and Gallery takes shape through the very capable hands of Ian, our expert tile layer as art work begins to reappear on the newly painted walls. Once the tile is grouted and sealed the wooden floor covering the remainder of the floor will be laid. All should be ready for the grand re-opening of the gallery and studios on May 28.

Today marks the finish of the major construction (and dirt) here at Moosewalk Studios and Gallery. Chris, our talented carpenter, installed the door leading into the storage/framing area to complete the work.

The new lighting is installed and ready to be fired up with the installation of new halogen lights. We would love to use more energy efficient fluorescent lamps, but there is still not a fluorescent bulb that gives off a color of light that works for lighting art.

Our next step is to install the hickory flooring and laying the tile in the entry.

The door into the work area is the final piece of the construction

Work progresses steadily here at Moosewalk Studios and Gallery and paint is now starting to appear on the walls. We are constantly asked for the name of the color we use for the gallery walls. Actually, you can’t find this color on any color chart as it was custom mixed for us by our local paint store. The color is a combination of gray, green, brown and gold giving a very warm, neutral tone to the walls that works great with the art.

Paint begins to appear on the walls

The new walls are growing here at Moosewalk Studios and Gallery. Today we can begin to see the shape of the new gallery space as Chris, our talented carpenter from Turtle Creek builders, works at installing the wall board.  This is a time consuming task that definitely requires the hands of a skilled craftsman.

The additional 12 feet of wall space will allow us to display art work without crowding. This provides for much better viewing of the work.

While all of this construction is going on, we are busy creating new art. Roarke has some exciting new approaches to his photography and Gary is working diligently at the watercolors.

Once the walls are all in place, painting can begin.

Look for more postings as work progresses

Chris creates the new walls

Gary’s painting TALES I COULD TELL made the journey to Moorehead, ND this past week to become one of the selected works for the 2010 National Juried Show of the Red River Watercolor Society. This year’s show will open on April 20 at the Hjemkomst Center Gallery in Moorehead and run until June 19. The painting was selected by Judi Betts, juror for the show. Judi Betts is nationally known for her watercolors and is a signature member of both the American and the National Watercolor Societies.

This is the 2nd major, national show to accept this particular painting. Last summer TALES I COULD TELL was one of the 100 (out of 800) watercolors selected for

Tales I Could Tell

the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors. The painting will be on display at Moosewalk Studios and Gallery when it returns in early July.

The new gallery and studio space begins to take shape!

Chris, the talented carpenter from Turtle Creek Builders, is busy framing in the new walls for the expanded display space in the gallery here at Moosewalk. An additional 50 square feet of floor space does not sound like much but it makes a world of difference to the size of the display area.

Next to happen is the installation of the new lighting and the wallboard. This should be complete by Friday (4-16).

Chris, of Turtle Creek Builders, frames up new walls.

The majority of the demolition work here at Moosewalk is now over as the final portion of studs are removed to create the new walk-thru from one side of the gallery to the other. This week we will begin erecting the new display walls  and the new entry leading into the framing portion of the the studios.

The new walk-thru will allow for visitors to move from one section of the gallery to the other with greater ease and less congestion.

Despite the demolition and construction taking place, Moosewalk Studios and Gallery remain open to the public.

More photos coming during the week

The old gallery wall comes down

The walls are coming down. More demolition is taking place in the display area of the gallery and studios here at Moosewalk as we continue preparing for the construction phase of our project. We are busy at work preparing to open the enlarged gallery space in time for the statewide Vermont Open Studios on memorial Day weekend.

The new gallery plan, in addition to providing more display space with better lighting, will allow for a better traffic flow of visitors on  busy weekends. In any gallery, the better the viewing possibilities, the more visitors can appreciate the work on display. The new display areas will allow for better viewing without other guests constantly interfering.

Next to happen is the moving of the existing heating elements to allow for the walk-thru from on side of the gallery to the other and the construction of the new walls. Keep watching for updated photos of the progress.