Is Art On Paper Permanent?


Roarke’s digital image WINGED MIGRATION

Here at Moosewalk Studios we are frequently asked about the permanence of art created or printed on paper. Comments generally center around “my photo (or print, or painting) is turning brown”. In these cases, it is the result of the paper used not being true “art” paper. The browning effect is the result of the acids found in the products used to manufacture cheap paper reacting with the atmosphere and light. The cheaper papers are usually manufactured from some type of wood pulp which contains natural acids. The wood pulp is then bleached with harsh chemicals to create the white surface. The prime example of this is the paper used to print newspapers and magazines, cheap greeting cards, advertising posters, etc.

Quality art papers, such as those used by watercolor artists and fine art printers, are manufactured using 100% cotton by-products and not the acidic wood pulp. While each manufacturer has its own process, each relies on some type of acid free gelatin to hold the fibers together. Many art papers on the market today are still hand made. Quality art paper, protected from dirt and extreme atmospheric conditions will last decades without deterioration. Museums have works on quality paper that have lasted well over 100 years.

Here at Moosewalk, we use only the finest art papers available. Gary’s watercolors and Roarke’s fine art prints are considered to be permanent works of art. Jokingly, we tell clients that “if the work fades in 200 years, bring it back and we will replace it.”

Loving The Atmosphere

a watercolor workshop

April 13, 2024
Warren, VT

Are you ready to take your watercolors to a higher level of excitement? Do you find your paintings to be just a bit flat and lacking excitement? In this workshop you will discover the means of creating more dynamic and eye-catching paintings by filling your work with expressive mood and atmosphere.

The workshop will focus on:
…developing control of color temperature in your painting
…understanding the importance of color values
…working with a more limited palette to create unity in a painting
…utilizing appropriate painting techniques

This will be a techniques driven workshop with demos and exercises exclusive to the watercolor medium. Class size is limited.

$75 fee

register at fineart@moosewalkstudios.com
or
802-583-2224 before April 11, 2024

Is Snow Really White?

…an all-medium painting workshop with Gary Eckhart

Evening Chores

March 23, 2024
9:00 am to 3:30 pm

Warren, VT

This one day workshop will focus on:
the true color of snow in a painting
developing an understanding of the influence of sky color, atmosphere and reflected light on snow
developing believable shadows on snow
adjusting color values to create contrast and brilliance

During the workshop there will be a series of demos and exercises exploring means of adapting your reference material to create the perfect winter themed painting.

While the brief demos will be done with the watercolor medium, the theories and information presented can easily be applied to all mediums. Artists working with oils, acrylics, watercolor, gouache and pastel are welcome. Class size is limited.

$75.00 fee SORRY, CLASS FILLED

Register at fineart@moosewalkstudios.com
or
802-583-2224

Bartlett Brigade

BARTLETT BRIGADE 18″ x 27″ – watercolor

Gary’s painting, BARTLETT BRIGADE, has been accepted into the 157th Annual Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society. This is an international exhibition which includes watercolors by artists from around the world. The exhibition will be held at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York City from April 2 -26, 2024.

Autumn In All Its Glory

October Blaze – oil

Autumn is Vermont’s most glorious season of the year and Moosewalk Studios and Gallery is located in one of the state’s more spectacular regions. Lincoln Gap Road, which leads to the studio and gallery, is consistently noted as one of the most scenic drives in the state.

Moosewalk Studios and Gallery welcomes all our “leaf-peeper” friends with extended hours on October 6, 7 & 8. The studios and gallery will be open from 10am to 5pm each day. Stop by to say “hello” and enjoy the view. Don’t forget your camera!

Vermont Open Studio Weekend


October Snow – watercolor

Mark your calendars for September 30 and October 1 as two days to explore the art studios and galleries of Vermont. Open Studio Weekend is a celebration of craft and artwork and the work life of Vermont artists.

Three outstanding studios in Warren are a reason for visiting the Mad River Valley, a very special and beautiful region of the state. Luke Iannuzzi Pottery (Studio 75 on the tour map) is located on East Warren Road. Luke specializes in raku art and dinnerware. Just south of Warren is Salt and Sand Studios (studio 76 on the tour map) where you will find Spencer Kirk-Jackson creating his stunning blown glass.

At Moosewalk Studios and Gallery (studio 77 on the tour map) you will find Gary working on a new watercolor or oil painting. The charming gallery features watercolors and oils and the fine art photography of Roarke Sharlow (examples can be seen in the gallery pages on this website). Again this year, the gallery is welcoming the stained glass artist, Andy O’Brien (Luminous Moose), working on his stained glass.

The trees are already displaying some of the color of their annual fall wardrobe making for some great camera shots.

Hours for the studios are 10am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

VERMONT PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL

Artists will be arriving for the 12th Vermont Plein Air Festival taking place throughout the Mad River Valley on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 11, 12 & 13. Amateurs and professionals alike will be setting up their easels, opening their sketchbooks and applying paint to their canvases and paper in the open air. The theme for 2023 is Barns And Bridges with farms welcoming the artists and visitors to paint and observe.

A sidewalk art sale of work by participating artists can be found on Bridge Street daily from 10am to 4pm. A special “kid’s plein air” is scheduled for Saturday starting at 11am. Merchants are creating special promotions as part of the Festival.

Gary painting at a prior plein air festival

New to the 2023 Vermont Plein Air Festival is a division just for photographers. Roarke plans on mingling with the artists to capture unusual images of the barns and bridges with his camera.

Big Red Barn Art Show

Gary and Roarke are two of the more than 40 artists participating in the 25th Anniversary Big Red Barn Art Show in the galleries at Lareau Farm and Forest in Waitsfield, VT. The show, sponsored by the Valley Artists Guild, celebrates the artists and fine craft artisans of the Mad River Valley and is considered one of the premier summer art shows in central Vermont.

A visitor enjoying Roarke’s digital paintings.

The Big Red Barn Art show runs through Sunday, September 3. Hours are Thursday/Friday from 4 to 9pm and Saturday/Sunday from noon to 9pm. The galleries are located at Lareau Farm and Forest, Route 100 just south of Waitsfield, VT. Free and children are welcome.

Celebrating 17 Years

Who could have imagined 17 years ago that our tiny (very tiny) studio space would grow into the Moosewalk Studios and Gallery of today. Three physical alterations over the years resulted in a gallery space for displaying the watercolor and oil paintings by Gary and the photographic images by Roarke. Comfortably situated within the studio is a watercolor painting area where one will always find a new painting under way. In addition there is now a designated area for the easel where a recent oil painting is displayed.

Roarke’s photo lab, now solely digital, started as a wet darkroom for processing traditional black and white negative film. The lab is now a digital studio complete with an archival printer. Roarke switched to digital imaging a number of years ago as a means of eliminating the very toxic chemicals required for traditional film processing.

A more recent change to the studio/gallery has been converting the lighting to LED natural color lamps. The new lamps allow viewing the colors as they are meant to be seen – clear and true to the pigment.

The entrance to the gallery went under a transition early in the years and is now a welcome sitting area for relaxation and conversation.

Moosewalk Studios and Gallery are open to the public and children are always welcome. Hours are generally noon to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday from Memorial Day through the end of fall foliage season. Other days by chance or appointment (802-583-2224). We do suggest calling ahead if you are purposely planning a visit as our involvement with other art events here in the Valley sometimes causes us to close unexpectedly.

11th Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition

The 11th edition of the popular Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition opened this past weekend to rave reviews. Nearly 200 paintings fill the Red Barn Galleries at Lareau Farm and Forest in Waitsfield, VT. Featured are paintings by top ranked watercolor artists from across the United States. The watercolor paintings illustrate the diverse styles of watercolor painting in play today.

Seventy-nine paintings selected from a pool of entries compete for monetary and merchandise awards. Judge Tim Saternow, AWS from New York City commented on the total mastery of the watercolor medium he found in the paintings and that the quality of the show is what one would expect from an exhibition in a major metropolitan area.

An additional “show-within-a-show” features seventy-five miniature watercolor paintings by members of the Whiskey Painters of America.

The Red Barn Galleries in the restored, early 1800s barn at Lareau Farm and Forest are the ideal location to house an exhibition of this magnitude and scope. Hours for the Exhibition: Thursday and Friday – 4 to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday – noon to 9pm. Free. Children welcome. Route 100, Waitsfield, VT. The exhibition runs from June 18 to July 22, 2023.