Rumney Open Studio recap

Well, as promised, I have an update of the fabulousness that happened in Rumney this past weekend. We had gorgeous weather. Absolutely gorgeous. The sun was shining, warming the air and illuminating the bright hues of foliage. It was breathtaking and inspiring, as I took the opportunity to drive around to visit all of the artisans in their studios.
And boy, what inspiration it was! Each individual artist brought something diverse to the table and didn’t disappoint. Polly Bartlett’s beautiful weaving was glorious in color and texture (and she made a delicious fresh spinach dip that I have to get the recipe for!). Richard’s pottery at Shanware Pottery was elegantly displayed in his bright, new shop, where the walls were adorned with the stunning works of Sarah Mazur. Mindy Beach offered a glimpse into her world with her figurative drawings, costumes, collage and color in her gorgeous second floor studio of artistic eye-candy. (She also had a yard sale, where I scored some vintage Tinker Toys and a plaster sculpted hand). Pat Giebutowski welcomed people to stroll through the sunny greenhouse (full of leafy, blooming plants) of her recently remodeled farmhouse to reveal a room of her gorgeous classical style egg tempera paintings (and offered up a sample of her husband’s delicious homemade wine, Pluarity Raz-yummy!) Terry Downs kept people intrigued as he walked you through the process of creating an etching, and displayed some of his spectacular works of local spots in Rumney. And lastly, atop Stinson Lake Road, at Moosewood, the Kings offered a glance into their creative world, with Wayne’s Photo expressionist images and Alice’s dazzling handcrafted jewelry. (My apologies Ed…I couldn’t make it to your place on Saturday, but I look forward to seeing your restored vintage instruments next year!)
It was truly amazing. Here is a sampling of some of the images I captured. I know—it’s a lot, but there was so much to take in and I’m just so excited to share! And I'm excited to work on this project again next year, so mark your calendars for next Columbus Day weekend!
Will you look at the weather? Weeeeeee!Richard's stunning glaze colors at Shanware Pottery...
More Shanware. Beautiful.
Wall mural in Pat's dining room--gorgeous!

The infamous homemade Plurality Raz...delicious when paired with a sharp cheese and dark chocolate

A sampling of Pat's work... Stone floor greenhouse and easel in the sun. What would be better than that with a cup of tea on a Sunday morning?
Learn from the master: Terry shows us how he creates his etchings
Steps in the etching process displayed on the wall

Mindy Beach's figurative hanging sculpture

Mindy's fun, hand-sewn quilts
Mindy's figure drawings--stunning!

Alice King's unique, handmade jewelry:

Don't think twice, it's all right...

What a beautiful weekend. Our first annual Open Studio tour in Rumney was a raging success (more on that to follow!) and we closed the doors to the Art Barn once and for all. Amy and I took time to reminisce and reflect, and know we will leave this experience as better friends in the end. It has been a fabulous two seasons, which in the last couple of hours ended in a slightly ceremonial gathering of artists, friends (and my mom!) who helped clean up the barn and take down signs. And as I closed the large, clunky doors to the barn for the final time, I took a deep breath and realized what a truly amazing feat this has all been. I turned around (Jim snapped the pics), walked away, and knew that it was only the start of where I am going to go. Thank you Amy and Dave, for such an amazing opportunity, and for your unconditional love and support.

Open Studio event this weekend!

So after much deliberation, Amy and I have decided to close the doors to the Art Barn for good. Amy and I both work full time and have independent freelance projects going on; that, in combination with a slightly suffering economy (especially in the northern part of the state!), we sadly have decided to close our doors once and for all.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been a support to us over the past two seasons. It has been a remarkable experience and couldn’t be done without the love and encouragement of friends and family. While it sad that Amy and I will no longer be business partners, I am excited for our new ventures, and I know we are both moving onto bigger things…

The Art Barn will be open for its final days this Columbus Day weekend from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. (We're offering 10% off barn wide, and have lots of new jewelry, signs and cards that came in this week for early Christmas shopping!)And while the closing of the barn isn’t going to end on as much of a party note as usual, I am excited to announce an exciting event that the barn will be part of.

For the past three months or so, I have been working with a group in Rumney called the Rumney Village Artisans, to make something happen. And I think this is going to be a good one. The RVA will be hosting a town-wide Open Studio Tour, which invites leaf-peepers and art-lovers alike to tour the studios of many amazing, local artists. This is a beautiful drive down the rural roads of Rumney, where 10 artists welcome you to tour their studios, see works, purchase gifts and enjoy complimentary refreshments. We’ve got everything, from weaving to sculpture, to pottery, to (one of my personal inspirations and college professors) Terry Downs, who will be displaying collections of his drawings and etchings. It is truly going to be fantastic. So swing on through Rumney, pick up a map and experience the rare opportunity to get behind-the-scenes of some up and coming artists in the world.

Maps for the event will be available at most Rumney businesses (including Ryzaks, Rumney Village Store and Shanware Pottery), as well as the locations on the map for this weekend event (or you can click on the map below to make it bigger, then print it from here). Below is the poster I designed (also clickable and printable!)…please send this link along to anyone you think might enjoy the journey, so we can help support our local artists! If you have any questions or need a map or directions, please feel free to e-mail me at veggieartgirl@yahoo.com, and I’ll send one to you!

Thank you everyone again for your love and support...it is overwhelming and beautiful. And stay posted…I’ll be back in Spring of 2009 with a new shop (VeggieArtGirl: an earth-friendly boutique)…opening on Squam Lake!

Barn door art

I finished this mural project a week or two ago, but finally had the chance to shoot a couple of pics of it this weekend. As it turns out, I truly enjoyed painting colorful replicas of barnyard creatures. Must be all that growin' up in the sticks...hmmm, maybe there is a painted series of cows and chickens coming up in my artistic future....

Grand (re) Opening!

Season 2 of the Art Barn was kicked off Saturday with a fabulous mix of music, people, art, and snow cone flavors! :) It sure was a hot one out there! I'd like to thank all of my friends and family who came to show their love and support--I had been working without communication with the world or sleep for weeks on end, and it was nice to see some familliar faces come show their support and appreciation. It meant the world to me--thank you.

Mark your calendars: June 7th

Spring is in the air, the sun is shining and life is good. :)

Now that the snow is on the verge of melting, we're getting ready to open the doors to the Art Barn for our second season! That's right...we're doing it again and this year it's going to be bigger and better! Saturday, June 7th: be there for the opening of our second season, which we are ringing in with art sales, live music (Matt Smart and Jim Tyrrell), sno-cones galore, skee-ball, door prizes and more! I'll post more info once the details are ironed out, but plan on a day of fun and friends at the Art Barn in Rumney, NH!

Here are some fun pics from last season:

My girl, Amy B and I, rockin' the front desk in a downpour last October: