HANS JAENSCH

Hans' specialties include custom cabinetry in the Colonial American and Federal styles, including built in kitchens, bookcases, fine furniture, libraries, armoires, and bedroom suites. Smaller jobs are also in his repertoire, such as fine furniture repair and refinishing work. As the sole craftsman for Berkshire Woodworking, Hans guarantees that all his work meets the highest standards! Over the past six months, he built a large wet bar, as well as custom mill work. At present he is working on two blanket chests. According to Hans, "I am still having fun and making lots of sawdust!"

JOANNE WAZNY

"The natural world has always been my refuge and delight. This year I noticed myself trying to tease out simple bits and pieces, focusing intently on one things at a time. Usually I am overwhelmed by all the immense beauty of nature around me, but I realize what I was doing was seeking balance. When the news on the radio is too intense, and the stress of daily life seems immense, quiet walks and simple sightings put it all back into perspective. Some of the images on display at the Gallery reflect my recent search for simplicity, and as always, I find what I seek here in our beautiful Green Mountains."

PAM KROUT-VOSS

"Henry David Thoreau said, 'As you simplify your life, the laws of the Universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.' I agree; minimize, de-clutter, purge...that which is not needed...at work and at home. Thus, the appeal of the pear for recent art works. The simple, yet elegant form, the varied colors, sizes, and shapes. Each one tilts as though whispering, making a gesture, inviting one to hold and taste...it's sweet, succulent juice. My comfort lies with creating three dimensionally with media of clay, polymers, wire, and fabric. However, I have also been inspired to play as a painter and to look though the lens of the camera to share the voice of The Pear."

FRANK TIRALLA

Frank is retired and now resides in Franklin, Vermont with his wife Priscilla. Nowadays, his time is spent fishing on Lake Carmi bird hunting with their dogs, Patches and Maggie, and devoting more time to his passion for art. Frank custom frames the majority of his artwork using local hard and soft woods. Current art work includes a 34 x 24 inch oil on canvas of two Quebec Labrador Caribou. He is also working on an oil-on-canvas of a mountain caribou. And last not least, the grizzly bear!

KAREN SCHEFFLER

"I have been a member of AIR for six years; a featured artist for all but one those years. This year I would like to turn the focus on stained glass, of course, but with a twist. I have found that one of the Gallery's strengths and indeed a part of its mission is the encouragement of artists to work in their medium, giving us a place to share with a wider community what we do (usually) in our home studios. I don't think I ever would have made so many panels, windows, and commissions had it not been for this beauty of a Gallery in Enosburg. My sharing for the show this year will be pictures of those commissions, as well as some older work. I share them with much thankfulness!"

EUGENE GARRON

"Fine art images of places I've visited are what I do. Images taken with various cameras record things I want to enhance to what I can call my own and still reflect an inherent beauty. Tinting and application of the images may be done in Photoshop or with artist mediums. Archival mounting of the finished image is also part of the process. Things within the image can be added or removed and colored to the statement I'm trying to make. What really makes it fun is the way I can return to a place I really enjoyed and reconnect with that slice of time."

MICHAEL FITZGERALD

Mike has been woodturning three years now, since he fully retired from a nine-to-five life, but already his work shows high quality. He has been experimenting with various woods, including spalted maple shown here. Other favorite woods include black cherry, black walnut, butternut, and sugar maple. Bowls from these various Vermont woods are currently on display in the AIR gallery. Mike has been taking advanced classes in woodturning from former woodturning veteran, Nick Rosato, and expects to have a new line of bowls on display soon.

SUSAN SMOLINSKY

"I have always loved playing with yarn, fabrics, and colors, so weaving and quilting seemed logical playgrounds. I do not have a formal art background , but have learned from talking to (and reading about) other fiber artists and observing their methods and work.I have been weaving for over 40 years, but quilting only some 20 years. My work is hobby more than a livelihood. I am so glad to be a part of this gallery which provides motivation to actually complete my projects and inspires new ones. I am attracted by the alchemy and synergy of both processes-- taking small pieces of fabric or lengths of yarn and watching them transform into something that is sometimes hard to believe I created."

GENIE RYBICKI-JUDKINS

"Painting nurtures, stimulates, and restores my being. It broadens who I am. Paint-time is serious play time, a space in 'never-never land' where color and form, lights and darks, invite a game of hide-and-seek. The color and form of flowers seems an especially natural haunt for the pastels. My husband's garden and the surrounding fields provide inspiration for more paintings than our short Vermont summer has time to accommodate. Now that May is here, the fun and the rush is on."

DAVID JUAIRE

 "I have been interested in photography for over 30 years and I am never bored to take some time, go for a short ride, mainly in Franklin County, and to search for a shot, whether it may be a landscape scene, a quiet country setting, or just the people enjoying the great outdoors playing all the sports, working the farmland, or just relaxing. Our wildlife alone can fill out needs to live and share our environment. Photographing what we see each and every day with our new digital equipment can make being an artist so enjoyable. There is always a market for that special photograph and I will keep searching for it the rest of my life."

HENRY T. REILLY

Hank was born and grew up in the Boston area. He worked for many years in the real estate business before settling in Montgomery, VT with his late wife, Lona. He has fallen in love with the rural beauty of Montgomery and its people. Hank has been painting since the late 1970's and has studied briefly at the Art Student League in Marblehead, MA. He is essentially self-taught, working in oil primarily on Masonite where he sketches from life or photographs. While most all artists use their hands to work the paintbrush, Hank uses his hands and fingers to manipulate the paint before he even picks up his brush. Hank has amassed over 1,000 paintings at his home studio.

TOBY FULWILER

"I began my small business Fairfield Farm Bowls in 2008, offering hardwood bowls for sale at AIR. At first, I made mostly functional  bowls turned from Vermont woods and enjoyed it that folks actually purchased my work. In the years since, I have expanded my offerings to include wooden kitchen implements made from leftover hardwood scraps including cheese knives, butter spreaders, pastry scrapers, and toaster tongs, the latest versions of which now include magnets to allow for easy fastening to metal toasters. Looking back, it is clear that all my wooden products are meant to be more functional than decorative --to be used rather than viewed-- which is why I call myself a 'craftsman' rather than an 'artist,' and why I am honored to sell my work in an 'art' gallery."

JEANNE BACKHAUS

"In my seascapes and landscapes, the color and line try to cooperate. Like two dancers in the ballet, they move together to form an image or they move separately across the stage of the painting. Over the past few months, I have been experimenting with paintings where line and color do not move together. I have been using the images of plants and vines to show the lines and colors doing totally opposite things in the same space. They are both moving but in different directions. They are aware of each other's existence, but they are 'doing their own thing.' In paintings depicting pinecones, the lines and colors are doing the same thing, creating a shape, but in different spaces within the painting. I have also added a new element: solid black. In these paintings, color, line, and black shape all vie for your attention."

MARCH FEATURED VISITING ARTIST: SUSAN BULL RILEY

SUSAN BULL RILEY

"For what it's worth, all my formal training is in music; I'm a concert flutist, a singer, and a very enthusiastic, but inexpert pianist. None of my academic training is in art (OK, just one drawing class my freshman year at Dartmouth College) although I have painted all my life.

 So why did I wind up being a painter? Perhaps it took longer for me to recognize that as much as I love music, I don't have to do it all day, whereas I cannot live happily without drawing and painting. Those are not empty words-- they are absolutely true even though I have the best husband any woman could ever dial up, and our two daughters made motherhood a lucky and precious part of my life.

I love to study how thinkgs look. And I have always painted birds and flowers and landscapes and people; my earliest memories are of examining the tiniest details of spring wildflowers, and of slapping blue crayon squiggles into coloring books, ecstatic to be 'painting' a sky. (What a concept, I thought! Color and line on paper that can evoke the real thing? Wow! Hooked forever.)

 For the reception, I will bring current works-in-progress, which are mostly botanical drawings and watercolor since I am preparing to teach classes in March and April. I enjoy seeing how other artists work, and would enjoy sharing these botanicals-in-process. They reflect how all of my work is fueled by the intense concentration and pleasure afforded by careful observation. "

The Vermont Arts Council has this to say:

"Riley's artwork has also earned her high honors in the natural history world. She has been selected four times to participate in 'Focus on Nature,' a biennial exhibit at the New York State Museum in Albany, NY, that features natural history illustrations from around the world. Riley was also one of ten artists to illustrate the 2008 Breeding Birds of New York Atlas, and has contributed two pieces to a Guild of Natural Science Illustrators exhibit entitled, 'The Sweet-voiced Bird has Flown: Portraits of Common Birds in Decline.' She frequently contributes art to organizations that aim to conserve land, raise awareness of environmental issues, or restore a species."



PAT MURPHY

"I have been exploring the intimate setting of the rooms that surround me. I am interested in the little dramas (both real or imagined) that the scenes evoke. I have been reading a lot of contemporary poetry, which I have found very inspiring for talking about our lives. I try to create paintings that we feel but not necessarily see."

And of course, Pat plays guitar and sings at many an AIR Open House. Thanks, Pat!

GENIE JUDKINS

"The process of painting nurtures, stimulates, and restores my being. It broadens who I am. Paint time is serious play time, a space 'never-never land' where color and form, lights and darks, invite a game of hide-and-seek. Always new, painting compels an inward exploration to be outwardly expressed. From that first time tangerine orange Crayola crayon, the more sticks of color I have to paint with, the better, the happier, the more challenged I am."

HANS JAENSCH

Hans established his Berkshire Woodworking company in Berkshire Center after developing his trade, talents, and extensive following in Westchester County, New York. His training began in Bremerhaven, Germany, where he lived and worked until he was 18, apprenticing as a ship's cabinet maker, which is where he learned the elements of fine woodworking that form the foundation for his craft. He immigrated to the United States in 1954. His specialties include custom cabinetry in the Colonial American and Federal styles, including built in kitchens, bookcases, fine furniture, libraries, armoires, and bedroom suites. Smaller jobs are also in his repertoire, such as fine furniture repair and refinishing work. As the sole craftsman for Berkshire Woodworking, Hans guarentees that all of his work meets the highest standards.

LIFE DRAWING GROUP

The Enosburg Life Drawing Group consists of local artists who meet once a week at the Montgomery Town Library from 5:30-7:30 PM to sketch from a live nude model. As you can see from sample sketches, models vary and vary their poses to give members the greatest opportunity to study the human form in its many shapes and configurations.

Weekly sessions are conducted in a professional, studio-like manner with quick poses to longer, more time-friendly poses. Media varies from charcoal and pastels to watercolors and other paints. The following artists, including some AIR members, have become regulars of this life-drawing group:

JIM FOOTE

JULIE CROSS

HEIDI LAGUE

EILEEN CATALANO

CHARLOTTE ROSSHANDLER

PAT MURPHY

KEN WETHERBEE

NICKY FORD

Participating artists report strong camaraderie and inspiration, as well as frequent input and friendly feedback from fellow artists. Members pay a fee of $10 each session to compensate the model for her time. The group welcomes new members who are encouraged to contact Eileen Catalano or Jim Foote for more information.

BECKY WRIGHT

"I have been creating whimsical paper mache sculptures for a few years. It is a fun medium to work in because anything is possible! I start with wire, brown paper, and masking tape and sculpt the paper into my vision. Sometimes the vision changes as I progress. I cover the sculpture with 3 layers of paper mache, then I'm ready to paint. I love to paint in bright colors and designs similar to the Oaxacan designs of Mexico.

I also enjoy sewing scarves from patches of rayon cloth that I pick up from a recycling store. Creating art has been a part of my life since I was very young. I enjoy dabbling in a variety of mediums and am always willing to try something new. I have been teaching art in the school setting for 18 years and am currently teaching at Bakersfield Elementary School."

KELEE MADDOX

"I hadn't been able to always create the look that I wanted with my previous methods of jewelry making, and I eventually decided that I was going to have to add another element to my work. So, over the past year, I have added sterling silver wire to my necklaces. I tried for a long time to make clay look like rocks; then I decided I should just be using rocks. It turned out not quite that easy. Alison and I worked on and off for years to develop a technique to work in the way that we wanted. Learning to use sterling silver wire was the last step that I needed to be able to make the rock pendants I had been trying to create for years. I love the simplicity of the rock and the silver together and also the contrast with the beads."

ALISON DEZOTELLE

"I will be showing original work and sketches involved in illustrating the book 'Lullaby for Birds,' which Sarah Willey, a local woman of many talents wrote and published this fall. I will be bringing copies to sell. I spent the summer working on it. The book came out just before the holidays. This is the first time I have actually illustrated an entire book. My moods during that period ranged from serious doubt about my ability to do it, to elation when a picture worked out better than I thought it would! I would love to do it again and have plans to create another book in the next couple of years-- this time, with my daughter's father-- an original story he wrote."