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."