NATALIE LAROCQUE

 "I appreciate the inspiration and spiritual beauty of Vermont's land and skies and everything in between. I love Vermont; it's my home. One of my favorite images was taken 2 miles from my home, the title clearly stated in its expressive genuine visual intensity, incredible to believe how fortunate I was to see what looked like the 'Foothills of Heaven.' How could I not be compelled to acknowledge such incredible beauty in each living thing we share our lives in and with. I feel fortunate that I am able to stop, for at least that one moment and see what is there, waiting to be seen. In my gratitude, I am compelled not only to capture the images, but to share them through renderings of images as paintings and photographic prints."

MICHAEL FITZGERALD

Mike has been woodturning only two years now since he fully retired from a nine-to-five life, but already his work is of 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. Letting no moss grow underfoot, Mike is currently taking advanced classes in woodturning from former gallery woodturning veteran, Nick Rosato, and expects to have a new line of bowls on display for the holiday season.

KRISTAN DOOLAN

 "I have lived in Northern Vermont for nearly all of my life and find it an incredibly beautiful place to live. As a farmer and mother of challenging and ever-growing children, I cherish the little time I have to paint every day. I am appreciating all that surrounds me. I spend a lot of time caring for animals, watching them is part of my job, so I find them great subjects for painting and drawing. I love the potential of watercolor. In my work, I try to let the paint maintain its vibrancy and life as I work to protray the beauty of Vermont.

JO ANNE WAZNY

"Water is life. It's what makes this place unique. Water nourishes. It heals; it cleanses. It has power and majesty, yet there is nothing so gentle as a drop of dew. Water also dances and plays. I love to watch the relationship of water and light, whether it is reflections, rainbows, mist or frozen crystals. When I pick up my camera, I get to join in the quiet game, to be part of the timeless dance. For a split second all else disappears and it is just the light, the water, and me. What more could one ask?"

PAM VOSS

"With the addition of two adorable kittens, my home is now graced with four cats. It is these animals that have become the inspiration for my latest work as an artist. For years, I have dabbled in all different media from painting, printmaking, book-making, photography and multi-media. My preference is to work 3-dimensionally in clay, and most recently, I have been experimenting wth bending and twisting text-board. Previous work as a fiber artist has led to the integration of textures and color to these sculptures."

BETH MCADAMS

"Lately, I've been focusing on simplification-- trying to break down complicated structures into simple shapes, using a simple palette of the three primary colors, concentrating on just one form: one rose, one boat, etc. However, I continue to find changing the style of painting stimulating and usually follow a tight, detailed painting with one that is freer where the paint controls where I go rather than the other way around. Lately, I've been experimenting with painting on my iPad, not as a replacement for traditional media, but as another way to express ones' self. I find it freeing and a lot of fun. And it has the advantage of being able to be printed inexpensively."

BARBARA CALGROVE

"My life here as an artist in Northern Vermont is guided by the natural cycle of the seasons. Now being summer, I'm in the flow. Long days and nights in the pottery studio-- my refuge for creativity and happiness. Time to throw lots of pots and challenge myself with mending form/design with function. I love to try new ways of embellishing the surfaces of my work, whether it be antique lace rolled in clay or a eucalyptus button on the base of a mug's handle. Never-ending possibilities with this medium which comes from Mother Earth. I try to achieve balance in my life, with working part-time in a local school, my family, and my home-studio. Art helps to fulfill my life-- it allows me to connect with my inner soul and those around me. My handmade pottery will hopefully be held and enjoyed by others for many years to come. I plan on working and playing in clay for a very long time."

WAYNE TARR

 Wayne Tarr is a long-time Franklin County photographer who specializes in portraiture. For over 20 years Wayne has competed in print competitions at the state, regional and national levels, and this is primarily where his body of work for the A.I.R. Gallery comes from. For this featured month, Wayne is displaying one of his favorite subjects for competition prints, dancers. To start, he will display digital images of a single dancer, but as the month progresses, he will add silver gelatin prints created in his darkroom while continuing the dance theme. The return to his darkroom this winter is rewarding for Wayne as he continues to learn and refine this traditional craft.

Phone: 802-524-3800

Email: wayne@waynetarr.com

Website: www.waynetarr.com