Article Contributed by
North Shore Arts Alliance
This year’s Art Trail Hub Crawl will take place on Saturday and Sunday May 28th and 29th from 10a-5pm over Memorial Day weekend. This year there are 14 hubs, with 2 new stops in Bemus Point, one new in Westfield, & Sherman as well as Forestville. The Trail features 24 local artists with art that ranges from paintings to textiles, pottery to outdoor sculptures.
“We as artists do work that is personal. The annual Chautauqua Lake Erie Art Trail Open Studio and Gallery Tour is an opportunity to visit places where we live and create. We find inspiration in one of the most beautiful, picturesque regions of New York State. As you travel to visit us, see what we see every day — verdant vineyards and fields, lush forests, rolling hills, and spectacular shorelines along Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake.” Says Marcia Merrins, NSAA President.
Wayfaring Potter Hub in Fredonia will feature 3 artists. Lisa Ann Eppolito, Jessie Simmons, and Sherry Nugent. Lisa says she makes functional, wood and soda-fired pottery. Firing pottery in a wood kiln produces distinctive outcomes, both controlled and uncontrolled. Wood ash vitrifies and produces a natural glaze. Therefore, her forms intend to encourage subtleties such as catching wood ash deposits, and encouraging flashing.
Jessie is a full-time studio potter and instructor in Erie, PA holding a BFA in Ceramics from Alfred University. She is currently the Studio Director at Erie ClaySpace and is a rostered Teaching Artist through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
Sherry Nugent, is the creator at Wildfire Pottery. By trade, she is a restaurateur and chef, so she naturally gravitates towards kitchenware. Much like food, clay is a medium that she can create anything her imagination desires.
Tom Janik, Thomas Annear, and Patrick Stokes will be at Thomas Annear Art in Fredonia. Tom Janik is a retired chemistry professor. Along with his career in chemistry, Tom has had a lifelong interest in photography starting at the age of 11 with a Brownie camera. Tom’s photography is centered on landscapes and the natural world. Thomas Annear creates plein air paintings that capture the grandeur and beauty of the American landscape. Patrick Stokes is a photographer, and will have his many gorgeous pictures for sale. Photography to Patrick, is time traveling and as an avid traveler and sci-fi enthusiast he hopes someday a millennium from now someone will discover one of his images and be transported back in time.
Denise Williams will be at Living Glass Art Gallery in Westfield. Denise creates unique glasswork that will be shown in her studio gallery. Also in Westfield, will be Annex 25, featuring the works of Julie Kleven. Julie speaks passionately of her initial discovery for painting. Painting had once been a life desire. As she recalls, it had “faded and was nearly forgotten” because at “sixty years old, [I was] legally blind with legs weakened from Multiple Sclerosis.”
Portage Hill Art Gallery will feature 3 artists: Audrey Dowling, Karen Glosser and Tim Sivertsen. Audrey uses many different art mediums to create textures and pattern in her varied works. Tim Sivertsen works with charcoal, pastel and acrylics to create figures in motion and landscapes. Karen Glosser specializes in stunning photographs that include a series of water, and woodlands.
Kirsten Engstrom Sculptures in Mayville, will feature the works of Kirsten, a sculptor of large and small sculptures. Cynthia Norton Designs, on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution, will feature her hand-painted clothing for sophisticated, artistically inclined women.
The LMNOP Gallery in Sherman, will feature the works of Peter Hamilton, and Susan Simmons. Peter is a skilled wood craftsman, whose unique designs include wall hanging wooden art and stylized creative furniture with great form and function. Susan Simmons artist and entrepreneur, focuses primarily on landscape, portrait, and abstract paintings in all mediums.
The Bemus Point Hub will feature the works of Susan Guiterrez and Melissa Meyers in front of Bemus Bay Water Toys. Melissa works in acrylics, oils, and watercolors depicting the beauty of the area in realism. She also works with abstracts in acrylics and mixed media, Susan Guiterrez utilizes a palette knife in many of her paintings of local scenes and places. Her bold and beautiful works create a mood in her acrylic paintings.
Another stop in Bemus will be the Artsy Garden, the home studio of Tina Ames on route 430 across from Midway. Tina creates inspirational works in many art forms, utilizing all types of media.
Kniti Griti Works, in Fredonia, will feature 3 artists. Here you can find the works of Marcia Merrins, Nancy Nixon Ensign, and Susan Forrester-Mackay. Marica is a highly skilled potter, creating wood and raku fired animals that are fun and collectable, jewelry, and whimsical footed bowls among her many pieces. Nancy Nixon Ensign is a painter, working in oil and acrylic, creating paintings with historic homes, landscapes and isolated pieces for stunning pieces of work. Susan Forrester-Mackay paints fascinating works that are figurative and evocative, focusing on the variety of everyday human gesture.
Farmboy Enterprises features the work of Matt McNaughton, a sculptor sculpting whimsical custom pets, farm, zoo, and ocean animals. Farmboy Enterprises is located in Forestville.
The work of Susan Barnes will be shown in her studio, Spirit Art Gallery, newly relocated to Lily Dale. Susan evokes spiritual practices within her works of spirit art, a result of her studies of mediumship.
Reno Pottery, an art studio in Dewittville, will feature the pottery of Jim and Pat Reno. They have been doing pottery for over 40 years. Stop by to see their new designs featuring woodpeckers, dragons and rhinos.
The event is a unique occasion to get an amazing look into the creative processes of highly talented and skilled artists., all located in Chautauqua County. New this year, is a chance to win one of 3 $100 gift certificates, redeemable with any of the Hub artists on this year’s trail. In order to win, visit any location and pick up a passport card at the first stop. Go to each stop on the trail for a unique stamp on your passport. When all hubs have been visited, simply drop the card at the last stop. If you can’t get to all stops, hang on to your card and finish the trail on the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day in September. This year’s event is made possible by local sponsors, and ASI of WNY.
Mark your calendar for this event, and the one September 3 & 4, they take place free of charge, rain or shine. Come support our local art community and take a day to just enjoy. Hope to see you there!
