What do a psychiatrist, a teacher, novelist and online educator, bank officer, owner of an embroidery company, secretary, teacher, and printer have in common? They are now devoted artists and artisans who will be opening their studios to the public for the first time during the RiverArts 15th Annual Studio Tour October 25-26 and November 1-2. A theme that runs throughout the artists’ “stories” is their passion for their art.
Yarn Bomb Tree on High Street by Ronnie Edelman
Joy Berghaus is known for her jewelry. “I love choosing the beads for texture and color. I love putting them together, combining some with antique beads, pins, old earrings, unusual finds to make bracelets, earrings or necklaces. No two are exactly alike. I get great pleasure from the final product and often have a hard time giving them up.”
Though Joy majored in art at the University of New Hampshire she did not take jewelry classes so she considers herself self-taught. In the past she was a secretary and worked in retail, working in craft shops and galleries. She also owned her own business making fabric covered accessories. Joy is as full time now as an artist as she can be. She will be demonstrating her craft during the tour.
Ronnie Edelman is known for her fiber crafts, primarily knitting but also crochet and needlepoint. “I love yarn – I don’t know why- the various fiber blends, enormous range of color and variegated yarns. I am fascinated by the endless range of patterns and stitches that can be created and love seeing the garment or other creation emerge from the process of working with these materials.”
Ronnie first became interested in knitting and crochet as a child and has continued pursuing this passion even during her years as a federal prosecutor. She did the yarn bomb tree on High Street which brings joy to those that see it.
Julia Friis uses personal photography, graphics and a collection of images to create unique designs which are then printed on 100% silk material, creating beautiful scarves and ties. “I love the creative process of watching the design grow, fill the screen and flow out of the printer.”
Julia is self-taught. Her careers were many such as bank officer, owner of an imaging business and had a commercial embroidery business. She turned to her art when she was inspired by her son’s photography and came upon a magazine article about a Chicago artist who was putting his work on silk. The two met and her scarves were the result of that meeting.
Terry Wolf is known for his landscapes and portraits.
Robin Rice has always loved sea glass. “…I was drawn to the delicious feel, odd shapes, and soft colors that working with glass affords. I decided to use sea glass, but also to break and tumble vintage glass to offer historical significance and the benefits of repurposing. I use color coated copper because it is a great conductor of energy, and these pieces have all been tumbled in sacred waters from around the world, including Mother Mary’s spring water from Turkey, St. Bridged’s Well in Ireland and the healing river waters of shamanic Educador.
Robin is an internationally published novelist and “social change artist” who brings communities together to rally around progressive ideas. Her work has taken her to create music videos in five cities and allowed her to reach more than 500,000 viewers through youtube. Her most recent project in 2014 reached more than a million women. But despite all these activities, Robin continues to explore a different art or craft each year though it’s the vintage glass jewelry which is her love.
Fashion design and garment construction has been a passion of Elizabeth Rowan’s since early childhood when she learned her design skills from her mother and made outfits for her Barbie Doll. “I soon picked up scissors, scraps of fabric, needle, thread, sequins and beads to begin fashioning items for her wardrobe. I had such a sense of delight, I never wanted to stop.”
For thirty-five years Elizabeth taught elementary school and was also a librarian where she used her creative skills to influence younger minds. Eventually, she left teaching and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has since developed small businesses relating to finished fashion, home products, and jewelry. On the tour Elizabeth will be showing French country tote bags and silk pillows. But het real joy is in creating jewelry with gems and crystals with have the look of vintage jewelry – 1800-1915.
Dennis Young paints about equally inside the studio and outside, en plein air.. He works in oils and pastels. “The subjects I paint are often those of towns and street scenes and memorable landmarks. The common theme is usually the interplay of light against darker backgrounds, drawing attention to the focal point of the painting. ”More recently he has been including figures in his plein air work and has come to love painting the human figure and portraits in the studio.
Dennis’ career as a psychiatrist and his experience with art steered him towards encouraging his patients to seek out that which is empowering and creative within themselves. Though not a full time artist, Dennis has established a second studio in his medical office and within the past year his practice has evolved to part time where more of his time is spent painting.
At an early age, Terry Wolf became aware of painting as a way to express his interests in his surroundings and the people he has known. “It has always been my desire to bring out the expressive qualities in the objects and landscapes I love.. I work in many mediums but presently, watercolor, pastel and tempera are the mediums that are best suited to express my ideas.
Terry has had multiple careers. Among them are as a printer, matching pigments in a color lab, cabinet maker and framer foreman. But there is always time for art. “Contrasts of light and dark, textures and color are very interesting to me. Nature can be harsh or subtle and I have always been aware of the strong contrasts of nature and humans. There is a power and a tension between people and the landscape that engages my attention and begs to be expressed. As I view a wooded area in the morning or evening light I can almost hear the banging of the light as it bounces between the trees. Just as exciting is the view of landscapes blanketed in snow and the silence surrounding me.
For information on all the artists on the tour go to www.chestertownriverarts.org where you can download the 2014 Studio Tour brochure.
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