Skaneateles Artisans News

Skaneateles Artisans celebrate WinterFest 2012

Demos

Skaneateles Artisans celebrate WinterFest Saturday January 28th with artist demos and as a site for A Taste of Skaneateles.

Featured artists are Teresa Vitale doing Faux painting, Susan Hadzor with stained glass and Linda Bishop-Surbeck weaving.

The Skaneateles Artisans Gallery Under the Stone, located in The Old Stone Mill at 3 Fennell Street (lower level), offers off-street parking as well as municipal parking, and accepts major credit cards. Winter Gallery hours Friday-Saturday 11AM-5PM; Sunday 12-4PM. Visit our website at www.skaneatelesartisans.com. For more information, call 315-685-8580.

___________________________________________________

You Are Invited

________________________________________________________________

Skaneateles Artisans seek new home

All of a sudden Skaneateles Artisans, a major local art cooperative that has thrived in Skaneateles, NY and grown to become a major outlet for high quality local art, is looking for a new home. With the approaching tourist season, time is of the essence.

Over the past four years, the Skaneateles Artisans’ gallery has become an integral part of the Central New York art community. As it readied itself as a headliner attraction for last weekend’s CNY Blooms Flower and Garden show, the artists were hit with the biggest hurdle of their gallery’s young life. The building they have called home since their founding in June of 2007 had been sold, leaving the artisans with 30 days to make room for the new owners – and hopefully find a new home.

With the same “can do” spirit that had launched the popular gallery four years ago, 11 artisans rallied on the stage at the Onondaga County War Memorial for a record breaking weekend. In momentary breaks between customers, the artists, ranging from a watercolorist to jewelry designers and wildlife sculptor to faux painter and glass artists, brainstormed ideas about how to keep their cooperative dream alive.

“We want to stay in Skaneateles,” one artist after another confirmed. “And, if we can have our wish,” said Faux Painter Teresa Vitale, “we’ll land on our feet, on Genesee St., the main street in this historic village.”

Keeping the Skaneateles Artisans in the Village is a “must do” goal to the artists who began the village’s popular “First Friday Art Night” shortly after it’s grand opening in June of 2007. It has become a well attended and much appreciated monthly draw for village and area residents. In fact, other businesses within the village have joinedin the monthly celebration of the arts making it an ever more important night for whole community.

The artisans are hoping that someone with knowledge of an available retail space will learn of the artisans’ dilemma and be able to accommodate their new home.

The number of artists represented by the co-op has doubled from 30-60 local artists since its inception making it by some measures one of the largest art cooperatives in the New York State, according to watercolorist Bob Ripley. Beginning with just 3,000 square feet of gallery space, today the artists occupy nearly 4,500 square feet and regularly rotate a wide variety of art through the gallery.

Businesses like the Artisans are important to our community and add immeasurably to the community’s quality of life. It’s difficult to shop at the major department stores in Central New York and find the variety and quality the Skaneateles Artisans offer.

The artists have proven to be good “corporate citizens” beginning with their first year of operation and continuing through the present time with their annual silent auction of original art, donated by co-op artists and helping to fund the Skaneateles Outreach program locally, as well as the St. James Clear Water Project in the ravaged island of Haiti.

When the co-op’s newest member, Lisa Twombly, moved from the Rochester area to nearby Marcellus, NY she immediately began looking for a connection through which she could present her handcrafted gemstone jewelry to the Central New York Community. “I had previously participated in shows in Naples, NY and at Sonnenberg Gardens,” she said. “Skaneateles Artisans had a reputation for the high quality of work its artisans present and I could not have been more happy to be invited to join such a professional organization.”

Many co-op artists believe that an important part of their mission as a cooperative is to educate the community, especially children. Ed Levine, a watercolorist and former art teacher, notes that the arts have historically been integral to a community’s well-being and quality of life. That’s the foundation for his and the artisans’ interaction with area students as hosts of an annual student art contest.

Anyone with village property that could become the new home of the Skaneateles Artisans is encouraged to contact: Teresa Vitale at (315) 689-5037

_____________________________________________________

Skaneateles Artisans will not be participating in the February First Friday.

Our next First Friday is going to take place at the CNY Bloom Show at the War Memorial on March 4th. A jazz band will play in the evening and bistro style food and beverages are available as you relax after a hard week, strolling through the peaceful gardens.

Artisan’s Garden Art Garden by the Skaneateles Artisans will return for the 2011 Show! Featuring garden, flower, and nature paintings, photographs, jewelry, quilts, stained glass, pottery, wood sculpting, faux painting, glass blowing, quilts, embroidery, and dried flowers. All items will be for sale on the show floor and live demonstrations will take place in the garden.

Directions to War Memorial: http://www.cnyblooms.com/directions.html

_____________________________________________________________

You are Invited

Skaneateles ARTisans, 11 Fennell Street, Skaneateles, NY will feature the art of Steven Fland and Ed Levine during the month of July. The opening reception is Friday, July 2nd from 6 until 9 PM.

Both artists are well known throughout the area and beyond. Steven is a sculptor of wildlife with pieces ranging in size from a hummingbird to a hippo and a table featuring a kingfisher. Ed is a watercolorist, known for his landscapes, still life paintings and has recently finished a commission for the Skaneateles Antique Boat Show.

In honor of this event, there will be refreshments provided by the blue Danube www.bluedanubegourmet.com and live music by E.S.P Jazz Trio www.espjazz.org.

The gallery offers off-street parking.

For more information contact Theresa Vitale at 315- 689-5037 or by e-mail to tvitale1@twcny.rr.com

Ed Levine - Watercolor

Ed Levine's twenty year love affair with Skaneateles Lake is evident in his artwork of the last few years. His paintings of the Lake and surrounding vistas are filled with emotional impact. Born in Albany, New York, Ed Levine received his art education at the State University of New York at New Paltz and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Among the artists that he studied with was George Wexler, a well known painter in the Hudson River School tradition and Arnold Singer, a master printer and graphic artist. Ed now resides on the south end of Skaneateles Lake in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

Ed has been showing his work professionally for the past thirty years in some of the finest juried shows in New York State as well as other selected shows along the East Coast. Throughout the past ten years of his career Ed has painted still lifes using food as the general source of subject matter. Since retiring after 33 years of teaching and moving to Skaneateles Lake in June of 2005, Ed's attention has been captured by his new surroundings. The dominant features of Ed 's watercolors are shape, color, and transparent layers combined in an active composition. His paintings radiate with an emotional and physical directness created by their saturated color and bright light.

"When creating my artwork, I attempt to consider all the rules that I’ve learned and taught, and follow only those that I feel are appropriate for that day and that painting. I often remind myself to keep it simple, to be direct, not to add even a single brushstroke that is not necessary. I remind myself that I, not a gallery or client, have to be satisfied with this painting. The principles and elements of design, are second nature to me after painting for over thirty years and are a part of every painting. In the end, a painting is all about choices, what to do, and more importantly, what not to do. I take the privilege of making my paintings richer than life, more colorful, often with more striking compositions. I design my still lifes so that they are comprised of elements that are a comfort to me. My landscapes are of very specific places, but remind me of others that I’ve seen and experienced throughout my life. It is my desire that the viewer will also find them to be familiar and heartwarming."

Visit my web site at: www.edlevineartwork.com

Steve Fland - Wood Sculpture of Wildlife

Steven Fland is a self-taught sculptor specializing in life size birds in which the wildlife species and habitat all start from a block of wood or piece of metal.

"I reside in Moravia, a small community in the Eastern Finger Lakes region of Central New York State. Upon receiving a BS degree in Biology, from SUNY Potsdam, I taught middle school Life Science for 36 years. While doing ornithological graduate work at Cornell University, I had the unique opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant for the late Dr. Peter Paul Kellogg. Always interested in art, another teacher and I opened a wildlife art shop during the summer of 1976. It was there I saw this particular form of bird sculpture for the first time. Having a desire to try my hand in the art form, I completed my first carving in 1978 and entered my first competition in 1979, in novice class. In less than one year, I moved up and began competing in open/professional class and in1982, I won my first of five "Best-of-Show" awards at the (now defunct) U.S. National Decoy Show. At the first New York State Wildlife Art Competition, I received first, second and third place awards. (The following year the rules were changed allowing only one entry per artist in the competition.)

My early pieces were highly detailed floating sculptures ( "decorative decoys") that in competition are judged on the water. Aside from having to be accurate to the species, in anatomy, color and posture, they must float correctly in a natural, lifelike attitude. I still carve floating sculpture but I have expanded my art to include a category referred to as "interpretative", which does not float but focuses on a more stylized, loose impressionistic approach. Another genre is a highly detailed non-floating piece ( "full size decorative"), in which the bird is set in a habitat.

Specialty commissions have included the creation of four vertical sculptures carved out of Basswood logs. These sculptures were originally designed for an Adirondack split wood cabinet. The poles were meant to honor the Haudenosaunne (Iroquois) culture and feature renditions of their clans, false faces and beliefs. When the cabinet was moved to a different location, the poles were removed; their paint was intensified and they are now installed in an entryway to a conference center.

All of my work reflects a desire to capture "the character of the bird" and its habitat and behavior. One of my sculptures is a juvenile Coopers Hawk with a Mourning Dove clutched in its talons, expressing the feel of an efficient predator. Whether it is a regal Canvasback, an elegant Wood Duck, a well fed Alligator, Snapping Turtle going after a duckling, a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk begging for food, or a pre-copulatory pair of Cinnamon Teal, all of these pieces evoke an important action in the life of the animal. A recent carving of an Eastern Bluebird on a Pussy Willow branch, established the time of year.

The process used in all of these pieces starts with very extensive research including, at times, the purchase of aviary specimens to study. This research also includes studying the habitat that would be appropriate to the bird, such as Aspen, as opposed to Maple leaves in the setting for the American Woodcock. After research, a pattern is then drawn and cut from a block of wood which is generally Tupelo, Basswood or Black Walnut. From these blocks, wood is removed with knives, chisels, grinders and, depending upon the size of the piece and the task, I use a chain saw all the way down to a small tool that uses dental bits and turns 400,000 rpm. After the piece is carved, it is then textured and "burned" with an instrument that puts a knife-like cut in the wood using heat. This preparation creates a lifelike reflective surface, with natural undulations of highlights and shadows, on the sculpture. After developing the surface of the piece, acrylic paint is applied using as many as twenty, thin, watery washes. Metal is sometimes used for structural needs or for habitat such as a fall Goldenrod made of brass with the dried leaves made from various types of paper. In all cases, except for the eyes, I create the entire carving. The sculptures are all life-size renderings of the species depicted. They have ranged in size from a Ruby-throated Hummingbird to the pair of Red-tailed Hawks (the tallest piece ever displayed at the World Championships of Wildfowl Carving) to a piece of floor sculpture, in Black Walnut, of a Hippopotamus emerging from the water with two Cattle Egrets looking for insects on its back.

Composition is of major importance because I want to force the viewer’s eye to flow through the sculpture and still be of interest when seen from all directions. When viewing my work, look at the bird with regard to its behavior and the overall design, while at the same time remembering it is sculpted from wood."

Visit my web site : www.stevenflandgallery.com

_________________________________________________________

First Friday Art Night - April 2nd from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Skaneateles Artisans is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit featuring a Student Art Show. Three School Districts will be represented: Skaneateles, Marcellus and West Genesee. Join us for live music, punch and appetizers. The music for our April First Friday event will be provided by Fiddlestyx, a nine-piece ensemble made up of members of the Skaneateles High School orchestra, led by Karen Veverka. The group specializes in string versions of music by rock bands such as Led Zepplin and the Rolling Stones.
The students are currently raising money to finance their upcoming trip to Los Angeles, where they have been invited to compete in the Heritage Festival of Gold, during which they will get the opportunity to work with renowned guest conductors and perform in the prestigious Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Exhibit runs through April 30th.

Click on picture to view in PDF

Demo Workshop

Click on picture to read in PDF

One of our artist in Skaneateles Artisans was featured in the back page in the Fall 2009 issue of "Life In The Finger Lakes" magazine.

Click on article to read the story

Upcoming exhibit on First Friday: First Friday November 6th, from 6:00 - 9:00

Skaneateles Artisans is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit featuring artists Patricia Tucker, painting, Sharon Terry, jewelry and David Lisi, pottery. Refreshments will be served. Exhibit runs through November 30th.

Music by Steve Giacondo, guitarist.

Patricia Tucker

I started painting about five years ago while going though a difficult period in my life. Prior to that time, I expressed my creativity by sewing, crocheting, gardening, woodworking, restoring old houses, through culinary endeavors, entertaining, and raising children. While painting, I found a combination of peace and passion, and I was pleased to receive encouragement and praise from family and friends. One friend in particular, an artist friend of mine, encouraged me to pursue this talent and newfound passion. Consequently, I began taking various art classes at a community college followed by doing some local art workshops. Now, whether I am painting with acrylics or oils, whether I am drawing with charcoal, crayons, pencils, or pastels, and whether the subject matter is a figure, a portrait, a landscape, or an abstract, the thread between all of my work is that I share a glimpse of myself – mind, heart, and soul. –

Sharon Terry

Several years ago I visited and revisited a local bookstore to thumb through ornament magazine. Once I decided to take the leap & actually purchase the publication I spent that afternoon reading the articles and admiring the beautiful photographs of the work of acclaimed jewelry artist. Immediately upon closing its pages I got up from my chair & was pulled by some force to the back of our grown up daughter’s closet. I discovered an old plastic sewing box. I spent hours that afternoon with the memory of my grandmother and over those hours began remembering that she had for a short time in her life experimented with making jewelry and these were her beads.
I took a class to learn to affix a clasp and the rest is history. Once my jewelry seemed to draw attention and others encouraged me with my creations, I began to sell my work and create custom pieces. I do not copy the work of others, although I learned from them. Each design comes out of my own head in the moment that I sit down to create. Gem stone beads are my passion although I do use glass and other materials as well. I guess the bottom line to all of this is the healing nature of the work itself; it brings meditative focus and rest to my mind and body.

David Lisi

David Lisi, a native central New Yorker has been making pottery for over 20 years. David started working with clay at age 16 as a student at Henninger High School and continued at SUNY Onondaga as a psycology major and an art minor. However, after graduation David continued to study ceramics at SUNY Onondaga under the renowned Professor Andy Schuster for three more years. David has been a member of the Syracuse Ceramic Guild for 10 years. Through the guild David continues to learn new techniques working with clay.

Current Exhibit" Runs through October 31, 2009

Artist Opening – 11 Fennell St., Skaneateles. First Friday, October2, 2009, 6:00 – 9:00pm.Skaneateles Artisans on October 2, First Friday, will unveil art donated to a silent auction to support the St James Haiti Clean Water Project and Skaneateles Outreach. Music will be provided by Jazz muscians Ron France and Barry Blumenthal. The silent auction will run through out the month of October. Exhibit runs through 10/31. The gallery offers off-street parking and accepts major credit cards. Visit their website at www.skaneatelesartisans.com. For more information, call 315-685-8580.

Hors d'oeuvres will be provided by:

Hook & Cleaver Organic Meat & Fish Market

19 Fennell Street

Skaneateles, NY 13152

315-685-2088

E mail: hookandcleavercustomers@gmail.com

Music:

Ron France:

Was introduced to music by his father, a trumpeter who played his early years with Stan Kenton's band... His long time collaboration with Vocalist Ronnie Leigh and Keyboardist Larry Arlotta, led to two Grammy nominated CD's

Ron has been fortunate to work and/or record with such jazz luminaries as Doc Severinson, Jeff Tyzik, Alan Vizzuti, Nancy Kelly, Cabo Frio and many others.

Currently enjoying the Central New York Music scene and playing with these great upstate groups:

Eye Level with John Rohde, Mark Copani, Jim Johns and Andy Rudy, Ronnie Leigh with Karl Sterling and Marcus Curry Three For All with Karl Sterling and Barry Blumenthal The Great Rochester based band Prime Time Funk with Jimmy Richmond and Dave Cohen.

Hear Ron online: www.RonnieFrance.com

Ron France / www.CNYSignature.com / President

Direct: 315-849-4082 / Email: ron.france@cynsignature.com

Barry Blumenthal:

Began to play the piano at an early age, influenced by his mother, Flora, and introduced to jazz by his father Ted who continues to be one of his greatest influences to this day.

Barry has performed and/or record with many wonderful artists, including Tom “Bones” Malone, Danny D’Imperio, Bruce Johnstone, Jeff Jarvis, Bret Zvacek, Dennis Mackrel, Aretha Franklin, Gary Smulyan, Mark Copani, Nancy Kelly, the Central New York Jazz Orchestra, and is a featured soloist on the critically acclaimed CD, “The Adventures in Jazz Orchestra Celebrates Christmas,” available at cdbaby.com

Hear Barry online: http://www.myspace.com/threeforallband

Current Exhibit" Runs through September 30, 2009

Susan Hadzor

Susan Hadzor loves the medium of glass. She finds it stimulating to confront its rigid two dimensional nature in attempts to depict items from the natural world. She loves the myriad colors and textures, marveling at how each changes the light that passes through. Susan now designs her own pieces, sometimes with inspiration from nature or traditional motifs, utilizing the techniques of copper foil, lead or zinc came--or sometimes more than one technique in a single piece.

Susan welcomes custom commissions, enjoys projects such as providing custom glass for cabinet work, and repairing windows and pieces which have met with misfortune.

Robert vonHunke “Transported”
Jamesville, NY

I work from life. I studied painting and drawing at the University of Michigan where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. I also pursued interests in
printmaking, ceramics, photography, and computer graphics. After receiving a Master of
Science and Doctor of Education degrees from Syracuse University and teaching for 34
years I am recalibrating back to the studio where I work in acrylics and digital
photography. My creativity is self -disciplined, guided largely by personal visual
statements expressed permanently through the use of a variety of media in paint and
print. My art provides a vehicle to summarize and document an experience, a visual
journal. For example, the series of paintings I did as a response to lengthy travel in
nearly all 50 States but especially to the beaches of North Carolina, the rocks and sky of
Sedona, Arizona, the canals of Venice, Italy, and Suzhou, China. Diversions include
trains and the prairies of North Dakota. My art poses a way for me to share an aspect of a
story through what I saw and felt, and lived. In a sense they are autobiographical – a
portrait without the person. I work from life.

When not painting or shooting images I work with my wife in her studio where
she is a jewelry designer. There I cut cabochons – taking raw rough semi-precious gem
stones and cutting and polishing them prior to their becoming wearable art forms.

Current Exhibit" Runs through August 31, 2009

Upcoming exhibit on First Friday: First Friday August 7th, from 6:00 - 9:00

Skaneateles Artisans is proud to welcome two prestigious artist from the Roycrofters At large Association.

The works of Howard Lehning and Thomas kegler will be on display for the month of August.

We will have live music by: Louis Nocilly's "Jazzitude"

Join Skaneateles Artisans for First Friday at the Oncenter in Syracuse! We will be displaying our artwork in a garden setting during the entire show. Our gallery will be closed March 3-8. Joining us on First Friday at the Oncenter will be Louis Nocilly's "Jazzitude." For more information, visit the CNY Blooms website. Click here to print a coupon for $2.00 off the admission price.

Now accepting applications for full member artists - please stop in for an application or click here to obtain one in PDF format.

We are always looking for consignment artists as well. Click here to obtain the consignment application.

In case you've missed our First Fridays...
Christine Briel of skaneatelestalk.com videotaped the Skaneateles September 5th First Friday celebration, including interviews with Skaneateles Artisans' artists Steven Fland, Teresa Vitale, and Gretchen Hamlin. You can view the video and listen to the wonderful sounds of the Kambuyu Marimba Ensemble who performed at Skaneateles Artisans here.

Skaneateles Artisans is One Year Old! Come celebrate our first birthday with us on First Friday, July 4. See our Events page for additional information about our festivities that evening, and visit the First Friday pages for additional information about village-wide First Friday events.

Artisan Soap: We are pleased to announce that we now have Artisan's Soap available for sale, specially created for us by Syracuse Soapworks. The Skaneateles scene on the label was painted by our very own watercolor painter, Ed Levine. The lavender oatmeal scent is wonderful and we hope to have more scents available soon.

=

Visit our NEW UPPER GALLERY! We've been hard at work at expanding! Our new Upper Gallery is now open to the public and contains a wonderful mix of all of our artists' work, and this summer our Visiting Artists' work will be on display there as well.

Our very own artist, Teresa Vitale, was featured on WCNY's Food For Thought program recently. She talked about Skaneateles' First Fridays, Skaneateles Artisans, and cooked up a wonderful shrimp dish at the same time! Our friends at Skaneateles Talk have posted a link to her video here.

We've painted our building! Goodbye to beige, hello color!

We also have some fantastic window displays for you to check out.