We are ready to spring into action.

Yes, we’re getting the 2013 KEENE ART TOUR underway!

Luann’s infamous “wall o’ fabric”, a rainbow in fiber!

We have many returning faces and a few new ones. Check back to see what’s new and different.

If you enjoyed last year’s tour, please let us know! Post your comments and impressions below. We’d love to hear from you.

“Come back, we miss you already!!” Bunny puppet from KAT artist Luann Udell’s studio.

It was a roaring success, by all accounts. We had tons of visitors. We had great sales. (It’s important for artists to sell so we can keep making art!) Our studios have never been cleaner, too.

Best of all, our visitors had a great time! Everyone was thrilled to be invited into the magical places where art is made.

How do we know? Because you told us so!

And we were thrilled to have you, too. It’s exciting to meet people who are intrigued and interested in what we do. You’re all like a giant cheerleading section for us, creating good energy that encourages and sustains us in our work.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming to see us.

So…What are we doing now?

That reminds me of a beloved joke from my childhood. A woman opens her refrigerator and finds a rabbit inside. The woman says, “What are you doing in my refrigerator?” The bunny says, “Is this a Westinghouse?” The woman replies, “Why, yes it is.” “Well,” says the bunny, “I’m westing.”

This was a lot funnier when Westinghouse actually made refrigerators, but you see my point.

Actually, we’re not westing–yet. Plans are already under way for Keene Art Tour 2013.

We’ll have many returning artists and craftspeople, and some new faces. We’ll have even more ways to get the word out about the tour, and more maps available.

We’re going to spread the news about our tour further afield. We’re hoping you’ll tell your friends and neighbors about the good time you had. If you know anyone at regional and national magazines who might be interested in our story, please let us know. (That was a shameless plug for networking, I know. Except I’m not ashamed.)

We may even have a trolley route next year! (We can dream, can’t we?)

In the meantime, we’ll also be making more wonderful things for you to see, and admire, and collect, for next year’s tour.

Yes, we will be “westing”–a little. But not for long. Keene’s second open studio tour is already in the works!

Thank you to everyone who came to see us. And for those who couldn’t, we’ll see you next year at Keene Art Tour 2013!

“Y’all come back now, y’ hear?” Artwork by KAT artist Kathrine Piper.

I make artifacts, inspired by prehistoric cave art. I use small ones to make jewelry and to embellish fiber collage wall hangings. Bigger ones become sculpture. Animals feature strongly in my work: Horses, bears, fish, otters, birds and aurochs. My newest artifacts are dogs, and foxes. Other artifacts echo sewing awls, amulets, medallions.

Many people think my artwork looks like shrines, small altars. Many think it resembles museum displays, fragments of a lost culture, an imagined prehistory.

All of it tells a story.

I took up my art late in life. Like many young people, I walked away from it, thinking I wasn’t good enough. But then I realized a life not following my passion, was not worth living.

When I returned to art in mid-life, I had to start at the very beginning. I looked through my art history books, starting with the cave of Lascaux, France. Long considered the birthplace of art, I thought I’d begin with the beginning for inspiration.

And never left.

There are now cave art sites that are even older, stretching back over 30,000 into prehistory. I feel connected to them, aligned somehow. They remind me that making art is as much a part of being human as shelter, community, family. Art has always been a way to see ourselves, and the world, differently.

I’ve learned a lot about the process of making my art and getting it out into the world. I write about that process on my blog, sharing what I’ve learned so maybe you don’t have to learn everything the hard way. (But sometimes you do anyway…)

When you visit my studio, when I speak publicly, when I write, when I teach, you get an inside look at my creative life–the good, the bad and the ugly. Mostly the good, because that’s how I choose to look at life.

Luann’s infamous “wall o’ fabric”, a rainbow in fiber!

I make wall hangings, sculptures and jewelry inspired by prehistoric, tribal and world art. I tell stories with my art, stories to honor and encourage others who are making their own place in the world.

Young woman, nomadic tribe, wearing her wealth of tribal jewelry.

I believe using our creativity makes the world a better place for everyone. I believe everyone can participate in that process. I contribute as an artist and a writer. And maybe other ways I don’t know about yet.

I write about how being a late-bloomer, a mother (of twenty-somethings. When did THAT happen??), a martial artist, a horse rider, a climber, a hospice volunteer and a writer, have all made me a better artist.

And….vice versa. Making my art has healed me in a hundred different ways. It’s made me a better human being.

I wrote CARVING RUBBER STAMPS for Lark Books. I wrote a regular column for CraftsBusiness Magazine (til it went out of business, and no, that wasn’t my fault.) Now I write a regular column Craft Matters for The Crafts Report magazine on the funnier side of a life in craft.

Luann’s book

You can see my articles here: Luann’s blog.
You can see more of my artwork here: Luann’s website
And of course, I invite you to visit my “cabinet of wonders” art studio on this, our very first, Keene Art Tour!

Luann’s worktable doesn’t always look this neat.
But it ALWAYS looks this interesting!

Cave bear sculptures.

Shaman necklace: Gaia Series

Kyle Stuckey was born in Keene, NH. Being home-schooled, Kyle needed art credits during his high school years, so his parents turned to Lori Woodward to create an art curriculum for Kyle. She began by having Kyle draw simple still life set ups. Lori immediately recognized that Kyle has a great deal of natural ability. Before long he was working with oil, producing paintings in the style of realism.

After receiving private instruction, attending workshops, and spending lots of time at the easel, Kyle was ready to “go public” by entering into Keene NH’s annual outdoor art exhibit, Art in the Park. It was during that weekend that his career “began” through making sales, placing in the juried contest, and most importantly, meeting the public. Soon after, he was asked to be represented in the Monadnock Fine Art Gallery, also in Keene.

Initially, Kyle had taken an instant interest in painting the human likeness, and during the first few years, produced mainly portraiture and figurative works. Along with capturing the likeness of a person, the subjects of his paintings convey a mood, suggesting an untold story which gives the viewer the opportunity to discover their own interpretation.

Stuckey’s paintings now consist of figurative, still life, and landscapes.
Stuckey also produces portraits through commission, offering paintings of both children and adults. He enjoys the challenge of going beyond creating a likeness, to capturing the personality of his subject whether it’s through a certain pose, facial expression, or setting.

Stuckey was selected as a Scottsdale Artist School scholarship recipient at the age of 19; He has participated in numerous invitational and juried shows.

Kyle has received the following awards: Kyle won 2nd Place in Southwest Art Magazine’s 21 Under 31 annual competition, which was followed by a feature article in Southwest Art Magazine (June 2010). He also won the grand prize for the National Bold Brush Online Competition later in 2010, and was a finalist in American Artist Magazine’s annual Cover Competition in 2011.

Stuckey is a member of The Putney Painters, an invitational group, mentored by Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik. His work continues to be featured in magazine articles. You can see his work online at kylestuckey.com and at the following galleries: Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale AZ, Monadnock Fine Art, Keene NH, and Sanders Galleries, Tucson, AZ.

THE CAT’S MEOW – Mary Anne Knapp

“It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet.” Kojiro Tomita, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1890-1976)

From my earliest recollection, I have loved to make things. I made doll clothes out of scraps from my mother’s sewing basket, and my grandmother taught me to knit. I’ve made quilts, baskets, and have also done some rug hooking.

I began making jewelry a few years ago, and this endeavor, however, became an obsession. Whenever I would finish a project, I would snap a picture. My friends noticed my cat, Snoopy, seemed to be in all the photos. That is how “The Cat’s Meow” was born. He is a quiet, graceful presence in my life. I am not sure if he likes to watch me work, or is just waiting for an opportunity to pounce on an unsuspecting bead.

I thoroughly enjoy beading, and creating beads with polymer clay. Clay is such a wondrous medium, with seemingly endless possibilities. I love working with color, and draw inspiration from nature and my surroundings. “Magic Wings” is my interpretation of a butterfly my grandson and I saw in Deerfield two weeks ago, and “Animal Instincts” looks an awful lot like my swimsuit! Each bead that I make seems to me to be the “best so far”; that is what keeps the process interesting, challenging, and, in my case, hopelessly (and happily) addicting.

I have two grown and married children, six grandchildren, two cats and a full time job. I am a transplanted Texan, graduating from Texas Tech University with a degree in Secondary Education. I enjoy kayaking, and can also be found on the tennis court when time permits.

I am a member of the Walpole Artisans Coop in Walpole, NH, and have also been featured at The Vault in Springfield, VT.

Did I mention that I love beads…….

Kathrine Piper

No one who thinks about art can claim that representation is a passive process.
The artist projects order onto a subject; this can be tacit or, in Kathrine Piper’s work, explicit.
The grid-like systems where her works take shape are reminders of the way the human mind – while perceiving spatial wholes – may require and even impose an order which might not be present in the scene itself.

See a variety of her work at http://kathrinepiper.com/

Shows and Awards
2012 Keene Studio Art Tour, November 3 & 4, Keene, NH
2012 Art in the Park, Keene, NH, Honorable Mention
2012 Gallore Gallery, ESSIE Awards International, August, Middletown, CT, Finalist
2012 Dragonfly Gallery, 12″ x 12″ Exhibition, Austin, TX
2012 Twitter Art Exhibit, Moss, Norway
2012 Gallore Gallery, International Junk or Genius, April, Middletown, CT, Finalist
2011 Keene State College Alumni Center, Solo Exhibit, August ’11-June ’12
2011 Colonial Theater Art Auction, Keene, NH
2011 The Colonial Corner, Solo Show, Keene, NH
2010 Colonial Theater Birdhouse Art Auction, Keene, NH
2010 Stonewall Farm Juried Art Auction, Keene, NH
2010 Postcards to the G8, Huntsville, Ontario, Canada
2010 Art in the Park, Keene, NH, Honorable Mention
2004 Liquitex Paint, International “Be Original” Contest, First Place
2004 58 Knickerbocker Gallery, group show, Williamsburg, NY
2004 Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center, group show, New York City
2003 Cork Gallery at Lincoln center, group show, New York City
2002 Cork Gallery at Lincoln center, group show, New York City
2001 Cork Gallery at Lincoln center, group show, New York City
2000 Cork Gallery at Lincoln center, group show, New York City
1989 Anderson-Little Suit of the Future, National Runner-up
1989 SFD Christmas Card Contest, First Place
1988 Air France Young Fashion Designer’s Competition, School Representative, USA Finals
1980 Designed Flag for Cheshire County, NH, First Place

George Ponzini’s Biography

George Ponzini, an internationally recognized glass artist, creates functional and sculptural pieces with an uncommon style of assemblage. Architecture, art deco and modern art influence his lively work that he calls ‘Neo-Deco’. Engaging and elegant, George’s glass includes sculpture, stemware, martini pitchers, candlesticks, perfume bottles, bowls, mirrors, bud vases, sconces, shelves and even custom chess sets, tables and chandeliers. Stunning composites of slumped and constructed elements juxtapose with free form and geometric shapes ingeniously. Abstract and complex, George’s built pieces weave together modern and post-modern sensibilities to highlight glass’s color and light. Echoes of 20th century art deco and architecture deepen his work’s meaning, but his style also heralds futuristic urban design. For over thirty-eight years, George’s built
structures of glass planes have defiantly departed from traditional glass art.

Methods and Materials

George approaches designing with the loosest of concepts, relying on his
relationship with the material and his ability to stay open to an evolutionary, organic exchange. “I enjoy the spontaneity of the design process -the climax being when the last piece of colored or textured glass brings the design together creating the final piece -a three dimensional collage.”

History and Influences

George found glass art at New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce College in 1974.
“Taking my first stained glass course on a whim was my introduction to glass. I was always intrigued with the stained glass windows in church as a child.” Soon he was learning stained glass and furniture design at Virginia University’s Arts School of Crafts in. His current style was influenced by his studies at Pilchuck Glass Center and at North Carolina’s Penland School of Crafts. From Sonja Blomdahl at Pilchuck, George deepened his understanding of “the importance of a unique color sensibility” that infuses his work.* “I’m still fascinated with glass itself. As a medium, glass has seemingly endless possibilities. Even after 30 years I am still conceiving new ideas: a dining room table, bathroom accessories and a table lamp.” Other influences are his urban childhood and travels abroad. “My work is definitely founded in my urban roots in Yonkers and NYC. I was fascinated with the city’s art deco
buildings and modern architecture. More recently, on a trip to Milan, I was
inspired by Italian contemporary design.”
Galleries and Exhibits

George Ponzini’s work is in galleries, notable exhibits and collections in the US , Europe and Japan: The Glasmuseum in Ebeltoft , Denmark, The Renwick
Gallery, Vassar College, Nicolaysen Art Museum, and The International Exibition of Glass Craft in Kanazawa, Japan. George has served on the faculty of the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He has been a Vermont Council of the Arts Fellowship Recipient, and he earned a Grodin Award for Excellence in Design and Craftsmanship.

For more information, visit georgeponzini.com

Larry Simons

In 1965 I began making sculptures on Cape Cod with leather scraps from the sandal shop where I worked. When I moved west two years later, I visited the Watts towers in Los Angeles and the junk assemblages in the mud flats across the bay from San Francisco and my eyes opened to the art materials that are everywhere which I began turning into whimsical constructions on empty lots and beaches.

I love old ramshackle wooden structures with their lean-tos and additions, especially barns with weathered gray siding and red trim. Rather than re-coloring anything, I prefer to work with the palette I find – so I always have an eye out for broken down farm buildings from which I can scavenge fragments.

While living in the west, I fell in love with the raw beauty of the mountains and the desert. I was particularly drawn to unrestored ghost towns and the remnants of the mines they had grown up around where I found rusted metal with a reddish tone not seen in damper climates and deeply grained shards of wood which had hardened with age in the dry air.

Driftwood is one of my favorite collectibles, especially painted pieces which have been tumbled to perfection. A recycler by nature, virtually everything I use in my art has had a previous life – bobbins, chair spindles, tool handles, toys, croquet sets and wooden patterns from steel mills-most of which is brought to me by packrat-types who enjoy seeing what I do with their treasures. Bits and pieces of things that are fun to look at are spread throughout my studio so I can see as many as possible at a glance. I constantly move them around making different combinations on my worktables until I’m satisfied with an assemblage. A visual version of perfect pitch seems to guide me as I tweak a piece to completion.

My fondness for the rustic is reflected in my lifestyle which includes living in an early period style house I designed and built on a piece of property carved out of the woods to accommodate my earth-bound efforts at landscaping, poultry/game bird farming and forest management.

As an importer of handcrafts and artifacts, antique Asian furniture and natural-dyed Oriental rugs, my business has meshed nicely with other aspects of my life having furnished me with the resources to constantly rearrange my surroundings to suit my evolving tastes. I wouldn’t be able to stop fiddling with my environment if I wanted to.

A meeting of passion and profession have brought me a sense of harmony and fulfillment that was years in the making – a testament to the notion that it is never too late to nurture the creative spirit and drive that is inherent in all of us.

The idea that art arises out of need, lack and deprivation hit home for me the first time I drove through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado. Who needs sculpture when you can look at this, I remember thinking. But as soon as it was out of sight a desire arose in me to fill the void.

The Evolution of the Happy Camper by Kristina Wentzell

When I take my paintings to art shows, folks come into my booth, look around and say, “this is the happy booth!”.

This happens time and time again. I’m always pleased and flattered. Who wouldn’t be? Making art is a joyful thing for me and when that joy resonates with other people, it is a good feeling.

But I never used to think much more about it–other than, “oh, how nice!”. I would just go on with my day, or with what I was doing, and not really think deeply about how one person’s actions can create a positive ripple effect that spreads out to others. Or, how that one person could be ME.

Until one day this past spring the wheels were set in motion.

I got a call from a woman who had seen my work at a local restaurant. She really liked my poppy paintings and was interested in purchasing several. We chatted for a while and then the woman said something that floored me.

She explained that she had been in town because her daughter was seriously ill and in the local hospital. Every day she would go and be with her daughter until visiting hours were over. She would then go to a restaurant to try to work, and wait until she could return to the hospital. Every day she would come back to this same restaurant and every day she would look at my poppies. She told me the poppies were the one spot of happiness for her in this tremendously difficult time.

Months later, after her daughter was recovering, and she had long since returned home, she was still thinking about my poppies. And so she called to arrange to buy my “Wild Poppies” series for her own home.

I remember hanging up the phone and feeling such gratitude that my art could be so powerful.

I take my art a bit more seriously now and I have gained new respect for what I do. I never thought of art as a trivial thing–I am an artist for gosh sake! But I think about that ripple effect, and most of all I want to spread the happiness around even MORE.

This summer, an idea for how to do this came into my life at just the right moment and has launched me in a whole new direction. While vacationing in Maine, I was sitting in my mother’s kitchen sipping tea and gazing idly out the window when I noticed this:

The sweetest little vintage camper parked across the street. It was cute, and rounded, and retro, and the perfect shade of robin’s egg blue and it was FOR SALE!

And so the idea for the Happy Camper Mobile Art Gallery was born.

This September, I converted a 1966 DeCamp Travel Trailer into a mobile art gallery. I retrofitted the interior with a gallery hanging system and lighting (and maintaining the  60′s charm) and plan to take it on the road to art shows, street festivals, farmers markets, nursing homes, and meet-ups with OTHER mobile art galleries. (If you have one, or want to create one please get in touch with me!)

Keene now has TWO mobile art galleries, see the Sublime Art Gallery at Nicole Caulfield’s studio. Read about us both in the Keene Sentinel here.

The Happy Camper is the perfect vehicle (no pun intended!) for spreading the happiness around, and for getting art out in new and different venues in a fun, approachable way.

I hope this starts a whole new revolution in art!

See a photo gallery of the evolution of the Happy Camper here.

Artist Statement:

Terri Lipman, who currently resides in Keene , New Hampshire , has been making various fiber arts all her life Her work has included textile dyeing, painting, painting on canvas and metal. Her college coursework in color theory and design were instrumental to her art career. “Working with my hands keeps me happy”, she says.

Our home is our castle. Our person is happiness. Bring homeward functional fun, beauty, freedom and clarity. Creativity is stirred by the current palettes of the eyesight. Visual encouragement comes forward: natural plant growth, personal beauty, home, art, writings, etc. My artistic vision is translated from such stimulation, says Lipman

About the Artist

From 1977 to 1993 Terri and her husband, Henry managed the family business known as “Lipman Designers.” Terri designed the gift and decorative accessories and managed the painting employees. Henry charmed the buyers for sales and oversaw the worldwide distribution. In 1994, Terri chose to end the majority of the wholesale business in an effort to concentrate on her artist venues.

Terri is a state juried member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen (having lived in PA for 25 years). In 2002, Terri became a juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. She chaired the Pennsylvania Christmas Craft Market for four years, as a member of the PGC. She has been President of the Lancaster Designer –Craftsmen, the founder and President of Keystone Painters of the National Society of Decorative Painters, Chairwoman of Keystone Painters mini convention in 1985. For the National Society of Decorative Painters Terri has served on the Education Committee. For several years, Terri also chaired the Stencil Artisan League annual conference. For several she was the Director of Events for the Surface Design Association.

Terri holds membership in the Surface Design Association, the Sharon Art Center, the Studio Art Quilt Associate and more. In 1986 Terri was honored with a Judges Citation for her excellence in hand painted furniture, during the WITF (PBS) auction in Hershey, PA.

As a member of Hannah Grimes Marketplace and MicrocreditNH, Terri has hosted workshops in product and public relation development for small businesses.

Many magazines have published Terri Lipman’s work: GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, HOME MAGAZINE, TRADITIONAL HOME to mention a few. COUNTRY NOTEBOOK, COUNTRY SAMPLER, LANDFALL COLLECTION, SUNDANCE CATALOG AND BALLARD DESIGNS are a few of the catalogs to sell her work. In 1996, Terri was featured QVC shopping channel..

Terri Lipman has exhibited her fiber work at the Cambridge Artist Coop juried wearable art show, The PYRO Surface Design Association show, Louisville, KY, Paste Up, Lowell, MA., In Full Bloom, St James, NY, the Monadnock Area Artists Juried Show and Jaffrey Civic Center, both in Jaffrey NH and in the Sharon Art Center, Peterborough, NH.

Lipman’s handcrafted works have been collected worldwide: Saudi Arabia, Japan, Canada, Bahrain and more.

Terri Lipman
Keene, NH

Terri Lipman.com
Terri Lipman blogspot
Older work

Bob Seaman is an artist and teacher of art. In addition to gallery representation, Monadnock Fine Art Gallery here in Keene and the Sharon Arts Gallery in Peterborough, he has over the years illustrated a number of books (see his website 368Art.com) and provided work for a variety of magazines (Grey’s Sporting Journal, Flyfisherman Magazine, Audubon’s Sanctuary magazine, Cricket and Ladybug and others) and for use by a number greeting card and gift companies. Locally he has shown his work at a number of juried group shows including The Thorne-Sagendorf bi-annual exhibition, The annual regional show sponsored by the Fitchburg Art Museum and a variety of exhibitions at the Sharon Arts Center. He has taught painting and drawing classes and workshops in Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. His next group of classes start at the Sharon Arts Center in January.His work may also be seen on the Monadnock Fine Art Gallery and the Sharon Arts websites.

NEWS:
Current work now being shown at:
Sharon Arts Center Gallery, Peterborough, NH
The Monadnock Fine Arts Gallery, Main Street, Keene, NH
Prime Roast, 16 Main St., Keene, NH

CURRENT
Freelance Artist/Illustrator
Faculty, The Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough and Sharon, NH
Juried Member, The Sharon Arts Center Gallery, Peterborough, NH
Juror, The Sharon Arts Center Gallery, Peterborough, NH
Faculty, The Chaffee Art Center, Rutland, VT
Juried Member, The Chaffee Art Center, Rutland, VT

EDUCATION
Williams College, AB degree, Major: History of Art

EXPERIENCE
Illustrator (prior and/or current) — Gray’s Sporting Journal, Fly Fisherman Magazine, LadyBug and Cricket Magazines, Sanctuary Magazine (MA Audubon Society). Illustrated four books in the hunting and fishing field; Most Recent: The History of the Grand Cascapedia River.

Illustrator — Paper Magic, Inc., Legacy Publishing Group, Sunshine Art Studios, Renaissance Greetings, the Rug Barn, Elm Puzzles, Counter Art, Borders Unltd., Stonewall Farm and others.

Charitable — Painting and drawing to assist the Boston Symphony, the Arts and Humanities Dept. of the City of Boston, The Vermont Arts Council, Vermont Institute of Natural Science, David’s House, Stonewall Farm, Keene, NH.

OTHER
Artist-in-Residences — Hawk Mountain Resort, Plymouth, Legacy Publishing Group, Clinton, MA.

Workshops and Other Teaching Venues — The Petersham Crafts Center, Petersham, MA; The Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Compton Art, Woodstock, VT; The Sharon Arts Center, Franklin Pierce College, The Chaffee Art Center.

Recent Solo and Juried Group Exhibitions — Charter Trust Co. (solo), The Harris Center (group), “What’s Bugging You?” (group), Thorne-Sagendorf (group), Monadnock Art/Friends of Dublin Art Colony (group).

Odds and Ends

Cardinals

Plover

The Apprentice

Nova

Pears