Gabriella DuCharme

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Triangle Stud Earrings

Gabby DuCharme is a professional landscape and portrait artist. She creates works of art that capture the unique beauty of locations and the innate personality of pets. With over twenty-five years of experience, Gabby is passionate about connecting people through emotion with her paintings. She specializes in landscape/architectural paintings, primarily commissioned by people wanting to capture the memories or experiences of a particular house or place. She also specializes in pet portraiture, ensuring her client’s long lasting memories of beloved pets. She actively donates to humanitarian and animal causes.

Known for her artistic views, DuCharme clearly demonstrates her ability to create a play of light and shadow in her most recent body of work featuring coastal landscapes. Gabby’s clients say she is a true professional, easy to work with, always hits deadlines and is kind and compassionate. She has studied with Artist Leslie Stokes as well as the renowned Artist Morgan Samuel Price.

A former gallery owner with an international clientele, DuCharme was a Runner-up and received an Honorary Mention from Artist Magazine, for her work entitled, “Rose Farm”. Her painting, “Moon Over 11 Maple Street”, is owned by singer Celine Dion. One painting, “The Three Amigos”, has been featured on the working set of the TV Series, Beverly Hills 90210. Gango Editions, in Portland Oregon, produced her paintings that were sold worldwide. She is represented at Art Mundo in Fort Pierce, Florida and 54@70 Art Gallery in Tularosa, New Mexico. Additionally, her work has been purchased and showcased in various hospitals, veterinary clinics and corporations in both Connecticut and Florida.

Ellen Marshall

Portfolio Categories: Glass and Jewelry.

Hungry Heron Glass Panel, fused glass

After viewing many breathtaking stained glass cathedral windows during a trip to Europe, and watching glass blowing in Murano, Italy, Ellen Marshall fell in love with glass. When she returned home, she began doing research about American made glass and soon took her first stained glass class. For years, in her spare time, Ellen made many stained- glass windows, lamps and mirrors. After retiring from teaching, Ellen took a glass fusing class and was fascinated by the multitude of techniques and processes that one could experiment with while fusing glass. That began her journey across the country to learn some of these techniques from some fabulous teachers. Among the many classes were: strip cutting in Denver, Colorado with Patty Gray; crackle and powder theory with Robert Leatherbarrow at Oatka Glass in New York State; Sandblasting at Oatka with Lance and Amanda; pattern bars and flow bars at Bullseye Glass in Santa Fe, New Mexico; silkscreen and photo imaging with Gail Stouffer in Rhode Island; and most recently fused glass landscapes with Alice Gebhart in Rhode Island.

Ellen has sold and exhibited her glass creations at a variety of shops, venues, and shows such as Silvermine Art Guild in New Canaan, CT, The Wesleyan Potter’s Christmas Show in Middletown, CT, Glastonbury Art Guild Show, Glastonbury, CT, Swift Waters in Willimantic , CT , and Artist’s Cooperative Gallery of Westerly, Rhode Island. She has also participated in several Artist’s Open Studios of Northeastern Connecticut.

Justin Gerace

Portfolio Categories: Pottery.

Whiskey Cup – 8

Justin Gerace is a certified k-12 art educator and professional ceramic artist. Justin has been an instructor at Wesleyan Potters and at Guilford Arts and Craft Center for over five years. Justin has exhibited and sold his work nationwide in different galleries and exhibitions, gaining him recognition from NBCs“Today Show” and nationally recognized ceramic publication “Ceramics Monthly” He maintains a studio in Southington, CT. His current body of work is focused around repetition in pattern by playing with negative space and layers of slip, to create intricate surfaces. All work is handmade using the potters wheel.

Joan Wenzel

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Spring Necklace

Joan Wenzel has been a crafter since she was a little girl – she learned to sew when she was 8 years old and is still sewing – but now sewing with beads, beads, beads.

As a jewelry designer she works with Japanese seed beads, Czech glass, semi-precious stones, crystals and handmade lamp work beads (which she and other local artisans have made) sterling silver and other metals.

She has worked at the Bead Hive (the state’s premier bead store/studio) in Guilford for 18 years and teaches classes there.
Some of her creations can be found at the store and at many local craft fairs. Her work can also be seen at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, CT.
Joan is inspired by nature, color, emotions, and there is a tiny bit of gypsy in her soul.

Susan Braden-Hull

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Barbie Pink Kumihono Necklace

A self-taught jewelry designer and maker, Susan was part of the team at the Bead Hive in Guilford for over 5 years and still is a member of that vibrant artisan community, inspired by some of the masters in that milieu.

She is influenced by art, design and fashion, and creates handcrafted jewelry that is fun and funky with a vintage vibe. Bold, statement pieces and delicate jewelry designs all find a place in her collections.

Susan works in stones sourced from all over the world, as well as Czech glass beads that are on trend and made using vintage molds and methods. Susan also uses Japanese seed beads, Austrian crystals, sterling silver, hand-wrought bronze and art beads created by local artisans in her signature designs. She is known for her incredibly detailed beaded wrap bracelets and her works in Kumihimo, an ancient Japanese form of braiding with beads.

She has been featured in numerous art and craft shows, has done many one-woman trunk shows and her work is also at retail outlets. Her work can be seen at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Ct.

Glenn Paskiewicz

Portfolio Categories: Wood.

Husband & Wife Spoon Set, wood burning on black birch wood Wife: 7in h x 1.5in w, Husband: 9in h x 2in w

“No power tools!”
That’s what Glenn Paskiewicz said to himself as he started his journey. Paskiewicz truly enjoys making things with his hands. Carving spoons is a great way for him to express this because he makes things for people to use. With this in mind, Glenn has stopped using sandpaper to finish his spoons. It gives the spoons a rougher and sturdier feel and people aren’t afraid to use them anymore.

Paskiewicz has always tried to keep his impact on the woods as small as possible. To do this, he uses storm damaged trees or those that are being cleared off people’s land. Glenn feels that there is enough spare wood in nature that he doesn’t have to needlessly cut down trees to sustain what he does. Paskiewicz’s work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Dutch Krake

Portfolio Categories: Wood.

Maple Bowl, watertight maple wood bowl, beaded base, tung oil finish, 5in h x 3in w

Dutch took a basic wood turning course at the Brookfield (CT) Craft Center in 2006 and has been turning bowls and other items ever since. He has done commission work for architectural and furniture pieces, but prefers the freedom of making bowls from mostly native wood cut from his woodlot in Bethlehem, CT. This way he is not held to someone else’s design or concept, but can follow whatever path he sees in the wood as the piece takes shape. Some of his bowls have found their way from local shows and galleries to the Midwest, the Far East and Europe.
Krake’s wood works are currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Sherie Gage

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Grasshopper Flying Earrings

Sherie Gage is an enamel and ceramic artist, and designer. She received her bachelors in Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut in 2008 with an emphasis in sculpture. She has taught art to people of all ages, in the public schools, and in community art centers. She started her art business, Cone 6 Designs, in 2013 and has since worked on developing her art and designing jewelry and other functional objects. In addition to running Cone 6 Designs, she also works at Manchester Community College as the art technician for the studios. She currently focuses primarily on the art of enamel. She lives in Columbia Connecticut where she also enjoys running, biking and kayaking.

Carol Dorman

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Faceted Aqua Necklace

Carol Dorman, recently deceased, has been showing at Spectrum Gallery for many years. As a result, we
will continue to show Carol’s jewelry that we still have in our inventory.
Carol’s jewelry designing began as an accidental attempt to make pottery. Twenty years ago, Carol took
her first jewelry class at Wesleyan Potters. Over the years she perfected her craft by attending
numerous workshops in Connecticut and New York. Dorman enjoyed the entire process of designing and
making jewelry and tried to use the best materials to create pieces that will appeal to a variety of
women. Carol was inspired by beautiful handmade lamp work beads, venetian beads from Italy,
freshwater pearls, semi-precious stones and sterling elements. Carol carefully handcrafted her jewelry
designs in her studio in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Dorman’s Jewelry Designs are currently available at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Marsha Borden

Portfolio Categories: Fabric-Fiber.

Rhapsody in Blue Crochet Hat

Marsha Borden is an artist who works primarily in mixed media and fiber. She uses abundant, easily available materials and asks her viewers to consider the ideas of waste, excess, consumerism, function, and beauty. In her work, she exploits the properties of the common supermarket plastic bag by cutting, twisting, weaving, fastening, looping and sculpting it. In doing so, she invites others to appreciate – and perhaps condemn – the color, texture, design, versatility, longevity, and strength of the plastic bag.

Marsha’s work has been showcased in various galleries and art centers throughout Southern Connecticut, including Spectrum Gallery, Guilford Art Center, Kehler Liddell Gallery, Ely Center for Contemporary Art, and Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven. She works from her home studio in Guilford, Connecticut.

Lisa Krall

Portfolio Categories: Ceramics and Decorative.

Autumn Leaves Bowl, porcelain with underglaze decoration. Underglaze and clear glaze, cone 10. Watertight, food, microwave, oven, dishwasher safe.

After 30 plus years as a Soil Scientist for the US Department of Agriculture, Lisa retired this fall to spend more time with her pottery. With a craving to work with clay, she started taking adult education courses while living in Maine. Just as Lisa loves to share the vegetables that grow in her garden, Krall loves sharing her pots with people that will use and enjoy them. No words are more welcomed by a potter than “it makes me happy every time I use my mug, bowl, plate, etc.”!

In 2004 Krall started Feats of Clay and sold her pottery for several years through Artists Open Studio of Northeastern Connecticut. She works in porcelain and stoneware, wheel throwing and hand building one-of-a-kind functional forms.

At Wesleyan Potters her work is high fired in gas kilns to cone 10 (up to 2381 degrees F). Most of her work at Spectrum Gallery is formed in porcelain and decorated with fanciful designs using hand-carved stamps and colored slips and under-glazes.

Samuel Carlson

Portfolio Categories: Wood.

Hummingbirds

Samuel Carlson has been woodworking as a hobby for 7 years and is now expanding into selling his artwork. He is self taught from his home garage and has spent 4 years working part time at a local cabinet shop in Connecticut. While being a hobbyist woodworker, Samuel has been attending McGill University as a Jazz concentration major in Montreal, Canada, from where he plans to graduate in Winter 2024. Much of his artwork is representative of the wildlife and scenes around the shoreline area in addition to many custom pieces by commission. Pieces include animal portrait marquetry and intarsia, and custom furniture, which have been shown at Guilford Art Center and local craft shows. Samuel is open to anything as a source of inspiration and constantly seeks to expand his horizon and knowledge in woodworking.

Carlson’s woodworking is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Kristie Foss

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Meandering Pink Earrings

Kristie’s interest in art started at a young age. Looming led to experimenting with bead-weaving.  Bead-weaving was the first art form Kristie taught to others, regularly for over 20 years.  She is certified as a PMC instructor and an Art Clay instructor, and taught classes in this medium for several years.  Then, around 2009, a friend invited her to go to an introductory class on polymer.  The colors, and the ability to manipulate that product to represent almost anything, hooked her right way.  She’s been a polymer enthusiast ever since.  She has been recognized in Cynthia Tinapple’s Polymer Clay Daily online community, and in Sage Bray’s Daily Polymer Arts Blog.

Kristie worked in the public education field as a special education teacher, staff development specialist and eventually, a technology coordinator for a K-12 school system for 38 years.

Her work is currently available at the Westerly Arts Gallery, Spectrum Gallery, the Slater Memorial Museum, and the Converse Art Gallery Gift Shop at the Norwich Free Academy.  She is a member of the Southern Connecticut Polymer Guild and the New England Polymer Artists.

Steve Durkee

Portfolio Categories: Decorative and Wood.

Sandpiper on Carved Oyster Shell, bird carved from basswood painted with acrylic paint, base carved to resemble an oyster shell, 5 1/2in h x 5 1/2in w

A carver/artist for over 30 years.    He studied his paint detailing under Keith Meuller, who is a World Champion Artist/Carver.   Most of his work is done using basswood which is a local wood exceptional straight grain.    Each piece is hand carved using a very small carving knife and then to rotary tools, some of the carvings are textured, and all are highly detail painted.

Many of these larger pieces have competed in the Ward World Carving Championships on the east coast each year.   Many of the pieces have taken blue ribbons and some have taken Best of Show ribbons as well as cash rewards.

Steve likes to work with Acrylic paint having very fine pigments.   It allows him to finely paint and detail each feather with some having 5 to 8 layers of paint.  This gives the feather three dimensional depth.

All of the bases are also made from Basswood,  or in one case driftwood.   Some of the pieces have bases that were carved to look like oyster and scallop shells.  These too are highly painted to mimic a fresh shell.

Some of the pieces are birds in motion,  (Running, etc).

Darrell Wilt

Portfolio Categories: Wood.

Chickadee on Branch with Leaves, carving basswood, 3.25in h × 4in w

Darrell’s interest in carving started when his brother in law decided to carve decoys to hunt over. He admired his carvings and expressed a desire to give it a try. He took Darrell under his wing and he has been carving ever since.

Darrell decided to enter carving competitions and have won numerous awards and ribbons. He competed in carving shows in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, California, and the prestigious Ward World Championship Carving Competition in Ocean City Maryland, and has been awarded ribbons in all of the competitions listed.

His carvings are in private collections throughout the country.

Sylvia Loomis

Portfolio Categories: Fabric-Fiber.

Pearly Pink Scarflet

Growing up in Switzerland Sylvia learned from an early age on to make all sorts of handcrafts. She especially liked to knit. Sylvia made many sweathers, socks, etc., mostly as gifts for family and friends. Later on, when working as a Flight Attendant for PanAm and traveling the world, she designed and created scarves, since they are light in weight, dress up all kinds of outfits and can take the place of jewelry. The yarns Sylvia uses range from casual to very dressy and elegant.

Kat Huddleston

Portfolio Categories: Glass and Jewelry.

Pink Pattern Dichroic Pendant

Fused glass artist Kat Huddleston embraces nature in her art, both in her dichroic jewelry and her fused glass sculptures. Inspired by the four elements in nature… fire, water, wind, and earth, the award-winning artist uses the organic elements of her materials to bring the glass to life. While Huddleston has been an artist and writer most of her life, she is an emerging glass artist who discovered glass four years ago and hasn’t looked back. She’s been in over 50 juried art shows, has exhibited in several group shows in Chicago galleries, and won “Best in Glass” at the Fountain Square Art Festival in Evanston, IL and “Best in Show” in the Contemporary Art Gallery’s Online for the ALL Women in 3D/Mixed Media competition. She also now shows her work both jewelry and fused glass at Spectrum Art Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut. When Huddleston isn’t creating her glass objects, she teaches advanced fused glass and art at the Bevery Arts Center in Chicago. Huddleston lives in Chicago with her husband, Charles, her two kitty helpers, Ziggy and Reggie, and her three kilns.

Amanda Bartel

Portfolio Categories: Pottery.

Earth Bowl

Amanda Bartel first began her pottery career in Ithaca, NY when she asked a local artist for private lessons. Shortly after, Amanda and her housemates built their own studio in their basement where they dove headfirst into the craft. When Amanda and her husband moved out of town and started bouncing around the world (Germany, Russia, New Jersey, New York, Washington D.C., and Connecticut), Amanda was committed to finding a wheel wherever she went. She is grateful for all the studios and potters who have inspired her and helped her grow as a maker. Now Amanda sells her work in coffee shops, galleries, beauty salons, florists, local markets, and online. She is also a passionate ceramics teacher and loves to share the joy of pottery. With a background as a therapist, Amanda strives to create a rich therapeutic environment in the studio to bring wholesomeness and a centered heart as the wheel spins.

Jill O’Brien

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Penguins are Wonderful Cuff

Jill O’Brien was raised in Connecticut by a very creative and industrious mother and father a fine craftsman. Jill’s family times together always involved creativity in some form whether it be sewing, painting, knitting, foraging the local forests for materials to decorate their home, cooking, or building new spaces.

O’Brien attended Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with major studies being two-dimensional design and materials, minoring in French Literature. Her studies continued in Provence where she was exposed to new cultures and environments. O’Brien’s professional career started as a theater painter and set designer, advertising, and photography, leading to a 25-year career working as corporate communications show and event designer and producer.

Jill is currently creating wearable art that respects the past by repurposing vintage elements: fine antique fabrics, buttons, laces, findings and passementerie all dictate what she designs and makes by hand. Jill’s hope is that these new creations will resonate with people who appreciate fine craftsmanship, originality, and beauty. O’Brien’s work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Cristina Lugo

Portfolio Categories: Decorative.

Looking for the Light, Sea glass, card stock, gel ink, MDF black frame, frame width: 3/4in. Acid free white matte, picture glass, .75 in. Matte W: 5.5 top/bottom 5.8 sides. Frame dimension is 1 inch

Cristina Lugo relocated to CT after hurricane María hit her home island of Puerto Rico. She brought with her the love for the sea and her large sea glass collection and started making scenes with it that reminded her of her home. Since then, she has been roaming through the beaches of Westbrook collecting more sea glass and getting inspired by her new surroundings in Westbrook. She has become part of the community working by day with special education preschoolers at their elementary school but keeping to her roots as she teaches Afro Puerto Rican drumming and dancing. In her spare time, with the help of her husband and 8 year old daughter, she hunts for special pieces of sea glass that help her express her creativity. Christina’s work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Cathy and Eric Phinney

Portfolio Categories: Decorative.

Hippy Dippy Nag Champa Soap, olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, caster oil, fragrance and micas 4ozs

Our names are Cathy and Eric Phinney and we own Silk Milk Soapery LLC. We started soaping as a hobby 3 years ago and have transformed into what we are today, a company making specialty soaps containing Tussah silk and a variety of milks in the majority of our bars.

We began crafting 8 years ago making a variety of other products. We feel we have found our niche in creating unique soaps. I really enjoy the “mad scientist” aspect of making soap from scratch. I’ve learned how to make soap watching countless Youtube videos, reading books and trial and error. It’s an art, a science and an all-consuming hobby.

Soap making affords endless combinations of ingredients, color coordination, fragrances and artistic styling. All these factors keep us in love with our avocation and ensure every customer will be buying a product that is unique to them.

Cathy and Eric Phinney’s unique soaps can be found at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Lori Meehan

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Silver & Amazonite Ring

Lori Meehan, the metalsmith and designer behind LMM Design, creates handcrafted, artisanal jewelry using modern and ancient techniques. She grew up in rural western New York State and went to college in Rochester, NY and London, England where she studied marketing. While working in the hectic television industry in NYC and looking for a creative release, she discovered the art of creating jewelry.

After moving to Connecticut in 2008, she found the Brookfield Craft Center and this is where her love (addiction) for working with metal started. She began taking related courses at BCC, The Center for Metal Arts, FIT, as well as with masters Charles Lewton-Brain (master goldsmith and creator of Foldforming), silversmiths Jayne Redman and Cynthia Eid and with independent instructors from around the country.

Lori now teaches metalsmithing and jewelry-making classes, both privately and in groups and is a faculty member at the Brookfield Craft Center. Finding inspiration in nature and geometry, she works primarily in 24k gold, fine silver, silver, copper and semi precious gemstones, using various techniques including Keum-boo, Fold-forming, anticlastic/synclastic forming, forging, cold-connections and more. “I enjoy the process of taking a flat piece of metal or a straight piece of wire and creating shapes, forms, textures and sculptures. Sometimes my creative process is planned out, and other times its spontaneous and I won’t know what I’m making until the piece is complete.”

She is a member of the Nutmeg Collective and has been featured in the 2017 Connecticut Magazine’s Holiday Gift Guide. Her work can be found in many galleries in stores throughout Connecticut.

Linda McMillan

Portfolio Categories: Decorative.

Blue Blooded

 

Linda is a Connecticut artist who loves to wander in nature, searching for quiet inspiration and beauty in the world around her.   She is known for her decorative ceramics, often whimsical in nature, as well as her expressive portrait ceramics.   When not working in ceramics, she can be found working with fine art photography as well as alternative forms of photography including wet cyanotype, lumens, scanographs and others.  She is an award-winning artist who has been shown in galleries and juried shows on both the east and west coasts including the Salmagundi, Ridgefield Guild of Artists exhibitions and the Rowayton Art Center exhibits.  Her art is found in private collections and her photographs and digital paintings have been published in various forms.  In addition, as an arts educator she enjoys being a part of her students’ artistic journeys and guides them to find their own creative spark.  She works (and has worked with) high school students and adult students looking to develop their creative talents.

McMillan’s work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Elaine Sych

Portfolio Categories: Fabric-Fiber and Fashion.

New England Spring Tote Bag

Elaine has always sewed, knitted and crocheted learning from her mother and her grandmother as a child. She enjoys working with fabric and fiber to create unique colorful garments, handbags and toys that bring her joy and a smile.

After 30 years as an environmental planner she can now enjoy playing with her stash of yarn and fabric, being creative and inspired by her garden, the colors of nature, and her horse, Isla Rose.

Elain’s work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Mallorey Caron

Portfolio Categories: Fabric-Fiber and Fashion.

Gardenscape Hi-Low Top, silk with garden flower dyes, shorter in front and longer in back, small to medium

Massachusetts based artist, Mallorey Caron, found her inspiration in her grandmother’s garden. Each botanical print is a homage to the carefully tended and lush blooms she grew up surrounded by.
Since graduating from the Art Institute of Boston in 2015 with a Bachelors in Fine Arts, she was in search of a printmaking technique that didn’t require use of a professional studio. Experiments with wood block printing lead to linoleum. She hand prints using environmentally friendly inks which require no chemicals during the process. She grows the majority of her dye materials in her garden or goes foraging in the woods of the Berkshires. However, there are a selection of traditional natural dyes such as madder root, which she sources from sustainable suppliers.

Mallorey has exhibited work in multiple group exhibitions in Cambridge, MA, and in markets throughout Connecticut, such as the CT Flower and Garden Show, New York and Massachusetts. Mallorey’s work is currently exhibited at Spectrum gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut. Her line of stationery can be found at the Boston Symphony Hall Gift Shop.

Megan Cassidy

Portfolio Categories: Ceramics.

Pit Fired Porcelain Bottle Vase

Megan Cassidy explores the technical and formal qualities of relief patterned surfaces on both decorative and functional wheel thrown ceramics. She is currently finishing her Master’s of Science in Art Education Degree at Central Connecticut State University where she focused on developing a series of vessels that pushes the structural integrity of the clay by removing material for maximum openwork allowing the viewer to see inside the forms. The interior composition of these vessels were also addressed coaxing the viewer to take a closer look and ponder the mystery of how they were created.

Many of the sources for her work lie within the long and complex history of ceramics. Technically elegant forms of Chinese and Korean relief, celadon pottery and the geometric motifs of Islamic ceramics are just a few of the historical genres that have inspired the development of her work. While standing upon the shoulders of previous civilizations and ceramic traditions, she hopes to provide her own distinct interpretation of traditional forms and make them relevant to our time giving them a meaningful place in our culture.

Her wheel thrown forms act as canvases for patterns and texture manipulated through a combination of carving, slip trailing, piercing and sgraffito. When she is not developing these meticulously, controlled surfaces, she engages in the contrasting process of pit fired pottery. She enjoys the relationship of creative chemistry and atmospheric serendipity to create organic, subtly colorful surfaces.

Locations Megan has exhibited include the Sill House Gallery, the Guilford Craft Expo, the Central Connecticut State University Art Gallery, the Elihu Burritt Library and the Guilford High School Alumni Show. She balances her career as an artist with graduate school and teaching high school art full time.

Maryann Flick

Portfolio Categories: Glass.

Blue Bird Stained Glass Panel

Maryann has lived in Old Saybrook, CT since 1991. She is a Chicago native and former research scientist with a PhD in Molecular Biophysics from Florida State University. Since leaving the world of research, she has had time to pursue two favorite passions: photography and stained glass. She learned to work in stained glass from a master artisan in New Jersey more than 25 years ago.

“Although stained glass and photography seem like unrelated arts, they both depend on light. Photography is all about capturing the light on your subject. The beauty of a stained glass design relies on the interaction of light with the colorful glass. When designing my glass pieces I try to predict how the various types of glass available will work together with light to accomplish my vision for the piece. I never really know how well the combinations work until the piece is completed and placed against the light. It’s always a revelation to view the finished design. Glass is a magical medium to work with and lends itself to so many beautiful and practical finished products. I am proud to carry on a craft that dates to medieval times.”

Maryann’s stained glass is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Lynne Scullion

Portfolio Categories: Pottery.

Bluebonnet Vase

Lynne received her BA in Art Education from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in NJ and a MALS from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT where she was fortunate to study with Mary Risley, who was an amazing inspiration.

In addition, she has taken classes at Wesleyan Potters for many years, becoming a member three years ago when she retired from teaching art at Griswold Middle School in Rocky Hill. Influential instructors at the Pottery were, among others, Lori Lapin and David McLellan. Lynne continues to gain new insights from books, workshops, fellow artists and life.

Occasionally she shows her work in places other than The Gallery Shop at Wesleyan Potters, and has won awards in shows with Connecticut Women Artists.

Leigh Graham

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Blue Lagoon Bracelet

Leigh has always played with fiber since childhood. Her grandmothers taught her knitting, crocheting, embroidery and sewing.  She lives on a farm in Western Connecticut with a horse, donkey, chickens, dogs and a little Soay sheep which provides wool to spin, weave, and knit.

When Leigh’s daughter was born she embarked on a quilting journey which has been about 30 years, discovering color and shape, (although the math involved in quilting could be a little easier for the math challenged like her), if you can sew a straight line you can quilt. She has exhibited some pieces and sold small quilts for charity.

About 4 years ago Leigh was visiting her lifelong friend of 50 plus years and went to a bead show. She came home with a lot less money in her pocket and more ideas in her head than she has time to create.

Leigh immersed herself in bead embroidery and bead weaving. Bead embroidery allows her to use sewing skills to create unique pieces of jewelry. She loves color and texture, which she uses to enhance the stones and cabochons in her pieces. Leigh incorporates glass seed beads, metal beads, metal findings, stones and sometimes recycled parts of old jewelry. She does not repeat any designs as she wants the buyer to have a unique piece of wearable art! All of her embroidered pieces are backed with ultra suede for a soft feel.

Leigh exhibited and won first place at the Eastern States Exposition for the past two years. She is currently one of the artists at the Fine Line Art Gallery in Woodbury, Connecticut.

 

 

Michiyo Shinohara

Portfolio Categories: Fabric-Fiber, Fashion, and Jewelry.

Purple & White Fiber Earrings

Michiyo Shinohara (a.k.a. Shino) was born in Japan. She majored in fashion design and handicraft at Bunka Fashion College, an art collage in Japan known for producing many prize winners in the Japanese fashion industry.

Deeply interested in creating women’s accessories, Shino was fascinating that the things which have the same shape would make different impressions by changing materials. After graduation, she started as an accessory designer at one of the major wholesale companies.

A few years later, she got a golden opportunity to become an instructor at her alma mater, Bunka Fashion College. She worked there for eight years. This opportunity allowed her to widen her experience in the fashion industry. Shino moved to the United States 3 years ago, and discovered “Weaving” at NYC. Weaving became her lifework. The fascination of her works is the novelty of combinations, which are made with various materials and colors. Black and white or steel and water become all one in harmony. Shino says, “When I’m doing the works it is the greatest moment in my lifetime, which always makes me feel like supreme joy.”

Jessica Dickens

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Lava Flow Necklace

Jessica Dickens is an artist whose passion for creating original handmade jewelry spans over two decades. With an eye for bold and unique designs, Jessica draws inspiration from abstract and organic elements, infusing each piece with a distinctive touch. Many designs feature wire crochet and are inspired by its fluidity, reflecting a free-spirited aesthetic that resonates with those seeking individuality. Recently, she has embraced the versatility of polymer clay and marries the two motifs yielding captivating results.

Her work has been featured on fashion show runways, Jewelry Television (JTV) Jewel School and in publications including Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine. For 15 years, she sold her work at jazz and arts and crafts festivals on the east coast and continues to sell her work online and her work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

She added “author” to her list of accolades with the publication of her book, “The Lone Wolf Jewelry Designer’s Guide to Business Art and Life,” offering insights into her creative journey.

Along with creating jewelry designs, Jessica has added abstract art and watercolor to her practice.

Paola Evangelista

Portfolio Categories: Pottery.

Pit-Fired Bottle Vase, stoneware, pit-fired, Iron oxide, porous, not water resistant, 9in h x 4 1/4in w x 4 1/4in d

Paola Evangelista is, first and foremost, a tactile creature as visual and tactile texture plays an important role in her work, whether in ceramics, photography, dressmaking, or other mediums. Color and alternative methods like the raku, and pit fired techniques in ceramics are also key elements. Evangelista studied fashion design at Drexel University before receiving her Bachelor of Arts from Central Connecticut State University. She focused her studio arts studies on ceramics with Vicente Garcia. Currently, Evangelista works in the CCSU art gallery as an assistant and she is Director of Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts.

Roger Gandelman

Portfolio Categories: Glass.

Lattice Perfume Bottle, hand blown glass, 5 1/2in h x 2 1/4in w

“I am a glass artist and have been blowing glass for 30 years. Early in my career I decided to put the bulk of my energy into making art glass perfume bottles. I believe I am the only glass artist in the country, perhaps in the world, who has devoted his full artistic efforts into making this object. My bottles, although small in scale, make a grand statement.   I see perfume bottles as small, elegant treasures; made to be turned, touched, and relished. I strive to make the form organic, smooth, and familiar, with very few sharp angles. The lip is simple and unobtrusive. The interior decoration adds life, movement, and dimension to the piece. I use both furnace and torch techniques to make my work. Colored glass is applied to the clear glass surface to build the flowers. The piece is then encased in more clear glass to achieve a multi-layered 3D optical effect. The flowers appear to be suspended inside the glass.  Many of my bottles have various exterior lusters applied while the glass is still molten. The bottle is then cut and polished the next day (using diamond grinding equipment) to open up windows in the glass to expose the interior decoration.  I do all the glassblowing in my studio. I do not like to work assisted. Because I do not work with a team, every progressive step in the creation of the piece has to satisfy me. No piece is finished until I think it is a beautiful perfume bottle.  I try to make my designs timeless…unmarred by passing trends; with flavors from the age of excellence, encased in a contemporary form.”

Susan Gerr

Portfolio Categories: Pottery.

Posie Pot

Since 1985, potter Susan Gerr has owned and operated Birch Mountain Pottery, a combined studio and craft showroom in Tolland, CT. Birch Mountain Pottery has presented the community with the opportunity to catch a glimpse into a working pottery studio.

Gerr says:

“My work in clay has been a gradual exploration and unfolding of various feelings, concepts and discoveries  that find their way into my work. Strong experiences, places, patterns, intangible feelings and a love for the natural world power my search for forms, textures, and colors reflected in my work. Intangible feelings plus a love for the natural world, power my search for pots that combine contrasting elements into strong, harmonious artifacts. I also continue to produce a line of functional work intended for daily use and enjoyment. Pieces range from mugs, bowls and pitchers to larger decorative jars, lamps and platters. These stoneware pieces are primarily wheelthrown, sometimes textured and stamped and then glazed in bright, soft overlapping glazes”

Jackie Koromhas

Portfolio Categories: Jewelry.

Glistening Water, fused glass, 1 1/4in h x 1in w

My name is Jacklyn Koromhas and I grew up and lived in NJ until 2011 when I moved to Connecticut. I graduated college in 2006 with a major in music and business management. I found a love for making jewelry when I was very young but I found a passion for fused glass jewelry after I attended a blues festival a few years ago and became fascinated in the art, beauty and process of creating fused glass jewelry. I bought a kiln and the glass cutting tools to start. I took classes in fused glass at the Arts Center Killingworth and participated in their Autumn Arts Festival in 2013.

I’ve been making jewelry and other various glass creations such melted wine bottles and decorative center pieces, glass bowls and ornaments. I currently work full-time as a licensed insurance producer and part time gardener. I’m striving to make jewelry as a full time way to make a living. Being creative and working with different colors of glass to make something beautiful for someone to enjoy, besides of being a stress relief, makes me happy making people happy which is my ultimate goal.

Hannah Leckman

Portfolio Categories: Pottery.

Vines and Flower dish

Hannah works primarily on the wheel, although she enjoys some hand building and sculptural detail on pottery as well. Her work tends to be functional, because she wants the objects to be useful as well as beautiful. Hannah designs plates and bowls, vases and candlesticks, casseroles and goblets.

Hannah became a potter in December, 2000, as an adult. She liked pottery as a hobby or a pastime, but for her daughter’s wedding, Hannah decided to make for every guest a vessel to hold a hyacinth. Hannah made well over 200. Not because there were 200 guests, but because there were so many pots that she felt were inadequate for the occasion. Around number 150 Hannah began to feel as if she really had control of what she was doing, that she had finally developed the skill or the expertise to call herself, proudly, a potter.

John Lipsky

Portfolio Categories: Potters and Pottery.

Lavender Sunshine

I built a clay replica of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian temple to Ramses II, in the 4th grade. I still have it.

Clay is a wonderful flexible media that can be molded and shaped infinitely. I was drawn back to it in adulthood after college. My degree was in Television Production and after a short stint at PBS in the mid-west, I returned home in CT to work in the family’s small high tech manufacturing business. High tech and the visual arts didn’t mix too well so I looked for a creative outlet on the side to keep my creative juices flowing. After a few failed attempts with some local theater groups, I found a local pottery class in 1980 and have been with it ever since.

I spent the first 5 years of my pottery ‘career’ on a kick wheel at a small studio in Wilton, CT. After the owner there decided it was time to actually ‘make a living’, I moved up to New Haven to Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) where I was a student for a number of years, then became one of the Studio Potters (similar to a Key Member at Wesleyan Potters), then I became the head Studio Potter. I was often frustrated watching the beginning students struggle with their work. I realized that many teachers may be excellent potters but really weren’t such great teachers. So then I wanted to teach…

A teaching position presented itself at Wesleyan Potters (WesPots) in 1995 for an adult evening class, so I left CAW and I have taught at WesPots ever since. I have now recently also become a Key Member of WesPots and enjoy all of the benefits of being on the faculty and being a member of the co-op and having a ‘key’.

I am a visual person and am attracted to anything that ‘catches my eye’, be it something in nature, or architectural, or in the classical or modern arts . I believe this comes forth in my work. Primarily in high fire stoneware, I am always trying to push my own personal envelop, trying new techniques, new shapes, new colors, new styles. I like to throw big – I guess because I can after 32 years of playing with clay. I try to push my students along to gain success, confidence, and self-discovery in their own work with my First Rule of Pottery – there are no rules.

Laura Lyons

Portfolio Categories: Fabric-Fiber and Ornaments.

Teal Mini Cooper

In 1974, I bought a piece of property on the Madison/Guilford line in CT. At about the same time I graduated from Connecticut College majoring in Studio Art with a strong interest in botany. Slowly over the years my husband and I built housing and a large barn, garage, and studio complex. We also picked up a variety of animals and started a flower farm.

I have always loved to make things. I am interested in many materials including metal, wood, fiber, glass, and ferro cement. Fourteen years ago we added sheep to our small farm, providing me with a massive amount of wool to contend with. I have learned to skirt, wash, pick, card, spin, dye, weave, and needle-felt in the intervening years. I use my own wool to create wall hangings, tapestry weavings, carpetbags, clothes, and assorted animals. I love wool. Using it makes me feel connected to ancient techniques and a very basic, low-tech way of life. It is an incredible material with limitless sculptural potential. It can be combined with other materials, including glass, wood, and copper. Using wool the way I have had the privilege to do completes my dream of maintaining my land with “living lawnmowers” as well as having a constant supply of art materials. The sheep are truly perfect inspirations. They are calm, gentle, and productive with natural tendencies that make them easy to keep.

In 2008 I started showing my art. Cilantro, a local coffee shop, presented my carpetbags to Guilford. I was encouraged by the reception. Wesleyan Potters showed my art at the 2009 through 2014 Christmas shows. The Guilford Expo accepted me in 2010 through 2013. I participated in the Christmas shows at Guilford Arts Center 2010 through 2014 and the Hartford Artist League (Out of the Loop 20011 and 2013) as well. In 2011, I participated in Crafts at Rhinebeck for their June show. I have been on The Shoreline Arts Trail since 2011. To date, I have participated in over twenty-two juried shows.

Priscilla Palumbo

Portfolio Categories: Ceramics.

Wedding White Crystalline Vessel, Porcelain with Crystalline glaze, watertight. 3 3/4in h x 5 1/2in w

“Crystalline glazes have been used in ceramics for hundreds of years. The process is quite lengthy and costly. Pots are thrown and trimmed at which time colored slips can be applied. Mason stains are used to make the slips as well as using inclusion/pigment stains. Some are rare earth elements. When the foot of the pot is trimmed a measurement is taken. Another piece known as a catcher is thrown to match the foot. After bisque firing the catcher is glued to the pot. This is to catch the flow of the crystalline glaze which will ruin a kiln as well as the shelves. The crystalline glaze itself contains zinc and this is the chemical that will promote the crystals to grow or often said “to blossom”. Zinc seeds can also be used. This technique is called seeding. The crystals begin forming at the top of the pot, continuing to form going down. A base glaze is made and colorants are added to color to the crystals. The glaze is then applied to the pot either by brushing or spraying on. When the pot is dry, it is then fired again. There are numerous programs that can be used for this. The goal is to hit the sweet spot and hold it for a period of time to allow the crystals to grow. Most firings have 6-8 segments to the program. Firing takes three days to complete.  When the kiln falls below 100 degrees the pots are taken out. In the firing the pot has now become fused to the catcher. A propane torch is used and with any luck will separate them. If successful the bottom of the pot is then ground and smoothed using a diamond disc to remove any sharp particles.”

CRYSTALLINE AWARDS

2006 Second Prize – Norwich Arts Council – Norwich, Connecticut
2011 First Prize- New Britain Museum of American Art – New Britain, Connecticut
2012 Jurors Award- New Britain Museum of American Art – New Britain, Connecticut

Susan Pinckney

Portfolio Categories: Ceramics and Decorative.

Firestorm Bowl

Best known for her wheel thrown birdhouses, Susan has been in love with clay since the first time her hands touched it in grade school art class. There was magic in drawing out a malleable lump of clay into something beautiful, permanent and functional. It was only natural that in her later years she would combine her passion for clay with her fondness of gardening, and her fascination with wildlife.

Susan has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and has studied at Norwich Art School, Corcoran College of Art and Design, and Paier College of Art in addition to taking independent classes. Her instructors have included Robert Epstein, David Toscano and Justin Gerace. She works from her Deep River home in a walk out basement studio with gardens just outside the door ready to offer further inspiration for her work. You can find Susan’s work at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

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