From There To Here...

Twenty years ago, my friend Joanne Wise (NCSW’s Executive Director at the time) encouraged me to attend. “But, I’m not a craft artist.” 
“Maybe not, but you’ve spent your career in design.”
And, so it began…

January 2001:Basketry - Twined Japanese Inspired Baskets, Nancy Moore Bess
Having just come home from my brother’s memorial service, this turned out to be the perfect antidote requiring intense focus using a new material (black waxed linen) and a new technique. One of my friends dropped by periodically and asked “Are you still working on that?”

My mathematical mind kept wanting to know exactly when to increase or decrease in order to create a shape. Nancy said “You’ll know.” She provided not only the teaching support expected, but also emotional support, not expected. I learned twining and I gained a friend.

I have been involved in the Planning Committee as Board President, Graphic Designer, and Database advocate. And I have taken a workshop every time: Book Arts with Daniel Essig, Polymer Clay with Kathleen Dustin, Basketry with Kari Lonning, just to name a few. What Board rewards your volunteer work with the opportunity to spend five days making art in a workshop, whose amazing faculty you have a hand in picking, while hanging out with women who have become your best girlfriends?

January 2018:Basketry - New Uses for Ancient Techniques, Lois Russell
I was determined to focus on twining! I like squares. I like black with accent colors. When I told Lois about my plan, she grinned and said “You might want to reconsider your decisions.” But I was stubborn. I got off to a good start during the class although I soon understood Lois’s caution. Moving to a new city, however, intervened and it wasn’t until leisure time on a river cruise (with Lois among the passengers) ten months later that I picked it up again and VOILA!

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I was hooked!

March 2020: COVID! What do you turn to when you have no choice but to hibernate for 13 months during a pandemic? What materials do you have that you can bring out (and justify binge watching TV)? Remember how much you love the feeling of waxed linen and the delicious range of colors? Get going!

May 2021:The latest collection. “It Takes a Village” based on the painted architecture of the Kassena women in the village of Tiébélé, Burkina Faso, West Africa.

It helps to have a sweater design background that makes using graph paper easy; it also takes the guess work out of shape building.

See what NCSW can do?! Come join us in 2023.

 (Does this mean I’m a craft artist now?)

 By Polly Allen, Co-President NCSW Board of Directors

Boundless Journeys/Covid restrictions

I call them all “ Imagined Landscapes.”  A trip to imagined landscapes during Covid.  Take photographs of mountains, deserts, marshes and the ocean- all in a dream. Then wake up and paint.  That was my practice for days on end from March through June 2020. 

 By Deborah Pressman, NCSW Planning Committee Member

 http://deborahpressman.com/

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Suspended Lands By Deborah Pressman

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Distant Lands By Deborah Pressman

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Into the Wood By Deborah Pressman

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Lines in Landscape By Deborah Pressman

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Mountain Landscape By Deborah Pressman

Looking for Failure in all the Right Places

Once upon a time I took a class in Alaska with a master basket weaver.  As we worked she told us stories, often about her tribe’s customs. When she was very young, she told us, her grandmother began teaching her to make twined cedar baskets.  They kept all of her work on a shelf to show the improvement over time.  When she had mastered the craft, her grandmother took all of the baskets on the shelf and burned them.  “You don’t want anyone to see these,” her grandmother told her.  “You only want to be known for excellence.”

 As I remember it, we all gasped, mumbled something about cultural differences and went on with our own work, knowing full well our work would certainly be worthy of the flames by her grandmother’s standards…and perhaps by hers as well.

I still have my first basket. I made it in a class with Judy Olney at DeCordova Museum in the 1980s and I cringe at the mistakes.  I had a lot to learn about shaping. And arrows.  It is, however, an important reminder of when I got hooked on basketry which , of course, changed the course of my life.   

And I still have my worst basket.  I made it in Taos working with an Apache teacher who took us out to the willow patch, sliced a piece of willow, made three notches in on end, held one third in her teeth and elegantly separated three even wands in one smooth movement.  We all eagerly cut our lengths, made our notches, bit down and started peeling.  Off popped uneven, short slivers of willow.  There was not a hint of elegance.  Things did not improve as the week progressed and I came home with sore and bleeding hands and one of the ugliest, most pitiful baskets ever made.  

Obviously, I did not learn to make Apache willow baskets, but I did learn a lesson I don’t want to forget: no matter how accomplished you think you are, nothing comes “naturally.”  

In addition to keeping me in my place, that humiliating week has made me a better teacher. Learning is hard and frustrating, especially for adults. We get comfortable with our competence. As toddlers, we persist until we are upright and walking. As youngsters we don’t question spending hours and scrapped knees learning to ride a bike. Our patience with learning, however, seems to wane when we “grow up.”  I know this is true for me and it’s one reason I return time and again to North Country Studio Workshops… and I don’t take the basketry class.

I go to North Country Studio workshops to experience some failure.  That is an exaggeration, but not much.  I want to do something that does not come easy, to make something that does not come out quite right.  NCSW is the perfect place for this kind of discomfort because people at NCSW respect slow growth. The experienced artists there know that hands and eyes need time to acquire new skills.  It is not about making something perfect in five days. My hands were very, very unhappy when I took a NCSW workshop on making wire machines.  They simply did not want to use tools…they kept going straight for the material as they are used to in basketry.  They did not want help.

I begin my standard instructor slide shows with an image of that first basket and then one of my recent pieces. 

This lets me talk about what happened in between.  I like to walk people along my path as a maker.  How did I get from that misshapen bread basket to something like this which I just finished. 

When I was first learning to be a basketmaker I binged on workshops that put me in a room with people who really knew what they were doing.  I learned by copying them.  I have my Lissa Hunter basket, my Kari Lonning basket, my Jackie Abrams basket. You get the picture.  And I stuck with Judy Olney’s classes because she always came up with something else I needed to learn.  This is one of the baskets she helped our class make.  I liked it just fine and stuck it on a shelf because I just want to coil.  

Years later, after 9/11, I took to making small twined baskets on airplanes because I was not allowed even a blunt plastic needle for coiling which was my favorite thing to do at the time. One day I looked at this basket and said, hmmm, I wonder if I could do that blocky-thing and some weird shaping with waxed linen?  First there was this… definite candidate for the flames.

and then I made my first “landscape” basket.”  

And that turned into this…but only after years of experimenting with patterning and with ways to exaggerate and control shaping.  And there were lots of failures in there.

If my students only see my good stuff, I will not have done my job as a teacher.  I constantly remind my adult students that learning is hard.  It takes time and it takes determination and you won’t like everything you make.  At least one student in every class says, “Why doesn’t mine look like yours?” My wiseacre response is, “Give it another couple hundred hours.” I go to North Country so I can be that student struggling with a new material or a new technique.

I can’t say I love my bad work, or even treasure it.  But I am not going to burn it.  I just keep it close and remember that our first and our worst are, in the end, part of our newest and our best.  

By Lois Russell, NCSW Planning Committee Member

www.loisrussell.com

First Basket By Lois Russell

Worst Basket By Lois Russell

The Sky is Falling By Lois Russell

Judy’s Landscape By Lois Russell

Landscape ! By Lois Russell

Landscape II By Lois Russell

Blub Blub By Lois Russell

Earth, Air, Fire and Water

Salty Dog Pottery Teresa Taylor

I fell in love with clay five decades ago and continue my love affair with this earthy material. As a studio potter and occasional teaching artist I have experimented with all kinds of clays from earthenware to stoneware and even local New Hampshire clays. My work is functional, decorative, and sculptural. In the beginning, I was fascinated with ceramic objects that could be used for food or flowers. Loving to cook and garden, my creative challenge was to make vessels that would compliment or add beauty to a meal or a bouquet. I continue to pursue this challenge. My inspiration for sculptural objects is found at the ocean or in the woods. These sculptures don’t replicate the actual creatures or plants I see, but rather their textures or forms.

Clay has unlimited possibilities in form, function, surface and color and I hope to continue my exploration endlessly. The process can be simple or complex, but one aspect is the willingness and acceptance of the kiln’s influence on my pieces. I built my brick gas fired kiln which I fire to 2350 degrees F. It requires attention and alterations to the atmosphere within the chamber throughout the 16 hour firing. I have had both terrific and terrible firings. I mix my own glazes and dip, pour, paint or spray a variety of stoneware glazes onto the ceramic forms or pots. Being a potter and working with earth, air, water and fire has taught me many life lessons; especially that of letting go.

Throughout my career, many tile installations have offered me the opportunity to methodically work and develop tiles for a specific space or theme. I am honored to have permanent pieces in some public state buildings in NH, through the Percent for Art program within the NH State Council on the Arts. I have also participated as a resident artist in NH public schools with students of all ages to make tiles for installations in their schools. For many years, I exhibited at the League of NH Craftsmen’s annual fair. Currently, I’m loving working with the community of potters in the NH Potters Guild and participating in their wood kiln firings. The warmth of color and flash of wood ash on the pots is not only beautiful but always a surprise! 

I have had a dozen incredible experiences with talented and spirited clay teaching artists at North Country Studio Workshops and look forward to the next series of workshops in January 2023. The community of craftspeople and artists that gather for 13 multi-media workshops is as close to utopia that I have ever been.

By  Teresa Taylor, NCSW Planning Committee Member 
My Salty Dog Pottery studio and shop is in Barnstead, NH. 
www.saltydogpottery.com

Casserole Teresa Taylor

Sculpture Teresa Taylor

Wood Fired Mugs Teresa Taylor

Wood Fired Vase with Flowers Teresa Taylor

B/W Platter Teresa Taylor

B/W Bowl Teresa Taylor

Wood Fired Basket Teresa Taylor

Ella

Everyday Ella the dog and I go out for a walk.

Ella is old and arthritic but so positive about a walk.

We live at the end of a long dirt road so no leash.

I just follow her around. 

She eats deer poop. Who knows…deer poop?

 She continues to be my muse.

These paintings are not portraits…

Ella is part of the scene, part of the landscape. 

I like the idea of figures in the landscape.

But once they have a face…the viewer needs to identify.

It’s not necessary with Ella. What you see is what you get.

 As the world begins to open up…

I know I will miss my Covid solitude. 

With Ella by my side…or just ahead of me… 

the past year has been…

Strange,

Difficult,

Thought-provoking,

and some days quite remarkable.

By Ann Saunderson, NCSW Planning Committee Member

www.annsaundersonart.com

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Ann Saunderson Ella Series "In the Light"

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Ann Saunderson Ella Series "Winter Walk"

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Ann Saunderson Ella Series "3 Ellas"

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Ann Saunderson Ella Series "In the Pink"

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Ann Saunderson Ella Series "Spring Burn"

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Ann Saunderson Ella Series "Pool"

Abstraction

By Valerie Long, President NCSW Board of Directors

Valerie Long “Volcano” combines encaustic paints and a shellac overlay.

I’ve always been attracted to encaustic art as well as the abstract form. Encaustic painting is a painting technique in which pigments are mixed with hot liquid wax and damar resin. After the paint has been applied to the support, which is usually made of wood, plaster, or canvas, a heating element is passed over the surface until the individual brush or spatula marks fuse into a uniform film. This “burning in” of the colors is an essential element of true encaustic technique.

Encaustic wax has many of the properties of oil paint: it can give a very brilliant and attractive effect and offers great scope for elegant and expressive brushwork. The practical difficulties of using a medium that has to be kept warm are considerable, however. Apart from the greater sophistication of modern methods of heating, the present-day technique is similar to that described by the 1st-century Roman scholar Pliny the Elder. Encaustic painting was invented by the ancient Greeks and was brought to the peak of its technical perfection by the genre painter Pausias in the 4th century BC.

Valerie Long “Salt Marsh” combines encaustic paints, oil paints, cold wax and oil sticks.

Encaustic art uses a variety of materials and methods, achieving an image with amazing movement and texture. One of its most alluring attributes is an exquisite surface quality. A major contributor to that quality is beeswax, which is impervious to moisture and will not deteriorate, yellow or darken. Capturing the true depth and luminosity of encaustic wax takes experience, knowledge and skill. The outcome is a unique and original piece that stands the test of time. Inspiration for art, any art, can be derived from cultural tradition, spiritual expression, recorded history, and the use of visual rather than verbal language.

There is no doubt, North Country Studio Workshops (NCSW) has helped me progress in my art. The week-long classes were an amazing way to increase my skill level by learning from nationally-known artists and working with wonderful students from around the country. One of my instructors was Jeffrey Hirst from Chicago, a leader in encaustic art innovation. The NCSW is a wonderful experience in terms of upgrading art skills, being part of an art community and pushing yourself to a higher standard.

Scheduling Update: Looking ahead to a brighter future

Dear NCSW Friends,

It is hard to believe that just over a year ago in January 2020 we were gathered in community for a fantastic week of workshops at Bennington College. So much has changed in the world since then, bringing numerous challenges for everyone. Although the pandemic still has no clear end date, there has been positive progress with the vaccine and it is my sincere hope that we will see increased relief from the pandemic throughout 2021 and beyond.

As we look to a brighter future, North Country Studio Workshops remains concerned about how we would safely and confidently plan to gather for a week of in-person workshops in January 2022 - less than a year away. With input from Bennington, we have carefully considered numerous precautions such as requiring testing and/or proof of vaccine, limiting the number of participants, modifying workspaces, and limiting participant interactions by creating pods for each workshop. We have also examined the challenges participants would face when trying to determine if they are comfortable and confident when it was time to register and attend. Through these difficult discussions, the safety, enjoyment, and enrichment of all involved have been paramount.

In response to these concerns, North Country Studio Workshops has made the decision to reschedule our next workshops at Bennington to January 2023. This change will allow us to plan for our next workshops with a better understanding of the course of the pandemic and any precautions still required while enabling participants to register and attend with greater confidence. Through conversation, feedback, and surveys we know that one of the most important aspects of North Country Studio Workshops is the sense of creative community it offers to those who attend. By rescheduling to 2023, our goal is to offer an outstanding program that maintains and enhances that community in a safe and welcoming environment.

Additionally, this rescheduling offers us the opportunity to engage and expand our audience by offering alternative programming on a smaller scale in 2021 and 2022. We will also be using this time to develop a strategic plan; build relationships with other organizations; strengthen our focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and use our social media platforms to connect with more people as we shine a light on the world of art and craft.

We will keep you updated on upcoming programming and January 2023 faculty announcements through our social media, e-newsletter, and website. I encourage you to reach out to us at any time and we look forward to connecting with you soon.

All my very best,

Victoria Su

Ann Saunderson: Work, Words, Wisdom

North Country’s Planning Committee is graced by many wonderful working artists. Among them is Ann Saunderson, who has been attending our workshops since 2005 and has served on both the Planning Committee and the Board of Directors.

Ann’s work is often inspired by the natural world, and by man-made adaptations to the natural world. Many of her pieces are filled with beautiful lighting effects, with rich color, and with evocations of her emotional response to the beauty around her. More recently, she has been working on a series called “Disasters” — a dark and disturbing series of images, which she calls “metaphors for the current chaos.”

Last month Ann was featured in an article in the Boston Voyager. (Click the title to read the entire piece.) She talked about her early life, her career as an art teacher, and her approach to getting work done. And near the end of the piece, when asked by the interviewer, she provided words of advice and experience that we would all do well to heed, whether in art or in life.

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Courage. I wish I had courage. Even now, it’s so hard for me to get out of my studio and ‘put myself forth’. It’s just not who I am.

If you are just starting out, I think getting gallery representation can be difficult, at least here in New Hampshire. Applying to juried exhibits — especially those with themes that intrigue you — can help to get your work out there and give you a chance to meet with gallery directors. Having a group of artists who will critique your work, keep you posted about shows and exhibit possibilities, tell you to stop whining… and give you a kick in the pants… is a big help. Going to openings, introducing yourself to people in the know, putting work up on social media… it’s exhausting but it helps. Search out a good workshop, something out of your comfort zone. You’ll meet interesting people who’ll give you a different vantage point. Work hard! Make work! Lots of it! Cull what’s bad! Keep going!

“Landscape — Beware the Ides of March” — Ann Saunderson

“City on Fire — Cataclysm” — Ann Saunderson

Update from Adrienne Sloane

As guest blogger last December, I wrote about my project The Unraveling:

"Sometimes what is happening on the larger political context spills just a bit too much into my consciousness and gets released in my art.  A new work of mine in this vein, The Unraveling, is a knit American flag that I am in the process of unraveling over time, reflecting my views on the current administration." As the flag unravels, it reveals the U.S. Constitution.

Now over 16 months into this administration, the Constitution behind the knit cotton flag is gradually becoming more visible. This work is on display at the New Bedford Art Museum now through September 20. It will then travel to a special four-person show titled Crossing Boundaries: Material as Message at Rockland Center for the Arts in West Nyack, from October 7 - November 25, 2018. 

Click here to view a video of an unraveling event at the Fuller Craft Museum on January 21. 

Adrienne Sloane is a fiber artist who lives and works in Massachusetts, but teaches and exhibits around the world. She first attended North Country Studio Workshops as an instructor, and has returned as a participant and as a volunteer on the Planning Committee. 

Memories from Handbuilding and Jewelry

Clay/Handbuilding with Syd Carpenter

Here's an example of Syd Carpenter's work, illustrating how she creates sculptural pieces representing landscapes and/or interiors.

And here are some of the things that class participants said about the workshop:

"I was challenged to adopt another way of developing work."

"This was a new way of working for me, and hearing Syd talk about how she takes available information and translates it into her work process was exciting."

What inspired or delighted you?

"The freedom to work intuitively and spontaneously...pushing my comfort zone in clay sculpture...working from the concept of a personal map and abstracting those concepts into 3D sculpture..."

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Rings 360 with Tim Lazure

"Tim simplified so many processes."

"I was delighted to learn a bit about metal chasing and was thrilled that Tim was able to give me some guidance about how to continue with that work at home."

"The interaction with the faculty and other (very creative) students was inspirational, as always."

"From rivets, to soldering, to tool making, he made it all seem accessible."