Weekend Workshop in Watercolor: Tony Conner

Contemporary watercolor painter, Tony Conner of Bennington, VT, is offering a weekend workshop entitled, "Watercolor Simplified-Beginning Watercolor" on August 7th-8th.

Tony states: "Although perceived to be a difficult medium, watercolors' unique working characteristics and unique working process are easily learned. Whether you are a beginning watercolor painter or have worked with the medium for some time but still find it difficult, this class is for you."

Tony has several fine examples of his work at the gallery. Most are of landscapes but there are several still lifes, as well.

For those who like the idea of painting the landscape on site, Tony offers a few upcoming "Plein Air" workshops in September/October...and is there any better place than Vermont and the Berkshires to spend this time of year, outdoors in all its colorful glory? I think not.

For more info on these workshops, please see http://www.tonyconner.com/ -cw

Something in the Works by Jennifer Smith

The very versatile artist Jennifer Smith is preparing a new "yarn painting" for exhibit within the next few months. This will be her largest piece to date and will have taken months to complete. Jen combines yarn, embroidery floss, beads and paint to create these textural, colorful collages by placing the fiber with dental tools into place on a prepared wooden base. They are most beautiful when viewed in person because the sheen of some fibers and metallic paint that is used shifts with your viewpoint. This one, entitled "Underwater World" is currently on view at the gallery.


Jen has been best known for her unique, stylistic pen and ink drawings. According to Jen, these drawings of flora, fauna and everyday items (like magic carpets) are born out of her doodles. She's a serious doodler. When Jen is attending the gallery's front desk, the margins of our notebook for recording daily notes and sales is beautifully decorated with swirls, patterns and sometimes, critters--each margin possibly initiating the sketch for her next pen and ink masterwork!



Jen has prints and notecards on display at the gallery in addition to the original pen and ink drawings and fiber collages...much to see! --cw

Katherine Borkowski-Byrne at Becket

Abstract expressionist painter, Katherine Borkowski Byrne joins two other female painters in an exhibition at the Becket Arts Center. This upcoming weekend will be the last chance to view this exhibit, as it runs through July 19.

Katherine has been a participating member at NAACO Gallery since the beginning of the 2009 season. She is clearly one of the most prolific artists within the group. She almost always enters a new painting (or two) into each month's themed, Front Hall show and routinely rotates her paintings with newer ones, within the main gallery.

Katherine lives art. She reads and converses about it daily with enthusiasm, just lighting up the room as her voice grows louder for emphasis. If you happen to catch her while she is manning the gallery desk, don't hesitate to ask her some thoughts regarding the art world and today's art market...she's a wealth of knowledge.

She also has obtained the most impressive painting tool I've ever heard of. Her son, while visiting China, brought home a very valuable, wide Chinese brush as a gift for Katherine. She hasn't wasted time in putting it to use either. Recently, she collaborated with another artist-member, Ed Carson, on a couple of large-scaled works on paper, reminiscent of Franz Kline. We hope to be able to showcase these works in the months to come.

Becket Arts Center is located a 12 Brooker Hill Road in Becket, MA. (closed on Wednesdays)

Lori St. Pierre's Latest

Ceramic artist Lorie St. Pierre of Chicopee, MA, has brought in ten new vessels and two figurative sculptures this past week!

Made of very thin textured slabs of a high fire, red-body clay, her pieces are widely collected. Her shapes are unusual; some are with decorated flat tops, others are open forms with textured bands. All of the vessels seem to have little personalities, especially the ones that stand on three or four legs.

We were introduced to Lori by way of another ceramic artist who is a member of the gallery, Linda Siska (her work can be seen in the "Front Hall" image above). In addition to her ceramic talents, Lori also is a painter. We hope to be able to showcase a few of her paintings later in the year.

It's Back!

"Born on the Blue Planet" by Joseph Tracy is back in the gallery's window. The large stained glass piece had graced our window for several months over the late autumn through late winter until the piece was removed for an exhibition of art glass in New Hampshire.

This has been a favorite with gallery visitors. It's subtitled "Homage to the Blues" which is clearly evident in pictorial narrative....it's a terrific piece and will most likely find a permanent home soon.

Joseph has also brought in a number of new fused glass bowls. Demand has been high for his work; we placed a new piece--a leaf-patterned bowl-- out this weekend which didn't last two hours on display before it found its forever home. He also brought in some fresh strawberries straight from his garden, so you can see why we are always glad to see Joseph make a visit.