This annual, self-guided tour is free and open to the public.  The artists on the tour represent a wide range of styles and techniques.  See completed works, works in progress and talk to the artists for a glimpse into their creative lifestyles.  Visit the Tour’s website to learn more and for locations where you can pick up your free tour map. More info at saugertiesarttour.org

Artists’ Exhibit & Reception at Opus 40, Friday, Aug. 11, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

Open Studio Days, Saturday and Sunday, Aug.  12-13, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

The artists

Isaac Abrams

463 Fishcreek Road, isaacabrams.com

“My studio will be seen as is, a working artist’s studio. I shall make certain concessions, the removal of some of the usual chaos but I promise to leave enough of it to give a reasonable (or unreasonable) sense of the usual conditions of my daily circumstances.”

 

Tara Bach

622 Route 212, tarabachart.com

Tara Bach is a contemporary abstract artist who found beauty and joy in the freedom of her abstract painting process, dabbling in the unknown and limiting control. Color and movement take over her canvas and create luminous, enchanting works. Tara strives to create works of art, which provoke feelings of wonder and hope. Each painting is completely original. Unable to be replicated -– even by herself.

 

Kristin Barton

330 George Sickle Road, kristinbarton.art

Kristin Barton is a painter known for her luminous nature-inspired oil and encaustic paintings which have been described as “experiences of bathing in textured light.”

“In my work derived from direct observation of nature, I strive for pure objectivity in my perception of color, light, and form. I translate what I see into plastic pictorial language as a corollary of that which reveals itself through the natural world. My large scale somatic drawings and paintings transform those experiences into an open free flowing format where my body becomes the instrument and the medium to articulate both seen and unseen forces.”

 

Ana Bergen

327 Lotus Lane, www.anabergen.com

“This year, I am exploring the fun and freedom of abstract painting.  I love dipping my brush into the creamy texture of paint, lush with radiant and vibrant colors that stimulate my imagination.  I am looking for the simplest, the most direct, the most basic of forms and colors to emerge and reveal the unexpected.  I work with many different mediums: Metal, Clay, Paint, and Photography to express my vision.”

 

Barbara Bravo

302 Old Route 32, barbara-bravo.com

A production potter and ceramic artist since 1971, Bravo has sold her signature designs nation-wide for the past 30 years in craft galleries and museum shops and has exhibited locally with members of the Artist Tour.  Always drawn to adding sculptural elements to her work, her focus has shifted from traditional wares to sculpted landscape-themed tiles, botanicals and animals.  Taking a break from clay work, Bravo has recently delved into cut and painted paper collage.

 

Sharon Broit

167 Houtman Road, sharonlondon.com

“Through interlacing layers and creating multiple skeins of transparent and saturated hues, I explore the connection of past and present through brushwork and layers of washes. Bringing together my daily experience of working with vintage and reclaimed textiles I eliminate the superfluous, yet keep the history of the painting alive by retaining pieces and parts of what went before. The layers become a base of information and process of discovery as they record the emotional and bodily relationship I have with my experience of painting. The passages through time surface and the experience of the journey is revealed through the painting itself.”

 

David P. Brown

403 Peoples Lane, davidbrownsculpture.com

“I’ve had a long love affair with welding steel. I consider myself a Post-Futurist.  My technique of exhibiting movement is inspired by the Futurist Movement while adopting the industrial, angular, and geometric abstractions of the Constructivists.

The technique born of the properties dictated by the metal allow me to create forces and forms through the welding process. The focus is on dynamic structures that explode or implode into kinetic growth forms and mathematical progressions. My pieces appear as a finite arithmetic series that capture movement, unpredictability and the power of nature.”

 

Michael Ciccone

469 Glasco Turnpike, michaelciccone.com

“Line, shape, form – their inspiration is infinite. Form itself drives me to make sculpture, whether it’s the physical form of an object I find or the explosion of imagined forms in my head. I’ve always tried to preserve the integrity of the objects that I incorporate into my sculpture. I’ve been collecting raw materials my whole life, but since 2003 the materials have primarily come from the construction sites I’ve worked on. Having respect for fallen pieces of history seems like a lost art.”

 

Vince Curry

340 High Falls Road

“I am a maker of self bows, which are bows made from one piece of wood with no laminates. I harvest wood from our local forests, using primarily hickory; I also harvest dogwood for the shafts of the arrows. I consider myself a self-taught artisan inspired by the Native Americans. Growing up in Saugerties, one of my inspirations was finding arrowheads by the Hudson.  From splitting, debarking, drying, and seasoning—everything is hand done using old tools: spoke shaves, draw knife, antique camp axe, and wood rasps, mostly inherited from my father and grandfather. A good tool becomes an extension of my body when used.”

 

 Shelley Davis

1170 Main Street, Malden-on-Hudson, facebook.com/Shelley-Davis-Fine-Decorative-Art-218406531504428

Shelley Davis holds an MFA Degree from SUNY New Paltz in photography and painting. She is well known for her avant garde “photo-fusion” (a union of photography, painting and sculpture), fascinating mixed media, altered art, intriguing assemblages, wearable jewelry/accessories and dynamic paintings.

 

Richard Edelman

151 Market Street, woodstockgraphicsstudio.com

“In my portraits, the model and I collaborate on fabricating an imaginative, illogical narrative. Done in the subject’s home or studio, the story is influenced by their own environment — a make-believe scene representing their nightmares & fantasies of themselves.
My subjects influence these portraits with ideas & generosity of character before the camera. This process is a collaboration for which I take credit. Hence the name, Stolen Portraits.”

 

Ruth Edwy

58 Phillips Road

“My current work is playful lyrical paintings incorporating soft-edged geometric forms, lines and circles. In the end, what defines all of my artwork is my love affair with light.  I feel that without light there would be no color, no sense of space and no mystery of life.  What moves me are simply light, color and the profound beauty of the landscape.”

 

Josepha Gutelius

122 Burt Street, josephaguteliuspainter.com

An award-winning poet and playwright, Josepha Gutelius made a radical switch to visual art in 2015. Her paintings and drawings have been selected for juried shows locally, as well as in New York City and in online competitions. Recently, her painting “School Days” was a “Silver Award Winner,” and featured in the renowned Blouin Gallery Guide, distributed worldwide. Much of her work reflects the narrative equivalent of a setting, a mood, an atmosphere, a fleeting memory.

Mikhail Horowitz

302 High Falls Road

Primarily known as a poet and performance artist, Mikhail Horowitz is also a maker of collages, monoprints, and assemblages. His collages have been published in Exquisite Corpse, City Lights Journal, Jewish Currents, Chronogram, and other journals, periodicals, and anthologies, and have graced (if that is indeed the proper word) many book and magazine covers. Ongoing works include colored leaf prints that are run, when dry, through an antique typewriter and imprinted with short poems; Zen bento boxes; freestanding animal cutouts; a collection of mythopoetically altered baseball cards; boxes of Animal Crackers that pay homage to extinct creatures; and broadsides made in collaboration with Carol Zaloom, with whom he shares an 1852 Irish quarryman’s house on 23 acres of woodlands, just north of the village of Saugerties.

 

Brian Josselyn

155 Harry Wells Road, brianjosselynfinearts.com

“I use thick, rich paint to translate the beauty, and excitement of a moment into a luscious vision. The sculptural presence of thick paint tempts you to touch it with its seductive, tactile appeal. Dramatic lighting further abstracts the familiar imagery creating a new provocative view. I capture the emotional content of a scene with the physicality of the sculptured paint.”

 

Marsha Kaufman-Rubinstein

6 High Woods Road, mkrubinstein.com

“My wheel thrown, hand painted and etched porcelain pottery is inspired by nature with colorful landscapes and floral themes: lamps casseroles, tea pots, dinnerware items and bowls. I have new hand built pieces with similar motifs. The gardens have been featured on local garden tours and visitors are welcomed to stroll the grounds. My studio is open year round by appointment and classes are available for children and adults.”

 

Kay Kenny

1444 Glasco Turnpike, kaykenny.com

“I paint with light using flashlights, etc. where no ambient light exists, capturing a moment in the dark under the stars & the moon. As a painter, I work with old processes and working with graphite and pencils I draw into the photographic image created in platinum or gum bichromate. I have been a Photography teacher for over 25 years at NYU and ICP and 3 time recipient of NJSCA grants’ for individual artists. In 2016, I received a NJ Fellowship Award for Works on Paper. I was awarded Arthur Griffin Legacy Grant 2015 from the Griffin Photography Museum and have had numerous solo exhibits as well as having work is in several museum and corporate collections.”

 

Barbara Tepper Levy

30 Latham Circle

Barbara Tepper Levy is originally from the New York City area, and now lives in Saugerties. Her background is in fashion and costume design, bringing a vibrant color and line dynamic to her work. Her art is composed of collages, black and white line-art drawings, acrylic painting and hand-built sculptural ceramics. Her work has been described as “pieces that have curves that evoke a sense of graceful movement” by the Northern Dutchess News.

She has taught collage at the Lifelong Learning Center at Bard College, and has shown at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, the ARTBAR Gallery, Lev Shalem Gallery and Emerge.

 

Yvette Lewis

463 Fishcreek Road

“My work is sensual, organic and emotional with images based on nature. Rocks, leaves, seeds, vines and roots float and drift across the canvass in soft ambiguous space. The images of both the paintings and the etchings evoke the power and the receptive of the feminine. The abstract free-floating objects seemingly exist in a world that is almost natural. Colors are rich, vibrant and infused with light. I paint in oils using traditional glazing techniques as well as loose, expressive brushwork. There is a softness to the color palette and the interweaving forms. The compositions welcome the viewer in but also push back almost saying wait, not yet.”

 

Ulf Loven

79 Dock Street, ulfloven.com

“As a painter I take my time to communicate my idiosyncrasies. I work both with and without subject matter, but even in my abstract work there is the thread of a narrative, an example being the attempt to render a particular piece of music or work of a composer in an abstract painting. I don’t hesitate in getting involved with representation using subjects such as flowers, landscapes, nudes or portraits, though in the end results might border on abstract painting.”

 

Brian Lynch

1022 Churchland Lane, lynchstudio.com

“I try to keep the imagery of my work within the realm of my own experiences. Everyday experiences, humorous situations and street life are the base from which much of my work evolves. I switch between printmaking and painting with drawing being the foundation of my work. Much of my work is a response to what I see around me, I tend to be drawn to mundane, simple images that are generally looked past or not noticed.”

 

Iain Machell

1173 Main Street, iainmachell.com

A Brit living in New York State’s Hudson Valley, has been engaged in observing the battle between the human condition and the natural world for many years.  The new drawings challenge the ideals of the romantic Hudson River painting school to a duel at dawn – with pistols, not rapiers.  He mines his British artistic legacy and unearths some more meaty influences on his current work, going back in time to the symbolic and distorted landscape sketches of Samuel Palmer; the gothic drama of Turner; the ominous chiaroscuro of Constable. When asked what the core focus of his new work was Machell would only say “Looking, looking, and looking some more”.

 

Marjorie Magid

177 Van Vlierden Road, marjoriemagid.com

I am an artist and I love painting in both oil and acrylic. My art is representational but not realistic. Though I generally start with a photo, my goal is not to copy but to capture and transform it into something uniquely mine. I use intense color and brushstrokes to create an image that radiates from the canvas. I’ve been told that I paint with affection and that my animals seem to be smiling. My favorite subjects are people I’ve known, unusual and fanciful animals, store windows, Victorian ladies, and Billy (my King Charles Cavalier.)”

 

Hugh Morris

100 High Woods Road, [email protected]

Although Hugh Morris has worked in many disciplines as an artist, his work as a painter has been most influenced by his life in the theater.  Whether he is creating one of his “show pieces” (painting and construction inspired by a play on which he is working) or one of his paintings based on the fables of Aesop, the structure of the paintings is always theatrical.  Each piece is an amalgam of tension and character which requires a strong suspension of disbelief.

 

Christopher Nealon

42 Livingston Street, 1R, christophernealon.com

“My work often focuses on introducing a mechanical or utilitarian element to a natural form.  The juxtaposition of natural stone with materials resulting from industrial evolution – metal, glass, milled wood or plastic – might celebrate our dominance over nature.  Do we feel emboldened by our technological prowess?  Other pieces are nothing more than assemblages of found elements that always seem better off after being burned with a torch, I don’t know why.”

 

Michael Nelson

22 John Street, michaeldalenelson.com

Michael Nelson has been photographing in the Hudson Valley for over 40 years ever since graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology.  Originally from the foothills of Virginia, he found a kinship with the same mountain range in the Hudson Highlands and decided to make this area his home.

Over these past years Michael has taught through various organizations, from The Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Storm King Art Center, The Museum of the Hudson Highlands, as well as numerous workshops in Saugerties at his studio.  Michael has also been active in exhibiting in numerous venues and galleries.

 

Gustav Pedersen

3042 Route 32, guspedersen.com

After serving in the US Submarine service as a periscope photographer, and a career as a computer engineer, Gus sailed off on his sailboat to see the world. So it is no surprise that his designs have a firm root in engineering and science with flair for adventure.
It is apparent that this artist is fluent in mixing curves and diagonals, as well as opposites and contrasting elements. Much of his drive and inspiration comes from the silky feel of well-sanded wood, or the surprise of splitting a log and seeing a great grain pattern.

 

Bill Reinhart

1172 Main Street

A Saugerties native, Bill has delved into various art forms.  From his early post college days Bill has been a potter and later he was a designer and builder of props and scenery for the Ulster Ballet Company.  He has occasionally made small country style furniture and toys.  Having drawn with a variety of media since childhood, he currently is experimenting in painting with latex acrylic house paint.

 

Tad Richards

Opus 40, 50 Fite Road, www.tadrichards.com

Tad Richards works in various techniques of his own innovation, all involving the use of computer or iPad screen as his canvas, and various graphics programs or apps, each of which suggests different technical possibilities. His immediate studio is his computer, but he lives and works at Opus 40 in Saugerties, and the home built by his stepfather, Opus 40’s creator Harvey Fite.

He is also a writer, and his portraits of jazz musicians illustrate his most recent book, Listening to Prestige, Vol 1: 1949-1953, a history of jazz of the bebop era through listening closely to, and investigating, the recordings on one of the most important independent jazz labels of the time. (He’s also written a few pieces for us.)

 

Jacquie Roland

12 Charles Rothe Road

“In my past life, I was a graphic designer, professional cartoonist, and served as both an art director and creative director. I also did a little sculpting, photography and black & white illustrations. Now I spend my time painting, mostly in oils, although I’m fond of acrylics and encaustics as well, and my watercolors and pastels are beginning again to call out my name. Assemblages are a favorite subject, too.”

 

Prue See

38 Valley Street (access via Burt Street), prudencesee.net

“For the Saugerties Artists Tour 2017, I am showing images inspired by nature, landscapes and prints, as well as banners I have made for celebrations on that theme. Through my art I hope to convey in words as well as images, encouragement for the protection of our wonderful natural world. I hope to draw attention to concerns that, unless they’re protected, many animals, plants and landscapes may be destroyed by climate change and exploitation.  10 percent of my Tour sales will be donated to the National Resources Defense Council and the National Wildlife Federation.”

 

Michael Sullivan Smith

1267 Route 212, greatknot.com

“I came to Saugerties in 1969 after developing a practice in calligraphy and being introduced to conceptual art in lower Manhattan for a half dozen years. In the mid 1980’s my interests turned to inventing a studio-scaled printing system based on patents I received.  I returned to fine art after 2000, building the Great Knot to draw attention to the systemic art I’d begun many years before. My art is now a third digital, a third Land Art, and a third the shared site-specific awareness I’ve put into my history projects.”

 

Viorica Stan

100 High Woods Road

[email protected]

Viorica’s work reflects her passion for both photography and mixed media painting. Her photographs are experimental, risk taking and poetic. Her images express a lyrical connection to nature, places and people. Both her black and white and color photographs have a soft quality, painterly style and explore a remarkable variety of themes, techniques and composition.

Viorica’s paintings are bold, colorful, explorative and technically diverse. Her mixed media works capture her fascination with her inner fantasy landscapes as well as Hudson Valley’s rich light, color and beauty.

 

Raymond J. Steiner

16 Fite Road, raymondjsteiner.com

“I’ve been painting landscape for some years and my method has primarily been to paint on site and, in an effort to capture a spontaneous impression, to confine myself almost exclusively to the use of the palette knife.  Landscape painting offers me a pleasurable process of ongoing dialogue with nature that, in turn, often opens up new paths of discovery into myself. The rewards seem endless.”

 

Marck Webster

329 Houtman Road, markwebster.com

Marck Webster was raised in Long Island, NY, and is product of the mind expanding late 60’s and early 70’s. Marck’s work is reflective of a life spent bridging the gaps between Hippie, Sailor, and a detective in the NYPD. Marck has been creating artwork in various forms throughout his life. However, it was not until his retirement from the NYPD in March of 2006 that he began to create abstract drawings as a full time passion. Marck’s influences range from Alton Kelley, Stanley “Mouse” Miller, and Augustus Owsley Stanley III, to Peter Max, Arno and Rick Griffin … but most notably by the light show that plays behind his eyelids. His work involves explosive colors that melt into a singular vision, allowing the viewer to connect and invent their own meaning.

 

Alison Winfield-Burns

106 Livingston Street, Alisonwinfieldburns.wordpress.com

American artist and author Alison Winfield-Burns maintains Honeycomb Arts Salon in Saugerties Village, (represented by Emerge Gallery). She signs oil paintings “Alice.” Her portrait of Oscar Wilde resides in the Permanent Collection of Manhattan’s Leslie-Lohman Museum. She holds bachelor degrees from Columbia University (Visual Arts and Astronomy), with advanced studies at the National Academy (Merit Award for Fresco) and the New York Academy of Art (Group Shows. She is an alumna of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. Her illustrated memoir is expected in bookstores 2017.

 

Carol Zaloom

302 High Falls Road, carolzaloom.com

Carol Zaloom, illustrator, makes hand-colored linoleum prints. Her client list includes Random House, David Godine, HarperCollins, Tower Records, Hampton-Brown, Yankee magazine, Sky & Telescope, the State University of New York, Bard College, the New York City Parks Department, and many artists and arts organizations throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley. Her studio is situated in a stone-and-timber house built by an Irish quarryman in 1852; in the 1930s, it was home to Saxton Fells Art School, owned by A. A. Champagnier, a WPA muralist, and in 2008 it received historic landmark status from the town of Saugerties. Among Carol’s prints available for sale are depictions of mythological creatures, Japanese fairy-tale motifs, portraits of great writers, landscapes, and studies of birds and animals (including work inspired by the Palaeolithic painters of prehistoric Europe). Also on display and for sale are painted baseballs depicting mythical and literary themes.