Each year the artists in Saugerties come together to participate in the Artists’ Studio Tour. The first Artists’ Studio Tour began in 2002 as a two day open studios tour with eleven artists and very modest expectations. It has grown yearly and to date has featured approximately 140 artists skilled in no less than 20 disciplines and a myriad of styles. It has enabled artists to showcase their work at their private studios, where art “happens.”
This year the tour is celebrating its 16th year and will feature 45 participating studios, the largest tour to date, presenting at least a dozen different categories in the creative arts. These include painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, collage, digital art, furniture, mixed media, printmaking, video art, and wearable art and jewelry. These are broad categories and within each there is a depth and richness of styles and expressions as only they can be actualized by these artists.
The tour weekend opens with a reception and exhibition at the Gallery at Opus 40 Sculpture Park, 50 Fite Road, Saugerties, on Friday, August 10, from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. This event, hosted by Opus 40, is the best opportunity to meet the artists and preview the kind of work they’ll display at their studios during the next two days when they throw open the doors to their private workspaces.
The studio tour is a self-guided tour, and all studios will be open at 10 a.m. and stay open until 6 on Saturday and Sunday, August 11-12. Free full-color maps are available at the artists’ studios, many village businesses, the Saugerties Tourism Kiosk located opposite NYS Thruway exit 20, and at the Saugerties Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center, just off Partition Street at the entrance to the municipal parking lot.
While the tour is primarily a volunteer effort, it is made possible through the generosity of the artists, sponsors, Town of Saugerties, Kiwanis Club of Saugerties, and WKZE 98 Radio. The tour has been fortunate to receive a project grant from the Decentralization program, a re-grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts and the Ulster County Cultural Services & Promotion Fund, both administered by Arts Mid-Hudson. All of the tour events are free and open to the public, no reservations are needed.
Isaac Abrams
463 Fishcreek Road, Studio #40
“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, Studio #44
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.
Anita Barbour
5 Fishcreek Road, Studio #43
“I work in a lot of different media — watercolor, pencil drawing, pen & ink, nature photography, calligraphy, oils, printmaking, silver, origami, crafts, fabric. An art teacher once told me, “You do a lot of things well. If you don’t pick one and concentrate on it, you will never be great at anything.” Though this might have been sage advice, I have never followed it for very long.” Demos.
Kristy Bishop
147 Market Street, Studio #9
“My goal as an artist is to serve mankind at the deepest level of my spiritual development through the expression of painting, writing, and teaching.”
Winner of the Gold Medal of Honor for Pastels in national competition and many regional awards, Bishop been a private art teacher of over a thousand students since 1977.
Barbara Bravo
302 Old Route 32, Studio #15
“Better known as a potter and ceramic artist, after 40 years of working with clay I wanted to explore something new, that is how I became interested in painted paper collage. Spontaneity and serendipity about sums up my style. The collages I create are abstract but I often find a landscape looking back at me.”
Sharon Broit
167 Houtman Road, Studio #30
“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.”
David P. Brown
403 Peoples Lane, Studio #16
“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.”
David’s pieces capture movement, unpredictability and the power of nature.
Jean Campbell
285 Fishcreek Road, Studio #42
Jean’s work is a modern take on American folk art that reflects a love of simplicity, color and materials. She has been an active member of the local arts community, a member of WAAM, the Tivoli Artist’s Coop and the Art Society of Kingston. Her work was chosen for the 2018 Hudson Valley Garlic Festival poster.
Michael Ciccone
469 Glasco Turnpike, Studio #1
“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.”
Vince Curry
340 High Falls Road, Studio #21
“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. “
Shelley Davis
1170 Main Street, Malden-on-Hudson, Studio #10
facebook.com/Shelley-Davis-Fine-Decorative-Art-218406531504428
Shelley Davis, an internationally exhibited artist, channels her passion for artistic diversity and out of the box materials into a fantasia of sensual imagery. Davis’ multi-faceted approach incorporates elements for their beauty and potential, which then come alive in her mixed media paintings, altered art, photo-fusion, exotic jewelry and assemblages.
Susan Dougherty
23 Beaver Drive, Studio #18
Making fused glass jewelry started out as a hobby. As I learn more about this medium, I am amazed with the endless possibilities that can be brought into reality with this material! I have only scratched the surface of what I can do with glass. Come see me at my studio and see how I create my jewelry and other creations of mine.
Josepha Gutelius
122 Burt Street, Studio #4
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. Much of her work reflects the narrative equivalent of a setting, a mood, an atmosphere, a fleeting memory.
Mikhail Horowitz
302 High Falls Road, Studio #19
Primarily known as a poet and performance artist, Mikhail Horowitz is also a maker of collages, monoprints, and assemblages. 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; and so much more.
Marsha Kaufman-Rubinstein
6 High Woods Road, Studio #39
“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, Studio #32
Rural Night Photographer: “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, she works with old processes including graphite and pencils to draw into the photographic image. She have been a Photography teacher for over 25 years at NYU and ICP and 3 time recipient of NJSCA grants’ for individual artists among other honorable awards.
Barbara Tepper Levy
30 Latham Circle, Studio #5
Barbara’s 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.
Yvette Lewis
463 Fishcreek Road, Studio #41
“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.”
Ulf Loven
79 Dock Street, Studio #6
“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, Studio #45
“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, Studio #12
Iain has been engaged in observing the battle between the human condition and the natural world for many years. His new drawings challenge the ideals of the romantic Hudson River painting school while he mines his British artistic legacy and unearths some more meaty influences on his current work.
Marjorie Magid
177 Van Vlierden Road, Studio #23
“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.”
Elin Menzies
20 New York 32A, Studio #22
“My paintings, drawings, cut-outs and sculptures often follow the theme of interspecies connections. They are inspired by myths, magic and the animal archetypes that have provided a spiritual framework for humans from the beginning.”
Ann Morris
300 Houtman Road, Studio #27
Ann Morris has been working primarily in ceramics for 30+ years. For the past two years, collage and encaustic painting have been another focus of her art. Whether two dimensional or three, her work is diverse, whimsical, spiritual, mysterious and always organic in feel.
Grey Ivor Morris
300 Houtman Road, Studio #28
“Whether I am working in mosaics, colored pencil, mixed media or photography, the common thread is multi-layering. The subject always has subtext, and my art hopes to reveal these hidden meanings. In all my work, I try to delve behind the surface, to expose something essential in the subject that reveals an emotional truth.”
Hugh Morris
100 High Woods Road, Studio #38
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” or one of his paintings based on the fables of Aesop, the structure of the paintings is always theatrical. Each piece requires a strong suspension of disbelief.
Vioica Morris-Stan
100 High Woods Road, Studio #37
Viorica’s work reflects her passion for both photography and mixed media painting. Her photographs are experimental, risk taking and poetic. 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.
Ernie Mortuzans
342 West Saugerties Road, Studio #24
Ernie Mortuzans began his photographic life as an editor for industry and trade magazines doing articles and photography of manufacturing plants around the Northeast. “Perhaps this is where my love of form began. Being able to see the essence of a machine and its function became an important marker to capturing its image.”
Michael Nelson
22 John Street, Studio #8
Michael Nelson has been photographing in the Hudson Valley for over 40 years ever since graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology. Over these past years Michael has taught through various organizations, as well as numerous workshops in Saugerties at his studio. Michael has been active in exhibiting in numerous venues and galleries.
Carolyn Oberst
608 Old Stage Road, Studio #2
“I started out in fashion first, designing women’s clothing. While experimenting with hand painting fabrics, I fell in love with the act of painting and decided to focus on making art. Favored mediums have been painting, drawing and collage. I’ve worked in all three since I started exhibiting in 1980.”
Gustav Pedersen
3042 Route 32,
Studio #13
Given Gus’s previous experiences as a photographer, engineer and sailor, it is no surprise that his designs have a firm root in engineering and science with flair for adventure. Choosing wood as his medium, 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, Studio #11
Since post college days Bill has been a potter and later 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.
Joan Reinmuth
185 Houtman Road, Studio #29
“I was trained by traditional art schools but traveled on the streets where art lives. To make wearable art you must first un-couple materials from their original context, then tinker enough to move them onto a different plane, and lastly, link the maker to the wearer.”
Tad Richards
Opus 40
50 Fite Road, Studio #36
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. He is also a writer, and his portraits of jazz musicians illustrate his most recent book, Listening to Prestige, Vol 1: 1949-1953.
Istar Schwager
1247 Church Road, Studio #33
Istar’s work is mostly collage, often colorful and playfully representational. She creates vibrant artwork out of materials that might otherwise be overlooked or discarded using recycled paper, stamps, envelopes, and cards in her collages. She encourages people to see exciting possibilities in the ordinary, and to celebrate the richness of the visual world.
Robert Sherman
1804 Old Kings Highway, Studio #14
“I have been making furniture and miscellaneous woodwork since childhood. The texture and aroma and atmosphere around wood has always relaxed me. Now that I have the time and facilities to create furniture out of antique wood it’s a pleasure to spend my time in my shop. Each piece of antique barn wood dates as far back as the 18th century with its own history and its own surface. Just under the surface is a beauty that only time can reveal.”
Ben Suga
958 Church Road, Studio #34
Ben’s formal training began in Japan where he studied with renowned masters.
After returning to America, he completed a two-year apprenticeship in rural Minnesota. His apprenticeship focused on the teaware and ceremony. In 2015 he received his MFA in sculpture from Rutgers University. His work combines traditional technique and contemporary fine art and design.
Michael Sullivan Smith
Site location: 1267 Route 212, Studio #31
After a career in other fields of interest, Michael returned to fine art after 2000, building the Great Knot to draw attention to the systemic art he began many years before. His art is now a third digital, a third Land Art, and a third the shared site-specific awareness he has put into his history projects.
Raymond J. Steiner
16 Fite Road, Studio #35
“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.”
Joshua Stern
121 Manorville Road, Studio #25
Joshua graduated from Connecticut College with a BA in Studio Art and Art History and attended Cal Arts where he received a MFA. He has exhibited in NYC, Brooklyn and WAAM. A resident of Saugerties since 2013, Joshua started building his studio in 2016. His specialties are painting, photography and sculpture.
Robert Troxell
285 Harry Wells Road, Studio #17
Robert was born in Osaka, Japan. During his fine art and industrial art studies, he worked as a journeyman iron pourer and a teamster truck mechanic. His ceramic sculptures and etchings reflect an early submersion into the industrial process through the intersection with Memphis design, constructivist theory, and funk art.
Robert has taught at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia and Washburn University.
Jeff Way
608 Old Stage Road, Studio #3
“My intention has been to intensify the visual and psychological impact of my paintings and masks through abstraction, a sense of dislocation and color saturation, while trying to retain an essential balance between spontaneity and control.” “ I am most interested in the edge between horror-humor, beautiful-repulsive.”
Michael and Lorrie Wardell
28 Russell Street, Studio #7
“Our ceramics journey started in 1988, and our eclectic backgrounds include science, education, biology, tech writing, and a variety of wonderful ceramic and jewelry workshops. We love making spirit houses and fetish bowls to aid in creating meditation spaces and to reflect our own spiritual journey. Current passions include creating enameled, textured, and silkscreened jewelry.”
Marck Webster
329 Houtman Road, Studio #26
Marck is product of the mind expanding late 60’s and early 70’s. His 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. It was not until his retirement that he began to create abstract drawings as a full time passion. His work involves explosive colors that melt into a singular vision, allowing the viewer to connect and invent their own meaning.
Carol Zaloom
302 High Falls Road, Studio #20
Carol Zaloom, illustrator, makes hand-colored linoleum prints. 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.
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