External Exhibitions

Renee Greenlee, Blue Alchemy: At the Water’s Edge, unique dynamic cyanotypes

Renee Greenlee creates much of her work on the edges of the streams, rivers, ponds and lakes in our watershed. More metaphorically, she is consistently creating on the edge of grief and hope. Her experience is that these two themes go hand in hand. Blue Alchemy is a collection of work that has emerged from this edge. It is broadly speaking a collection of cyanotypes made with water from the Lake Champlain watershed and beyond. Employing the cyanotype technique — an early photographic process reliant on UV light — she begins by saturating the material, generally silk or watercolor paper, with a liquid cyanotype mixture. Once dried, she takes the material to the water's edge for exposure. Created in collaboration with the watershed, the final pieces are a tangible representation of the landscape and represent her process of navigating the climate breakdown we are facing in the natural world. 

Within the parameters of Blue Alchemy, she is looking at the shapes formed by water using the cyanotype process. The shapes created are often repeated throughout the work. For each piece, this is the water on this day, at this time, at this temperature. On a larger scale, what she can process is how water changes throughout time. Higher temperatures, warmer water, increased rain, flooding, landscapes shifting. As evidenced in the flooding in Vermont in 2023 and 2024, we are facing a new reality, one where flooding will occur more often. We are in a time of climate breakdown, and how she processes this change, this overall pattern, is by reflecting on how all the small parts make up the larger whole. Zoom out, and you see the brooks, streams, rivers, ponds, dams, lakes, oceans, all connected. Zoom in and you can see these same patterns on a maple leaf or the palm of your hand. The health of the overall system comes down to the brook. No one body of water stands alone. 

Susan Smereka, sewn collage (pictured)

Susan Smereka challenges traditional ways of working and adhering to a singular media. Using various techniques and materials, Smereka reconciles her perceived experience of chaos as intuition – and uncertainty and coincidence as order, clarity, harmony, and connection. Inspired by family dynamics and her collection of 'artifacts' and old artworks, she transforms books, family letters, surgical masks, used clothing, and photographs into new works of art. The artist sees these objects as memories, and by means of sewing machine and etching press, she recreates, redefines, and transforms them into stories. 

Within her sewn collages Smereka builds 'families' of forms as she connects and layers materials in a process evoking the complexity and beauty of familial relationships. Two shapes featured prominently in the artist’s work are the loop and quarter-almond. For Smereka, the loop references individuals as well as the act of sewing, while the quarter almond represents a part of something that intrinsically makes connections. 

Smereka conveys the nature of family dynamics through sewing, collage, and everyday materials. Evoking the memories and stories – both told and untold – that form each individual, she captures how our concept of family is constantly evolving through marriage, adoption, divorce, and birth. 

Casey Blanchard (pictured)

Primarily a self-taught artist, Casey explores her experiences through the engaging and often unpredictable print medium of monoprinting. She is most interested in the spiritual aspects that emerge in the image, particularly relating to how we live in the world and how the world lives in us. In the beginning, the work may be a search for answers, but in the end it's more about being here without them.

Casey Blanchard was born in Greenwich, CT in 1953. She lives in Shelburne, VT with her husband, Dan Cox, and their daughter, Julia Cox. Her artwork is found on the walls of health care facilities, private residential collections, corporate offices, the hospitality industry, on web designs, and various published materials.

Johanne Durocher Yordan    

Johanne is a Burlington based artist who works out of her studio on Pine Street. She was born in Quebec, Canada, but has lived most of her life in Vermont. It was not until 1998 that Johanne began committing herself to her artwork and finding her own voice. She studied at the University of Vermont and has since developed a diverse body of work that is a testament to her ability to succeed as an independent artist. Creating work that fits a variety of audiences, while always building upon her unique self-taught style, is the secret to her success. Johanne has always been the type of person who explores on her own, tapping into the unknown and developing her own fashion and techniques. Many of her paintings include found or collected items which add depth and meaning to combine form and function to her work. Her abstract work captures her emotions and represents her unique style and expression. Johanne has exhibited her work extensively throughout Vermont in both solo and group exhibitions over the past 12 years.

Cameron Schmitz

Cameron Schmitz grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and spent idle time in her youth drawing. Encouraged by two artistic parents, including her mother who is also a painter, she learned at a very early age the joy and satisfaction of participating in the visual arts. 
Schmitz holds a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting & Drawing from the University of New Hampshire, in addition to studying Art and Art History at Studio Arts Center International in Florence, Italy. 

Following a month-long artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center in 2006, Schmitz moved to Vermont after discovering Vermont's rugged landscape to be uniquely inspirational. Now located in the Brattleboro area, Schmitz actively exhibits her work regionally and nationally. Her work has been featured at Fitchburg Art Museum's biannual exhibition, Ne England/New Talent, Green Mountain College, Kyoto Seika University in Japan, Emory University, Northern Arizona University Art Museum, and Rogue Space in Chelsea, New York. Her work is represented by The Drawing Room Art Gallery in Cos Cob, CT and Furchgott Sourdiffe in Shelburne, VT, and she is an artist member of the Copley Society of Art in Boston. In addition to her painting practice, Schmitz is also the Gallery Curator of The Drawing Room Art Gallery and teaches painting at the River Gallery School in Brattleboro, VT.

Carl Rubino
 
I strive to create unique interpretive, impressionistic and abstract images that relate my personal vision of or reaction to the subject matter before me.   Before I even pull out the camera I try to experience all that my subject reveals, or even what it makes illusive – not just the obvious, like the literal view, the colors, texture and patterns - but the less obvious sensual aspects, the energy and the “feeling” that it conveys. Whether in landscape, abstract, street photography, fine art nude or whatever else captures my interest, I seek to find and interpret life’s visual symphonies, one click at a time. 

I feel that to a large extent my photographs consist of three different points of view: the raw material that is the literal subject matter of the image that my camera captures; what I see, sense, and work to portray when I interpret that subject; and what the viewer sees when looking at the image on the wall.  Those may be three very distinct views of what is essentially rooted in the same thing.   That, to me, is stimulating art.  And that is a great part of what draws me to photography.

Jeff Schneiderman 

Jeff Schneiderman works as a wedding, portrait and fine art photographer in Williston, VT.  He has been taking photographs for over 35 years, traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and the world and has made Vermont his home for the last 27 years. Patterns are a major theme in Jeff’s work as he is fascinated with the designs in nature how they are reflected in things manmade.  More of Jeff's work can be seen at: www.jeffschneiderman.com."

Krista Cheney

Krista Cheney is a native Vermonter, currently living in St. George, Vermont. She studied English Literature and Agricultural Economics at the University of Vermont. She has studied photography since 2003, taking classes and workshops at local venues and the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine.

Carolyn Enz-Hack

Carolyn Enz-Hack's work includes painting, sculpture, and scenery design. While she has spent most of her life on a farm she holds a degree in theatrical design from Rutgers University and has spent years designing for the theatre. Her rural sensibility is informed by themes explored in ancient theatrical and religious literature, and by developments in cross-disciplinary Science. Each piece is an attempt to process the exterior world through an internal lens. Her most recent solo exhibitions have been at the Castleton Downtown Gallery in Rutland, Vermont, and Creare Inc. and the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center both in Lebanon, New Hampshire. She is the recipient of a Vermont Arts Endowment Award, a painting merit award from the Chaffee Center for the Arts, a residency at the Vermont Studio Center, and her work has been selected for exhibition in regional and nationally competitive shows.

Erinn Simon

Erinn Simon is a fiber artist and yarnbomber. She crochets tapestries, toys, baby mobiles, vegetables, baked goods, blankets, scarves for trees, and the occasional bloodthirsty zombie cupcake. Her work has appeared in group shows in Burlington, Seattle, and Australia and she ships her one of a kind creations to customers around the world. She lives in the Old North End of Burlington with her husband and three kids. You can find her on facebook as Callie Callie Jump Jump.

Tessa Holmes, oil on cavas (Blue Path & Mary Fletcher)

Tessa Holmes loves a slurry of brilliant color. Often feeling pressed for quick gratification, and in opposition of her very grounded and organized personality, she seeks an intoxicating mix of joy, beauty, fantasy and familiarity in her art. Holmes finds herself comforted in nature and in search of a safe hyper-reality, where details - unless found by accident - hold little appeal.  Using thick layers, she prefers to apply her medium in what she describes as a blur somewhere between impressionism and surrealism.

Liza Burns, mixed media giclee (Blue path & Healing Garden)

Liza Burns’ artwork is full of whimsy, bold colors, and what she feels is the best subject of all….dogs! Inspired by her Corgis, Henry and Lucy, she cannot imagine painting anything else. Her process starts in watercolor and is finished digitally where she can better control the vibrant color and bold shapes that dominate her work. 

Anna-Lena LaFountain, acrylic on canvas (Blue path)   

Anna-Lena LaFountain’s artistic intention is to bring outdoor magic indoors through her work. Her paintings are like windows to your favorite outdoor spot – they take you back, even when life is crazy.  They help you appreciate the present moment, let go of past worries and future uncertainties, and feel the magic that's all around … unlocking your potential for a more peaceful and fulfilling life. Her art is about sharing Vermont's beauty and helping you find your own zen.

Brenda Myrick, acrylic on raw canvas (McClure 4)

Brenda Myrick works primarily with oil and acrylics, though her training as a watercolor painter in the early years of her art career have provided an influence that has helped keep her work loose and free. Her animal communication practice keeps her returning to animal and nature subjects as inspiration, celebrating and reflecting the beauty and spirit of her subjects her paintings. She has always felt a deep connection with animals, the landscape, and a sense of place, and she uses this as a point of departure for her studio practice. 

Over the years she has made visceral notations of her subjects. These spiritual notations, from both her life today and from the past, have come back to her as aids in the form of memories. These moments fuel and help her build the paintings that she enjoys creating today, exploring themes of nature and animals, melding realism with abstract design elements to create her paintings.  Her goal is to highlight the intricate relationships within the natural world and evoke a sense of connection that is often lost in modern life.  Through her art, she invites viewers to deepen their understanding and appreciation of nature, fostering a renewed connection with our environment and the beings we live with.

Amanda Amend, watercolors (Shepard Patrick Hub 3)

Amanda Amend has been captivated by watercolor since she was a child, when she watched a friend of her parents' as he painted. She was sure she didn't have the talent to do such a thing, but many years later she has taken up the brush and dedicated herself to this wonderful medium. She loves how the paint moves on the paper, the thrilling variety of edges as the paint diffuses on a wet surface or makes a crisp edge on a dry one, the natural blending of colors, the endless subtleties of paint properties, and the unending challenge of interacting with such a dynamic medium. Each painting is a discovery in terms of composition and technique, but also in terms of what excites her as an artist.  What moves her to delve deeply into this scene, to catch its essence? 

The Historic Burlington series was inspired by a sense of living and breathing the history that surrounds us in this little city of ours.  In Burlington’s architecture she senses the aspirations and struggles of generations past, the character of this place. She envisioned this work as a part of a Celebration of Burlington which could include artists of all media, writers, historians, and storytellers, the creative sector which sees the city through different lenses. Perhaps that vision will be realized, in time.  For now, these works are a unique collection of watercolors that seek to raise awareness of the built environment in which we live and grow. 

Julie Dunigan, mixed media collage (Breast Care Center)

Julie Dunigan creates collage through the combination of acrylic painting and relief printing. She is intrigued by the interplay of color, form, and contrast. The line drawings for her prints are inspired by the architecture of nature and human built structures. An internal excitement emerges and gives rise to a collaboration with composition, perspective and color, often leading her to the edge of herself. Color and configuration offer an infinite labyrinth, challenging her to see her world anew. The completion of a piece provides enormous joy and relief. The inherent tension of learning energizes the process to begin again. To her astonishment, she is not just a bystander. Rather she is here, in cahoots with life’s impulse to bring creation into the world.