By Debby Reelitz
The Granby Artists Association will hold its annual Open Studio Tour Saturday and Sunday, October 14-15, at home studios throughout Granby. In addition, Lost Acres Vineyard will host oil painter, Alexander Anisimov, on both days of the tour. Anisimov, a classically trained Russian artist, will be creating charcoal and sepia portraits for visitors. The portraits will take 15 to 20 minutes and cost only $25. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made at: 860-408-1671.
The group is very excited to have a new participant in the tour this year, folk art painter with a contemporary twist, Anne Winsor. She will be welcoming visitors to her new studio space on Silkey Road. Also on Silkey Road, you will find wood turner, Scott Duncan, and calligrapher, Debby Reelitz.
Duncan continues to craft custom keepsakes from customer’s own trees. During this past year, he has also used 200-year-old barn beams to make unique candleholders. Don’t miss the flying wood chips as Duncan will be demonstrating how to make pens, bowls and bottle stoppers during the open studio.
Calligrapher Debby Reelitz, invites the curious to try their hand at calligraphy. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, from 10:30 to 11:30, she will be teaching a free mini-calligraphy class. Saturday’s class will introduce guests to the blackletter style and Sunday’s class will introduce the uncial style, a letterform of Irish heritage. Reelitz has taught this brief calligraphic introduction at corporations, schools, museums, and more. It’s a fun way to get a glimmer of what calligraphy is like. Reservations are highly recommended as there is table space available for eight guests. Please call 860-413-9041.
Easily accessible off of Route 20, visitors will find treasures at two different studio locations, Jean Luc Godard’s lighting and sculpture studio and the pottery studio with Avis Cherichetti and Linda Yurasevecz. Godard, who experiments extensively with materials, will be unveiling two new collections. One of them will be a newly acquired skill and passion in the field of metal sculptures and another working with clear acrylic materials.
Cherichetti, will be demonstrating at 10 a.m. and noon, both on Saturday and Sunday. She will be throwing on the wheel, manipulating and trimming bowls in her seed pod and flower series. Yurasevecz’s pottery will also be on display at the Cherchetti studio.
On the south-end of town, you will find another studio with wood chips flying. Chainsaw artist and photographer Barbara Schmitt will be running chainsaw demonstrations all weekend. Along with her larger carvings, she will also have some small, fun Halloween items for sale.
Not too far off of Route 189, north of the town center, you will find painters Sally Markey and Laura Eden. A watercolor painter and craft artist, Markey will be demonstrating the art of paste paper on Saturday and also how to use that paper to make small journal books on Sunday. Her paintings and drawings will be displayed along with her handmade jewelry and soft-toys. Eden will have an egg tempera painting in process, and a home full of wall-sized watercolor paintings and smaller egg tempera designs.
Up in North Granby, you’ll find Mark Gottlieb and Annukka Ritalahti’s glass studio where the furnace will be cranking and the propane torch blowing. Gottlieb will have glass-blowing demonstrations in the hot-shop all day long throughout the weekend. You can watch a variety of techniques used in glassblowing. There will be visiting artists as well because some of the more advanced techniques require group work. Ritalahti will be demonstrating how to make glass beads and small sculptures using an oxygen/propane torch. You’ll also be able to learn about glass mosaic construction techniques and the different steps to make stained glass suncatchers.
There’s a lot to see so be sure to leave plenty of time to catch the demonstrations, classes and wide variety of mediums on display during this 16th annual Open Studio Tour by the Granby Artists. More details can be found at: www.granbyartists.org
Duncan continues to craft custom keepsakes from customer’s own trees. During this past year, he has also used 200-year-old barn beams to make unique candleholders. Don’t miss the flying wood chips as Duncan will be demonstrating how to make pens, bowls and bottle stoppers during the open studio.
Calligrapher Debby Reelitz, invites the curious to try their hand at calligraphy. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, from 10:30 to 11:30, she will be teaching a free mini-calligraphy class. Saturday’s class will introduce guests to the blackletter style and Sunday’s class will introduce the uncial style, a letterform of Irish heritage. Reelitz has taught this brief calligraphic introduction at corporations, schools, museums, and more. It’s a fun way to get a glimmer of what calligraphy is like. Reservations are highly recommended as there is table space available for eight guests. Please call 860-413-9041.
Easily accessible off of Route 20, visitors will find treasures at two different studio locations, Jean Luc Godard’s lighting and sculpture studio and the pottery studio with Avis Cherichetti and Linda Yurasevecz. Godard, who experiments extensively with materials, will be unveiling two new collections. One of them will be a newly acquired skill and passion in the field of metal sculptures and another working with clear acrylic materials.
Cherichetti, will be demonstrating at 10 a.m. and noon, both on Saturday and Sunday. She will be throwing on the wheel, manipulating and trimming bowls in her seed pod and flower series. Yurasevecz’s pottery will also be on display at the Cherchetti studio.
On the south-end of town, you will find another studio with wood chips flying. Chainsaw artist and photographer Barbara Schmitt will be running chainsaw demonstrations all weekend. Along with her larger carvings, she will also have some small, fun Halloween items for sale.
Not too far off of Route 189, north of the town center, you will find painters Sally Markey and Laura Eden. A watercolor painter and craft artist, Markey will be demonstrating the art of paste paper on Saturday and also how to use that paper to make small journal books on Sunday. Her paintings and drawings will be displayed along with her handmade jewelry and soft-toys. Eden will have an egg tempera painting in process, and a home full of wall-sized watercolor paintings and smaller egg tempera designs.
Up in North Granby, you’ll find Mark Gottlieb and Annukka Ritalahti’s glass studio where the furnace will be cranking and the propane torch blowing. Gottlieb will have glass-blowing demonstrations in the hot-shop all day long throughout the weekend. You can watch a variety of techniques used in glassblowing. There will be visiting artists as well because some of the more advanced techniques require group work. Ritalahti will be demonstrating how to make glass beads and small sculptures using an oxygen/propane torch. You’ll also be able to learn about glass mosaic construction techniques and the different steps to make stained glass suncatchers.
There’s a lot to see so be sure to leave plenty of time to catch the demonstrations, classes and wide variety of mediums on display during this 16th annual Open Studio Tour by the Granby Artists. More details can be found at: www.granbyartists.org