Art for Giving!

It is too easy to spend money. The other day I went to the drug store to buy toothpaste, but I came out with dog treats, a magazine, gift wrap, a package of scotch tape, a box of batteries, chewing gum, hand cream, light bulbs ... AND toothpaste!



Store owners know this: many of us are too easily distracted by the interesting, the eye-catching, the useful - and we too easily part from our money as a result.



When it comes to shopping for gifts, it is WAY easy - for me at least - to bust the budget! But I strive for discipline. I try, in choosing and purchasing gifts, to be thoughtful. Sometimes, a gift that's not too expensive or flashy provides the best return on investment: the best long-term value for enjoyment and delight.



Artists know this: many of us seek thoughtful, long-lasting, not-too-expensive gifts of beauty for those we love.



Around the North Country, many venues are trying to provide shoppers just these types of gifts.



Tomorrow, Saturday December 12, the Artists' League of Lake Placid is hosting "A Holiday Event of Original Fine Artworks: 100 (almost) UNDER $100" at St. Eustace Episcopal Church on Main St., Lake Placid. This event begins at 10 am, and will feature smaller works: pieces priced for maximum value.



In Saranac Lake, Bluseed Studios is hosting an exhibit and sale of work by members of Saranac Lake Art Works through the month of December. Like the Lake Placid event, this show highlights less expensive works, both decorative and practical.



Besides these holiday opportunities, many galleries and gift centers offer affordable art all year. The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake sells the work of exhibitors. In addition to their usual offerings, the Center also has a selection of repurposed/recycled lighting fixtures which, I'm told, are fabulously creative and fun.



The Arts Center of Old Forge has a shop too, as does the St. Lawrence County Arts Council . According to the SLCAC website, their gift shop features "artwork, hand crafts, music and books by more than 200 artists from around Northern New York".



And of course there is the Adirondack Artists' Guild in Saranac Lake, whose members are always creating new, exciting works. Member artist Donna Foley has recently stocked the shelves with skeins of hand-woven, naturally-dyed yarn, as well as cozy scarves and other woolen treasures.



Chances are, there are sources for one-of-a-kind gifts near you. I am sure there are galleries and gift shops I have not mentioned here. Post a comment! Let us all know where the gems are to be found!

Of Candles and Cottonballs

When I was quite young, my family ate by candlelight most evenings. I now realize that this practice, by bathing the room in honey-colored light, had the effect of making food more appealing.









The candleholders we used were nothing fancy - short and nondescript. I certainly never paid them much attention, but they held candles sturdily enough.










Above is a candleholder made by local artist Mary Lou Reid. This piece would do much more than hold a candle - it would also enrich the visual landscape of a dining table. Note the sculptural, two-toned leaves clustered about the drip catcher, as if Mary Lou had just gathered them on an autumnal walk.

It is part of "Unique Blend", the cash & carry show currently featured at Bluseed Studios.

Mary Lou's work combines color harmony with sensitivity to the natural world and mastery of a difficult medium. Some of it, like this candleholder, is practical, while other work is decorative. All of it adds beauty to everyday life.









I think everyday life can use as much beauty as it can get.

This next image depicts a selection of ceramics by Peter Shrope, also on display at Bluseed. Peter's art expresses a complex vision, encompassing layers of meaning within elegant forms. Also, like Mary Lou's, much of it is practical. Can you imagine mixing pancake batter in one of those bowls, or storing your dry goods in canisters such as this?

My own everyday life includes the beauty of both Mary Lou's and Peter's work. My bathroom is decorated with some of Mary Lou's hand-painted tiles, while a little vessel Peter made holds cotton balls on the counter. I love them both.

These are only two examples of the "Unique Blend" at Bluseed; in total, ten artists have work in this show. Although a variety of media are represented, most of the art is practical and useful as well as beautiful. Any of it would make a great holiday gift - or could enrich your own home.

And if you eat by candlelight, who knows? Maybe the food will taste better!

Consider Art

This morning, I sorted gloves.



I found 11 individual gloves - and two matched pairs.




How does this happen? Perhaps glove manufacturers secretly infuse one of each pair with a ferrous nano-fiber so sensitive that it is drawn to the earth's magnetic core. Maybe it's a diabolical conspiracy with sock manufacturers...



At any rate, I decided that (yet again) I will be giving my family gloves for Christmas.

On Christmas morning, most of the gifts under the tree in our house are practical, useful items, and not terribly expensive. Often we just gift wrap things we would have gotten each other anyway - a jar of honey, say, or an interesting book.

But I do try to give everyone on my list one special gift - something distinctive and meaningful.

Original artwork can be a highly distinctive, deeply meaningful gift.

And in the North Country, fine art prices are outragously affordable relative to other areas. I recently spoke to an artist who exhibits both in the North Country and in Westchester County, near New York City; she told me that she at least doubles her prices for the southern market. She explained, no one in that region would take her seriously as an artist if she offered her works at North Country prices, so, ironically, she would not be able to sell as much.

At the Adirondack Artists' Guild, most of the work sells for under $200.00 - much of it under $100.00. You can buy a large, perfectly framed, compelling and original piece for under $1,000.00.

For fine art - that's a steal.

Bluseed Studios is currently featuring a show, called "Unique Blend", of work by 10 diverse local artists. Every piece is available cash & carry: in other words, if you buy something, you can take it right away instead of the usual SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) whereby you would have to wait til the close of the show. When a piece is sold, the artist will replace it.

I haven't been there yet myself, but I plan to go soon - and I will write about it for you.





The other day, my older son asked me the difference between an "artist" and an "artisan". I didn't really know - and the dictionary wasn't very illuminating. He thought a moment, and said, "An artist has another job and does artwork on the side, but an artisan makes a living through his art."





By that definition, several of the participants in "Unique Blend" are artisans - but even the artists ride an edge where their art needs to be financially viable to justify the time involved.




Tim Fortune, Saranac Lake's godfather of art, is quoted in a recent issue of Adirondack Life as saying,



"Artists are businesspeople. A lot of people think the arts are a nice diversion created by people who have the time to do so and don't understand that we are running a business and have to make money."




As you think about gift giving this holiday season, remember that your choices impact local business people of all sorts. And if you, too, like to give just a few exceptional gifts each year, consider art.

Where? Saranac Lake

Of all the hot spots for North Country art, Saranac Lake is the hottest. At least, I know more about the Saranac Lake art scene than any other. I will enumerate the places of which I am aware - again, please correct my omissions with your comments.

Bluseed Studios is a dynamic cultural center - an abandoned warehouse, rescued from its slow decay by Carol Vossler and re-imagined as a beacon of creativity.

Another former industrial site now houses the 7444 Gallery, right next to the train depot. Artist and owner Todd Smith rotates shows featuring works of local artists.

If you are near the depot, stroll down the street past the playground and you will see Greens & Beans, an eatery which offers yummy, healthy foods along with locally made artwork. In the same vein, the Blue Moon Cafe on Main St. fills its wallspace with the works of local artists to enhance your dining experience (which will be fabulous anyway!).

Never miss a chance to visit the Saranac Lake Free Library, near Berkley Green. Not only will you find yourself in an oasis of tranquility, but if you go downstairs you will find another gallery space, this one called the Cantwell Room. And, if your taste runs this way, a collection of taxidermy is just across the hall.

A wealth of art defines Main Street. Tim Fortune has a tiny but magnificant storefront, The Small Fortune Studio. I love to walk in and smell the paints, the papers, the very air of creation. And Tim has long been amongst my favorite artists anywhere.

A few doors down from Tim's place, Georgeanne Gaffney also has a small storefront studio. Her paintings are luminous and varied, featuring landscapes and figures bathed in light.

On the other side of the village parking lot, further down Main Street, is my own favorite spot - The Adirondack Artists' Guild. This Guild (co-founded by Tim Fortune 20 years ago) is a co-operative of 14 artist members, each of whom helps pay expenses. They take turns minding the shop, so on any given day, you don't know who will be there.

This place is practically a museum - but better, in a way, because the artists are people you can meet, and their work is available for purchase! In it, you will find a broad range of media on display. There are oil paintings, watercolors, and acrylic paintings -- but wait! There's more!

You will find works in silver and gemstones alongside fine pottery. One of the member artists works in fiber which she shears, combs, spins, naturally dyes, and weaves from her own flock of sheep.

Several of the members use cameras to produce images of all sorts. From near-abstract polaroid transfers, to sweeping Adirondack vistas, to close-ups that make familiar objects seem alien, the photographer members push the boundaries of their medium.

Do yourself a favor the next time you are in Saranac Lake: visit some - or all - of these venues, and revel in the riches of North Country art!