What’s New
Rick Amon April 2024
The gallery welcomes Rick Amon, who creates gorgeous alabaster bowls as well as traditional Shaker boxes. Skilled with both mediums, Rick expertly assembles and turns his stone and wood pieces on a lathe. His elegant stone pieces are accompanied by rustic bases which enhance the workmanship of the bowls themselves. His white alabaster, also called “silver cloud,” is mined in Volterra Italy, while his soap stone is sourced from Afghanistan and Vermont. Rick carries on an ancient tradition of stone turning that started in 4000 BC with the Egyptians. Over time it became less prevalent, although it had a brief resurgence in the 1800s in Italy. Light a candle inside his delicate pieces and watch them glow with a soft translucence. They make a perfect focal point for meditation, or simply as an accent piece to nurture peace, mindfulness and self care. His primitive Shaker boxes are handcrafted using the traditional building techniques. Finished with mineral oil and bees wax, they make the perfect place to store buttons, paperclips, or sentimental treasures. Find Rick’s impressive work here in the gallery, or featured on our webstore!
Aubri Keating March 2024
We welcome Aubri Keating and her beautiful jewelry to our gallery! Aubri makes her wearable artwork by combining precious gems with natural stones and sea glass. The contrast of the metal, fine cut gems, and nature’s tumbled stones create an organic elegance that is characteristic of her work. Find Aubri’s beautiful jewelry here in the gallery, or featured on our webstore!
“I have been a gold-smith/silver-smith for 25 years. I love to create jewelry as wearable art; an expression of connectivity and beauty. I have learned that beauty serves a purpose and also tells a story. I am constantly inspired by what surrounds me. I like to remind people to connect with the part of themselves that can feel freedom, peace and light simply from experiencing and accepting all the beauty surrounding us.” ~ Aubri Keating
Bob Clark January 2024
Introducing woodturner, Bob Clark! His large, once-turned hardwood salad bowls are wonderful, with sharp, expertly lathe-carved edges. The wonderful thing about once-turned bowls is that the green wood shifts and changes during the drying process. The freshly turned, perfectly round bowl transforms into an organic off-round shape with soft, naturally undulating edges. Finished with 100% pure tung oil (made in USA) and beeswax sourced from Rye, NH, these bowl makes beautiful decorative pieces of turned wood, but they’re also food safe! Fantastic for tossing large salads or displaying fruit on your kitchen table. See his work here in the gallery, or find it on our webstore!
Zoie Parent November 2023
We welcome Zoie Parent to our gallery, with her beautiful handcrafted sterling silver jewelry. Zoie’s work is inspired by nature and thoughtfully hand-forged in sterling, 14K, and/or 18K gold with clean lines, smooth twisting forms, and bezel set gemstones. These classic jewelry pieces are wearable pieces of art.
Come see her work in the gallery or find it on our webstore!
Grace Kerr October 2023
We welcome Grace Kerr and her earthy woodfired pottery to the gallery. Wood-firing is a very time consuming process as the wood fueled kiln must be stoked continuously by hand, usually for days! The natural wood ash from the firing process melts onto the surface of the pottery during the firing, giving the clay a toasty natural brown color and the glazes a rich luscious depth.
Grace’s work is strongly influenced by her connection to nature, her Buddhist practice, and nearly 30 years as a Technical Designer in the fashion industry. She grew up in Kaohsiung, Taiwan where as a child she as she dug up clay, keenly observed the forming and shaping processes of her creations, and deepening her connection to the earth. Her creative practice is a collaboration where the natural beauty of the clay is maintained as her creative energy flows through it. The movement of glaze in the kiln then provides a randomness to her work that mirrors the unpredictability of nature.
Come see Grace’s work the gallery or find it on our webstore!
Maggie Burnett August 2023
We welcome Maggie Burnett and her beautiful hand dyed fiber arts to the gallery! Maggie’s hand-dyed pillows bring design and color to any living space. Soft and vibrant, each one has its own completely unique “colorway,” a kaleidoscope of mirroring symmetry and gem tones. Made from 100% cotton, they go through multiple rinses and machine washes after the dyeing process to stabilize the color. Maggie Burnett studied art at Mount Holyoke College and continues to participate in classes and workshops throughout New England. After many years as a graphic designer, she taught both adults and children in drawing, painting, collage and pastels, developed arts programming for non-profit organizations and helped create the Granby Artist Association in Granby, CT. She has exhibited her work in CT, MA, VT, and NH . Since moving to White River Junction, VT, Maggie has worked at AVA Gallery and Art Center and is the owner of Mae in White River Junction, VT where she creates hand-dyed home decor. Come see Maggie’s work the gallery or find it on our webstore!
Donna Pioli June 2023
We welcome Donna Pioli and her beautiful woodfired pottery to the gallery! Donna is known for imbuing her work with feminine, playful details. Carefully handcrafted out of porcelain or stoneware clay, her pieces are brought to life by a wood-fueled Naborigama, a climbing kiln with a series of chambers built going up a slope to capture and concentrate the heat as it rises. A time consuming process, the wood fueled kiln must be stoked continuously by hand, usually for days! The natural wood ash from the firing process melts onto the surface of the pottery during the firing, giving the clay earthy golden hues and the glazes rich luscious depth. Our new selection of her pottery is embellished with gathered ruffles, curves, and ribbon or flower-like details. All are microwave and dishwasher friendly. Come see them in the gallery or find them on our webstore!
Emery Wenger May 2023
We welcome Emery Wenger and his vibrant and playful handblown glass to the North Conway League of NH Craftsmen Gallery! Emery’s glass is whimsical but also modern and sophisticated. These colorful glass art pieces also function beautifully, jazzing up your cocktail hour or desserts. Come see his display at the gallery or find them on our webstore!
“My art is abstract. It is focused on shape, color, and balance. I combine these elements to capture a moment in time. Color plays a large part in my work. I use bright colors with small contrasting highlights to play with the perceived proportions, weight, and expression. This color scheme, along with the simple clean lines of the shapes, also reference pop art and graphic imagery.” ~Emery Wenger
Daniel Bowen March 2023
We welcome Daniel Bowen and his gorgeous cutting boards and charcuterie boards to the gallery, featuring local and exotic woods, and often with eye catching epoxy river designs running through. Smoothed to a satin finish, his boards are great for serving appetizers, or simply on display in your beautiful kitchen. Pair it with a nice bottle of wine and some cheese for a fantastic gift for the foodie, or for anyone who loves woodworking or cooking. Come check out his work at the gallery or find it on our webstore!
“Creating beautiful pieces that provide long term function and durability have been my goals for each piece I build.” ~Daniel Bowen
John Boland September 2022
We are happy to now represent newly juried potter, John Boland, with his luscious shino glazes and brushwork in red, teal, and blue. Shino, is a traditional Japanese glaze with a semi-matte finish that ranges in color from yellow and orange to grey and white. Strong and durable, John’s pottery makes great dishes for serving, and also beautiful pottery for display. His beautiful ceramic work has a notable weight and strength, but also reveals a delicacy influenced by Asian aesthetics. A native of Seattle, Washington, John was raised in a predominantly Asian community and quickly acquired an appreciation of the aesthetics, particularly the ceramic traditions of Japan, Korea and China. His ceramic interests were encouraged by Robert Sperry at the University of Washington and later Jorge Wilmot and Ken Edwards of Tonola, Mexico. John now makes his beautiful pottery in his studio in Claremont, NH. Find John’s work at the gallery or find it on our webstore!
Steven Frye June 2022
We welcome Steven Frye and his gorgeous turned wood to the gallery. Steven’s woodworking is simply perfection. His forms are all turned on a lathe, and they are graceful, dynamic, and strong. His finishes are silky smooth and food safe, making them wonderful functional bowls and platters for serving, but also beautiful decorative pieces that speak for themselves. Turned wood has a way of crossing lines between traditional, rustic, and contemporary. For this reason, these exquisite large hand-turned bowls make wonderful wedding gifts, pleasing virtually any sensibility.
“Wandering my grandfather’s workshop as a boy I found myself most fascinated by the lathe. It only took me thirty years to yield to what has been an ineluctable attraction to the lathe but also to the endless visual and tactile variety of wood. Working wood on the lathe has become a wonderful therapy–exercising the undiscovered creative parts of my brain.” ~Steven Frye
Molly Harper April 2022
We welcome ceramic artist, Molly Harper, and her incredibly realistic birch pottery to our gallery! Each piece is completely unique, with meticulous details of pealing birch bark, mosses, mushrooms and twigs, all sculpted and hand painted with food safe glazes. Molly Harper is a New Hampshire native with a great love of the environment and of the beauty of her home state. “Growing up in rural New Hampshire has imbued in me a love of the environment and the beauty of it’s wild spaces. I aim to capture the feel of white birch and bring a touch of New Hampshire’s forests into your home.” See it in person or on our webstore!
Anne Hanson February 2022
Spiraling gold and argentium sterling silver jewelry by Anne Hanson. Anne Hanson is a metalsmith and jewelry designer who works in a variety of metals, primarily argentium sterling silver (a high quality sterling that does not tarnish as quickly as regular sterling) and bimetal (18K gold fused on sterling silver). Texturing and dimension are hallmark style elements in her unique designs. She creates jewelry using traditional smithing methods of forging, roller printing, and soldering. In the summer of 2004, Anne suffered a stroke, which impaired her speech and all dominant side motor skills. Undeterred by these physical limitations, she now works with mainly her left hand, continuing to create her intricate and detailed jewelry. Sophisticated and yet feminine, her jewelry is just stunning. Come see our newest selection, or find it on our webstore!
Laurel MacDuffie December 2021
Beautiful and functional salt fired pottery by Laurel MacDuffie. Laurel’s work has a warmth and weight that is nothing short of comforting. Strong and durable, her pottery is reminiscent of antique stoneware pottery, which may add to the sense of security one feels when handling it. The toasty clay color you see is naturally glazed with salt! Salt glazing has historical roots, and is distinctive in its marbled and variegated surface effects. The unglazed pottery is fired to a high temperature and salt fumes are introduced into the kiln chamber. The sodium in the salt forms a vapor cloud in the kiln which binds with the silica and alumina in the clay to form a glass which glazes the pottery. (The pale circular markings underneath are characteristic of wood and salt fired and pottery.) All of Laurel’s pottery is microwave and dishwasher safe. Come see our newest shipment, or find it on our webstore!
“Clay is a sensitive material. It records every touch, and all that touch conveys. I use this responsiveness as a tool to communicate calm, and imperfection. Making pots, my wheel turns slowly. I stay present with the forming of each piece. Sometimes I rub the new pot to calm the marks of spin. I handle my pots a lot in their making, leaving a record of touch. I make my forms stable, noticeably solid. I make my lines irregular, like the beauty in nature. I try not to fix every mistake. Sometimes I try to make you laugh.” ~Laurel MacDuffie
Peter Vanderlaan and Mary Beth Bliss September 2020
Elaine Fuller June 2020
Elaine Xenelis Fuller fell in love with clay in 1978. Since then she has spent a creative life, raising a family and cultivating her craft. She continues to produce stunning pottery in her pottery business, “Handmade By Elaine” which relocated to Kittery, Maine from Old Saybrook, Connecticut in 2007. Her stoneware pottery is carved, stamped, sculpted and expertly formed. We’ve found her “Wedding Bowls” to be a particular favorite for customers. These bowls make beautiful gifts for engagements, weddings or anniversaries. The rims are hand-carved and colored with Double Wedding Rings- the symbol of marriage, Ivy- the symbol of fidelity, and Stephanotis- the bride’s good luck flower. On the larger pieces she also adds Periwinkles- the flower of friendship. Elaine’s beautiful pottery is functional, durable, and can make a thoughtful and meaningful gift.
Elaine is the president of The Southern Maine Clay Guild, a member of the New Hampshire Potters Guild and Maine Made, and as of June 2009, a juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. She is a charter member of the National Council of Ceramics Educators and the Potter’s Council.
Find it on our webstore, or come to the gallery and check out Elaine’s beautiful pottery for yourself!
Becky Sawyer February 2020
Handmade jewelry created by Becky Sawyer in her own unique designs. “I am inspired by the natural things that make up our lovely state, as well as abstract themes.” Each original piece of Becky’s jewelry is drawn, freehand, using pencil crayon on polystyrene, a lightweight plastic canvas on which to create her wearable artworks. With the addition of sterling silver findings, Becky’s whimsical art pieces are delightful! Find it on our webstore!
Gabriel Parker October 2019
Gabriel Parker has worked with wood and graphics for more than thirty-five years designing and building furniture, musical instruments, kitchens, and a wide variety of architectural projects. Many of his pieces incorporate wood inlay and/or laser-engraved images as part of the design. Projects take an ever-changing form, but the intent is always the same: to produce artwork that is functional, beautiful, and emotionally uplifting.
Parker’s work has appeared in The Smart Approach to Kitchen Design by Susan Maney, The Boston Globe, Yankee Magazine, New Hampshire Home, and various other journals.
Stop by the gallery to see our selection of Gabriel’s functional and beautiful mirrors and serving boards!
Luann Udell August 2019
We welcome Luann Udell, a mixed media artist inspired by prehistoric cave art.
“My artifacts began as embellishment for fiber pieces. I wanted them to look truly ancient, to be authentic, not through blind reproduction, but by diligence and attention to detail. I use a faux ivory polymer clay technique similar to Samurai sword-making, to imitate the grain of real ivory. I shape each animal one at a time, by hand. My horses’ legs and tails are broken off, like real prehistoric artifacts (unknown to me at the time.) Domestic animals such as horses and dogs often carry my hand print as a miniaturized version of my own hand – but not the wild ones. I use a scrimshaw technique to bring out the markings. I hand sand and buff each one, to look like they’ve been polished by the constant touch of human hands. It’s a time-consuming process, but it’s important to me, and it works. New animals appear, seemingly with no rhyme or reason. Looking back, I see each appearance coincides with a period of great change or insight. They carry that story. People are often drawn to one animal over another. When I share the story, they say it makes perfect sense to them. The piece becomes their personal totem. I thought I would outgrow these stories. But the stories grow, and change, as I do. My art has been healing for me, and for others, in ways I often don’t understand. I write about this often, because I believe it’s the ultimate power of art—to restore us to ourselves spiritually and emotionally, so we can participate more fully in the world. If that helps others along the way, then we’ve truly found our place in the world.” Come see Luann’s work at the gallery, or find it on our webstore!
David Mischke June 2019
David Mischke has been making and selling pottery since the early 70’s. Currently working in partnership with Kat O’Brien, the work ranges from simple mugs to elaborately decorated vessels with a chun blue interior glaze that shocks you with its vibrant display, and contrasts with the delicate hand incised designs.
Each pot is thrown on the potter’s wheel and individually decorated. The decorating process starts by drawing on each pot with a pencil (freehand without using stamps or stencils) to set up the design. The next step involves using a wax resist, introducing color, waxing again and etching to cut through the wax. The final step, before the second firing, is to then introduce more color. This layering process allows for very rich and varied designs.The pots are then reduction fired to 2400 degrees to bring out the rich tones in the glaze.
These pots are created with the intention of being used and enjoyed on a daily basis. The clay is a high-fire stoneware which has been selected for its durability and chip resistance. All the pieces are lead free and made to be used in the microwave, oven and dishwasher. Beautiful pottery that is made to last a life time.
Randy Roos January 2019
We are honored to represent the multi-talented, Randy Roos, and his exquisite photography capturing the beauty of the White Mountains!
“My interest in photography began quite a few years ago, probably as a complement to my work as a musician, which I’ve always approached visually. Though I do some wildlife, I’ve gravitated toward mountain landscapes, intent on capturing those moments and conditions that few manage to experience. I view this as similar to wildlife photography in that the aim is to grab a moment where the right elements intersect in some compelling way. For me this entails hiking, perhaps fairly long distances, often in the dark, sometimes backpacking for several days in the wilderness; and usually involves a lot of waiting. When creating a print, my allegiance is to my eye rather than my camera, so I place a higher priority on representing what I saw and felt than I do on rendering exactly what the camera recorded. Obviously, our eyes and perception function very differently from a camera’s sensor or a piece of film.
As a musician, I’ve composed many scores for television including fifteen seasons of PBS Scientific American Frontiers, hosted by Alan Alda, and several in the NOVA series. I also teach at Berklee College of Music in Boston and operate a recording studio with my wife Kathy at our residence in Ashland, NH.” Find Randy’s beautiful photography on our webstore, or come the the gallery to see it in person!
Lisa Scala May 2018
We are thrilled to now represent Lisa Scala! Lisa is a gifted designer whose unique collection of handmade jewelry and accessories has delighted customers for over 25 years. Her one-of-a-kind pieces reflect a life-long passion for art and natural beauty. Lisa designs and crafts her works at her studio in Georgetown, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband and their two sons.
“My designs are inspired by my observation and love of nature, reflecting the subtle beauty all around us.”
Come visit the gallery to see Lisa’s beautiful jewelry selection, or find it on our webstore!
Douglas Alan Masury November 2017
“I try to combine all of nature’s color bounty in my weavings. The pattern changes by how one throws the shuttles containing the different colors of yarn when weaving. I have custom dyed most of my yarns with the exception of the plain solid colored yarns. The custom dyed yarns are hand painted according to the needs of the piece that came through some form of inspiration. Seeing color form the inspiration into a 3D piece becomes very awe inspiring thus eliciting more views of my world around me. It is these inspirations that allow me to create as I do. It is the translation of these inspirations that allow me to look forward into the world around me to break it down into simplistic forms utilizing variegated colors to complete the unique project. No two pieces are the same.
It is with these pieces, I translate my world as I see it. There are times it is difficult to finish a piece as in my creative mind, I see the next three pieces coming forth. With each piece woven, mentally, I am three pieces ahead of where I am weaving, each piece more of a vision than the one I am working on at that moment. This forward vision often affects the piece I am currently working on and often, something new comes into play.”
Come visit the gallery to see more of Doug Masury’s beautiful weavings, or find them on our webstore!
Rosemary Orgren June 2017
“I love pattern, texture, form, and shape. I enjoy the challenge of bringing these elements together in cohesive and fluid designs. My father — a pattern maker — passed on to me a lifelong love of tools and their uses, an esteem for sound construction, and a fascination with mechanisms of all kinds. It is important to me that my pieces be fully realized, assembled with care, and attractively finished front and back. My education in metalsmithing has been largely acquired at the Hanover metals studio of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. I continue to participate regularly in League classes while planning, practicing, and producing in my own studio in Vermont.”
Come by the gallery to see more of Rosemary Orgren’s beautiful jewelry!
Jennie Blair March 2017
“The intention in my work is to incorporate texture, energy, and balance. I utilize glazes to enhance the surface of each piece making each one unique to touch and look at, while still embracing the pot’s function. Like the clouds in the sky, I like to think each piece can show a different scene each time you look into it. I have have always been greatly influenced by my surroundings in nature; the mountains, the rivers, the woods, and the sky. As each pot passes through my hands, from wet clay to a finished glazed piece, I can only hope that each one tells it’s own story and feels right to the person using it. Making pots has been a life force for me for nearly 20 years, not only as a source of work, but also as a comfort. I find solace with my hands in the clay. Throwing pots has a way of pulling me out of myself, while at the same time digging deeper in.”
Jennie Blair was born and raised in New Hampshire, in the Mt. Washington Valley. After receiving a BFA in Studio Arts in 2000, she continued to work in studios with other potters over a period of 15 years. During that time she lived in Montana completing a one year apprenticeship, managing a production pottery studio, while also developing her own pottery business. After moving back east to her home town, she continues making functional stoneware pottery in her studio in in Conway, NH.
Come check out Jennie’s pottery at the gallery, or find it on our webstore!
Lars Turin September 2015
We welcome Lars Turin to the North Conway League of NH Craftsmen Gallery! Newly juried to the League of NH Craftsmen, Lars Turin is a ceramic artist in York, Maine. He began working in clay while attending SUNY New Paltz as a Fine Art Major in 1968. He became an art teacher in 1972 and spent the next 12 years teaching elementary and middle school students before moving into the high school level where he taught until he retired in 2007. In 2010, Lars became an adjunct ceramic instructor at Emma Willard School in Troy, NY where he remained until spring 2014. Lars also spent time at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center in Saratoga, NY with many talented clay artists.
As a self-taught metalsmith, Julie Schmidt has created jewelry since 1994 with all the right curves and twists. Each handcrafted design fuses vibrant metals with stitching or cold connection and heat. Julie enjoys working in sterling silver, copper and brass and she often combines them in the same earring, pendant, brooch or bracelet. Her love of movement, texture and form speaks with whimsical and organic inspiration that complements your style. Julie designs, produces and etches her name into each unique creation.
Earlier in her career, Julie worked for a number of world-renowned jewelry artists and designers. Her studio is located in a refurbished button factory that serves as an artists’ haven in the historic seacoast city of Portsmouth, NH.
“Julie Schmidt cuts and hammers bronze and copper alloys and gives them gleam and shapely appeal without the extravagant price. Her metal necklaces and earrings are three-dimensional hearts, flower petals or just free-form curvilinear shapes swinging and swaying with the wearer. The simple shapes are hammered for texture, sometimes heat-treated for color change and finally “stitched” together into 3-dimensional pillows or pods. Silver wire “threads” are a functional aspect to form the object and also add visual delight. The stitched-look is an inspiration from Schmidt’s past. As a child she received primitive artifacts from her grandparents who were missionaries in Africa. She says her first work had a tribal feel that has since been pared away, but the stitching remains as a signature look. Schmidt’s studio is in the Button Factory in Portsmouth. For the past 25 years, the building has served as a stew pot of artists working in close proximity. Meeting other jewelers, including Paulette Werger, gave her the courage to leave her administrative job and forge her own vision seven years ago.” (NH Magazine, November 2011)
Come to gallery to see the latest by Julie Schmidt, or find it on our webstore!
Don Gorvett April 2014
We are proud to now represent master printmaker, Don Gorvett, of Portsmouth NH. Don Gorvett uses a reduction woodcut method, in which multiple colors are applied by removing additional material from the same block for each new color. He must determine the number of prints beforehand, since the preservation of prior colors is achieved by the gradual destruction of the wood block. One cannot retreat during this process. The result is irrevocable, and the finished print cannot be reproduced beyond the originally determined number.
“My goal is to express the abstract geometric shapes and distant configurations of our architecture in the Northeast. Upon the sea waters of estuaries and harbors are mirrored the play of interweaving lights and darks of buildings and piers, crowned by steeples and mast tops. I am fascinated by the ghostly quality of these buildings looming out of the mist, endowed with strength and endurance. For me, historic architecture represents a bridge between one lifespan into another. Abandoned not by time, but by those who built them. Our structures remain and continue to wage war with nature’s elements.”
Don Gorvett is a graduate of the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and a board member of the Boston Printmakers. His works may be found in the collections of the Boston Athenaeum, the Portland Museum of Art, the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, the Cape Ann Museum, the Duxbury Art Complex, the Currier Museum of Art, and numerous corporate and private collections. He is represented in New York City by the Old Print Shop, and has been featured in solo shows at the Naples Museum of Art in Naples, Florida, as well as at Endicott College in Beverly, MA.
Mark and Kathleen Frank August 2013
We are proud to represent Mark and Kathleen Frank, stained glass artists. All of their designs are original and unique, with inspiration coming from the natural world. Having found glass to be an organic and versatile medium, Mark and Kathleen strive to create beautiful, functional pieces of art. Mark and Kathleen Frank, with the help of their son Kyle, cut, shape and solder each and every piece in their beautiful stained glass panels. They use traditional copper foil and lead caning techniques, along with more creative techniques including etching, fusing and slumping. They even include beach glass in their work at times. Their beautiful stained glass adds warmth and ambience, and the natural motifs compliment nearly any environment.