Our Artists

 Anna Gerhard Arnold's watercolors focus on the ordinary images central to the rural North Country and St. Lawrence River Valley.  Capturing both the detail and the expanse of the local countryside and the Adirondacks, her detailed paintings are marked by weathered textures of barnwood and winter grasses, old farmland beaver swamps and dramatic Adirondack Mountain peaks.  With their realistically painted natural and atmospheric skies, her watercolors often have a photographic quality.  Anna has managed to be meticulously convincing about the simplest of appearances and persuasive about the unforeseen forces animating nature.  The paintings are an homage to the changing landscape around us and a concern for its preservation.

A resident of Waddington, her previous work can be seen locally in signage for Mama Lucia Restaurant, colorful murals in the Cactus Grill & Cantina, menus for Maxfields, and 17 illustrated program covers for the summer Lake Placid Horse shows.  She has completed several book illustrations for Reflections from Canoe Country by Christopher Angus as well as two children's books by the same author, Emma and The Egyptian Queen and Emma and The River of Time.

In addition to her commissioned Fine Art Portraits of dogs, horses, and landmarks, Anna's watercolor landscapes reside in many private collections nationally and internationally.

agerhard1@icloud.com

315-323-8931

Originally from Hannawa Falls, New York, I met my husband Phil when I was in my twenties and moved to Waddington, New York.  We raised our four children in Waddington; Waddington is home!  I have always loved creating things. I knit, crochet, quilt, sew, make my own soy candles, but my favorite discovery has been oil painting.
 

After moving to Cincinnati, Ohio for Phil's work, I found myself with a little empty nest syndrome.  I began oil painting classes in September of 2012 with the encouragement of my husband.  I needed a good nudge to take that first step out the door. After the first class I was hooked.  My instructor is an amazing artist, very patient, and a terrific teacher!
 

I enjoy the whole process of oil painting.  Finding a subject that draws me in first, then creating it on canvas.  I love to work from nature.  Plein air is a challenge that I truly enjoy.  I strive to recreate light and the atmosphere of a scene.  I hope to always continue learning and improving my skills as an artist!
 

I have had my work displayed at the Rowhouse Gallery in Milford, Ohio; a juried show, The Art Affair in Milford, and two juried art shows in Evandale, Ohio.  I have also sold work from Artworks Creperie (AC Bistro), Christmas in Waddington, The Gallery at Lake St. Lawrence Arts, and Instagram, as well as privately.
 

Since returning to Waddington, I have established my studio and became a member of the The Gallery at Lake St. Lawrence Arts.  I am also pleased to have been juried into six regional shows including the Along the River's Edge Show at the Thousand Islands Art Center where I won the 2019 Catherine B. Johnson Award.

backuscarol@yahoo.com

315-323-2522

Pastel & Water Color Artist

Jen is a lifetime North Country native, who grew up in Potsdam and graduated from the Crane School of Music.  She is relatively new to the  fine arts world, having spent most of her life involved in music and theater arts.  She retired after teaching vocal music for 30 years in the Ogdensburg City School District and decided it was time to pursue her interest in art.

The journey of learning to draw and paint started with classes in graphite, charcoal, and water color through SOAR in Potsdam.  Jen discovered the world of pastel during winters in Naples, Florida where she was fortunate enough to participate in classes taught by master pastel artist Linda Chambers at the Naples Art Institute.  Although she works with water color and acrylic mediums, pastel remains her passion - which she likens to "finger painting for adults".  The tactile sensation of working the pastel into the canvas is slow, but provides a personal connection with the depth of colors, the subject, and the finished painting.

The pastels Jen uses are made from the one or several finely ground pigments, an inert white filler and a binder such as gum arabic.  Hard pastel, pastel pencils, and the richly pigmented soft pastel are standard materials in her work.  Erasers come in pretty handy too!  The "canvas" is specially made textured paper or sanded paper and "grabs" the pigment as it is applied.  The process of pastel painting is a long one, but the end result is worth the time spent!

Jen has a small studio that has been incorporated into the decor of her dining room where she works.  Maybe someday a "real" dedicated space will happen, but for today this small, shared space works just fine.  She shares her studio space and old brick house with her husband Bill in the beautiful village of Waddington.  When she's not painting, she's gardening, cooking, and learning to play a little guitar with Bill.

jencavanaugh59@gmail.com

315-323-4558

Dave Crosby spent his formative years in a didn't-need-a-spotlight small town in the fruit belt of The Empire State.  Other than Christmas, the only other anticipated event was when Jay Joslin's horse broke out of the barn and ran up and down Main Street.  Anticipated because the horse managed to do it every summer.  Since young boys need more than a once a summer, one horse stampede, Dave, and a band of fellow adventurers, went forth.  His work has been an attempt to convey a bit of that.

Retirement, from a career in education, afforded him the opportunity to pursue whatever artistic adventure or opportunity presented itself.  Sculpted wooden "bowls" found their way into shows and galleries in New York, Philadelphia, and other venues in the east.  The Bill and Hillary Clintons have a piece.  Painting, quilting, and sculpting followed.

A worsening intentional tremor led to the ink work you see today.  This tremor also explains the Chinese red fingertip print mark at the bottom of his work.  Attempts at a signature could, at best, result in meaningless scribbles.  He is still finding out that where there is a will there is a way, and that a will can also generate any number of feuding relatives.

Dave has, since childhood, been fascinated with lines.   Dave would think about a pile of kite string, a meandering path through the woods, or an evolving line through a maze.  The lines he renders seem to represent life and living.  Lines, fleetingly straight with unexpected twists and turns, reveal spaces in time to be filled and recalled.

Experiences, perhaps once clearly defined, are now an amorphous composite of intimate and unique recollections.  As we reflect. we come to know that the essence of our experiences, the intricate patterning of who we have lived to become is unique and continuously revealing.

If you suspend rational thought and allow yourself to venture into the work, into the wherever-it-goes, you may rediscover a meandering, an encounter, or a cherished resting place in the paths and experiences that have become the person that you are. 

dcrosby0674@gmail.com

315-212-0674

Sometimes it takes many years for an artist to feel worthy of sharing their vision, imagery, and artistry.  This would be the circumstances that Paul finds himself in today.  At the young age of 88 years, he has concluded that the art he has enjoyed creating for over sixty years might be valued by others.

A native of Antwerp, NY where he received his education at the local high school, Paul W. Dickson studied two years at St. Lawrence University and two more years at Jefferson Community College in computer studies.

Paul's entire working career (1951 to 1996) was spent with the railroads as a travel dispatcher and representative.  During this time, he also served four years in the US Air Force, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant.  After two years as an instructor on hydraulic instruments and control systems of B36s, Paul spent two years at Burtonwood, England as Crew Chief on C54s and C119s and attended Classes on F84s and F86s.  

Paul's artistic instinct have always been part of his world.  Before joining the Air Force and as a young man, sketching and wood carving (primarily on shelf fungus) became more than a hobby!  He sold over 250 shelf fungus carvings in the 1970s and 1980s.

Becoming interested in oil painting, he attended classes at the Munson Williams Art School in Utica, NY in the late 1990s.  Although oils still intrigue Paul, it's really watercolor that has kept his interest - frequently focusing on waterfowl in a variety of habitats.  Admittedly, he is often inspired by nature, using skillfully executed sketches to format watercolors and oils.   Images of trains, aircraft, landscapes, seascapes, and nature in general have been captured over the years in Paul's works.  "I always thought it was just a hobby."

Two sisters, Bonnie Grant and Tanya Spicer, decided to blend their creative selves into a new venture that they labelled Two Journeys Art. While they were busy living separate lives, they each pursued individual artistic interests.
 

Bonnie loved to draw as a child, but never had time to take art classes while working her way through school to become an RN. Throughout her working years in and around Boston and Cape Cod, MA. She got involved in various art classes including pottery, drawing and painting…and a variety of arts and crafts. She became more involved in painting and crafting after she retired and joined some creative groups on Cape Cod.
 

Tanya, meanwhile, pursued business certification and an associate in liberal arts degree while raising children and working. As an extension of her creativity, she was making clothing for kids, quilts, pillows, and other household items with fabric and used clothing. The kids grew, and her creativity became more predominate; she was crafting more, drawing, coloring, and doodling. Her husband is very artistic and has his own love of crafting and taught her what he knows about working with beads.
 

Bonnie moved back into the area, picked up beading as well, bead weaving became an obsession with both of them! They attended classes in beading and wire working, watched videos, bought books and kept on beading. Since silver, other metals and beads go very well together, the obsession has spread from beads to beads and wire, and polymer clay, fabric and leather…...and the Journey continues!!

They now work together in Bonnie's studio.  They teach classes in beading, wire working, and work together creating new projects. Bonnie teaches decorative (tole) painting. They both enjoy nature which inspires some of their work. 

Pastel  Artist

                                           Rensselaer Falls, NY

I have always loved to draw and doodle on paper, but I didn't get started in pastels until well after I took an introductory course from Rebecca (Becky) Harblin several years ago.  I love the tranquil atmospheric nuances you can get with chalk on paper.  What can be done still surprises me at times. From my early childhood I've been passionate about the outdoors and the natural world.   I've worked as a fishery biologist and biometrician for most of my career in the West as well as here at home.  Thus, the attraction to a medium which could convey my love for landscapes was immediately apparent.  The North Country was where I grew up, but I moved West for most of my working years.  Thus, what I've done in pastel tracks a mostly casual exploration of Adirondack forests and waters along with Mountain West vistas in Wyoming and Montana.  
 

I hope you enjoy my work.  Many thanks to members of The Gallery for inviting me here. 

 Bill is a self – started artist who began as a child on the Tuscarora Reservation in Niagara County, New York. His mom was St. Regis Mohawk Branford, Ontario – Turtle Clan. His father was Upper Cayuga/Delaware – Bear Clan. Bill considers himself Upper Cayuga Indian and belongs to the Bear Clan. His family moved to Niagara Falls when Bill was 10 where he took advantage of all art classes offered.

 During this period in Bill’s life, after experiencing multi trauma, he met an art therapist who exposed him to all kinds of art work. Through their time together his creativity sparked and grew.
Bill is legally blind. He does not see color. Many of his pieces incorporate gold leaf and India ink. He also has vertigo so he uses a coil method in his pottery rather than the potter’s wheel. 

 Anunnaki Sculptures 

These sculptures are Bill Lankin’s interpretation of an old Sumerian legend of creation. The beings in the legend are called Annunaki (those from which the heavens came). They came to earth looking for gold as they needed gold for their atmosphere. They did not realize how difficult it was to mine gold, so they created people to do the mining for them.

Bill has used inspiration from drawings by indigenous peoples like the Tibetan, Hopi, Aztec, and Dogon of Africa to create his interpretations. Many of his pieces incorporate gold leaf.