There's a tightly-knit creative enclave in the Upper Saint John River Valley of western New Brunswick, Canada. Meet our artists and artisans, musicians and performers as well as entrepreneurs and leaders. (These interviews, currently on hiatus, first appeared in the Woodstock NB newspaper, the Bugle-Observer.)
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Even a fairly simple piece like this poker at right requires multiple steps and lots of discipline.
The photo at left shows one of two forges that Taylor uses to get the iron red hot.
“Most blacksmiths use propane (like this one) but coal gives a hotter fire and it’s a lot quitter." |
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Kittredge in her Woodstock studio.
“I’m feeling into paint these days, finishing some old work,” she says. |
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Having launched a sculpture competition in fall 2014 called
“When Pigs Fly”, O’Toole can wax poetic about technique.
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Seen here about to work on one of five large new paintings, each about 30 by 40 inches, Saunders explains that “it took me years to learn how to mix colour,” adding that “my early work was darker. I don’t know why.”
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| Amy Anderson, whose business card reads “wearer of many hats”, pauses in the piano room during a busy day at the Centre for Culture and Creativity in Grafton. |
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Lynn Billings, shown here with an acrylic painting of irises,
has a knack for capturing the delicate beauty of flowers. |
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| Smallenberg in her studio with two unfinished works. “They’re the first of a new four seasons set,” she says. |
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| “The paint was flying,” says Art Club organizer Bryanne Thomas, shown here at far left along with Centreville Community School teacher Shannon Pearson and visiting artist Jody Coughlin. |
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| On the wheel through to the finished product, “Clay is not quick,” comments Ms Billings. |