My grandmother, who was my babysitter growing up, sewed what seemed like every day of my young life, while watching her “stories". One would think that I learned how to sew at an early age but it took me 31 years to give it a go.
​
My mother-in-law bought me a sewing machine for a Christmas present during my first year of marriage. My initial thought was 'what in the world am I supposed to do with a sewing machine?' Little did I know it was going be a life-altering gift. After getting over my shock at my mother-in-law’s attempt to domesticate me, I decided I was going to learn to quilt. I didn’t know any quilters at that time so I purchased a copy of “Quilting for Dummies” and, miraculously, I made my first quilt. It was a disaster but my love affair with slicing and dicing fabric had begun.
​
I moved to the north country 23 years ago with the ink still wet on my diploma in photojournalism from Western Kentucky University. I worked as a staff photographer for the Watertown Daily Times for 16 years.
​
My goal as an artist and photographer is to show a different way at looking at ordinary objects or scenes. I often interject bright colors and humor into my painted furniture, quilts and photographs.
​
My motto is: 'Life is too short for beige....Embrace your inner color.'
​
--Melanie Kimbler
Fisher Misenko: FOREST AND FIELD
Sunday, July 9 - October 4, 2023
.jpg)
Hello, my name is Fisher. I am a 13 year old photographer who lives in Duxbury, Vermont. I often travel to upstate New York to visit my grandparents, Jim and Nancy Misenko. During the original Covid 19 outbreak, I fell in love with photography, specifically nature and wildlife photography. I get inspiration from many places. Some of these include wildlife photographer, Morton Holmer, whom I follow on YouTube, magazines and just looking out into nature and seeing all of the photographic opportunities. All of my photos are printed at a local shop in Vermont. I am excited to share my work at the Iva Smith Memorial Gallery of Fine Art.
​
--Fisher Misenko
Kari Zelson Robertson: IMPROV!
Sunday, July 9 - October 4, 2023
I am inspired by and curious about the endless possibilities when constructing, building, and modeling clay. I consider playful forms and think about how they can function.
​
The theme of my work is an exploration of simple geometric beauty of compounding or stripping away non-essentials. The work is thrown or handbuilt, often in parts that are connected at the leatherhard stage.
​
My sculptures transform into function as cups, wine tumblers, bowls, appetizer trays, platters, planters or vases. As Goethe said, “the hands want to see, the eyes want to caress”. My work is made to live in these worlds and then, to take another direction by whatever is added: the colors and shapes of food, horticultural choices, storage of…well, something!
​
A former Art Educator, I have been working, learning and growing in and through clay since 1982. I have taught art, and ceramics in particular, in public schools and community art spaces. A lifelong learner, I have been a student of ceramic education at Penland School of Craft, Alfred University, and at various conferences and workshops.
I enjoy talking about my work, meeting new people, and sharing ideas about the creative process.
​
Paul Saphier: ART'S SACRED WINDOW
Memorial Day - October 4, 2023
Of his many works created from within, looking out, Paul Saphier wrote, "A window sets boundaries; within this circumscribed area one takes stock and organizes the scattered elements. Implied is a vision of a reality beyond our ordinary awareness, a seeing through that which is ordinarily opaque."
​
This summer's exhibition of works by Paul Saphier will include many works that reflect this theme, many never-before-seen
All of these works reveal the essentially contemplative nature of the artist and his ever-fresh perspective characterized by an amazing gift for the use of color and a reverence for our Northern lands and waters.
"Gradually, I have come to realize that the purpose of art is linked with the purpose of life. Through focused attention transmitted to the image, a spiritual energy is generated, dwelling within, animating the image so that both artist and viewer become aware of connecting links between spiritual truth and the rhythms and forms expressing that truth. In this way, art becomes a portal to the divine generating a sense of the sacred in the midst of a reality otherwise considered commonplace." --Paul Saphier