Mní wičhóni (Water Is Life)

People are often curious about where an artist finds their inspiration. For me there are a few consistent places that I draw from: Water and woods 

The saying water is life comes from the Lakota phrase Mní wičhóni which translates to "it gives life." Not only is water life to the Native cultures, it is sacred. I truly believe it is also sacred in my life as well. I need to be near it, see it, watch it, touch it and to create from it.

We start our Earth journey immersed and floating in water. That level of understanding and experience resides deep within us throughout life. Before conception, the influence of previous generations is imprinted into the components that make up our DNA. I come by my love of water naturally through those genetic pieces. My paternal grandfather was a sea captain and my father was a Chief Engineer at sea traveling the globe for 15 years.

Not only is water imprinted in my DNA, but I have also lived my entire life with water flowing through it prominently. As a child I was raised on Bemus Creek in Chautauqua County and I think that water runs through my veins to this day. 
In high school our family moved to Brooklyn where we would visit the ocean at Jacob Riis Park and Jones Beach Park throughout the entire year. I can remember watching the breakers and counting their rhythms, smelling the salt air, and watching it's ever changing form.

As an adult, most of the homes I have owned involved living on or near water. From our first home on the shores of the Hudson to 80 acres on the Little Chautauqua Creek, and now in front of the Chautauqua Gorge with shared time at our cottage on Lake Erie. Water always has been and always will be a prominent touchstone in my life. 

I love drawing, painting, sculpting and just watching water of all kinds. The rhythms, textures, colors, lines, movement, interplay with rocks, quiet placid moments juxtaposed against wild turbulence...  
Water is ever changing and never fails to inspire me. 

Water IS life.

Pam Spermulli Book Signing at the Gallery

We are so excited to host graphic illustration artist Pam Spremulli who will be signing copies of the new book Chautauqua Dog Love which she illustrated beside writer, Lorrie Happ. 
Pam's artwork is as happy and unique as Pam herself. It is no wonder that it has ended up in places such as the Volkswagen Headquarters in Wolfsburg Germany, The Mayo Clinic of Rochester, MN and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, OH. 
At PHG we are lucky to not only have the book, Chautauqua Dog Love, but also several original works by Pam Spremulli available for purchase. 
We hope you will join us on August 12th, 2023 from 1:00pm to 3:00 pm to meet this amazing artist and take home your own copy of Chautauqua Dog Love.

Welcome To Portage Hill Art Gallery

Summer 2023 Getting it's Groove at Portage Hill Art Gallery

All seasons are busy for our art and gallery life in one way or another. Traditionally the winter months are time to renew and recharge and explore all possibilities artistically in my clay, printmaking and painting/mixed media studios. Time slows down, snow accumulates outside the windows, the wood stove gives off gentle heat and I even take time to read on occasion! My favorite part of winter is the uninterrupted studio hours..
Then spring rolls in and things begin to accelerate.
Spring 2023 was very unusual with extra chaos thrown in for spice. April 1st (yes, that day of tricks) a storm blasted through with a venegeance. After leaving 12 trees down with one on the roof, the winds subsided leaving much work to be done. The warmer temperatures however, weren't forthcoming which created some iffy spring weather for spending weeks in the clay studio. I like to wait for spring warmth to really dive in and it was a winter that did not want to quit!
Summer has finally arrived and brought all of it's inspiring beauty with it! I am busy working in all of my studios and the gallery is in the full swing of the busy season. It is so wonderful to get to say “hello” to long term gallery friends and meet lots of new folks as well. We are very blessed to be in our 41st season. Lots of new work to enjoy and add to your home.

Something Special Staffing at PHG!

My talented gallery assistant, Michelle,  has returned to spend the summer with us but, we have also added Francesca Woolson, an artist intern. 

Fran is a 2022 graduate of Fredonia Central School who is attending college at the Maine College of Art and Design in Portland, Maine. Fran is my first intern here in the gallery. Although I had been approached to have an intern many times in the past, it was not something I was interested in doing. The professional manner in which Fran applied and the strength of her portrait work melted me to the idea (Add knowing her parents and her private art teacher, who recommended her highly, I was sold!) 

Fran will tell you that she was born to all things artistic and she can remember creating artwork as young as 6. During her early teen years Fran was heavily involved in ballet and fully believed that was where her future lay. When the pandemic hit she found herself with down time to create in other ways. As time and projects passed she began to see that the potential was nearly limitless with her artwork and painting.

The best part of having an intern for me is that she is taking me out of my comfort zone and we are doing some deeper exploring into the mediums that I use regularly. I love to paint and draw so, I have always loved hand painting my block prints into one of a kind variations. I have thought about multi-color reduction printing and have tried a few in the past, but had not been totally happy with the results. Wanting to teach Fran the proper way to create a multi-color reduction block print has us both off and rolling.  We are currently on the third color of my Nasturium print block and so far so good! Working together with Fran slowed me down enough to do it deliberately this time. All in all, a grand experience for both of us!

When asked what Fran's favorite part of working in the Portage Hill Gallery Studios her immediate response was "Clay. I've enjoyed working with the clay a lot more than I expected to." When Michelle asked if that would influence her future class choices she said that she had a clay class coming up, but that might just become more clay classes! 

Fran has been a delight to have in my studios and I look forward to getting her acquainted with the sales and business end of gallery owning in the future weeks. Stop by and meet this wonderful, aspiring artist!

New Clay Work is here!

After a winter spent attending workshops and learning new things, much of the past couple of weeks have been focused on working in the clay studio. 
As with all of my work, creating a unique and individual style is deeply important to me. I want pottery lovers to see a piece that I have created and immediately know that it is an AKD work. Part of my method for creating my unique style in pottery is to mix my own glazes. 
While there are many beautiful commercial glazes on the market, none of them seemed to quite capture the colors, depth and feel of Lake Erie. Mixing my own glazes and layering them creatively allows me to express so much more of what I see when gazing into the depths of our beloved lake. 

One of the our most popular pottery items with customers visiting the gallery is a design that I created and copyrighted in the 1980's for arranging cut flowers. 
When met with the frustration of drooping flowers in wide, open-mouthed vases, I realized that I could make something to solve this problem! And so, the AKD flower arrangers were born.
Over the years many flower lovers have purchased these pots for themselves and their flower loving friends and family.
A whole new batch just came out of the kiln and they won't last long!

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What to see and do in Chautauqua County: Mayville

Each of the little towns and cities in Chautauqua County has so much to offer visitors and the little town of Mayville is bursting at the seams with things to see and do. We thought we would share some of our favorites with you!
-The Chautauqua Belle offers a daily schedule of steamboat rides on the lake.
-Follow that up with lunch or a cone of your favorite ice cream from Boxcar Barney's.
-If paddling along on the lake is your idea of a day well spent, kayaks can be rented at Evergreen Outfitters.
-Or you could take the whole family to putt a round at Webb's Hotel and Candies miniature golf course.
-Chautauqua Lake is a wonderful lake for skiing, fishing, jet ski's, tubing and just floating in the summer sun! The boat launch at Mayville Lakeside Park is free with ample parking and there are lifeguards on duty for swimming in the park!
-Is food your vacation jam? There are several area restaurants ranging from diners to fine dining.
-Local produce and artisans abound at the Mayville Farmer's Market every Thursday afternoon at the village park.
-How about antiquing? You are sure to find a treasure or two at Our Little Shop or HFM Emporium's indoor flea market.
-Maybe a hike is more your idea of relaxation? You're in luck! There are extensive and well maintained hiking trails that can take you from the old train depot for miles around the village of Mayville, town of Chautauqua and into the neighboring towns and villages. Maps of the trails are available free of charge inside the Chautauqua County Travel Guide. Stop by the gallery and pick one up today!

Welcome to Summer 2023!

After a trying winter weather wise we are back and rolling full speed ahead!
We are all looking forward to seeing you back at The Portage Hill Art Gallery! 

Michelle is back as our Gallery Assistant and you might also meet our Artist Intern, Francesca, when you visit this year.
Francesca is an art student at The Maine College of Art and Design in Portland, Maine. She is spending the summer learning and creating with Audrey. Just recently she completed her first block print and over the past week she has been working in the clay studio. 

Never Stop Learning, Growing and Creating

If I had to give a theme title to winter 2022-2023 it would be "Never Stop Learning, Growing and Creating.

This winter had a different focus than most for me. The year started with a wonderful watercolor workshop offered by Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society, featuring Skip Lawrence. People who know the way I work know that finding my own voice has been of upmost importance to me. It is important to Skip also, making this a great workshop week for me!

During midwinter I attended a special course about International Curation and Collage presented by Kolaj Institute of Montreal Canada. While there I met with artists from around the world. We really dove into collage creation on the international level and learned more about curating at that level as well. Really interesting!

May wrapped up my ever continuing education for the year with
a New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) seminar in Syracuse. Artists who have attended art development seminars across the state during the past few years gathered together to share our arts experiences since attending those seminars. It was a wonderful chance to meet up with artists from all over New York State and reconnect with the folks at NYFA.

While not attending seminars and workshops during the winter months, much of my focus was on my art making practice in the printmaking and painting/collage studios. I am exceptionally proud to present one of those new works, a block print celebrating my favorite tree, the maple, which will be included in the “Art That Matters to the Planet” show at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. 

My piece, entitled “Queen of the Woods,” expresses both the joy and concern that I have for the large maples that I have grown up with in Chautauqua County. These trees are becoming distressed by climate change and other human behaviors that we have the ability to change so that they may continue to thrive. Below are two version of the work: the block and an enhanced block. The block will be in the show and the enhanced block is displayed for viewing or purchase at The Portage Hill Art Gallery.

The new work featured left, titled “Love Poem," is inspired by our Lake Erie summer cottage retreat which brings Donald and me a sense of deep peace and joy during the summer evenings!
When I finished this piece Donald took a look and named it for me- “Love Poem” indeed! Actually, all of my artwork pieces are love poems dedicated to the natural world I find myself exploring every day! We feel very lucky to live in the country where nature is everywhere as soon as we step out of our door!

I am now looking forward to having some summer time in the clay studio!

"Finding Truth Through Nature"

On Sunday, July 31, 2022 during our 40th anniversary celebration we will also be holding a show reception for Audrey Kay Dowling's new show entitled "Finding Truth Through Nature" which is currently on display in the Skylight Room at the gallery.
This show is the very essence of Audrey's work as an artist. Her inspiration comes from nature everywhere; especially that which surrounds her home and gallery as well as the cottage that she and her husband own on the shore of Lake Erie. 

The works contained in "Finding Truth Through Nature" can be viewed and purchased at the Portage Hill Gallery from now until Saturday, October 29, 2022.

The show will move to The Western New York Book Arts Center, 468 Washington Street, Buffalo, NY beginning on November 4, 2022 where the artwork will be available for viewing and purchase until December 10, 2022. 

Celebrating 40 Years!

We would be honored if you would join us for our upcoming anniversary celebration!

In July We Welcomed Two New Artists To The Gallery

We never stop looking for new local and regional artists here at The Portage Hill Gallery. This month we have had the honor of welcoming two new artists:
Woven Art by Mary Jane brought us several of her sumptuous woven throws and exquisite scarves.
Chad Lindstrom is a multi talented artist who works in many mediums. We are honored to add several of his abstract mixed-media paintings to our offerings!

July Artist Showcase: Karen Glosser

Talented photographic artists can be found nearly everywhere today. However, once in a great while one stands out above the rest. There is something truly artistic about their work that captures not only a photograph, but the very essence of the moment. They stop time and make the viewer not only see the image, but experience it with all of the senses. Karen Glosser is one of those fine art, photographic artists with ability beyond others. She uses many in-camera techniques for creating painterly and unique images that speak to the soul.

In Karen's own words she "took a roundabout path" to finding her love of photography. Owning a fashion accessory business, Karen often took photographs of the things that inspired her jewelry creations and posted them to her social media. Soon enough people were inquiring about buying her photographs and Karen found her passion. She taught herself how to use a proper camera and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Karen's portfolio contains images from her travels about the world however, her primary inspiration is right here around her home. The forests, waterways and nature that abounds in Chautauqua County are the majority of her images. An ambassador for Blue Mind, Karen firmly believes in the motto: "Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do."

Although Karen has created photographs all over the globe, she and her husband Roy make their home near Chautauqua, New York. She has passed on her love of photography to her son, Cam who is also a photographer living in the Southwest, United States. 

Many of Karen's photographs are available at The Portage Hill Gallery all year long. Karen herself will be at the gallery with a vast display of her work for the Art Trail event over Labor Day Weekend, September 3rd and 4th, 2022. 

Preparing for Flow...

The upcoming one woman clay show at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Lake Okoboji, Iowa has been taking up the majority of the working time in and around the studio. I thought I would share with you a little bit about my inspirations for "Flow."

"Flow" is a creative process and, in many ways, it is also my inspiration. The things I see in everyday life are absorbed into my soul, interpreted and flow back into my art.

Some of my active sources of inspiration for "Flow" are water forms that I have seen in the ocean; in creeks and in my beloved Lake Erie which I get to watch almost daily from my cottage. 

On the days that the lake is kicking up I can hear symphonies in my mind as the waves hit the cliffs with the drama and force of booming rhythmic drums. I love to capture and suspend that action of those waves.

On the quiet days I am inspired by the fish I see sneaking up the creek to their spawning beds. The creeks sing their unique song as they flow and trickle against their rocks. I love the birds that call and circle overhead. I spend a lot of time thinking about the interconnectedness of nature in my life. I am an environmentalist to the depths of my soul and it shows in my work. 

My abstract work comes from a different place. It is a response to the man made structures I observe. Sometimes on my rides past the decaying rust belt outside Buffalo I see inspiration of a totally different kind. Artists often gravitate to being influenced either by the mountains and nature that they contain or to the man made structures in their life. I like to let each in and watch it flow through my creative channels.

While creating work for Flow I stumbled onto this quote by Lao Tsu that really says it all for me. "Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force" Lao Tsu

There are many pieces of "Flow" in the gallery. Come visit and take one home with you. 

June Artist Showcase: Carol Case Siracuse

After getting to know Carol Case Siracuse painting together in workshop settings, Audrey invited Carol to share her work with The Portage Hill Art Gallery's valued customers.

Carol's resume is an impressive one. Her education began in printmaking with Leonard Baskin at Smith College and continued with architectural training at Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Princeton University.

Carol was a practicing architect in Boston, Massachusetts; Ithaca, New York; and with her own firm in Chautauqua County, New York. 

In 2001 Carol moved to Buffalo, NY to become the educational planner, and vice president at Cannon Design, retiring after 38 years of practice.

Upon her retirement in 2010 Carol began to experience the challenge of creating drawings and paintings that combine her long standing love of graphic and linear elements with her newfound fascination with color. 

Carol has since created an impressive artist's resume with many accolades and showings of her artwork both in Buffalo and beyond. 
Please stop in and purchase one of the beautiful pieces of artwork created by Carol Case Siracuse at The Portage Hill Gallery! 

What's new in the gallery this spring?

BUSY! BUSY! BUSY! Spring is a wonderful time at The Portage Hill Art Gallery and this year is no different.

We completed the first of two weekends of the 2022 Art Trail over the Memorial Day Holiday. It was so good to see people out and about, enjoying the holiday and the artwork!

Moving forward, preparations are underway for this summer's upcoming show.
Major collectors of Audrey Kay Dowling are wonderful! One of those collectors made the initial introductions which resulted in a one woman show of Audrey's clay work at Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji, Iowa. The show, titled "Flow," opens July 21, 2022 and runs though October 15th, 2022. “Flow” will feature clay work in an eastern United States clay style inspired by the nature of Western New York state. Lots of color, lots of water, lots of flow!

There are many pieces available for purchase at the gallery that are a part of the "Flow" collection.
Come in, see them and add one to your own home!

Celebrating 35 Years:2017 Year End Summary at PHG

This summer and spring were packed with art activities.  We started out the spring with moving our framing studio into a new framing space in our own barn.  After having a separate framing location in a near-by town, Donald and I came to realize that we vastly prefer to be in the same place at the same time- even after 44 years of marriage!  So we made the decision to go ahead and move the studio.  It was a good decision because we had a very busy framing season this summer.

Memorial Day we hosted four other artists in tents in among our backyard gardens for the annual Chautauqua Lake Erie Art Trail.  It was a successful experience for the artists in the tents and for us in the gallery as well.  It is always great fun to have other artists on the premises and it is a great event for bringing old and new gallery friends in for the weekend. Next year the Art Trail will again be held on Memorial Day weekend.

Thirty-seven years ago four local artists formed the Crafts Alliance as a marketing group for regional fine crafts artists.  I was one of those four artists.  The shows continue as fine crafts shows that are held twice a summer on the grounds of the world famous Chautauqua Institution.  These shows have a great reputation for their high quality. This year’s shows were very successful for the sales of my ceramics work.  The wonderful director is Tina Rausa. The shows take place annually on the second weekends of July and August. 

I don’t usually add in new shows to my summers, which are already packed just keeping up with the gallery business, but one of my friends, Jonathan Weston, in combination with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute started up a new nature themed show at Jonathan’s Panama Rocks Nature Park.  It was a lovely show set in a grove of woods.  For a first year show, I was pleased by this selling experience. Western New York woods settings are some of my favorite places to spend time. The food was great, and there were many opportunities to learn more about nature from speakers and presenters. All artists were selling quality work celebrating nature and the natural world. This gave this show a different focus and made it a welcome addition to the regional summer art shows. This year it was held on the last weekend of July. @018 will also be held the last weekend of July.

At the gallery we also hosted the annual Membership Appreciation Evening for the Chautauqua Watershed Association.  This was a lovely evening gathering of like-minded folks who all appreciate the importance of keeping the local watersheds healthy.

We continue to have the great support of regional artists who bring professional quality work for us to sell along with my work and the framing services provided by Donald.

Another interesting new addition to the gallery this summer was Donald’s recently published western novel,  “The Gold of Vanishing Creek” along with a book of poetry by Martin Willow and an anthology of short works by an area writers group that meets at the Ahira Hall Library in Brocton, NY.

It has been a very successful and packed year to remember as volumes of snow are currently falling and blanketing our Chautauqua Ridge Portage Hill Art Gallery home.  As snow falls I get my almost uninterrupted studio time that I crave.  Attached is a recent winter watercolor of a creek that runs near our cottage that runs into Lake Erie. During the winter time of year we are open Saturdays 10-5 and by chance you can catch Donald and me at the gallery.  Stop in to see what we are working on in the studios. Embrace the Lake Effect Snow on the Ridge!

Slippery Rock Creek  Portland, NY  Watercolor AKDowling

Winter has arrived at Portage Hill Art Gallery!

The winter is always a time of renewal for my art practice.  It is time to finish up commissions taken during the summer season and then it is art exploration time for me!  This is the annual time I give to myself as an almost “annual in-house gallery artist residency”.

But I don’t leave my house to go to a residency site, and I keep the gallery open on Saturdays and by chance the rest of the week. I still cook my own meals, and do the day to day chores that keep life going. I go swimming for exercise every few days in a local pool, and do a small amount of shopping for groceries and necessities. Occasionally I will just sit and read, often biographies of artists. 

But this is also my time to get in the studios (clay and 2D) and let it rip.  Just my materials and me- there is nothing better than that!  I work out ideas that have been floating in my mind from the past year. Looking out my windows I paint winter, and I buy lovely flowers to draw and paint. I pull out all kinds of materials and let the materials speak to me about creating collages. I study drawings that I did on location during the past summer and fall to reconnect with the inspiration I experienced then. I take walks through the woods to look at form.

I work on my potter’s wheel and invite the clay and my hands to interact with my creative brain to freely create. When we get thaws I go into the unheated section of my studio that contains a large Bailey slab roller and roll slabs to turn into forms that come to me as I work. In my 2-D studio I continue my journey with bock printing.

This time is vital to me as an artist.  Let it begin!

Living the Artist's Life in a Rural Area

Artists need to figure out good ways to sell their work, especially when they chose to live in the country.  When I started my art career about 35 years ago, after moving back to my home region of Chautauqua County, New York, I quickly came to realize I had to get creative with marketing as well as with creating my work.  One of my first things for me to do was to meet and make friends with other regional artists.  I did a few of the local shows where Ifound many wonderful regional artists, many of whom are still friends 35 years later. 

A few of us got together and started the Chautauqua Crafts Alliance Shows that occur bi-annually at Bestor Plaza, set in the center of the world class Chautauqua Institution.  It is still very much an active show of top quality juried fine crafts.  I can write a whole blog on it alone and I will in the future!

Shortly after helping to get that show going, my husband and I left the cabin we had built back in the woods with just a chainsaw and a VW van, to purchase a 1840s Greek Revival Gallery Home on Portage Hill Road in the area.  There we started Portage Hill Art Gallery, which is now in its 34th year.  I will write a follow up blob just about the gallery and what we have learned from running it in the future.

After completing a teaching career, I am now adding entering juried regional and national shows with paintings, mixed media and one of a kind ceramic art.  I have been very successful having my work accepted into these shows by jurors.  I also have gotten some of my ceramic pieces and mixed media pieces published: Lark books, "500 Vases", a mixed media piece in "UU World" magazine, and one of my one of a kind vases in the Potter's Council's Vases Calendars (2015), for example.

Today I delivered some pieces to the Juror/Founders Show for Women Create which opens this Friday night at 5PM in Jamestown NY.  In the afternoon I threw some porcelain pots and now in the evening I am editing my Portage Hill Gallery website and now I am writing this blog. 

The rural artists's life is full of finding ways to thrive!  At least mine has been!

A Glimpse of Portage Hill Art Gallery

In spite of the winter weather that seems to have finally arrived in Chautauqua County, we will be opening a show, "A Glimpse of the Artists Represented by Portage Hill Art Gallery" at the Octagon Gallery at the Patterson Library in Westfield, NY this Friday, January 15, 2016.  This show will be hung the library curator, Nancy Nixon Ensign.  It is an opportunity to expand our local audience and to remind people of all of the wonderful artists we represent on a year long basis.  The show will be a taster of the many different styles of work we have at the gallery.

We have run the gallery for 34 years this spring- opening when our boys were very young.  We now have a grandson who is the age of our younger son when the gallery first opened.  It has been an interesting ride so far and it is one of the ways that I have been able to successfully market my work and provide a year round venue for other professional level artists who have regional connections.

The gallery property is also the location of my clay studio and my winter 2D studio for painting, printing and mixed media.  We have added a new framing studio location and warm season 2D studio for me at #9 Art Studios on Main Street in Brocton, NY.  This location gives my husband, Donald, a much larger and more functional space to use as his framing work area.  We still take framing orders at either location.  We use Larson-Juhl frames because they have always delivered high quality frames and materials for Donald to use.  We have over a thousand different framing choices and will work one on one with our clients to create the perfect framing.

"Nurtured by Nature" One Woman Show

I have been very pleased with my show, "Nurtured by Nature" at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.  Their green gallery is painted in a green chosen by Robert Bateman for his show a few years ago- RTPI has kept this color and it works really well with my nature inspired work.  I also have work on a beige wall area and a white wall area there as well.  Their curator, Jane Johnson, did a masterful job hanging the show and it was a challenge with a lot of different mediums, sizes and imagery.  Seeing your work hung by a different person is always interesting- seeing the placement choices she made and the juxtapositions was very pleasing to me.

One of the reasons that I was drawn to showing here was my connection to Roger Tory Peterson.  I attended the same junior high school that he also did just up the hill from this center, many years after he had gone there.  The old wood and metal, bolted to the floor desks remained when I attended- who knows- we may have even sat in the same seat!  Very inspiring to me as a fellow nature loving artist.  Nature is so available to anyone in Chautauqua County- lots of access to beautiful natural places.

"Nurtured by Nature" will be open until June 14- Open Tuesdays- Saturdays 10 AM - 5 PM and Sundays 2-4 PM.  Closed on Mondays.  RTPI is located at 311 Curtis Street in Jamestown, NY.  There is an entry fee that helps RTPI do all of their good work advocating for the natural world.