As artists, we do personal work. The annual studio and gallery tour of the Chautauqua Lake Erie Art Trail is an opportunity to visit places where we live and create. We find inspiration in one of New York State’s most beautiful and scenic areas. As you travel to visit us, see what we see every day – verdant vineyards and fields, lush forests, rolling hills and dramatic shorelines along Lakes Erie and Chautauqua.

Using the camera of your mobile phone, take a picture of this QR code to find our website with an interactive map and artists.

There are 24 artists on the North Shore Arts Alliance Art Trail Hub Crawl.

Today we will present six artists.

Artwork by Karen Glosser.

Lisa Ann Eppolito (Wayfaring Potter Hub – Fredonia) — I make functional pottery, with wood and soda. There are central understandings about process and environment, which I place in the objects I make. I create vessels that take into account the process of cooking with wood. Firing pottery in a wood-fired kiln produces distinctive results, both controlled and uncontrolled. I recognize the atmosphere of the kiln, using flashing glazes and engobes that interact with the molten wood ash. Wood ash vitrifies and produces a natural glaze. Therefore, my shapes aim to encourage subtleties such as catching wood ash deposits and inducing blinking. I observe how the container and the flame talk to each other, capturing information on the surface.

Melissa Meyers (Bemus Point Hub – Bemus Point) – Melissa’s passion for art is one of exploring new ideas, new media and using materials in ways they were not intended for. Sometimes even with good results. His inspiration is found primarily in nature, which abounds in Chautauqua County. She works with traditional mediums, as well as alcohol inks, photography and mixed media. She graduated from Buffalo State College with a degree in design and learned to transfer her skills to digital when art started moving to new platforms.

Marcia Merrins (Kniti Griti Works Hub in Fredonia) – Marcia carves a wonderful menagerie of wood-fired and raku animal pieces, from hippos to elephants, that are fun and collectible. This Indian rhino has been accepted into the Spring 2021 show at the Erie Art Museum. Marcia also creates iconic pieces that have an original theme, including bright and sassy pieces. “footed bowls”. She is drawn to fantasy and her work reflects what she finds in contemporary footwear and clothing. Fairy houses are new to the studio and adorable.

Thomas Annear (Thomas Annear Art – Fredonia) — Adventure meets quiet contemplation in my paintings. From the snow-capped peaks of the Tetons to the ancient forests of western New York, his paintings capture the grandeur and beauty of the American landscape. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, my career has evolved over the years from political and abstract pieces to paintings focused on contemporary uses of the environment. . For nearly twenty years I have sought to capture the unique geography, weather and natural resources of Western New York through my plein air paintings.

Karen Glosser (Portage Hill Gallery Hub – Westfield) — Photographer Karen Glosser is inspired by the awe and wonder of nature and spends much of her time exploring this wonder here in her home state of western New York. Karen’s work centers around the idea of ​​using her camera to create painterly images that capture the essence and emotion of those outdoor moments. She can often be found exploring her muses, the many lakeshores and woods of Chautauqua County. Karen’s most recent work has been creating fresh new imagery for three of her long-running series: Water, Woodlands and Wanderings and Winter Dreams.

Artwork by Thomas Annear.

Nancy Nixon Ensign (Kniti Griti Works Hub – Fredonia) — Knowing the isolation and loneliness during the 2020 pandemic, I find the lure of assemblage over sparse landscapes a way to convey my story to the viewer. Social distancing provides a reflection of my unspoken inner voice. Creative studio work is appetizing for introverts. The historic and sometimes abandoned homes of Chautauqua County provide wild architectural landscapes that call out to be painted with relevance with isolated figures.

Artwork by Marcia Merrins.

Artwork by Melissa Meyers.

Artwork by Lisa Ann Eppolito. Photos submitted