Looking North: Catamount Artists Connect
A network is born when an arts organization provides a showcase for visual artists. Catamount Arts, an independent arts center based in St. Johnsbury and serving northern New England, is known primarily for bringing film and live performance to the region. The organization also provides local gallery space, offering the foundation for connection with artists in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom (NEK) and beyond. For Looking North: Catamount Artists Connect opening in the Arts Council’s Spotlight Gallery March 8, Catamount Arts’ Gallery Director Katherine French selected the work of nineteen artists from the NEK. Everyone exhibiting is a member of the organization. Collectively, they represent only a handful of the creative individuals who live and work in the northern part of our state.
Nanine Beard
Barnet
Nanine is a landscape designer and gardener with an interest in Buddhist meditation. A self-taught artist, she works primarily with acrylic and water-based media.
Shown here: The Villagers, 2015, encaustic, 12 x 12 in.
Naomi Bossom
Lyndonville
Naomi graduated with a BFA from Columbia University and is widely known for her expertise in printmaking. She has exhibited at Catamount Arts and Northeast Kingdom (NEK) Artisans Guild, as well as numerous other venues. Naomi is a contributor to Arts Connect at Catamount Arts, a program that places original artwork in area nonprofits. Her woodcuts are currently showcased at the St. Johnsbury Community Health Center.
Shown here: Maelstrom, 2018, woodcut, 12 x 11 in.
Keith Chamberlin
St. Johnsbury
Keith, a graduate of Lyndon State College, is principal and creative director of Flek, Inc., a design and advertising firm in St. Johnsbury. Working with such area nonprofits as Circus Smirkus, Catamount Arts, and the Fairbanks Museum, his firm has won numerous national awards, particularly for its work with Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital.
Shown here: Tampico, Vermont, 2013, inkjet print, 18 x 20 in.
Shown top left, and also in the exhibit: Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 2013, inkjet print, 18 x 20 in.
Vanessa Compton
Greensboro
Vanessa is an artist and curator who graduated with a BFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has held numerous artist residencies, including times at the Wallace Stegner House in Saskatchewan, Canada; the Brush Creek Foundation in Saratoga, Wyoming; and others. Her work has been exhibited at the Bennington Museum of Art, the Highland Center for the Arts, SEABA in Burlington, and at the Ann Arbor Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Shown here: The Great Rewilding, 2018, collage, acrylic, oil/paper, 24 x 36 in.
Kim Darling
Passumpsic/St. Johnsbury
Kim graduated with a BFA from Alfred University and an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She studied at Art Students League of New York and Bottega del Buon Fresco in Florence, Italy. Darling currently teaches at St. Johnsbury Academy and Community College of Vermont. Together with her husband William Darling, she is co-owner of Gatto Nero Press in St. Johnsbury.
Shown here: Badlands, 2013, intaglio print, 16 x 16 in.
Also in the exhibit: Little Woman, 2014, intaglio print, 6 x 10 in.
William Darling
Passumpsic/St. Johnsbury
William studied at the Arts Students League of New York where he is a life member. Founder and artistic director of The Intaglio Society, he is also a member of the New Hampshire League of Craftsmen. Darling currently teaches at St. Johnsbury Academy and each spring conducts drawing and intaglio printmaking workshops in Florence, Italy. Together with his wife Kim, he is co-owner of Gatto Nero Press in St. Johnsbury.
Shown here: Vermont, intaglio print, 24 x 30 in.
Terry Ekasala
West Burke
Terry graduated with an associates degree from the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and was part of the Miami art scene in the 1980s, both as a member of the Artifacts Art Group and as a street artist. From 1987 to 2001, she lived in Paris, where her style moved from figurative to abstract; she exhibited in Paris, Berlin, and New York City. Locally, Terry has exhibited at Catamount Arts and the Burlington Center for the Arts. In 2017 her work was featured in a solo exhibition at Matter & Light Fine Art Gallery in Boston and in 2018 as part of the group exhibition Made in Vermont at the Hall Art Foundation in Reading, Vermont.
Shown here: Loud (Hollar), 2018, mixed media/paper, 20 x 22 in.
Martha Elmes
Lyndonville
Martha is an artist and arts educator who graduated with a BA from St. Lawrence University and an MA in arts education from Lesley University. She is currently on the faculty at Northern Vermont University at Lyndon and a past resident at Vermont Studio Center. In addition to exhibiting at Catamount Arts, she has also exhibited at WREN (Women’s Rural Entrepreneurial Network) in Bethlehem, New Hampshire and numerous other venues.
Shown here: Fire on the Mountain, 2018, linoleum block print, 18 x 18 in.
Sharon Kenney Biddle
East Ryegate
Sharon is an artist and arts educator who graduated with a BFA from Ohio Wesleyan University and taught fine arts in the Danville School for twenty-three years. A former artist-in-residence at St. Johnsbury Academy, Sharon has exhibited at Catamount Arts and the NEK Artisans Guild, as well as other venues. Colors and textures of the natural world inform her work, particularly her current fascination with book arts.
Shown here: Stones Attracted, 2012, pen and ink, 8.75 x 11.5 in.
Christopher Kerr-Ayer
St. Johnsbury
Christopher graduated with a BFA in Sculpture from Johnson State College (now Northern Vermont University). He has exhibited at Millers Thumb Gallery in Greensboro and the Red Mill Gallery at the Vermont Studio Center, as well as STARworks Center for the Arts in Star, North Carolina. Currently working as a glass blower, he has taught at the Penland School of Craft and Corning Museum of Glass.
Shown here: untitled, 2016, mixed media, 4 x 5 ft.
Donna Marshall
St. Johnsbury
Donna graduated with a BA from the University of New Hampshire and has exhibited at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts; the Fitchburg Art Museum in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and at Catamount Arts and the NEK Artisans Guild, both in St. Johnsbury.
Shown here: Cosmos, 2015, watercolor, 15.75 x 21 in.
Elizabeth Nelson
West Glover
Elizabeth graduated with a BS from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MA in teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has held artist residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Elmore State Park (Land and Local Project) and in Reykjavik, Iceland. Elizabeth has exhibited widely, with shows Vermont at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury, River Arts in Morrisville, and at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro.
Shown here: Relic, 2018, acrylic/Yupo, 8 x 10 in.
Also in the exhibit: Windy (Blaes), 2017, acrylic/Yupo, 8 x 10 in.
Also in the exhibit and shown top left/cropped: Sandstorm, 2017, acrylic/wood panel, 24 x 36 in.
Rosie Prevost
St. Johnsbury
Rosie studied at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts and received her BA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She currently teaches photography and chairs the Fine Arts Department at St. Johnsbury Academy and has exhibited widely with shows at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury; the 215 College Gallery in Burlington; the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, Massachusetts; and other venues.
Shown here: Starfish Energy, 2018, silver-based photographic print, sepia/selenium toned, 14 x 16 in.
Also in the exhibit: Fire, 2016, silver gelatin photograph print, sepia/selenium toned, 16 x 24 in.
Jennifer Ranz
Greensboro
Jennifer graduated with a BA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and with an MFA from Ohio State University. She has exhibited at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury, the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro, and at the Emile A. Gruppe Gallery in Jericho.
Shown here: Swirling, 2018, ceramic, 19 x 19.5 in.
Also in the exhibit: Zero Gravity, 2018, ceramic, 18.75 x 18.75 in.
Kathy Stark
Craftsbury Common
Kathy studied at the University of New Mexico, New York University, and Adelphi University. A member of SOHO20 Gallery in New York City and the National Association of Women Artists, she exhibits widely. She is currently artistic director of GRACE in Hardwick, an organization dedicated to the discovery, development, and promotion of self-taught art to elders and other underserved populations in Vermont.
Shown here: Born of a Languid Cry #2, 2017, mixed media/wood panel, 14 x 14 in.
Also in the exhibit: Born of a Languid Cry #3, 2017, mixed media/canvas, 14 x 14 in.
Bill Tulp
St. Johnsbury
Bill graduated with a BFA from East Carolina University. In addition to shows at Catamount Arts, he has exhibited in Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, and North Carolina. Bill teaches both in Vermont’s public schools and for Catamount Arts.
Shown here: Flight Pattern, 2013, pen and ink, 7.5 x 10.5 in.
Robin Wedemeyer
West Burke
Robin is a self-taught artist who has been painting for thirty-five years. In addition to Catamount Arts, she has exhibited at Alizarin Crimson Art Studio in Stuart, Florida and is a contributing artist to Alena Hennessy’s book, Intuitive Painting Workshop: Techniques, Prompts and Inspiration for a Year of Painting.
Shown here: Leaf, 2016, acrylic/handmade paper collage, 12 x 16 in.
Sachiko Yoshida
St. Johnsbury
Sachiko graduated from Niigata University in Japan and exhibited widely before moving to the United States. Her work has been on view at the Shelburne Museum, Catamount Arts, the NEK Artisans Guild, and numerous other venues.
Shown here: Morning, watercolor, 15 x 20 in.
Ann Young
Barton
Ann graduated with a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. She has exhibited at the SOHO20 Gallery in New York City. In Vermont she has exhibited at Catamount Arts, the 99 Gallery in Newport, Studio Place Arts in Barre, and the Supreme Court Gallery in Montpelier. Having previously worked as a ceramicist and taught ceramics at Lyndon State, Ann has been painting since 2001.
Shown here: Home Front, 2018, oil/canvas, 26 x 22 in.
Looking North: Catamount Artists Connect will be displayed March 8-April 26, 2019 in the Spotlight Gallery.
—These artists are a part of the robust creative sector in the Northeast Kingdom. Read more about that in a recently released study: Building on a Legacy of Creativity: Understanding and Expanding the Creative Economy of the Northeast Kingdom.
—Catamount Arts is one of the Vermont Arts Council’s Arts Partners.