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Artist Open Studios features several wonderful artists in the Northern RI area.
Each is looking forward to sharing their craft with you.
Our featured artists for 2009 are:
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Neal Drobnis
102 Pole Bridge Road
North Scituate, RI 02857
401.934.2959
www.nealdrobnis.comNeal is drawn to the glass medium because the fluidity makes it an expressionist art form, transparency brings the
colors to life, and the contrasts between textures enhances the perception of rough and smooth surfaces. These are the qualities he feels within his being and the artistic process is the way to share his appreciation of
the human drama of this our short time on earth. Neal received his MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art. His work is present in numerous public and private collections and
is shown in galleries worldwide. |
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Christine Wendel Farrugia
641 Snake Meadow Hill Road
Sterling, CT (Foster, RI) 06377
401.397.6501
www.myfarmart.comMy drawings reveal the daily conversations between our animals and me. We all
live here on the farm, the animals owning me rather than I them. They know me as the food goddess. I know their personalities, character, habits, foibles and follies. It's all fuel for the art. All my work is done in
charcoal so as to focus your eye on their personality without the distraction of fabulous colors. Charcoal allows me to work quickly — catching the moment without getting too hung up on the process. I will be
demonstrating my process, from start to finish, over the course of the day. |
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Freestone Pottery
48 Mount Hygeia Road
Foster, RI 02825
401.647.1939
www.freestonepottery.comSince childhood, I have loved playing with clay, feeling God's presence with me, and paying attention to the
wonderful things words can do and mean. Tom came to clay a bit later on, when he and I married in 1985. Together we enjoy making useful pots that speak to us and others about the love of God and his love for us. We
carve scripture, and other words too, into most of our pieces of pottery. Our most popular pieces are custom pots: birth plates, wedding gifts, and presents for special occasions, even personally designed cremation urns
and big dinner sets. |
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Tom Grabbert
380 Seven Mile Road
Hope (Scituate), RI 02831
401.821.5238
grabbertt@aol.com
Tom is a ceramic artist who creates elegant porcelain tableware and decorative items in a studio overlooking beautiful farmland in Hope,
a village in Scituate, RI. He began working with clay at the age of 15. For the past 30 years, Tom has developed a unique palette of natural, rich-toned glazes, that complement the forms of his work – a complete line of
tableware, vases, and other vessels — and suggest both movement and tranquility. Tom studied at Rhode Island School of Design. Tom's work is featured at the popular RISD alumni sales and the Scituate Art Festival.
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Hemlock Brook Wood Turning
7-B Mill Road
Foster, RI 02825
401.647.0684
www.hemlockbrook.comHemlock Brook Wood Turning, Jim McGrath, Specializes in hand crafted writing instruments, bowls and other fine
wood-crafted products. Jim shows his wood work at numerous shows per year and has a following of dedicated customers who purchase pieces of his work season after season. |
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Sarah Mutton
220 Hartford Pike (Rt. 101)
Foster, RI 02825
401.647.2608
sarahmutton@yahoo.com
fosteringArts.org GalleryI am a resident of Foster and have been involved in Artist Open Studio since it's creation. My painting space is
in the hay loft of a large barn surrounded by the wilds of rural Rhode Island. Deer, coyote, owls, foxes, hawks, turkeys, an army of frogs and a pot bellied pig have passed by at one time or another. Occasionally my
chickens will visit scratching and pecking their way around the barn. It is neat to see the animals move below the window. The barn has housed horses, pigs and once an ornery goat. Now, it has an artist ... |
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Karin Sprague
Hand Carved Gravestones
904 Tourtellot Hill Road
Scituate, RI 02857
401.934.3105
www.karinsprague.comMy vision is that I will remain good and true to the work I have been called
to do. Our team of expert artisans use and pursue their gifts and talents by listening compassionately, then designing and hand carving memorials, fostering lasting relationships and shared healing through the "ART OF
REMEMBERING." |
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Bev Thomas
16 Rocky Road
Chepachet, RI 02814
401.568.8166
info@bevthomasonline.com
fosteringArts.org GalleryA sense of place. As a life long painter I want to share what I feel around me. Always an explorer I feel
transformed by the light and wind on water, sky and earth. Color, line shades of paint are wonderful tools of expressing the intuitive and real properties of this space. My paintings exist as a tribute to a day in the
woods, beach, marsh or city. I will be demonstrating the process of oil painting, using rough drawings and photos. |
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Earle Thurber
228 Ide Road
North Scituate, RI 02857
401.647.7214
www.thurberstudio.comMy paintings grow from a life long fascination with art, psychology, and design, and in many ways are an integration
of all three areas of interest. My technique is highly process oriented, a discovery process through which I'm drawn by color associations, relationships of forms that evolve, and a building sense of complexity of
visual interaction. The work is constructed of layers of color and form, "free associations" that are subsequently refined through a more conscious design process. My work is heavily influenced, and frequently totally
driven, by music, from a wide range of interest, but especially jazz. I frequently think of the work as the visual equivalent of jazz improvisation. |
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Rachel Badeau
Moosup Valley Designs
6 Potter Road
Foster, RI 02825
401.397.7190
rach7190@verizon.net
fosteringArts.org GalleryArt is a constant learning experience for me! The excitement lies in what is discovered with the creation of
each new piece and the hope of bringing a little smile to the viewer. Nature and animals are my main inspiration although I often find myself crossing that fine line into the world of fantasy. My current work involves
original scrimshaw on a variety of natural materials, limited edition etchings, giclee prints, engraved cast resin jewelry, clocks, wall plaques and ornaments. Come and try your hand at the art of scrimshaw- create your
own piece! |
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Ann Rozhon
88 Old Quarry Road
Harmony (Glocester), RI 02857
401.934.9879
www.AnnRozhon.comAnn has been a professional artist for over 25 years. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and has since
had both group and solo shows throughout New England. Her work is included in many private and corporate collections in the United States and Canada, and is also represented in the books, "American Artists-An
Illustrated Survey of Leading Contemporaries" and "Contemporary American Women Sculptors", as well as having been reviewed many times in The Providence Journal, The Phoenix, The New Paper, and U.R.I. Magazine. It was
the subject of two feature articles in the Observer. Ann was commissioned by The Marriot Corporation to create a sculptural frieze for Women and Infants Hospital and has worked restoring architectural sculpture for
building facades and as an assistant exhibit designer at Roger Williams Park Zoo. |
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Samaritan Carvers
142 Howard Hill Road
Foster, RI 02825
401.397.7714
www.samaritancarvers.comTracy Mahaffey and Adam Heller are professional stone carvers who work within the traditional craft of hand
lettering and sculpture. They infuse this ancient craft with a modern sensibility and often a little philosophy and humor. To see examples of their work, including everything from gravestones to garden fountains, visit
their website. |
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