Lynn Preston
Erica Bradbury
Paul R Weil
Ken Hiratsuka
Suzanne Ausnit
Joe Miller
By Robert Brune
DELAWARE COUNTY — Hundreds of visitors spent the most beautiful weekend of the summer visiting over 60 artists in eight popular Eastern DelCo towns. 25 of these artists were new to the tour, though not new to the area. Success was measured not only in studio visits and art purchased, but also by new and old friendships cultivated, collaborations and commissions created, and by the overall sense of magic that visitors felt as they peered into the private studio spaces of the talented artists that dot these hills.
For those that don’t know, AMR Artists is a growing non-profit arts organization that supports a vibrant cultural life for the Delaware County community by promoting and advocating on behalf of the area’s artists and cultural institutions. AMR stands for Andes, Margaretville and Roxbury, the three original towns that kicked off the Open Studios Tour in 2012. The tour has since expanded to include Arkville, Bovina, Denver-Vega, Halcottsville, and Fleischmanns.
(no byline credit here)
Lynn Preston of Andes, NY
“My work as an artist is conversational. I initiate something open-ended—a spontaneous gesture—and the art responds in unexpected ways, asking for some further response on my part,” says Lynn Preston of her artistic process. Encouraged and assisted by her friend Robin Kappy, a 2021 AMR Artist, Lynn participated in the Open Studios Tour for the very first time this year. Her work, as captivating as her smile and as colorful as her garden surroundings, most definitely illicit responses of surprise and delight with those who ventured to her Davis Hollow studio.
Paul R. Weil and Erica Bradbury of Margaretville, NY
Annex Art Supply and Gallery
Business partners in Annex, the newly opened Main Street Margaretville art supply store/gallery opened their space to dozens of visitors, friends and artists during the Open Studios Tour, as well as hosting a welcoming reception on Saturday. The artists were all smiles, as was their official greeter, Erica’s new puppy Mooney. Weil poses with his latest piece, a commission in progress. Also pictured, is a painting by Erica, who is additionally the founder of the design and craft studio Species by the Thousands in Margaretville, NY.
Kenichi Hiratsuka of Andes, NY,
Sculptor “One Line Ken” as he is affectionately known by his fans and friends, is committed to art for everybody and has participated in the Open Studios Tour for many years. Every piece he creates, carves, etches and sculpts contains only one continuous line. This magnificent feat can only be appreciated in person at his Squid Farm sculpture garden on Rt. 28 on the way to Andes. “I want to help bring human beings together. In my art there are no social, economic, cultural or political distinctions. We are all one.” Here he is pictured within the walls of his immense barn studio.
Suzanne Ausnit and Joe Miller of Bovina, NY
“I draw my inspiration from the natural world- both outside and inside - expressed through complex compositions that move me emotionally,” says Suzanne, a painter working mostly in watercolors. She shares a studio with her husband Joe Miller, whose work includes beguiling nudes and landscapes in pencil, charcoal, chalk and ink, as well as paintings in water media and gouache. Joe sums up his inspiration in this way, “I am inspired both by the complexity of the human figure and the beauty of the natural landscape of the Catskills.”
Photo credits and summaries by Robert Brune and Christein Aromando
For more information on AMR Artists
See ww.amropenstudios.org
Richard McAfee of Roxbury, NY
A retired PhD chemist and grandfather, Richard McAfee only started painting six years ago and already has a significant body of work. Utilizing his science background, he introduces chemicals to create some of the cellular effects in his abstract work. McAfee’s paintings feel subtle and natural. “I don’t use any brushes. I use, weirdly enough, wet paper towels of different sizes.”
Kathleen Sweeney of Roxbury, NY
Tucked away in her charming studio the woods, Kathleen Sweeney merges art with nature in her multi-media work. Sweeney, originally a digital artist working in video and photography, says she didn’t know she could paint, but it was “like a door punched open” when she moved to Roxbury just three short years ago. Inspired by her natural surroundings, she started exploring painting, using natural materials in her work (birch bark and branches, paper from wasp hives) and writing about this natural world. Join Sweeney at her photo book launch and art exhibition opening for The Book of Awe: Wandering and Rewilding, this Saturday, August 3rd at Diamond Hollow Books in Andes.
Irina Grinevitsky of Halcottsville, NY
On the side of a red, weathered barn in Halcottsville, Russian-born multi-media artist, Irina Grinevitsky, displays her beautiful pastel and acrylic paintings that are inspired by nature. Her subdued palette and unique painting style draw you into her work. The elegance of the imagery captivates while the textures brought out in her technique make you want to come in for a closer look. See more of Grinevitsky’s work in her upcoming solo show Navy Yard In Daylight at Longyear Gallery, Opening Reception August 10th.
Ogden Kruger of Denver, NY
Ogden Kruger was a life-long rock collector when she retired from her education career ten years ago and started training in energy medicine. “One of the first things you have to do in Shamanism is find rocks, which of course I had thousands of them.” Nine years ago, she extended her work in collage and painting into rock wrapping, a process which is an art form unto itself. Kruger often uses embellishments in the wrapping such as gemstones, twigs, shells, or metal charms. Each rock is then ignited by Kruger with healing Reiki energy. You can see and feel the peaceful healing intention in her beautiful work.
Oneida Hammond of Halcottsville, NY
Oneida Hammond is a true Catskill Mountains treasure. Her prolific work in watercolor has earned more than 200 awards and has been collected all over the world. Born in Panama, she received degrees in science and education before moving to the United States where she worked for NASA studying meteorites and moon rock. “It was a thrill to have the moon rock in my hands!” Her 80+ sketchbooks are something to behold, and at 84, she still paints every day. Look for Hammond’s work at the Annual AMR Exhibition at Margaretville’s Galli Curci Theater this fall.
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