Cape Ann Artisans Open Studio Tour: Today, Sunday, and Monday!

Click here for Map and brochure. That way you can follow the numbers. Fifteen artists open their studios this long weekend 10AM to 5PM.

1) David Montgomery 2)Marty Morgan 3) Leslie Bartlett 4) Kurt Ankeny 5) Judith Wright, 6) Margaret Rack, 7) Mi Robertson, 8 ) Anni Melançon, 9) David Archibald, 10) Cynthia Curtis, 11) Pam Stratton 12) Eileen Mueller, 13) Scott Place/Erin O.Sullivan, 14) Marilyn Swift 15) Bart Stuyf.

A high concentration of artisans in Lanesville so I figure I will start there and pick off number 3, 8, and 9, to start the weekend.

3) Leslie Bartlett; 1033 Washington Street, Natural Light Photography, and around here that means Quarries. These prints are amazing. You think you’ve seen quarries but this must be one of those “you got to get up pretty early in the morning” to see them like this. Les has a huge printer which makes enormous prints, paper and cloth. The studio was a Catholic Church– while we were there a couple came in to see what had been done to the place where they were married. Amazing space. I extracted quite a lot of information about Lanesville and Rockport quarries from Les that I will follow up in future posts.

8 ) Anni Melancon; Dogtown Studio Pottery, 1181 Washington Street, broad range of pottery and porcelain from the fine to primitive. Sue and I met Anni two years ago on the tour and she is getting me all amped up about actually turning on my own kiln. She makes it sound easy, (I know it isn’t), but at least she has convinced me I won’t burn my house down. Anni does terracotta with white glaze that is just amazing. Works of art out of which you can eat. Felt like having some soup in a big bowl but we had to get one more artisan done or we would fall behind.

9) David Archibald; 9 Woodbury Street, Plum Cove Pottery (turn up the hill right before Folly Cove). We met David the same tour two years ago and quickly figured out he knew David Platt (prior owners of our house). This time around he was telling stories of drinking a beer in the kitchen. David has been working on his glazes applied to porcelain and stoneware for fifty years and he has figured out a few things. Not exactly sure what he is going to pull out of the kiln but the depth and richness of the cobalt blues, the copper reds, the celadon, make pieces you have to just stare at for a while. Galaxies and waterfalls are in there. We escaped with just one white milk pitcher that has a light red glow to it that I might post a photo of (when I find my good camera).

And my cell phone only took one good shot the whole day. Tomorrow onto a dozen more artisans.

Then it was on to Alchemy for some French Onion Soup to refuel.