The sixth annual Artists Tour of Cherry Grove, organized by Susan Ann Thornton, took place on June 8 and 9. Guide and map in hand, I took the self-guided tour on the second day, saw the work of most of the artists who participated, and photographed them with their art. I saw work on the eastern end of the Grove on my own and in the western end, accompanied by two friends.
Organizer Susan Ann, from Santa Fe and Cherry Grove, showed her new ‘evocative’ paintings of sea and sky in the Grove. Her neighbor Diane St. Pierre displayed imaginatively painted rocks and jewelry made from beads from Eastern Europe, the jewelry hanging from a driftwood rack that she also made. Bill Hirt, nearby, shared Christmas ornaments that he made using beach glass and seashells found on Fire Island beaches from Cherry Grove to Point of Woods.
W. Douglas (Doug) Topper exhibited jewelry that he’s been making recently, as well as oil paintings. Lorraine Michels showed her recent photos, on canvas, of the dunes in the Grove, reminding of her work with the Dune Fund, as well as memorable older work, like her portrait of Orangina. Her neighbor Michael Abdis displayed some of his newest stained glass efforts. And their neighbor Diane Quero offered her newest mixed media works, some incorporating tarot figures, as well as one with an Indian guru.
At Roseland, Michael Fitzgerald explained his newest endeavors, contemplating life cycles, as “a state fair of souls.” Martinu Schneegass showed extremely colorful work on fabric, on t-shirts, tank tops, and beach towels. Mike Turci depicted, in acrylic on driftwood, a whale, fish, and alligators. John Mansueto displayed his always popular paintings in acrylic. Aronda Xystris shared both photos and paintings of the Grove.
Mark Atten showed us fish, candles, and angels made of glass—both beach glass and stained glass—on wood. Dan Evans shared new Grove paintings and spouse Jim Kelly, the spectacular aerial photos of the Grove that he took using a legal drone.
Koitz took us on a tour of his lyrical nude or otherwise erotic photos, including one of Hans Berlin and one of dancers at Daniel Nardicio’s Spartacus Party at Belvedere. Rosana Chinchilla displayed her Grove Nature paintings and Warren Boyd Wexler, his most recent Nature photographs. Larry Crawford came from Texas to show his diverse, unusual paintings.
The artists whose work I missed seeing were Uzi Parnes, Karen Traynor and Michelle Sneider, and George Lyter. The Artists Tour gives Grovites an invaluable opportunity to visit creative artists at home and to see their work, chat with them about it, and purchase their creations.