The studio is ready and is about as clean as it gets in preparation for Open Studio Weekend, this weekend.  I’ll be open from 10am – 5pm both Saturday and Sunday, May 29 & 30.   If you happen to have either a Vermont Crafts Council Studio Tour Guide or an Artisans of Vermont Driving Tour map, my studio is #60 this year.   Without a map, all open studios are easily located by looking for the large yellow directional signs posted all over the state.  In Bennington, look for signs with #60 and follow the arrows.

Thirty four original framed works are on display, as seen in the photos below, along with unframed originals and artists giclee’ prints.

Looking forward to seeing and visiting with  everyone who stops by this weekend!

Downloads :  Vermont Crafts Council Studio Tour Guide map; Artisans of Southern Vermont Driving Tour map; Artisans of Southern Vermont Studio Sleuth game form; Catalog of framed originals on exhibit.

Contact me if you need directions or information. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 29th & Sunday May 30th is also Vermont Crafts Council Open Studio Weekend.  More than 235 Vermont artists will have their studios open to the public from 10am – 5pm both days.

Thirty five of my original watercolor paintings will be on exhibit, thirty-one of which are featured in the exhibit catalog. Download a pdf copy of the catalog here.

This year marks my fifth year of participation in this terrific, state-wide, celebration of the art and craft of Vermont – and especially of those who create it.  The event provides a unique opportunity for the public to visit the places where individual artist often labor in solitude.

Artisans of Southern Vermont – Thirty four artists & artisans in southwestern Vermont will have their studios open for the weekend.  These thirty-four artist are also sponsoring our Open Studio Driving Tour and Studio Sleuth game.  The Open Studio Driving Tour makes it easy to visit the studios of all the fine artisans in this area of the state.  As an added bonus, the Studio Sleuth game will provide one lucky winner with a $150 gift certificate toward a purchase from one of the Artisans of Southern Vermont!  The Studio Sleuth game is easy – collect signatures from eight of the 34 members of the group, leave the completed signature form at one of the artists studios.  Drawing for the Gift Certificate will be held on June 15, 2010. Download the Open Studio Driving Tour map here and the Studio Sleuth game form here.

Open Studio Maps for the entire state as well as maps by county are available for download here.

Contact me if you have an interest in any of the paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

Sign up form for my email list for News, Events, Exhibits & Classes

"Glass On Glass"

What, then, to do when the usual subjects are not inspiring me at the moment?  The solution generally is to do something different.  In this case placing a group of wine bottles in front of my studio’s picture window with the intention of painting some compositions.   This work “Glass on Glass” is the first painting completed.   Glass is difficult due to its combination of transparency and reflectivity.  In the case of this painting, I focused more on the transparency and worked on capturing the various value and color shapes created by the overlapping of the transparent bottles and the areas where the opaque labels blocked the transparency.  Shapes colors and values were all simplified and some realism was sacrificed  in favor of pattern and rhythm .

Another choice made in order to mix things up and get the creative and inspirational juices flowing was to work on a different surface.  In this case,  I painted on Arches 140lb hot press paper.  I generally use this paper for architectural illustration work as it has the advantage of being relatively correctable.   It’s press surface prevents the pigment from settling down into the paper fibers.  The effect is to enhance transparency – a perfect attribute for a subject such as glass.

This work will be framed and on display in my studio for Open Studio Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010.

Below is a quick prep sketch done in a watercolor sketchbook and from a different point of view.

The bottle arrangement is still set up and another painting is underway – more to come.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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"Uphill Farm"

Most Vermont craftspeople work in studios located in or close to their residences. These are places of production and inspiration located in downtowns as well as at the ends of dirt roads. Wherever their locations, they are exciting places to visit because they reflect the dynamic yet organized process that is used to produce the finished work of art.

For the fifth year, I’ll be participating in the Vermont Craft Councils’ Open Studio Weekend.  My studio as well as 235 studios will be open from 10am – 5pm both Saturday and Sunday, May 29 & 30.  It’s an pleasure to welcome folks into the studio to talk about my work, material, process or any thing else that might come up.

Open Studio Weekend is a statewide celebration of the visual arts and the creative process. Bennington County, Vermont is home to many fine artists and artisans including the other members of The Artisans of Southern Vermont. The other twenty-nine members of the group will also have their studios open this weekend.  The fine work represented by this group includes other paintings, jewelery, pottery, furniture, sculpture, and more.

The studio itself is enormously informative because you can see at a glance how the artist works. You see the swatches that have not been chosen for the quilt or the work that is experimental or not serious enough for the gallery. Buying or ordering work during an Open Studio sale is a unique experience because you have the opportunity to speak to the artist directly.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

Sign up form for my email list for News, Events, Exhibits & Classes

"Early November"

Vermont’s natural scenic beauty is enhanced each spring when the work of Vermont artists and craftspeople can be seen firsthand during Vermont’s 17th annual Open Studio Weekend May 23-24.

My studio will be open from 10am – 5pm both Saturday and Sunday, May 23 & 24.  I’m looking forward to again  welcoming visitors my studio, showing new works and discussing my work, materials, processes etc.

Open Studio Weekend is a statewide celebration of the visual arts and the creative process. Bennington County, Vermont is home to many fine artists and artisans including the other members of The Artisans of Southern Vermont. The other twenty-nine members of the group will also have their studios open this weekend.  The fine work represented by this group includes other paintings, jewelery, pottery, furniture, sculpture, and more.

Take the Artisans of Vermont Open Studio Driving Tour and be eligible to win a $150 gift certificate to the artist’s studio of your choice. Simply visit at least 8 of the 30 Artisans of Southern Vermont studios, get the artists signature and then leave the form at one of the open studio locations. Drawing to be held on June 15, 2009.  Open Studio Driving Tour map, instructions and “Studio Sleuth” form downloadable here.