SARANAC LAKE — “Birch, Birch, Birch” is the themed exhibit for the month of May at the Adirondack Artists Guild in Saranac Lake.
The Birch tree is notable for its striking white bark and is often among the first trees to regenerate after forest fires. They are a prominent part of the Adirondack landscape, in yards, in the forest, and in stunted clusters on mountain summits. The white bark is dramatically visible, especially this time of year, as the purplish buds develop, and before the spring green leaves burst out.
“Usually, the way things go is that somebody might suggest something, and the group discusses it,” Mark Kurtz, a guild member and photographer, said.
“There might be other elements that come in. The group, meaning the membership, makes the final decision. But, I don’t know who had the initial idea.”
There are about 25 works, and a couple have sold already.
Guild member Kathy Ford hung the exhibit.
“I mention that because she had quite a range of work and sizes and the end result of the exhibit on the wall is quite stunning in itself,” Kurtz said.
“It’s a pretty extensive exhibit. I did find out that some of the artists did make pieces specifically for this exhibit. Others of us used work we had already created. My two pieces that are in it, one is two years old and another is five years old. When we came up with the idea, everybody started thinking what have I got or maybe I will go out and paint something.”
Gallery members include: Jacqueline Altman, watercolor paintings;Nancy Brossard, oil paintings; Michael Burpoe, watercolors; Jeanne Danforth, watercolors, acrylics, oils; Kathy Ford, acrylics and watercolors; Georgeanne Gaffney, acrylics; Sandra Hildreth, oils; Mark Kurtz, photography; Suzanne Lebeda, watercolors; Barry Lobdell, photography; Karen Morris, ceramics; Anastasia Osolin, collage and assemblage; Burdette Parks, photography; Toos Roozen-Evans, jewelry; and Eleanor Sweeney, photography.
“Birch, Birch, Birch” was the well-attended kickoff to the guild’s season.
“We’d just taken down the Juried Show, and that kinds of wraps up that season,” Kurtz said.
“Then, we clean everything off, paint the walls and do the whole spring cleaning thing. So then we’re ready to go for our first exhibit and rehanging all of our own work by the first of May. There was a significant turn-out, which was really nice. A lot of the people that were here seem to come to all of our openings, but there were a number of faces that I didn’t recognize, which is always nice to see. Plus, it was a beautiful evening. The door was open. It really felt like spring.”
His works are “Birch and Fern,” because it is a birch and fern, and “Hidden Birch.”
“The reason being because in the foreground is a bunch of birch leaves that are yellowed from the fall colors and in the background is a birch tree going up through it diagonally. It’s a little out of focus, but it’s white so it stands out.”
The wide range of artists produced a wide range of works of different sizes.
“We have everything one very large piece, which is kind of right in the center of the exhibit that Nancy Brossard painted,” Kurtz said.
“Another one that is very large too is a Barry Lobdell photograph. It actually shows the four seasons. Obviously this was not done with the birch exhibit in mind because it’s over four seasons. I think we came up with the idea of doing this less than a year ago. You feel like you’re laying on the ground and you’re looking straight up in a forest with nothing but birch trees around that are all just coming to a pinnacle point in the center. He went back to that exact same place and shot the exact same view in all four seasons. It’s really a stunning piece.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum are five painted miniatures by Jeanne Danforth.
“They are 2 ½-by-3 ½ inches each one of them, and she has them all hanging together,” Kurtz said.
“I’m going to use the word exquisite in describing them, and honestly I never use that word. It’s really beautiful.”
Viewers can get a preview online, but Kurtz encourages them to make the trip to Saranac Lake.
“That’s cool,” he said.
“Looking at them online is nice, but you completely lose the sense of size. Size really comes into play in this particular exhibit. Those that can should make an effort to stop by and actually see the exhibit hanging.”