Christy Mitchell

Christy Mitchell has been living in Vermont since 2003.  Before the transplant she lived in Savannah, Georgia, where she attended The Savannah College of Art and Design. (B.F.A. studying Metals & Jewelry)

Now in lovely Burlington, Vermont, Christy is the Associate Director at SEABA or South End Arts + Business Association.  SEABA represents the creative community in the South End of Burlington. They are most well known for the annual South End Art Hop, a large art centered event every September, though you may check the website for smaller monthly art events.

While staring into a recently abandoned warehouse in The Soda Plant, back in April 2009, Christy dreamed up the gallery and studio collective that is now The S.P.A.C.E. and Backspace Galleries. They host monthly art exhibits every First Friday of the month and are home to 15 working artist studios.

For questions about the gallery or open studios, contact us directly at spacegalleryvt@gmail.com Gallery hours are Thursday – Saturday from 11-4pm.

THE S.P.A.C.E. GALLERY ARTISTS:

Ann Street Bailey

website: www.annstreetbailey.com
Artist’s Bio
Artist’s Statement

“Inspiration comes from nature, and the universe. My work has gradually moved from interpretive landscapes to abstract. I paint with acrylic and oil using unlimited color. Always, my objective remains: To create artistic interpretations that speak to the eye and heart.

I studied at the Irish School of Landscape Painting and I often return to Ireland to paint. My work hangs in many different countries as part of private collections. I have exhibited in UK and US online galleries and in numerous Vermont venues and juried shows. Two of my paintings were chosen to be included in the publication “The Art of Lake Champlain – Inspiring Landscape.”

Beth Robinson

website: www.strangedolls.net
blog: www.strangedolls.wordpress.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bethrobinsondolls

Beth Robinson is a self-taught artist who has been living in Burlington for 15 years. While she has dabbled in a variety of mediums over the years, it was the discovery of polymer clay that allowed her to combine her interest in design, sewing, sculpture, and painting and gave her a concrete foundation of expression. Since 2003 she has been creating macabre and grotesque characters in clay for collectors across the globe. She is currently represented in Berlin
/NYC/London by Strychnin Gallery.

Leigh Ann Rooney

website: www.leighannrooney.com

Leigh Ann Rooney

My artwork is mainly focused on the female form. Women have persevered through many battles to gain freedom and equality. In American society women are granted almost all the advantages of men, but with this new found equality we struggle with our relationship to our femininity.

I am searching for the distinction between the fetishizing of a female nude, and asserting femininity that is beyond arousal. Women’s bodies have been the focus of many historical works, but it was not until relatively recently that female artists were able to find their own voice. I strive to create an image that is both empowering and slightly vulnerable – that makes the viewer a bit uncomfortable, but inspires thought.

Through nude self-portraiture, I hope to reject the standard art historical image of a passive woman. The female form can be both powerful and feminine. In self-portraiture, a strange paradox exists between the artist and the viewer. The artist’s intentions are not always understood, and viewers bring their personal experiences to the interpretation of an image. It is this tension that creates beauty and intrigue in artworks. The artist releases control as the work is displayed and viewers can come to feel connected to an image.

In a new body of work, I am further exploring the vulnerability of the human body through the connection to the decay and growth of elements in nature. I am looking forward to utilizing my time in residency at the Vermont Studio Center in the summer of 2011 to further explore this new theme.

Hilary Ann Love Glass

website: www.etsy.com/shop/hilsabine

Jackie Bishop

blog: http://jaclynbishop.blogspot.com/

Jackie Bishop is an illustrator, painter and writer who has been residing and working in Burlington, VT for the last 10 years. She received a BS in Multimedia and Graphic Design and a BS in Professional Writing from Champlain College in 2006 and has sense kept busy with freelance work, a “day” job and her own artwork.

Jake Rifken

Jake Rifken is a wire sculptor and can create large pieces of work using the smallest of wire. He sets his mind on a shape and can create it almost out of thin air. His pieces are often large, but almost transparent, due to his spider web like technique.

John K. Alexander

John Kenneth Alexander exhibits his paintings throughout New England including Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. He will also be exhibiting in California in the not so distant future.  John is a member of many museums and art institutes including The Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Portland Museum of Art, Palm Springs Art Museum, Ogunquit Museum of American Art and Shelburne Museum. He also appreciates his studio and enjoys the camaraderie of S.P.A.C.E. Gallery.

Jeff Bruno

Mark Eliot Schwabe

website: www.allpropellersspin.com
blog: http://SteamSmithWorks.blogspot.com

The SteamSmith lives and works in a world that challenges description and defies understanding by people’s of the 21st century Earth. It is a world in which creative people work with their hands and their heads; it is a world in which machines and industries are built with parts that move, and parts that don’t. Land and sea are traveled in wondrous machines, often made by hand. And the sky is filled with airships of amazing construction. Time is understood in a way that 21st century people cannot fathom. The taverns are filled with ladies of style, wisdom and sass, and with strong-handed men with nimble brains. It is a place that you should visit!

“I love making this stuff! I have spent many years working in metals. I pride myself on high quality of my work.”

Peter Isles

THE BACKSPACE ARTISTS:

Dave Magnanelli

Website: http://www.facebook.com/DAMartworks

While David Magnanelli’s art is inspired by everyday events, he adds elements of Metaphysics, sacred geometry and Buddhism. A self-taught artist with some training in architectural drawing, Magnanelli comes from a long line of artists, from his mother to his grandfather, who painted pinup girls on World War II bombers and later did landscapes and still life.

Elvira Tripp

Erik Luhrs

Whether it’s in graphite, ink, colored pencil, charcoal, watercolor or acrylic, it’s hard not to notice Erik’s illustrative style of creating art.  Drawing at a young age, Erik was determined to become a comic book artist, but is now focusing on expanding his repertoire to appeal to other audiences in hopes of becoming an accomplished illustrator of all sorts.

In addition to Erik designing and creating personal and commissioned illustrations, Erik has just began to venture in the process of writing and designing his own children’s book series in hopes to have his own cartoon one day to live up to its full potential.

Please be sure to stop by and check out Erik’s studio located in The Backspace Gallery.

Blake Larsen

Laura Abrams

Colin Walsh