Intimate Views of the Adirondacks

Anne Burnham has been a professional studio potter for over thirty years, mostly in the northern foothills of the Adirondacks. She says that the seasonal beauty of this area is reflected in her landscape motifs. Her work also contains impressions from living and traveling across the USA, a brief trip to Africa, and imaginary trips to the Far East, India, and the Himalayas. She says that each of these places make guest appearances among her Adirondack vistas. Eastern simplicity from her early pottery training in California is also a strong element in the flowing landscapes of her porcelain and stoneware pieces.

In 1997, two events changed Burnham’s life and much of her clay work. Her first grandchild was born. She says, "Hanging out with young children really makes one look closely at everything." The second event was having her pottery studio burn to the ground. "Don’t worry," she commented. "It was a blessing in disguise. It cleared the best spot on my property to build a wonderful new house, a project that had been in the works for 25 years." She said she set up the world’s smallest studio on top of an 8 x 14 platform that survived the fire.

Burnham decided at this point to do pottery on a part-time basis. She took on another job that seemed far away from pottery. It took her hiking up power lines and through the woods to ponds and streams in search of mosquito larva. There she saw flora, reptiles, and insects develop over time, and gradually they began to find their way onto her pots. She said that her inner woods experience is one she will be sharing in her exhibit at forARTSake. She commented, "When Sandy Hildreth and I were invited to do this show, we were both known mostly for our long sweeping Adirondack landscapes. I said, ‘Why not share some of our closer views instead.’ So here we are."

Sandra Hildreth has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and teaching certification from Western Kentucky University. In 2001, she retired after 31 years of teaching high school art so that she could pursue her painting full time. In early 2005, she moved from the Potsdam area to Saranac Lake in order to be closer to the mountains she loves and to be part of the vibrant art scene there. She is a member of the Adirondack Artists’ Guild and shows her work at the Gallery at 52 Main St., Saranac Lake.

Hildreth feels that the theme of this exhibit is a perfect match for her. She loves to be in and to paint the wilderness areas of the Adirondacks in all seasons, and "it’s pretty hard," she says, "not to have water-a pond, a lake, a river, or a waterfall-included." She stated that for this exhibit she tried to narrow her focus. She has avoided the broad panoramic views and has concentrated on the more intimate details of the natural environment.

Both Burnham and Hildreth have participated in numerous group shows and one-person shows winning many awards. Their unique art exhibit will be at forARTSake from October 6 to 26. The public is invited to the artist reception on Friday, October 13 from 6 to 8 PM and encouraged to visit forARTSake any time during business hours Tuesday to Friday from 10 to 5 and on Saturday from 10 to 4.

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