Art Gallery

The Creative Life at the Jackson Art Gallery

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper Photos courtesy Melanie Barash Levitt

Melanie Barash Levitt has been drawing since she could pick up a crayon, and it shows. Years of dedication to painting and drawing led her to eventually fi nd her way to Jackson, New Hampshire. That move, in 1995, brought her further into the life of an artist when she opened a studio and gallery and began teaching art classes.

These days, her business, the Jackson Art Studio & Gallery, is thriving, and has withstood the months of the pandemic, the lockdown and all the changes each has brought to everyone.

Melanie would surely agree the desire to make art and purchase artwork is universal and COVID has not stopped that need. If anything, the pandemic has caused people to evaluate what is important in life, and items created by the hands of local artists, rates high.

While some art businesses have closed in recent years, Melanie has a gem of a gallery where she offers art classes and also has the work of talented artists on display and for sale.

Moving to Jackson was a lifestyle change for Melanie and her husband, Daren. They discovered Jackson when driving around the area. “My husband used to go rock climbing up here and we thought Jackson was a cute town,” she says. The couple were in their 20s and willing to leave city life for a smaller community.

With a degree in graphics from the Rhode Island School of Design, Melanie was doing well in her fi eld of art. “At the time, I was working as a graphic designer in Boston. I worked on the Olympic games design team in Atlanta, Georgia and I also worked in Boston,” Melanie recalls. Her fi rst job as a graphic artist was in Boston, and later she worked in Japan, where she taught art at an international school. (This was a valuable opportunity, because it gave her teaching experience.)

Once the couple settled in Jackson, Melanie continued her work as a graphic designer, and was also teaching art in the local elementary school. Eventually she taught kindergarten through 6th grade and then teen studio art classes.

While she enjoyed teaching, Melanie felt it might be time for a change from her work as a graphic designer.

“Things fell into place after we had a fi re,” she says. While the confl agration in her studio could have proven a disaster, Melanie turned it around and was determined to continue.

She was at a crossroads and trying to decide if she should continue with graphic design or move towards fi ne art. She had been thinking about opening a gallery, then the fi re happened. The studio nearly burned down but with insurance, Melanie decided to redo the space as a gallery. She also offered art classes to students, something she was comfortable doing.

Melanie says of the early days when she started the gallery, “We had a lot of artist friends and decided to invite 10-12 artists to show at the gallery. The work was in all different mediums, and after getting started, we added more and we now have over 30 artists exhibiting at our gallery. Some of the artists worked at the gallery and used the studio space, which showed our customers artists at work.”

As well as the exhibit space, Melanie was focused on featuring art classes. With experience as an art teacher, she could offer classes, and invite other artists to teach as well.

Melanie plein air painting.

• Plein Air

continued on page 4

COZY CABIN RUSTICS COZY CABIN RUSTICS

—FURNITURE & MATTRESSES— —FURNITURE & MATTRESSES—

FREE Local Delivery & Setup

Cozy Cabin Rustics

-Furniture & Mattresses-

PLYMOUTH

599 Tenney Mtn. Hwy. 603-238-3250

Mon-Sat 9-5 / Sun 10-5

MEREDITH

312 Daniel Webster Hwy. 603-279-1333

Mon-Fri 9-5:30 Sat 9-6 / Sun 10-5 OPEN DAILY • COZYCABINRUSTICS.COM Route Along16

Shop, Play, Dine and Stay the Route 16 Corridor and the Surrounding Area

Smiley Publishing Group, LLC dba Panoramic Publishing Group/The Laker

P.O. Box 119, Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896 603-569-5257

pressreleases@thelaker.com • lkr@thelaker.com • www.thelaker.com

This newspaper assumes no fi nancial responsibility for typographical errors but will reprint that part of an advertisement in which the typographical error affects the value of same. Advertisers will please notify the management immediately of any errors which may occur.

PUBLISHER

Dan Smiley

EDITOR

Bob Hartnett

PRODUCTION MANAGER

GRAPHIC DESIGN Gina Lessard

ADVERTISING Phil Ouellette Maureen Padula

603.279.7921

Make A Splash!

WE ARE THE EXCLUSIVE LAKES REGION DEALER FOR...

CUSTOMER 5 STAR RATED!

SALES • RENTALS • SERVICE • VALET • STORAGE • BROKERAGE WWW.MEREDITHMARINA.COM

Melanie’s idea was to bring more art and instructors to the White Mountains to teach. Certainly this was because the mountains are such a beautiful, paintable place, so what better area to offer classes?

The gallery and studio classes have grown over the years, and owning the business has offered Melanie the fl exibility to work and evolve as an artist while surrounded by fellow artists. It also has given her the freedom to work at home while raising a family. Melanie and Daren have two daughters, who are now grown. One daughter just graduated college and is a fashion designer in New York City, and the other is currently in college and wants to pursue a career in medicine.

When the pandemic hit, one would assume Melanie would close the gallery and seek yet another career path. But she hung in there and made use of the lockdown to start offering online classes and also to sell gallery work online. It has proven successful and opened up a wider world to the Jackson Art Gallery.

“I started to offer plein air classes and even taught painting classes outdoors in the winter too,” she says. As part of the classes, Melanie gave her students tips on how to stay warm when painting in the often-cold White Mountains during the winter.

Melanie tasks herself to paint in the great outdoors every day in the winter. Asked why this challenging type

Daily Deliveries of the Freshest Seafood! Fresh Maine Oysters $1.50/ea Everyday!

New Italian Specials!

Gift Certificates Available!

The Valley Original Since 1947

Indoor Dining & Takeout • Homemade Italian Specials • Pub Menu • Childrens Menu Featuring... • Fresh Maine Oysters • Fresh Maine Salmon • Steaks Cooked to Order

We Can Prepare Lobsters 7 Different Ways Including Jumbos! (Up to 3 lbs.)

West Side Road, No. Conway • 356-5578 thelobstertraprestaurant.com

Turn West at the Eastern Slope Inn, Follow our Signs for 1.5 Miles Open Daily at 11:30 - Pub Open Late on Weekends, Closed Mon. & Tues. of painting appeals to her, Melanie explains, “You can really see the light outdoors, and the area is so beautiful to paint. There are no distraction and it is quiet and meditative to paint outside in the winter. But the light does not last as long and I really have about three hours before it starts to fade. But it is a much more exciting place to paint than in the studio.”

Melanie adds that if the winter weather is really bad, she has learned to paint from inside her car. “I got acclimated well. When I paint outdoors in winter, I stand on a bathmat which helps keep my feet warm, and I have hand and foot warmers.” She dresses in lots of layers, and says, “If it is not windy, I am able to last for a while if it is over 20 degrees – I could endure outdoors for about two hours. If it is too cold, I come back the next day for the same light.

“I want to be a better painter, and to use true color, and catch the light,” she adds. These are goals of many painters, whether they are starting out or have years of experience as an artist.

Her favorite White Mountain places to paint are at the Crawford AMC Visitor’s Center, Pinkham Notch, hikes in the area where she can stop to paint, and at Jackson Falls, where she can paint closer to her home base. In the Jackson area, she loves subject matter such as old barns.

With a color-sensitive, loose style of painting, Melanie uses a palette knife versus a brush when she paints. She explains that the use of the knife forces her to not be too detailed, but she also does brush work too.

Melanie wants to also share her love for art and to open the world of art to others. She says, “Last April, the Jackson Grammar School hired me for a plein air week of classes for their students. I taught two grades at a time, and the kids loved painting outdoors.”

With a love of teaching beginners, Melanie will be doing more adult classes in the future. This winter and into the spring, she will offer studio and plein air painting classes, which can be accessed at www.jacksonartnh. com. She hopes to also teach a color mixing class and a paint-big type of studio class in 2022.

The gallery displays and sells the work of between 30 and 35 artists, and it seems there is always something going on within the studio as well.

If you are traveling into or through the Jackson area in the future, you might see a woman in front of an artist’s easel, with a painting in progress. If so, you have probably come across Melanie as she rushes to capture the elusive light of the sun on snow.

Or, if you venture to Jackson, a stop at the Jackson Art Gallery & Studio is a must. The walls are fi lled with colorful, creative art work just right to view, to purchase and to take home.

The Jackson Art Gallery is located at 155 Ridge Road in Jackson; call 603387-3463.

TM

Switch to Eastern and SAVE $200 on your energy costs this winter! We are looking to grow in your neighborhood, and to welcome you to our family, we have a special offer running this fall! For more information head to eastern.com/switch or call 603.332.2080

VOTEDBESTPROPANE&OILDEALER

VOTEDBEST PLACETOWORK

Wakefield - Need help with your IRS tax preparation this year? The Gafney Library in Sanbornville is again offering assistance on Tuesdays beginning February 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through the AARP tax preparation program.

AARP IRS trained tax volunteer Andy Mako will offer free tax preparation help to anyone in NH, but if you are 50 and older and can’t afford a tax preparation service, this program is designed especially for you. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide has more than 5,000 locations in neighborhood libraries, malls, banks, community centers and senior centers. There’s no fee and no sales pitch for other services and AARP membership is not required. The service is open to all New Hampshire residents.

Appointments are available on Tuesdays beginning February 8th between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. Call the Gafney at 522-3401 to schedule yours now. 7 TRACTOR TRAILER LOADS OF VINYL WRAPPED COMPOSITE DECKING JUST ARRIVED! Tuesday ANY BURGER ON THE MENU $10.49 DINE IN ONLY Thursday FISH AND CHIPS

Chocorua Lake Conservancy Winter Wildlife & Ecology Walk for Little Kids

While many plants and a few animals are dormant in winter, the winter woods and fields are full of signs of life and activity.

On Saturday, February 26 from 9:3010:30AM, join the Chocorua Lake Conservancy for a Winter Wildlife & Ecology Walk for 3- to 7-year olds and their caregivers. Come explore the fields, woods, and wetlands of the Charlotte C. Browne Memorial Woods with naturalist and outdoor educator Hillary Behr. Our local wildlife have incredible ways of adapting to the deep snow, scarce food, and cold temperatures of the New Hampshire winter. We’ll be exploring this through stories and games as well as looking for tracks and signs to see what wildlife are there and what they are up to. Storm, rain, or wind date is Sunday,

Sports

Tavern & Restaurant

Where Life is Good! Drawings Every Five Minutes 11:30 to Close Open Daily at 11:30 am 1000 Yards south of the Kancamagus on Rt. 16 in Albany. Along side Snowmobile Corridor 19 603-447-2325 (Haddock) $21.992 For With the purchase of any 2 beverages DINE IN ONLY

February 27, 9:30-10:30AM. This event is free. Space is limited—please register in advance at bit.ly/kids-walk. Parking is also limited—please carpool with friends if possible. We’ll meet at the entrance to the Charlotte C. Browne Woods on Washington Hill Road in Chocorua, on the left .7 miles up the hill from Route 16, or 2.3 miles from the bottom of Washington Hill Road on the Chocorua Village side, on the right. Please wear warm layers and bundle your little ones up as the temperaBierman Autism Centers Support Assistance tures call for, bring water and a snack, and winter footwear/gear for traveling Canine Training Services (ACTS). off trail in snowy woods. Adults might want snowshoes if the snow is deep, or

Recently the Warren, RI location microspikes/ice grippers if conditions are of Bierman Autism Centers chose icy. Depending on their ages, kids might Assistance Canine Training Services want snowshoes, or to be pulled in a sled! (ACTS) of North Conway, NH to receive a donation in honor of Freesia, their facility assistance dog. Giving back to the community is a part of a holiday tradition at Bierman and each location team chooses who will be the recipient. The Warren location chose to recognize the work Freesia is doing by supporting ACTS.

Freesia was raised by volunteers Steven Hayden and Monica Philbin of Meredith, NH and completed a twoyear training program with ACTS. She was teamed with Maeve London, an occupational therapist working with children diagnosed with autism at Bierman last November. Since then, Freesia has been changing lives and helping people every day.

Maeve shared, “Working with Freesia has enhanced my therapy in innumerable ways; ACTS did a fantastic job preparing her to work with children. Whether she is putting on a costume to target dressing skills, catching a ball thrown for upper limb coordination, or “reading” obedience commands written out by clients, Freesia increases engagement and therapeutic outcomes every day. As everyone’s favorite coworker, Freesia increases morale and supports her team with enthusiasm. I am forever grateful to ACTS and Bierman for making this partnership possible, and to Freesia for being the best therapist on four paws”! Kathy Metz, Executive Director of ACTS expressed her appreciation for the Center’s support, “We are proud of the work Freesia is doing and are very grateful for the staff of the Bierman Center for choosing ACTS as the recipient of their donation. While our service dogs profoundly affect the life of one person, our facility dogs touch the lives of many. Freesia is a wonderful example of the important work being done by our ACTS dogs.”

Everything You Need for Home Improvement!

Worth the trip to Concord!

TimberTech $2.49 L.F. We are conveniently located one mile off I-93

Amazon Mist, Antigua Gold, Sapele, Antique Palm Azek brand Acacia solid PVC $2.99 L.F.Acacia solid PVC Kitchens|Bathrooms|Flooring Decking |Windows|Doors Custom Door Shop for your every need!

WE WE ALSO ALSO CARRYCARRY VINYL FLOORINGFL KITCHENS VANITIES WINDOWS DOORS AND SO MUCH MORE!

Bring in this coupon for With over 60,000 square feet of retail and warehouse space, you never know what $2 OFF your next Propane Refill. you’ll fi nd at Big Jim’s. Plenty of room for social distancing too!

Locally owned since 1954