For over 35 years Salmon Falls Gallery has showcased the beauty and craftsmanship of over 90 independent artists from around western Massachusetts and the surrounding area. These artists have created a range of items from practical everyday objects to spectacular showpieces, including wool handbags by Katherine MacColl, pastels by Rebecca Clark, and otherworldly porcelain sculpture by Lulu Fichter. Salmon Falls Gallery is owned by world renowned glass artist and Shelburne resident Josh Simpson.
Featured exhibit through June
Living in western Massachusetts gives Hawley, MA painter Trina Sears Sternstein the inspiration for her art. Sternstein’s paintings are exquisitely detailed in an atmospheric and slightly abstracted style. In her own words:
“For my entire life I have loved the landscape of western Massachusetts. For me it has a beauty I've never taken for granted, and parts of it are still peaceful. The objects one sees and the sounds one hearsare natural ones, and in places we can still see the night sky without competition from flashing or other man-made lights.
My paintings are not of any particular locations. I make up the compositions and attempt to express my feelings about the place I live in color, tone, pattern and line."
Trina Sears Sternstein studied fine art at the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI; the Academia di Belle Arti, Florence, Italy; and the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. Trina’s paintings have been exhibited at the Harrison Gallery, Williamstown, MA; The Community Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; the Newburgh Gallery, Newburgh, NY; The Brush Gallery, Lowell, MA; the Franklin Land Trust exhibits and auctions in Shelburne Falls and Deerfield, MA; at a private exhibition at Rye Close in rural MA; at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton, MA; and at the Limner Gallery in Hudson, NY.
Featured exhibit through June
Printmaker, gardener and botanical illustrator Bobbi Angell lives in southern Vermont surrounded by rambling lush gardens. She began her career with a botany degree from University of Vermont in 1978 and has been drawing and growing plants ever since.
She practices the intricate art of copper etching- printmaking allows a natural extension of her compositional style with an enhanced focus on fine detail. Her graceful designs are drawn onto a ground on a copper plate, etched with acid, and hand printed in small editions. A select few are individually tinted with watercolor. Each image reflects a personal involvement with the plant subject, whether observed in the wild or selected from the rich diversity of her extensive garden. Rare and uncommon plants including orchids, fritillaries and tropical vines find their way onto her copper plates where they are each given a distinct personality.
Working in close collaboration with scientists from The New York Botanical Garden and other scientific institutions around the world, she uses her keen observational skills and artistic sensibilities to create exquisitely detailed illustrations. Her images, created from herbarium specimens, pickled flowers, photographs and field sketches, are scientifically precise and beautifully composed. Magnified details, as observed under a microscope, provide intimate views of beauty that often escapes the naked eye.
Upcoming workshop in the gallery
Mark Making to Landscapes Pastel Workshop with Rebecca Clark Sunday, May 18, 2025, 1-4pm, $60 includes lessons and materials.
If you're fascinated with vibrant color and line work and want to carve out a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, Becky will introduce you to the immediate gratification of pastel. This workshop will allow you to experiment while building skill and confidence in your handling of the medium. For beginners and those with drawing experience, the session will include drawing exercises, opportunities to create finished artwork to take home and offers an open environment of sharing knowledge and posing questions with individual attention.
In a very short time spanwe will touch on some of the most important aspects of mastering pastels beginning with learning about our materials and mark making. We will then move on to shadow and light, a still life, and then end with landscapes.
Several types of paper, all pastels and necessary tools are provided. These workshops are always fun and we all learn from each other. If you have no art experience, or if you're an experienced artist who wants to learn more then this workshop is for you! Sign up here.
