Lisa seeks out the highest quality and most striking beads to create her one-of-a-kind jewelry. Turquoise, amethyst, citrine and aquamarine are just a few of the semi-precious stone beads she uses in her single and multi-strand necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

Originally from Southeast Kansas, Lisa spent many years in Minneapolis where she attended the University of Minnesota. After she graduated she pursued a music career and was voted best female singer/songwriter by the Minnesota Music Academy. Lisa began making jewelry and exhibiting at craft shows some sixteen years ago.

Sue was introduced to the Berkshires by friends in the 1980s. Both she and her husband fell in love with the beauty and culture of the area. In 1991, they bought a vacation home in Monterey, MA. Their dream was to one day retire to this beautiful area called the Berkshires. They relocated to Northern CA from the Philadelphia area in 1996 but kept their Berkshire home.

The simultaneous events of a first grandchild and a diagnosis of breast cancer made Sue feel that she was too far away from her family on the East Coast. Happily, she and her husband were able to relocate once again and this time to the Berkshires.

Sue's illness, of course, has had a profound effect on her. Like many other cancer survivors, she has learned to live more in the present moment — to appreciate her life and her surroundings.

After retiring from her job as a speech & language pathologist, she began taking art classes and discovered how inspirational this area of the country is, with each season displaying its own special beauty. She finds that daily walks with her dog offers a wealth of subjects and inspiration. The changing colors of the sky and mountains, the incredible winter light, the New England architecture all fuel the artist’s imagination.

Sue has been studying watercolor at IS 183 and has also taken workshops in both watercolor and oils. "The more I paint, the more I see. My primary interest is in shape and light. I am most happy when painting freely with a big brush."

Marguerite, a Registered Nurse and former software engineering manager began her formal art training in 1992 with a course of study at the Worcester Art Museum. After moving to Lenox in 1995, she attended the Interlaken School of Art and the Visual Arts program at Berkshire Community College.

In 1999, Ms. Bride joined Berkshire Dreams Gallery in Great Barrington. Since that time, Bride's art career has continued to grow and flourish. Her work now hangs in homes and public spaces throughout the United States and in Europe and Japan.

In addition to gallery exhibits, Ms. Bride also accepts private commissions, with an emphasis on house portraits. Other strong interests include the sights, textures and colors of Tuscany.

While watercolor is her current medium of choice, Ms. Bride has also worked in oils as well as printmaking, utilizing the collograph method. She has also done Graphic Design and is in the process of writing and illustrating a series of children's picture books.

Ms. Bride also provides publicity/marketing consultation and technical assistance to other artists and art groups interested in promoting their own art and art in their communities.

JL Gardner (Jeff) has traveled around this country his whole life, seeking the less known paths, the “blue highways” as they are sometimes called. He has always been drawn back to New England and Berkshire County in particular. Jeff has found great comfort in these familiar hills, from the Connecticut border through Stockbridge and Richmond and on up to Williamstown. The landscape and most importantly, it's old barns in various states of disrepair has caught his eye more than anything else.

Jeff started photographing these barns in different settings and formats when he first moved back here from California in the early 1990s. He began his craft of framing his barn photographs with the very same wood they were made of.

Jeff went on to create birdhouses made from the same old barnboard material, eminating a similar rustic/Americana flavor. He has sold these unique pieces of art in stores from one end of the county to the other for a few years now. Artisans of the Berkshires is the new on-line home of Jeff's work.

Dawn specializes in fine handcrafted one-of-a-kind necklaces. Each original piece of jewelry is infused with Qigong energy and prayers for peace, joy, health and well-being.

Born and raised in an old schoolhouse outside of Chanute Kansas, Sky began taking piano lessons at age five. Teaching himself guitar, he began to write songs influenced by the old country music and the gravel roads he grew up with. In 2001, one week after graduating high school, Sky moved to Western Massachusetts. Since he has been playing live shows, both solo and with a full band, across the Berkshires and beyond.

In December 2000, Sky recorded his first album, Flying High at Guilty Dog Studios in Plymouth, MA. His latest CD, The Front Steps was recorded at Pilot Recording Studios in New York City and features a stellar band including Steve Holley on drums. Sky lists his musical influences as Hank Williams, Son Volt, and Willie Nelson.

Mary's heart felt lyrics, along with her unforgettable melodies, will have you singing along with her for days to come.

Mary is a singer/songwriter from the Berkshire Mountains, where she lives with her husband and four kids. She has been performing on stages since the age of three, following in the footsteps of her father who was a symphony conductor in Danville, Illinois. Her strong influences in the performance world allowed Mary to create an unforgettably pure sweet sound! 

After graduating from Belmont University in Nashville Tennessee, she choreographed Country Road Acts: Reba McEntire, The Forester Sisters, The New Grass Revival, and various young artists signed to music labels.

Before settling in the Berkshires, Mary moved to Austin, Texas for 5 years. She quickly made a name for herself and was selected to perform in The Austin Folk Festival (a very prestigious position for such a new act!). She and her family decided to move to the Berkshires in 2000.

Mary is also available for solo appearances. For booking information, please call: (413) 841-1140.

Alexandra  creates by effecting developing Polaroid photographs. Alexandra taught herself the unique art of Polaroid Manipulation.

First, a special Polaroid camera and film are used to take the photo. Then the Polaroid is immediately exposed to the sun or another type of heat source until the emulsion becomes pliable. The next step is to use a tool to manipulate or maneuver the emulsion until the desired effect is achieved.

"I have met only a few other artists who work in the same medium and each photo is a new experience with its own process and life." — A.Warshaw