The fall foliage is in full swing but there are clouds over Whiteface Mountain on this third day of the Artist at Work Studio Tour that includes 45 artists who live and work anywhere from Jay to Tupper Lake and Paul Smiths.

I have saved this Sunday for the tour and one of my first stops includes another take on Clouds Over Whiteface--this one a vibrant oil painting by Terrance D. Young of Young's Gallery in Jay. Young's Gallery has always been a favorite place for me. I used to meet folks there regularly some years back for meditation and my theatre troupe has given intimate performances in the gallery space. Terry's prints and paintings grace the walls and his unique books are on display alongside his wife Sue's incredible ceramic pieces.

During the course of the weekend, Sue Young has been demonstrating with clay and with firings. She shows me two deep trays that were thrown on the wheel yesterday as she rolls out clay to add handles to them. I am in awe of her dexterity and craftsmanship—as well as her creativity. The utilitarian in me asks, "Can these go in the oven--could you make lasagna in them?" I'm excited by the affirmative answer and hope that my husband will read this blog while Sue still has these treasures in the shop.

This is actually my second stop of the day. My first studio was also in Jay at Barbara Smith's Buttons Buttons. Here I am surrounded by vintage pillows oh so charmingly appointed with buttons. Barbara has impeccable taste and is an incredible fabric designer and seamstress. She shares another recent art form today which she claims is easy to do though I doubt it would come easy for me—leaf and fern prints on pillows and lampshades.

From Jay, I move on to Jeri Wright's photography studio in Wilmington. I have seen Jeri's work at many shows and exhibits over the years but have never before been to her home/studio. I learn that she does her own matting and framing but has been hampered by an injured arm this summer. I ask her if the digital age has affected her work and she answers, "only when it comes to printing. No more darkroom." We agree that this may be a good thing but have a more extended discussion on black-and-white photography and movies and she admits that, "film still has its own special splendor."

Then it's off to Lake Placid where I meet Jacqueline Altman, a watercolor artist, in her studio/home overlooking Lake Placid itself. Her Adirondack landscapes are a specialty and it is no wonder that she has such a mastery over this genre with the incredible lake-mountain view from her studio window.

In Saranac Lake, I have time for two more very different art forms. I meet Linda Gertsch who not only makes incredible beaded jewelry but also makes the beads themselves and I reacquaint myself with Nadia Korths who is a unique print artist. Nadia prides herself on working with recycled, non-toxic materials. Her inks are soy-based and her plates are styrofoam that she gets from the supermarket. Her pieces are time-driven, not image or outcome based. She works with items that she finds at specific locations, for instance, items picked up along Lake Champlain today to be used today. She wants her audience to "take time to dream...to reflect...to meditate" on her art—if not all art. And she invites us to witness and comment on her most recent prints.

I only caught a few of the amazing artists at work in this three-day event. As I mentioned previously, there were 45 participants! The North Country is rich in many things—including the numbers of artists who live and work here and who so generously share their creative process with the rest of us. Keep an eye on the Adirondack Artists Guild web site for more information about these artists and upcoming exhibits, as well as for information on next year's Artist at Work Studio Tour.

Kathleen Recchia has been enjoying the arts in the Adirondacks for about 20 years—both as observer and participant (acting, directing, and producing). She also enjoys cross-country skiing, swimming, juggling, and hosting visitors to the area at her bed & breakfast in Jay.