Opening reception:Saturday, May 13, 3-5 pm. Public welcome; refreshments will be served.
Jim Schreiber: Adirondack Furniture
Jim Schreiber, of Great Sacandaga Designs, will be displaying his rustic furniture in the Small Gallery. Each piece is custom designed and hand-crafted using sustainably harvested local forest materials whenever possible. He incorporates various figured woods, bark, twig, and log species, along with wood carving into his pieces. Each and every project is a unique interpretation of time-tested traditional furniture designs. Because his furniture is built from the ground up – not by simply decorating existing pieces — his pieces are one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces. Jim specializes in large pieces of furniture, some being as tall as 10 feet, and as wide as 15 feet.
Jim, a former National Team Kayak Racer and development coach, has been a professional furniture maker since the early 1990s after his athletic career was cut short by Multiple Sclerosis. Heresides on the south shore of the Great Sacandaga Lake in the town of Day, here he and his extended family have a Biathlon facility on 175 acres. (They train athletes from beginner to an Olympic level.)
Jim is also involved with the Adirondack Folk School, a school for the traditional arts in Lake Luzerne NY as well as HASTAGA, an organization helping people out of poverty in Indonesia. He is also part of The Saratoga Biathlon Club as a trainer, race official, and trail groomer.
Paul and Teresa Breuer: Handmade Botanical Lighting
Teresa and Paul, of Northeast Living Lights, strive to create functional art using a variety of natural elements to complement many decors. Taking cues from nature, they build their products with arts and craft style and a minimalist approach to allow the material to be the voice for each Living light. Teresa and Paul personally collect every leaf, twig and stone in their designs. They offer many standard designs but are able to customize those designs or develop a completely personalized fixture to satisfy most any lighting need or desire. They make every piece as though it were to become their own family heirloom.
In 2007, Paul and Teresa purchased the shade business that Teresa had been working at during the previous 10 years. They extended the current product line and have progressively increased their offerings. Together they have been creating, traveling, collaborating, sometimes arguing, all while living the dream. Seeing people’s admiration for pieces they created together is always welcomed validation after placing so much of their time and energy into their projects.
“It is hard to explain that when you literally hear your audience say “wow, I love your work” you would do it all for free, if you could afford to, because it seems less like work when you enjoy the process of creation,” they say.