Following an art trail is a unique and exciting way to experience a variety of artwork while enjoying a scenic drive. This year’s trail includes 13 central locations, with new stops in Jamestown, Portland, Fredonia and on Route 394.

This year’s trail features 29 artists from the North Shore Arts Alliance presenting works ranging from paintings to textiles, pottery, sculpture, photography and jewelry. “We as artists do work that is personal,” said Marcia Merrins, NSAA President. “The annual Chautauqua Lake Erie Art Trail Open Studio and Gallery Tour is an opportunity to visit places where we live and work. We find inspiration in one of New York State’s most beautiful, scenic regions. When you visit us, you’ll see what we see every day – verdant vineyards and fields, lush forests, rolling hills and spectacular shorelines along Lake Erie and Lake Chautauqua.”

Start at the northern end of the map. We recommend starting in Fredonia and working your way from there through the beautiful countryside, quaint villages and historic towns to Sherman in the west, Kennedy in the east and Jamestown in the south, where you’ll find four locations this year.

This Labor Day weekend, Tom Annear and Tom Janik will be showing their art at Annear Studio in Fredonia, located at 43 Central Ave. in Fredonia. Annear will be exhibiting his oil paintings while Janik will be showcasing his beautiful photography.

Art by Marcia Merrins.

Not far away in his studio at 165 Cushing Street will be Wally Latimer, a longtime local wood artist with stunning handcrafted designs specializing in Shaker wood boxes. Also in Fredonia is Marcia Merrin’s studio Kniti Griti Works at 42 Rosalyn Court, which will host Nancy Nixon Ensign and Susan Forrester-Mackay. Guests are painters with unique styles, while the hostess will show off her intricate pottery work from jewelry to animals to fairy houses and more.

Down the road on Route 20 in Portland you’ll find 21 Brix Winery at 6654 West Main Road. Inside you’ll find Patrick Stokes with his photography, Tony and June Burns with their all-time favorite wood art puzzles, and Karen Taverna with her uniquely beautiful jewelry.

Continue west on Route 20, turn south onto Route 394 in Westfield and you’ll come to the Portage Hill Art Gallery, 6439 Portage Road, Westfield. It features the art of Audrey Kay Dowling, Karen Glosser and Tim Sivertsen. Glosser and Sivertsen will be on site under tents while Dowling will display her work inside the gallery. Glosser’s photography explores the wonder of nature and Sivertsen’s art is made of charcoal, pastel and acrylic. Audrey will display her ceramics and paintings.

Stop 7 is Reno Pottery, 6007 Centralia-Hartfield Road, Dewittville. This is where the functional porcelain pottery of Jim and Pat Reno is displayed in their studio. They have been making pottery for over 40 years and are a staple at many local arts and crafts festivals on the East Coast.

Stop 8 is in front of Truffle Honey Eatery, 3943 Route 394 in Mayville. This new location features art by Seri Beeson, Ellen Paquette, Sarah Brown Millspaw and Cynthia Norton under tents outside the entrance.

Joseph Grice,

Beeson is a textile artist and also crochets beaded jewelry. Paquette will show her Renaissance-style portraits of endangered species. Millspaw is a watercolor illustration artist and will be showcasing many of her paintings, note cards, and her book this year. Norton creates hand-painted textile clothing for sophisticated, artistically inclined women (and sometimes men).

The LMNOP Gallery, located at 108 W. Main Street in Sherman, features the work of Peter Hamilton, an accomplished wood craftsman whose unique designs include wall-hung wood art and stylized, creative furniture with form and function.

Jamestown has four venues that delight the senses, all showcasing works in a variety of media by highly skilled artists.

Stop 10 is the Chautauqua Art Gallery at 318 N. Main St. in Jamestown, which features the works of owner Leslie Calimeri and local artist Katherine Kepner.

Both artists will present their paintings, which are as unique and creative as the artists themselves.

Art by Marcia Merrins.

Stop 11 is the Joe Grice Art Studio at 515 Pine Street in Jamestown. Grice is a wildlife illustrator, a very detail-oriented artist with a deep love of nature and birds. His paintings can be seen throughout the area, and visitors to the trail will see many more images showcasing his mastery of oil painting and can speak with him in person.

Located at Stop 12 in the Pearl City Clay House, 220 E. Second Street in Jamestown, the gallery features four artists: Jackie Damore, Susan Simmons, Hans Videll and Terry Lair. These artists’ works range from oil and acrylic paintings to mixed media, drawings and exceptional modern art.

Stop 13 is at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute at 311 Curtis St. in Jamestown. Susan Gutierrez, Debbie Penley and Carrie Tredo Sheffield will be featured under tents on the grounds in front of the building. Penley is a textile artist with bold, creative creatures and images, while Gutierrez works with acrylics and creates works of nature and depicts local buildings in her unique style. Sheffield is an artist who works with a variety of media and also creates ecologically dyed clothing.

Stop 14 is in Kennedy, at Janet Mandel’s studio at 747 Abbey Road. Mandel’s unique style is characterized by songbirds and animal images.

The North Shore Arts Alliance Art Trail is a special opportunity to gain a fantastic insight into the creative processes of extremely talented and experienced artists, all based in Chautauqua County.

A fierce dragon created by Tony Burns.

All of the artists on the Art Trail are members of the North Shore Arts Alliance. This year, you will have the chance to win one of eight gift certificates that can be redeemed at any of the artists on this year’s trail. The certificates range in value from $25 to $100.

To be entered to win, pick up a Passport card at your first stop on the Art Trail. Each stop on the trail will give you a unique stamp in your Passport. Once you’ve visited the hubs, simply drop the card off at the last stop. A completed Passport will enter you into a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. If you complete 5 stops, you could win a $25 gift certificate. See the Passport card for more details. Need a detailed map of the Art Trail?

Funding for this is provided in part by Arts Services Inc.’s Creative Impact Fund, an initiative of the New York State Senate, supported by the New York State Legislature and the Office of the Governor, and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts. Mark your calendar for this free event on Labor Day weekend (August 31 and September 1). It’s free, weather permitting. Come support our local arts community, and take a day to just enjoy. We hope to see you there!

Artwork by Katherine Kepner.