News & Views
Photo of Sandwich Village by Joe Janis
What is your name and the name of your business? I am Cathy Crooker and my business is Crooker Consulting. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? Mine is one of the typical Sandwich stories – I spent my summers here as a kid. As a family we hiked, played tennis, went canoeing, and performed together in the 70’s versions of the Sandwich Players Gilbert & Sullivan productions under the legendary Bob Bates! When my parents, Charlie and Lib Crooker, retired here in 1980, this became “home base,” the place I came back to for family visits. I lived in Oregon all those years, primarily working for nonprofits doing fundraising, but treasured my visits to see family and get back into the mountains I love. When my husband, Griff O’Brien, retired a few years ago, I had the flexibility through my business to live anywhere, so we chose to return to Sandwich full-time. And we are so thrilled that we did! We love this community and are honored to be a part of it. What got you started in this profession? After graduating from Oberlin College with a Soviet Studies degree I migrated to Oregon. Like many fundraisers of my time, I happened upon an opportunity in development with no notion that this would be my career. When an entry-level job at the Easter Seals Society showed me how donors could help improve the lives of children with disabilities, I was hooked! From there I went on to run all the special fundraising events for The American Heart Association in Oregon, and my path in fundraising was set! I went on to work in healthcare and higher education fundraising in and around Portland, Oregon, with a detour during the 1990’s running a business exporting food to Russia (another topic for another day!) Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? Crooker Consulting helps dedicated nonprofit leaders achieve bold visions. I help volunteers, boards and staff learn how to raise more money, I help them develop strategies & visions that will resonate with donors, and I help boards grow and evolve. I have a passion for improving our community. It is a gift to be in a profession where I help connect committed donors with organizations that are creating positive change, whether that is curing cancer, housing the homeless or enhancing the cultural fabric of the community. And I know that anything is possible when we align our energies in common purpose! How did this business get started? In 2015 the wonderful woman I was working for at Community Action in Oregon was set to retire. I decided at that time I was also ready for a transition to the next phase of my life and was ready to launch out on my own to offer what I could to a range of clients. My experience in both very large and very small organizations lends me a unique set of skills. I am trained in the best practices of major fund raising inside large capital campaigns and I use my creative abilities to bring those vital tools to organizations with small staffs and limited budgets. I have learned that budget and size are not a hindrance to creating breakthrough fundraising strategies. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? When I see a board and an organization pull off a big dream that they weren’t sure was possible, I get a lot of satisfaction. The size of the budget doesn’t matter that much – for example, it was just as exciting for me to help the small arts cooperative raise the $100K they needed to repair their gallery as it has been to help the $55M arts center raise the money they needed. The joy comes from helping these incredibly dedicated volunteers achieve what they set out to do for their community. What is the hardest? I wouldn’t say it is hard, but it makes me a bit sad when an organization turns out to be “un-coachable.” It doesn’t happen often, but I have had a few instances when organizations paid me to give them advice, to help guide them, and then they decided not to listen and learn. I have come to understand over the years that when this happens, I need to sever the relationship as early as possible, and not take any more of their precious money, most of which was usually given to them by donors. I have to recognize when they are just not ready for the next step. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? At the start of the pandemic my business did drop – several capital campaigns that were underway or about to start stalled or didn’t launch. But after a few short weeks of mild panic and some readjustment, I found new projects with some long-term clients who needed extra support during the crisis. For example, one of my very first clients, a food bank in Portland, Oregon, was raising MORE money than they ever had and needed a lot of help navigating through their busiest fundraising year ever! I was inspired to see how the community stepped up in unprecedented ways to give to this organization that was right on the front lines of the crisis, and it was also amazing to realize that with all our modern technology (bad internet in Sandwich aside…) I could be just as helpful to them from our little village as I could have been had I still been in Portland. Griff & were also able to adjust our lives so that during COVID – and now moving forward – I don’t have to work a hard as I did! So, I am taking more time for tennis, hiking, fiber arts, and spending time with friends. What are your goals and hopes for the future? My goal is to continue to be of service to the clients I have the privilege of supporting, and to balance that with plenty of time for all the richness that life in Sandwich has to offer – and to add more travel back into the mix! What else can you tell us about yourself? I am an avid hiker and active with the Over the Hill Hikers. I am also an addicted fiber artist - my new home studio holds my nine spinning wheels and multiple looms! Since moving to Sandwich, I have also enjoyed getting more involved in a formal way with some volunteer work, including serving on the Broadband Advisory Committee. Griff & I just recently moved into our new, permanent retirement home, a project that has been in the works for a few years (and a challenge during COVID). We are now enjoying settling into our completely off-grid home on Elm Hill Road.
Cathy Crooker 503-577-5448 catherine@crookerconsulting.com Martha Nichols writes: For one special day during August, over 25 New Hampshire craftspeople will gather together at the beautiful Sandwich, NH town green in front of the League of NH Craftsmen gallery for the annual craft demonstration and sale day, called Artisans on the Green. This year the event will be held on Thursday, August 12, when the Main Street of Center Sandwich will once again become a center of craft celebration and fun for the entire family. This year’s Artisans on the Green, held during the annual town-wide Sandwich Old Home Week, promises to have something for everyone: craft demonstrations, access to artists, beautiful crafts for sale, animals to pet, and delicious food by the Sandwich Woman’s Club. The Center Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery organizes this remarkable day and is also the sponsor. The entire event is free: there is no admission charge and there is plentiful parking at marked locations in the historic and beautiful town of Center Sandwich. The event is held in rain or shine from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. There are many favorite artists returning this year, such as Diane Johnson of Soft Touch Farm needle felting, Marion Federspiel digital paintings of landscapes, Zee Hayford sterling silver jewelry, Marcy Greene canvas bags, Dick Devens architectural watercolors, Jennifer Libby soaps and pottery, and Hog Hill Pottery. New this year are Sandwich potters Suzanne Weil and Rachel Bartlett, Anne Richards and Donna Carlucci fiber artists, Martha Spaulding mosaics, and Ralph Watson Fiber art. Always popular demonstrations on the green and hands-on activities will be available for kids. In addition, many artisans will show you examples of pottery making, needle felting, digital painting, and watercolors in their individual tent locations throughout the day. Every craftsperson on the green is eager and ready to answer questions while encouraging visitors to learn about the skills, materials, and production steps necessary to “do it yourself.” Everyone is encouraged to wander on the green, learn, have fun, and find unique crafts to own or gift. A founding member of the League of NH Craftsmen, Center Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery continues to support craftspeople from all regions of New Hampshire and to educate children and adults through its programs. The gallery of fine crafts is open daily from May through October. For a list of craft courses available during the 2021 season, see: https://centersandwich.nhcrafts.org/classesworkshops/ League of NH Craftsmen Center Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery
603-284-6831 centersandwich.nhcrafts.org Gallery Hours 10-5 Monday - Saturday 12-5 Sunday What is your name and the name of your business? Drs Casey and Adrien Cloutier, Sandwich Animal Hospital. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? We moved here in 2017 from North Dakota, after purchasing Dr. Dolan's practice and former residence. We had been looking to move closer to family - Adrien is from Stark, NH and Casey is from southern CT - and we missed New England. When Adrien found Dr. Dolan's advertisement in the back of a veterinary journal, it felt like it could not have been a more perfect fit for us and our growing family, with its distance to our family and the ability to have a small farm on the property. What got you started in this profession? Both Adrien and I wanted to be veterinarians since we were children. We met while attending veterinary school at Tufts University. We both worked on the school's farm for several years and enjoyed working with both small and large animals. I worked solely as a cattle veterinarian, working in local sales barns and in the countryside of North Dakota, for nearly two years before switching to mixed practice. Adrien has worked in mixed practice since graduating veterinary school. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? We are a mixed animal veterinary clinic. We offer both in-clinic, farm and house call services, when possible, and see everything from guinea pigs to pigs on a farm! In addition to Adrien's surgical skills, we are able to have a board-certified surgeon in-house for some more complicated procedures and we recently have begun working with a mobile veterinarian who provides ultrasound services in-house, with advance appointment. How did your business get started? We were lucky enough to buy an existing practice from Dr. Dolan, who built the business over several decades of hard work and compassion. In addition to the excellent preventative and general practice care that Dr. Dolan provided, we have been slowly adding more services to the clinic - like basic large and small animal ultrasound capability and in-house labwork. We hope to continue to build our skillset and offer more to the community in the next few years, such as acupuncture and laser therapy. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job? Being able to care for the animals, the furry family members, of our community is the most satisfying - we love seeing happy, healthy, thriving patients around town. What is the hardest? Medicine and health care is not one-size-fits all, both from a lifestyle and a financial perspective. We work hard to make treatment plans that adhere as closely to the established standard of care while taking into consideration the family's budget and expectations, as well as the animal's quality of life. This is hardly ever easy but it is one of the most important parts of our profession. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? Like many businesses, we have been operating as a curbside service since March 2020. While our clientele all took this in stride, and adapted to curbside care as we did, we miss the quality time we spend with owners inside the exam room. We have always felt strongly about working as a team with owners to guide care and we enjoy getting to know owners as more than just a person attached to a pet - this has been much harder to do with social distancing and curbside care. We have also halted our house call services for the time being. We were proud to offer house call service for our elderly/home bound clientele, as well as for our elderly patients. It was a much appreciated service and we know it is missed. We are lucky to have remained open (and busy!) this past year but, as our children have remained home since March 2020, have been limited to one doctor in the clinic at a time. By the fall, we should be back to operating with two veterinarians in the clinic at least three days a week. What are your goals and hopes for the future? We hope to continue providing high quality personalized care for the animals in Sandwich and surrounding areas. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
People can't help but notice, whether they are driving by or visiting the clinic with a pet, that in addition to the clinic, we manage a small farm. We raise Angora goats and a handful of Shetland sheep, in addition to innumerable chickens, geese, pigs, Maremma sheepdogs, and the occasional bottle calf. Our kids love helping out with chores and are often running around the place, making mud pies or building fairy houses. We feel truly lucky to be able to both work and raise our family here in Sandwich and are grateful to this community for their support. Sandwich Animal Hospital 477 Whiteface Road North Sandwich, NH 03259 O: 603-284-6206 F: 603-284-6110 Please join us for an exhibit that bursts in color and joy from the palette of Margery Thomas Mueller. Large and small blooms painted in watercolor on Yupo paper will adorn the gallery walls beginning Saturday, July 24th with a reception to meet the artist from 5 to 7. Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery is located at 69 Maple Street in Center Sandwich. Visit our website for more gallery information. Margery Thomas Mueller lives and works in Alton, NH. Her large multi media paintings were first exhibited at Patricia Ladd Carega gallery in 2015 and at the Red Dot Gallery at Mueller’s studio. Drawn in India ink and gesso on Yupo paper, an unforgiving industrial plastic, these paintings talked of troubled souls moving through the thickets of life. The travails of others dominated Mueller’s work at the time. As we continued to soldier through Covid, Mueller added decoupage birds to her branches, a symbol of freedom and flight.
In her latest series of work on view at the gallery, India ink and gesso have given way to intense color. Fascinated by the effects of watercolor on Yupo, this new series of work shimmers with the happiness of a garden in spring. In Mueller’s words: “Liminal space…the world in between – between a world I live in and a world I listen to, that has always been what has driven my imagery.” Like all of Mueller’s work, the flower paintings are strong and energetic. Though color impacts the first view, a second glance reveals how delicate this work is. We welcome you to spend some time with Color Awakens. Does it awaken a reaction in you? Patricia Ladd Carega gallery is open from 10 to 5 Tuesday through Saturday and from 12 to 5 on Sunday. We are closed on Monday but if the barn door is open, come on in. 603 284 7728. Patricia Carega Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery www.patricialaddcaregagallery.com 603 284-7728 What is your name and the name of your business? My name is Kathryn Field and my business is Field Fine Art. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? Sandwich became my home full time in 1999 when my late husband Philip Simmons and I moved here from Chicago. His family had a home here since 1961 and I first visited Sandwich in 1984. We were both teaching at Lake Forest College in Illinois and Rich Benton, Phil’s childhood friend, built our home on land next door to Phil’s parent’s home on Taylor Road in 1992. We called ourselves contemporary nomads and moved back and forth from Chicago as our academic calendar allowed, until 1999 when we moved here permanently with our two children, Aaron and Amelia. I taught as an adjunct faculty member at Plymouth State University for a number of years and spent 11 years teaching art at Holderness School. Leo Dwyer, my creative partner, husband and best friend moved from Sunapee a few years after we started dating. We married after a long courtship and many of you know him as one of our selectmen for 5 years. We are both active members of our community and think living in Sandwich is the best place in the world to call home. What got you started in this profession? I have been immersed in artmaking since childhood and started teaching at the University level after graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I have always been interested in teaching all levels of art. In graduate school I got my start teaching children’s art classes. Throughout my career as a professor I continued to produce my own sculpture works and eventually moved into painting. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? I started my business Field Fine Art in 2015. It is a professional teaching studio and practicing art space. The business functions on three levels. First, as a teaching studio. I want to provide a space for people to explore their creativity and learn new skills. Second, as a showroom/gallery space where I meet with clients to show them the range of my sculpture or painting works—models of completed commissions and works in process. And third, it is where I do my work. When not teaching or meeting with clients, I am a full-time practicing artist, painting and creating sculpture. My work is represented by Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery in Sandwich. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? Teaching people and guiding them to see the possibility of integrating creativity with their lives is the most thrilling and satisfying aspect of the job. Having students return year after year and sharing in their enjoyment of working in the studio space and sharing ideas with others is most gratifying. Students range in age from 4 to 93 and every age brings a new and different perspective to the art process. Working on commissions is equally fulfilling. Commissions are a collaboration of minds. A client brings a vision or idea of what they want. Seeing the joy they get when I can visually bring life to their concepts, feelings and thoughts making a tangible piece of art for them to enjoy. I work on sculpture commissions for both private homes and public spaces. I have over a dozen public sculptures located in the Midwest and East Coast at universities, churches, public buildings, and parks. This loon sculpture was designed for a private client for their summer home on Lake Winnipesaukee. The client wanted a sculpture of a loon. We talked for several hours in my studio where I showed him other sculptures of birds that I had created, we discussed material options, scale and cost estimates. During the meeting I drew some ideas out and discussed the idea of using the wind to make the sculpture turn. The next step was to make a life size scale model of the loon. I took the model to the client's lakeside property and made a video with my phone which I sent to the client who lives in Washington state. The final drawings were done with paper and pencil, then photographed and worked on in Adobe illustrator, turning the drawings into a vector format which then go to the fabricator. Once the pieces are laser cut I work in the shop with the fabricator on shaping and bending the pieces until it is finished. This part of the process is also a collaboration of several people, that's what makes it so gratifying. My paintings, and small bronze and stainless sculptures, are in over a hundred private collections in the USA, Australia, and China. My most recent commission will be installed in Betsy’s Park in Holderness, NH. Another bonus of working on commissions is that I get to collaborate and work with my husband Leo Dwyer who is a trained architect and is an invaluable part of my creative process. The three paintings below were created for an exhibition titled Sandwiched in Seasons, exhibited last summer at Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery in Sandwich. The inspiration for each of these paintings were from daily walks I take in our town and an exploration of the seasons. I always have my camera on my walks and there is an endless source of imagery in our own backyards.The scale of my paintings range from small intimate landscapes to large 3ft. x 6ft. canvases. I work in watercolors and primarily oils. I also paint with oils and gold leaf on my laser cut stainless steel works. I really enjoy combining materials and seeing how the different textures play off each other to evoke a unique surface. During the quiet of Covid I had time to experiment and began working on a series of large weathervanes combining landscapes and animal images. These new sculptural creations serve both form and function, a whole new twist for my business to explore. What is the hardest aspect of your work? As an artist the hardest aspect of running a small business is marketing and selling the work. That is a necessary and important aspect of the job but one I do not relish. Making art takes one set of skills and I am passionate about that aspect of the business, but marketing takes a skill that challenges me. That is why I am most grateful to the SBG and Janina Lamb for creating this opportunity for members like me to introduce ourselves to a larger community. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? All classes in the studio were cancelled during Covid. I did some online teaching using zoom but primarily taught private classes to one student at a time wearing masks in a large open classroom space. I had been teaching art to the inmates at the Belknap County Department of Corrections and that had to be put on hold during Covid. The sculpture production was impacted by the cost of materials increasing and not always being available. But happily, my group classes will resume this July in the studio and at the Sandwich Home Industries where I also teach. What are your goals and hopes for the future? Now that Covid is behind us, I look forward to holding classes in the studio year-round. I am offering three new classes this summer—Material Madness, Making Cards, and Open Studio Practice—in addition to the range of painting and drawing classes that I have offered in the past. My flower and vegetable gardens will be in full bloom providing great inspiration for painting and drawing outside. I welcome commissions large and small, for gardens, homes, and parks. I am really excited to see the newest sculpture commission placed in Betsy’s Park in Holderness. Betsy’s Park will be a great gathering place for people to enjoy the beauty of our area, throughout the seasons. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business/organization?
I enjoy working with others to enrich our community especially in the area of the visual arts and education. I serve on the board of the Yeomans’ Fund for the Arts and The Sandwich Home Industries. Both organizations strive to bring creative educational opportunities to our community. I am a hiker, avid gardener, and enjoy being outdoors as much as possible. Visit my professional website at www.kathrynfield.com and my teaching website at www.fieldfineart.weebly.com. Please enjoy the latest installment of Meet Our Members, featuring John Davidson, whose new business, Club Sandwich, is sure to bring great pleasure and benefit to the Sandwich community. His energy and enthusiasm, after a long and stellar career as a comedian, author, actor, musician, TV host, singer, and entertainer, is remarkable! What is your name and the name of your business? John Davidson's Club Sandwich. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? I grew up in West Bridgewater MA and have wanted to get back to New England for many years. I like the culture here. I like the trees. I like New Englanders. While I was touring in the Broadway musical Wicked, playing The Wizard, we came to Boston and went out to Lenox in the Berkshires to look at houses. We bought a home and lived there for 3 years, but the house was too small and too expensive. Our daughter and her family lived in Salem MA, so we began searching within a 2 hour radius of Salem for a larger home at a reasonable price. We found the house of our dreams in Sandwich over 4 years ago. What got you started in this profession? I became a theater Arts Major at Denison University because of the theater students, and theater is a great way to study human nature. I was a shy kid and theater taught me the freedom of role playing. After graduation I went to NYC and was able to get jobs in musical theater and soon television and film. I found acceptance in the theater. I really can't do anything else. Tell us about your work. What do you make, do, or offer? I sing, write songs, and play guitar. Singing feels good when I do it. And the coordination between my hands and voice is my favorite thing to do. I tell stories that touch people, and I enjoy using musical material to affect people. How did this business get started? I have enjoyed a 55 year career in theater, television and film. This means that I have been a gypsy for a long time. At this point in my life I am ready to not travel as much, so when I found this little performance venue at 12 Main St. in Center Sandwich I decided to try my hand at producing my own music venue for my performances. Plus I can provide an intimate stage setting for the many talented singer/songwriters in New England. I have created a multimedia show space with rear screen projections to better tell the story of each song. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? Performing. touching an audience enough to make them laugh, cry, discover something new about themselves, or inspire them to make the most of the brief time we have. What is the hardest? Satisfying my need to do the perfect show. Someday I will do that. I'm pretty hard on myself. I usually follow the bows with the feeling that I could have done better. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? I have not started Club Sandwich yet because of Covid. We open July 2, 2021 What are your goals and hopes for the future?
Stay healthy. Sing better. Play guitar better. Write more songs. Create the perfect musical performance. Welcome people back to my show again. What else can you tell us about yourself? I like people who are open, honest, and outspoken. That's New Hampshire at it's best. I also like people who choose happiness. Click to watch John give a tour of the new Club Sandwich. What is your name and the name of your business? My given name is Margaret Merritt, but usually go by Peggy. When I was a child in southwestern Ohio, my mother used my given name only when I was in trouble; i.e., “Margaret Merritt, you get in here right this minute!” I started “Basket Street Papers” around the time my husband Ron Lawler and I bought our house on Basket Street and I began making paper there. My focus has now turned from papermaking to printmaking. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? I first visited Sandwich in the early 1970s during an afternoon drive to explore the region around the Holderness School where I was attending a scientific conference. My real connection with New Hampshire began with a 1986 vacation, when Ron and I were living in Norfolk, Massachusetts. We rented a Lake Ossipee cottage from Betsy Rouner who soon became a close friend. She introduced us to a number of Sandwich folks, including her brother Lee and his wife Rita. We bought a camp on Mt. Israel Road, near Booty Farm, in 1989. Summer weekends and vacations in that camp led to our buying the Basket Street House in 1996 and becoming year-round Sandwich residents in 2002. How did you get started in your profession? I began taking evening classes at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art in Michigan when I was research chemist at The Upjohn Company and eventually found my art niche in printmaking. I left active printmaking when I began teaching at Wellesley College in 1982. In my last two years at Wellesley, I taught “Chemistry and Art,” a lab-studio course for non-science students and included a section on etching. Parts of that course were expanded and included in a lecture series on the “Chemistry of Library Materials” that I presented to staff of the Harvard University libraries in fall of 2003. The beautiful papers used in printmaking drew me into my first New England art-making experience in 1998 when I took a course in Japanese hand papermaking at the School of Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. That experience led to my making paper outside on Basket Street during the summer and in the bathtub in winter. While still at Wellesley, I was juried for papermaking in the Sandwich Home Industries and began to show and sell some of my paper art there and elsewhere. My work, under Basket Street Papers, included cards, pulp paintings, and dyed and painted papers and grew in scope after my retirement in 2002. One of the my most interesting papermaking projects was creating a piece containing recycled U.S. currency in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Crane Museum of Papermaking in 2005. The Crane family has made the paper for all United States currency since 1879. Composed of shredded discarded U.S. currency and Asian fibers, my contribution “Strong as the Dollar” highlights the inter-dependency of world currency and is now in the permanent collection of the Museum. I painted with wet colored pulp in addition to making paper in sheet and sculptural forms. Such pulp paintings served as the basis for a collaborative piece, with lithographer Anita Dillman, that now hangs in the cancer research center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Suzanne Lee of Lakes Gallery at Chi-Lin, then in Meredith, helped facilitate this commissioned piece. Even when making art papers, I longed for an etching press. Etching processes require a fairly expensive, heavy press in contrast to the simple equipment used in Asian-style papermaking. Shortly after refreshing my printmaking skills in a 2005 course at Plymouth State, I bought that much desired press. As with each sheet of handmade paper, most of my prints are now made—pulled—individually by hand, using my press. Although I continued both hand papermaking and printmaking work for over a decade, my principal focus gradually shifted to the latter. I recently gave away most of my papermaking equipment; some will be used to establish a papermaking studio at Smith College. The experimental and collaborative nature of modern printmaking resonates with the scientist in me. Printmakers constantly seek new ways to translate their imagined images into reality and willingly share their discoveries. One of my most rewarding printmaking adventures came from collaboration with two other New Hampshire artists, Anne Garland and Wendy Ketchum. Together we produced twenty unique prints containing a distinct layer from each of us, and led to an exhibition at the Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery in 2016. Tell us more about your work. The natural world provides the inspiration for most of my designs, ranging from realistic impressions to abstract interpretations. I make each of my hand-pulled prints individually by transferring inked images from one or more flat plates to paper. I often overlay different images by sequential printing of multiple plates with different inks to produce a single print. Most of my early Sandwich prints were made from traditional chemically etched copper plates to produce black and white etchings. I have embraced other techniques and color in more recent prints. “On the Edge,” was included in a 2017 exhibition focused on climate change at the Carrega Gallery. Using printing plates constructed from dried plant material, I made the 2019 “Running Pine” print. Scissors served as a model for the multi-colored 2020 “Rambling.” I mainly show and sell my hand-pulled prints through galleries, locally at the Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery in Sandwich, and Artworks in Chocorua. I also exhibit my work through the New Hampshire Art Association, the Monotype Guild of New England, and Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence, Massachusetts. My own processes use “environmentally green” processes, pioneered by Zea Mays. All my materials and resultant prints are of archival quality. How/why did your start your business? I use the name “Basket Street Papers” to describe all my work and provide a means for publicizing and sharing my artwork through organizations like the Sandwich Business Group. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? I love the technical details of printmaking as well as learning and experimenting with new techniques and materials. The rhythm and flow of printing by hand imparts a sense of timelessness and meditation to my daily work and, I hope, is reflected in my art. What is the hardest? Beginning a new project. I often start by exploring materials as well as constructing trial plates to get something that “feels” right enough to finish a print or a series of related ones. I make many false starts. How has this last Covid year affected your work? The Covid year has broadened the horizons of my art life with online workshops and weekly virtual lunches, through my membership in Zea Mays Printmaking. Although sorely missing the company of local folks, I have acquired new friends and artist colleagues from across the country, thanks to ZOOM and Zea Mays. I spent far more time in my studio than in a “normal” year and was able to experiment with many different techniques and subjects. My husband’s companionship transformed the Covid year on Basket Street into a productive retreat. “Hampshire Hog” serves as an example of a 2020 print made using a sandpaper-covered plate. “Bits and Pieces” is one of my first attempts at collaging and printing on pieces of old prints. I devoted a good deal of the spring of 2021 on a series of woodcuts, like the one shown here. What are your hopes and goals for the future?
I hope that the experimentation that carried me through the Covid-year will continue to enliven my art life. And I look forward to spending more time with the wonderful people of Sandwich. What else can you tell us about yourself and your work as an artist? The Sandwich community, including Sandwich Home Industries folks, helped my transition from chemist to artist. I first exhibited my paper art at an Old Home Week Art Show, reborn now as Artisans on the Green. Of the many people who have supported my efforts to “make art,” I would like to acknowledge a few of them: my husband Ron Lawler for his unflagging encouragement of my work; my late neighbor Bob Wright for his pithy advice; and Will Lehmann for his generosity in helping me frame my own art work. I especially thank Patricia Carega for her thoughtful critiques of my art, exhibiting it, and making her gallery a Lakes Region destination for all lovers and patrons of fine art. Contact: peggymerritt@gmail.com https://mvmerritt.com/home.html What is your name and the name of your business? My name is Molly Simmons and I own and teach yoga at 2 Basket Street Yoga in Sandwich. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? My husband Paul’s family has been here since 1961. Sandwich was one of the first places Paul brought me after we met. That was Fair Weekend of 2010. I remember riding along the Holderness Road heading to Paul’s mom house and marveling at all the beautiful fall leaves. I had never been to Sandwich, NH and didn’t know what to expect. It was lovely. I also met many of Paul’s oldest friends when we went to watch the parade in town. We watched from one of Paul’s friends house. Many of the people I met that day are now dear friends of mine and also a big part of the community at 2 Basket Street Yoga. What got you started in this work? I started practicing yoga 20 years ago at a studio in Cambridge, Mass. I fell in love with the practice of yoga. Not only did it make my body feel stronger, but it also brought so much peace and healing to my mind. As fate would have it I started to work at the studio where I took my first class. I continued on to teach at many different yoga studios in Boston and surrounding suburbs. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? The studio is in our barn and offers beautiful views of Mt. Israel and the Sandwich range. This magical healing space was once used as an artist’s studio by the former steward of the property. It seemed fitting to give the studio a renewed look and create 2 Basket Street Yoga. My style of teaching is a Vinyasa Flow, which means you will move from pose to pose. I also offer modifications if something is too challenging or you’re nursing an injury. You can rest also when you need. These are all-level classes; novices and experts alike are encouraged to come. How did your business get started? When my husband and I bought the property at 2 Basket Street here in Sandwich we were so lucky because the beautiful barn had a studio and I knew that I wanted to create a healing space. The setting is so lovely with the views of Mt. Israel and the Sandwich Range. With fine work of Chris Read, a local contractor and friend, we tailored the studio to fit its current need. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? I love teaching yoga! It is one of my favorite things to do and it doesn’t feel like work. I tell my students all the time that being able to teach yoga and bring yoga into the lives of others is such a gift. I love the community aspect of creating a yoga studio and bringing people together from the community to learn the practice of yoga and all of yoga’s amazing benefits. It is not about being able to touch your toes, it is about being present in the moment, taking care of you physical body and mind though the practice of yoga. The benefits of a yoga practice happen on and off the mat. What is the hardest? Marketing my business is sometimes challenging because of the time it takes and also needing to be creative to spread the word, that is why I am grateful to SBG offering this platform to share. What happened to your business in this last Covid year? Luckily, I was able to keep my things going by offering my yoga classes on Zoom, which was fantastic. I also held some classes outside late summer/fall last year. I am really excited to be offering in-person classes again here at the studio. For now, I am asking all students who attend in person to be vaccinated. I am also still offering classes on Zoom. What are your goals and hopes for the future? My goals and hopes for 2 Basket Street Yoga are to add more classes to the schedule, to continue to create a space for people in the community to come together and practice yoga, feel the healing benefits, and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
I am also a Reiki partitioner and own powersofhealing.com which I founded in 2007. I provide Reiki healing to clients in my Cambridge office. I also offer Reiki healing sessions here at 2 Basket Street Yoga. I am a twin. I love hiking, biking, skiing and running the trails & the roads with my sweet husband Paul and our dog Penny! Molly Simmons info@2basketstreetyoga.com 617-461-9512 2basketstreetyoga.com I CHING or BOOK OF CHANGES |
News & Views
News of what's happening in Sandwich and other items of interest. Meet Our Members
Please enjoy the Sandwich Business Group's 2021 project called Meet Our Members. Read interviews with fascinating people who live here and run businesses, organizations, and engage in other creative pursuits.
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