Artists' Nook in Laconia marks first anniversary

LACONIA — People traveling Union Avenue countless times may never realize that perched above Subway – in Unit 9C, next to Jennifer Brook’s law office – is The Artists' Nook, a small gallery packed with art that appeals on many levels. The art is approachable, affordable and intended to appeal to those who appreciate all that New Hampshire has to offer.

“The gallery reflects our rich New Hampshire heritage,” said owner Jennifer Brook, who opened it a year ago. “I have a background in fine art and chose to work in clay, creating practical pottery pieces for everyday life. Although I use a variety of techniques and a wide selection of glazes and underglazes, all the items I create are not only done for their aesthetics, but are lead-free and safe to use in the oven, microwave and dishwasher. My pottery is created for your everyday life. Once I got the idea of creating an art space, I looked for artists with similar thoughts and values."

Brook studied fine art, then culinary arts, then decided to enter law school. Her passion for art never waned and while pottery is her chosen medium, she looked for high quality art in a variety of media that would appeal to the full range of art lovers – newcomers, collectors and critics – with varying budgets.

Brook first met fine artist Marcia Haughey while golfing at Laconia Country Club. “Marcia was kind and encouraging and it didn't much matter to her that I wasn't a very good golfer,” Brook remembered. “What really mattered was the conversation we got into about art and the amazing body of work that Marcia had established.” From that meeting, The Artists' Nook began to take shape, one New Hampshire artist at a time.

From still life to abstract, portrait to landscape, Haughey is skilled in a variety of media. Currently working on a watercolor and abstract mixed media, Haughey said, “the medium I work in matches the mood I'm in. And with more than one piece going at a time, I can switch from one to the other, based on where I'm feeling the most motivated.”

Haughey fondly remembers her childhood growing up in Oxford, Ohio, the daughter of a portrait artist. “I grew up understanding the importance of art in one's life, and how art can have such a great impact on who we are,” she said. Once she and her husband settled in Laconia, she set out to share the importance of art with other young minds. While getting her master’s degree in fine art from Plymouth State College, she began substitute teaching before teaching full time at Gilford High School, where she and other art teachers raised the bar and taught college-level art in high school for over 20 years.

“Teaching – and learning – from all those students over the years made me a better artist,” Haughey said. “When you are teaching all these different techniques, like descriptive line quality, pastels, printmaking, the students put so much of themselves into their work that the enthusiasm and creativity just rubs off. Sometimes we would be challenged to get the kids vested in the work and we overcame that by getting the students to talk about the art using artistic terms. They understood that it was possible to critique the art without criticizing the artist.”

Haughey does commissioned work, everything from homes to people to pets. Her representation of New Hampshire life is present in her landscapes, animals and evident in portraits and even in abstracts.

Another artist to join The Nook who is not a native but has put down roots is Mark Crowley. His medium is raku pottery. Raku is a technique that dates back to the early 1550s, used by zen Buddhist masters in ceremonial tea ware. Raku pottery touches on the zen philosophies of simplicity and naturalness.

"I use a quick heating and controlled quick cooling process with heavy reduction to create my unique colors," Crowley explained. Firing raku is different than the firing methods used for pottery intended for everyday use. Raku is a decorative approach to pottery, but one that utilizes all of nature's elements, earth to make the pot, fire to preserve it, and water to stop the firing process.

“I glaze fire my pieces to roughly 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit in about 45 minutes," Crowley said. “Then I quickly remove the piece from the kiln and place it into the reduction chamber with some dry leaves inside. The leaves ignite from the temperature of the piece and the chamber is closed to extinguish the flames. This reduces the oxygen in the chamber for the initial cooling. After about 15 minutes of reduction cooling, the piece is pulled from the chamber and cooled quickly in water. After only a few minutes in the water, the piece is cool enough to touch and enjoy." Translated from the Japanese, raku translates to "happiness in the accident."

A fourth artist at The Artists' Nook is Paula Labelle. Wood turning is her medium, and her art is the result of putting machine to an intricate piece of nature. A bowl can take on personality, as burls and years of growth are visible in its polished surface. She explains the story behind her use of a piece of grafted walnut, “A grafted piece of wood is by definition the union of two items that strengthen the whole of two. You can see a dark line of the graft, the swirls where it grew together and on either side two distinct colors of wood, the dark American walnut and the lighter English walnut. Each sapling is capable of growing into a fine tree but because of this union, they are stronger, more resilient, and more productive as a whole.”

Labelle equates the grafting of wood to the bond that can grow between two individuals “in the same way a union of two people will create a stronger and more diverse bond that completes the individuals in ways they don't realize until they find that person who helps then thrive and grow.” Labelle's intricate wood turning items are often chosen for gifts for weddings or anniversaries.

The Artists' Nook may be a well-hidden, out-of-the-way space, but the artists whose work is displayed there make it well worth the search. Find it at Eight Gables, 585 Union Ave., Suite 9C. For more information, call 603-387-6167.