River Gallery School

Jason is a teacher in the adult program, has a BFA in Painting from Boston University School for the Arts. He has taught Middle School mural painting in Boston for three years. He has drawn from the figure for 15 years and organizes a quarterly Life Drawing Marathon at the River Gallery School. He teaches the adult Life Drawing and Painting Classes.

Marilyn Allen began painting in 1995 with Ric Campman of the River Gallery School.  Since then she has also studied with Vermont artists, Arrin Fancher and David Brewster, as well as Jim Peters at the Fine Arts Work Center.  She has shown her work in numerous local venues as well as in Massachusetts and Beacon, New York. Her work is in private collections throughout New England and New York.

Kim Hartman Colligan received her MFA in Printmaking from the University of South Dakota. Kim served as studio assistant and printmaker to the renowned colorfield painter Jules Olitski for several years. She brings a dynamic and exciting curriculum in printmaking to River Gallery School. She has shown her work widely throughout both New England and the upper Midwest, and is included in many permanent collections. Her work is on view for the month of November at the Edward Jones office building at 51 Main Street, Brattleboro. Visit Kim's website

Jillian Farwell studied ceramics at RISD and taught at the Studio of the Student Union at UC Berkeley, CA.  She now lives in Brattleboro and has been involved with RGS for years as a teacher and artist.

Donna C Hawes is the Administrative Director and energetic pulse of the River Gallery School.  She received her BFA from Auburn University and has been working in the field of graphic design, illustration and book making for over 25 years. She has taught numerous workshops on book binding/book arts through the River Gallery School.

Ailyn Hoey started painting and drawing as a child, and now works mainly in charcoal. The terrains that inspire Hoey provide solitude. They are often remote, rugged, harsh and unspoiled. She has spent time creating and showing her charcoal drawings in Texas, South Florida, and New England. Her most recent residency was in a dune shack on Cape Cod. Visit Ailyn's website

Collin studied fine arts at the Art Students League of New York from the age of 11.  Her education continued at LaGuardia High School for the Arts, followed by The Maryland Institute, College of Art. A creator and facilitator of many arts-based programs for children and youth, Collin has found a lot of ways of using art as a healing tool.

Barbara Merfeld-Campman has trained and exhibited widely as an artist, both in the US and abroad.  She co-founded River Gallery School, and now teaches Art and Meditation as well as heads the Children's Studio art program.  She has been teaching art for 35 years.

Petria Mitchell studied at The National Academy School of Fine Arts in New York City, then studied Studio Art at the Vesper George School of Art in Boston.  Two years later, she began independent work as an apprentice printmaker with Jonathan Talbot.  Painting has been a constant in her life since the age of nine, when her first paintings were large, abstract sunsets.  She describes painting as "a process of becoming receptive to oneself," but says "it's also the most difficult, heart-breaking and fulfilling means of expression that I've ever chosen to learn to love."  She has been teaching at River Gallery School for over ten years.  Visit Petria's website.

Matthew Peake is a family physician of 24 years who gave up his practice in
2006 to pursue an art career full time. Both with medicine and in art,
people have been his inspiration. Although  moved by the natural places that we sentient beings discover, cultivate or trod on, he loves more to paint us in these settings.

Having never been able to decide whether I prefer botanical watercolors over the looser brushwork and freedoms of oil painting, I am obliged to go back and forth between the two. Both mediums make their unique demands: the watercolors -- especially the botanical watercolors-- require precise drawing and careful planning whereas the oils demand more attention to tonal values, brushwork, and color harmony. In either medium, I’m a slave to composition. 

Donald Saaf is the illustrator of many children’s books, which are highly acclaimed by the kids in his neighborhood. His most recent book is SKINNY BROWN DOG by Kimberly Willis Holt which won the 2007 Oppenheim Gold Toy Award. He is also the illustrator for the Grammy award winning Dan Zanes’ C.D. Boardbooks.
Visit Donald's website

Helen Schmidt, has been at The River Gallery School for the last twelve years, and is currently teaching printmaking, assemblage, teen portfolio, children and adult studio classes. She studied at Sarah Lawrence College, Lacoste School for the Arts, The Museum School, and Vermont College at Norwich University, where she received her MFA. She has taught and shown her work locally for the last 16 years. Her teaching experience includes Hilltop Montessori School, The Putney School, Great River Arts, and Small Barn Arts. She has exhibited work at Windham Art Gallery, Gallery in the woods, T.W. Wood Gallery, The Michael S. Currier Center, The Sarah Lawrence Art Gallery, and Putney and Westminster West annual artists exhibitions. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Westminster West.

Ross Smart is a local artist and illustrator, who has been drawing and teaching drawing for 20 years. His whimsical work can be seen at www.rosstsmart.com.

A Northwest native, Ezra now calls Brattleboro home.  He is an avid enthusiast of creating connections between discarded construction materials, then dismantling them and exploring their internal workings.  At this time Ezra is pursuing his Masters of Fine Arts degree and raising two beautiful children.

Lydia Thomson, Creative Director, has been teaching in the adult program at RGS since 1994.  She received her BA in Studio Art, and also holds an MS in Education. She works mainly in oils and mixed media, landscapes and abstraction, and has exhibited throughout New England and New York.  Visit Lydia's website

Heather Van Horn has been working as a professional artist since 2001.  Her work has been honored throughout America and is now finding its way overseas. Her latest showing was in Philadelphia - peace in politics, an artist's agenda for america. Heather's work is now on tour and can be seen at Earth and State in Media, penn. until october 2008.

Julia Zanes is an artist living in Saxton's River with her husband Donald Saaf and sons Isak and Olaf. For the past twenty years she has been showing her work in New England at The Clark Gallery in Lincoln, MA, The Spheris Gallery in Hanover, The George Marshall Store Gallery in York ME, and The Catherine Dianich Gallery in Brattleboro, among others. She attended The Art Institute of Chicago.  Visit Julia's website