october 2009... the beginning
june 2010... a new ceramics studio!
In addition to being an Inn, The Orendaga and the surrounding region is a place of natural inspiration... and home to a beautiful new studio. Michael Andre Intrabartola and Michele Drozd are your hosts and in-house potters. Their newest adventure, Bellwether Ceramic Studio and (coming soon!) The Main House Gallery, is an exciting effort to combine fine art with fine accommodation. Our work and the work of our Resident Artists, both functional and non-functional, will be increasingly installed in the Cabins & Suites.
Guests and passers-by are welcome to pop into the studio and see our work, schedule a private lesson, purchase pieces, & commission new works.
In an effort to both inspire other artists and bring a new breath of creativity into the Northville community, we will offer two distinct residency opportunities (Summer and Winter) to emerging artists and mid-career ceramists alike. In exchange for work at the Inn, we will provide housing, a large private studio, time, and gallery space to show work. This is a unique opportunity for ceramic artists who desire a long period of self directed time to create with minimal extra duties and expenses amid beautiful, but rural, surroundings. Both positions will be available each year to one person or to a couple beginning in 2011.
It all began last October with a new foundation for the addition to our carriage house and the very beginnings of framing and gutting the original building.
Warm weather and late snow in November allowed us to get the exterior of the addition completed... all but the painting.
By January, Mikey finished cutting in the new windows on the south facing side of the old building to let in lots of light. The wiring, insulation, and drywall was complete. It finally began to look like a great space!
Next we installed a beautiful new pine ceiling. The end wall was to be paneled with reclaimed cedar siding from 1850... the original siding from the Main House that we found used as floor boards in the old building's loft.
February was reserved for skiing and continued restoration work inside the Main House. (there is much to do inside!) In March we took a backcountry Spring ski trip to the Chic Choc Mountains in Northern Quebec for a fantastic end to Winter.
April finally arrived... the gardens were growing, the daffodils were blooming, and it was time to get back to work! We finished rebuilding the large barn doors and making the beautiful new transom window to go above them. Our Antique cedar siding went up, and Interior painting and trim work began.
Now, the studio is complete -- and it proves to be a fantastic space to make artwork. We hope to have our first test firings by the end of June and new cups and mugs for our guests to use by mid July!
Keep an eye on this page for upcoming information about Bellwether Ceramics Studio, Mikey & Michele's Bio, and our new residency opportunities! In the meantime, please contact us if you are a Ceramic Artist and are interested in obtaining information about Bellwether's 2011 residency positions.