Spring Northampton Directors’ Picks

The 220 artists who are accepted to participate in the Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton on Memorial Day Weekend are the “best-of-the-best” of America’s independent painters, sculptors, and craft makers from every corner of America. Each season, Paradise City introduces many exciting new artists who will exhibit their work in the Northampton show for the first time. 

We are pleased to welcome a fresh crop of brand-new exhibitors to the show. From those artists making their Paradise City Northampton debuts, we have selected four as our Directors’ Picks. Please welcome these four and dozens of new artists to Paradise City Northampton this spring!

Vanessa Chatwood Kerby is a “Renaissance artist” whose creative journey spans a mastery of multiple media over two decades. Since childhood, her work has evolved from oil painting, figure drawing, printmaking and photography, to vocals and composition with her “smart but grim, sweet and sassy” band, The Dire Honeys. 

Working out of her studio in Goshen, MA, under the moniker “Goshen Ocean,” Kerby has channeled her passion into ceramics. The artist draws inspiration from moments of revelry, psychedelia, and sacred rituals, reimagining medieval iconography and Victorian sensibilities for a contemporary audience. Her work begins with sketching her ceramic project, then using hand building and wheel-thrown techniques. She employs a range of surface design methods for drawing and patterning, including sgraffito, Mishima, block printing, and Nerikomi, complemented by metallic and crystalline glaze combinations. With each piece, she endeavors to create a tangible connection to the past while embracing the possibilities of the future, seamlessly combining craft and art. As a teenager Kerby worked in the Information Booth at Paradise City Arts, but this will be her first time exhibiting as an artist.

Creating art that expresses a geometric beauty is the driving force behind Berkshire County artist Phil Webster. A life-long math lover, Webster began constructing complex patterns and shapes as a child. His early passion for geometry led to a math degree from MIT, and ultimately graduate work at the University of Michigan. A trip to India immersed Webster in the traditions and intricacies of Islamic design, which led to an epiphany. “My lifelong love of geometric art wasn’t just a hobby,” writes the artist, “I wouldn’t feel satisfied until I made it my vocation.” He began to conceptualize the play between traditional motif design and modern mathematical concepts, such as fractals, polyhedra, and tessellations. 

Webster’s creative process is a blend of intuition and technical expertise, starting with raw ideas that emerge unexpectedly and evolve into meticulously crafted 3D models. Drawing inspiration from the natural world around him, he states “when you observe nature closely you realize that mathematical shapes and patterns appear everywhere you turn.” Through his sculpture and lighting, Webster invites viewers to appreciate the inherent beauty and harmony of geometric form, bridging the gap between mathematical precision and organic elegance. 

Sarah Koff, based in Exeter, NH, is more than just a printmaker – she’s a storyteller, an environmentalist, and a community advocate. Her journey from environmental education to full-time woodcut artist reflects her deep-rooted passion for nature and her desire to inspire others to protect it. 

Koff creates striking images that capture the beauty of her surroundings in New England. From quaint riverfront scenes to rugged mountain trails, her prints tell the stories of local landscapes and the people and creatures who inhabit them. Committed to sustainability, the artist uses nontoxic, vegetable oil-based inks and a portion of her sales directly supports a variety of conservation organizations. 

For Koff, printmaking isn’t just a job – it’s a calling. After launching a fundraiser for relief during the devastating Australian wildfires, the artist states that she “redefined what a printmaker could be.” She continues, “I realized I could use my platform as a changemaking tool.” Koff’s hand-pulled prints are a way for her to connect with nature, express herself creatively, and make a positive impact on the world around her. In a time when our connection to the natural world is more important than ever, her message resonates loud and clear: we all have a role to play in protecting the planet we call home.

Jason McLeod is captivated by the concept of time travel. Through his renowned “Time Traveler” series, this accomplished studio jeweler explores celestial coding and maps in his designs. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University, McLeod’s venture into jewelry-making began in 2004, following a series of injuries that immobilized him for the better part of a year. Faced with idle hands, the artist taught himself goldsmithing and learned to manipulate fine metals.

For McLeod, jewelry represents the convergence of science, artistry, and meticulous craftsmanship. Guided by themes such as time travel and quantum physics, and crafted from 14k and 18k gold, sterling silver, platinum and exquisite gemstones, each piece tells a unique story. Whether it’s his Time Traveler series adorned with celestial symbolism or the minimalist elegance of the Bubbles Collection, or the striking contrast found in his Dark Chocolate and Oxidized Collections, each creation embodies McLeod’s unwavering dedication to his craft and his boundless imagination.

When you wear a piece of Jason McLeod’s jewelry, you’re embarking on a journey through the cosmos, where time bends and mysteries unfold with every step.