SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – “Nature at Its Finest” is a special commemorative show to honor Richard Emery at Gallery at the VAULT, on view through Jan. 31. Emery was a very talented local acrylic artist and woodworker.
“My grandfather was a very good woodcarver. Drawing and painting just come natural to me, like breathing. It’s just something I do without really thinking about it,” Emery said of his work.
Describing how he started his woodworking, Emery said, “My father was a logger, and after I graduated from Springfield High School in 1972, I went to work with him. He retired about 1980, and in ’83 I started work at Green Mountain Log Homes in Chester. When the big log home boom hit, we got so busy that for a time I did very little painting. Green Mountain closed down in ’92, but I still managed to do work for just about everybody else who had anything to do with log homes. Then I got into building log railings and log furniture. All this means I have about every type of woodworking machine and tool, very handy when it comes to making frames. In 2010, I decided to get back into painting again, using acrylics now.”
Richard was a very talented, self-taught artist who was as proud of his frames as his art. His wood-burned pieces and carvings are amazing. He passed this year. We miss him.
Gallery at the VAULT is located at 68 Main Street in Springfield, and is open Wednesday-Saturday, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call 802-885-7111, email galleryvault@vermontel.net, or visit Facebook, Instagram, or www.galleryvault.org. Gallery at the VAULT is accessible.