On Friday, August 2nd, VNRC will host a reception for Anna Yakubovskaya to coincide with Montpelier Art Walk. Anna’s exhibit, “Watercolor Diary: Three Years in Vermont”, is a collection of watercolor and silk paintings depicting scenes from Vermont and New England landscapes. Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, Anna moved to the United States in 1997, and found her way to St. Johnsbury in 2021. This work is an exploration and celebration of her journey as a new Vermonter.

Anna is VNRC’s tenth artist-in-residence, and the first from Caledonia County. She will be on site to discuss the methods and inspiration behind her work, as well as to sell prints and postcards. You can see more of Anna’s work on Facebook, Instagram, Etsy or at her website, www.mermaidsilk.com. As she writes:

Today, I mainly work in two mediums—watercolor and silk painting.

These techniques resemble each other in that they both require a certain fearlessness, as well as a trust for the material, in order to strike a balance between the intentional and the spontaneous. Exploring one often helps me find a new freedom, or lightness, in the other.

With watercolors, I have embarked in the wonder of plein air painting— stepping out of my studio to capture breathtaking Vermont landscapes and charming New England towns.

When it comes to silk, my work has often been centered in wearable art bearing motifs from the natural world—native plants, birds, detailed flowers.

I still wonder why exactly I create—what my mission is, if I even must have one? Today I would say that it is not necessarily to create beauty, but rather to capture, draw attention to, or translate in my own way the abundance of beauty that is around us.

It is what nourishes me, and hopefully touches others.

Doors will be open to the public from 4:30 to 7:30 pm.  Light refreshments will be served while supplies last. Additional visiting hours for Anna’s exhibit can be found here, or by appointment. Contact Alex Connizzo, Special Projects Coordinator, at (802)-223-2328 x126 or aconnizzo@vnrc.org for more information.