On Thursday, October 10, the Roycrofters at Large Association will host its October Little Journey with a “Meet the Masters” Roundtable Little Journey for a moderated collaborative conversation by seven Roycroft Masters on process, Roycroft legacy and their modern working practices.
Roycroft Masters Thomas Kegler, Thomas Pafk, Ann PerrySmith, Peter Potter, Henry Schmidt, Gerald Smith and Ronald VanOstrand will participate in the moderated panel discussion and brief artist talks before offering the public the opportunity to interact and ask questions about the movement.
ABOUT OUR MASTERS PANEL:
Thomas Kegler, Master Painter
Master Thomas Kegler is an internationally recognized traditional oil painter inspired by the American landscape. Thomas is a self-taught realist painter and educational film producer. He is also a renowned art educator and champion of future artists, young and old.
His work draws on the techniques and sensibilities of the Hudson River school, Tonalism and Lumanism movements of the mid-1800's. Each piece celebrates the grandeur and mystery of God's creation through careful attention to often-overlooked subtleties.
Thomas is recognized as a top artist among many national organizations and has been featured in numerous publications. His work is showcased in galleries, collections, and publications worldwide. Kegler was juried as a Roycroft Artisan in Painting in 2001 and achieved Master in two short years. He has been a Master Roycroft Painter since 2003. He resides with his children in East Aurora and his family spends significant time in the American midwest whenever time allows them, where he draws inspiration from the natural vistas.
Ann PerrySmith, Master in Clay:
Master Ceramic Artisan, Ann PerrySmith’s work focuses on both functional and sculptural
form with influence from the Art Nouveau movement and her passion for studying nature.
She received her Bachelors Degree in Art Education and her Master Degree in
Multidisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Ceramics from Buffalo State University. After
happily teaching Ceramics and Studio in Art for 33 years at Lancaster High School, she
recently retired to focus solely on her own ceramic artwork. She is a past-President of the Roycrofters at Large Association and an Exhibiting Member of the Buffalo Society of Artists.
Ann draws her inspiration from the natural world, keeping the traditions of the Arts & Crafts
and Art Nouveau movements in her front brain as she goes through daily life. She can often
be found studying and photographing objects or things that the rest of the world simply walk
over. They are her inspiration for a texture, form or pattern that make appearances,
reimagined in her work.
Ann’s work has been showcased in galleries, collections, shows and publications both locally
and nationally. One of her proudest accomplishments has been to appear alongside her
students work in all three editions of the Davis Publications “Experience Clay” ceramic
textbooks. It has always been an honor to take the passions my teachers instilled in me
about art and art making, share with my students and then see them excel and surpass.
She works out of Snyder as part of PerrySmith Pottery Studio together with her husband,
fellow Master Gerald Smith. There is always a place to share around their table.
Most recently her work "Cloud Squirrel," was included in the Burchfield Penney's Sylvia L. Rosen 2023 Art in Craft Media Bienniel at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
Peter Potter, Master in Photography:
Master Peter Potter is a Roycroft Renaissance Master Artisan in the medium of photography. His influences include Rix Jennings, Charles Burchfield, and R. Crumb. In addition to his work as a photographer, he is also a lecturer and educator. 2019 on the 200th anniversary of John Ruskin’s birth he presented a talk on Photography in the Early Arts & Crafts Era on the Roycroft Campus, and he spoke at the 34th Annual Arts and Crafts Conference about the evolution of photography from a documentary craft to the fine arts. Potter most recently presented Vagabondage and Secession: A Little Journey with Carl Sadkichi Hartmann, on the link between the roots of early fine art photography and Elbert Hubbard's young Roycroft Campus, as the inaugural presentation of the return of the Roycroft Little Journeys to The Roycroft Inn in February 2024. He has been a Roycroft Artisan since 2007 and achieved Master Artisan status in 2020, becoming the first photographer to do so. He presently serves as President of the Roycrofters at Large Association.
Henry Schmidt, Master Sculptor:
Henry Schmidt holds a BFA in Painting and Illustration from Syracuse University and Master of Education in Art and General Studies from SUNY College at Buffalo. His career path has included art education, commercial illustration, graphic design and being Art Director at WKBW-TV, 1982-1989. From 1989 to 2013 Schmidt worked at Fisher Price Toys, starting as a product art manager and retiring as director of product art and sculpture.
Since 2014, he has created art within his own firm, Henry Schmidt Art & Design, and is an artist-in-residence at the Buffalo Maritime Center, involved with the development of the Buffalo Maritime Foundry. Schmidt has been a Roycroft Master since 2020. He has exhibited his work in a number of group shows, including at the Artists Group Gallery in Buffalo, NY (2018, 2017) and the Burchfield Penney Center (2023, 2016, 2012). Schmidt has also completed commissioned works, including the 155th New York Infantry Regiment Monument to commemorate the Civil War regiment. The monument has been incorporated into the Naval and Servicemen's Park at the waterfront.
Gerald Smith, Master in Clay:
Gerald Smith has been a Master Artisan in Clay since 2007. Sculptural and functional ceramic
art are featured in his portfolio and he excels at creating in both styles. His sculptural work
focuses on the industrial elements left behind in the Rust Belt areas of our country,
particularly along the Buffalo waterfront. His functional pottery has beautiful fluid form and
asks to be held.
His route to working in ceramic materials is unconventional as he holds an associates degree
from Munson Williams Proctor in Liberal Arts and a BFA in Painting from Buffalo State
University. While at Buffalo State he found his way to the Ceramics Studio and his passion for
clay ignited. In fact he worked for the Design Department at Buffalo State as an adjunct
professor in Ceramics for several years after graduation.
His work has appeared in shows locally and nationally and in publications and collections.
Most recently his work was shown as part of the 2023 Evolution of Roycroft Exhibit at the
National Arts & Crafts Conference in Asheville, N.C. He works out of Snyder as part of PerrySmith Pottery Studio together with his wife, fellow Master Ann PerrySmith.
Thomas Pafk, Master in Wood:
Thomas Pafk is a Master Artisan in Wood. He is nationally renowned for Roycroft Renaissance custom furniture and design. As a former designer and modelmaker, he was employed in his early years by Fisher-Price while establishing a part-time freelance design and fabrication business. This grew to full-time business in June of 1987 as The Design Factory, first designing prototypes and architectural models, where he honed his attention to detail which was eventually carried forward into furniture design. Thomas achieved Artisan status in 1996 and elevated to Master in 1998. He is also an educator, formerly of undergraduate furniture design at Villa Maria and at schools across the nation, and has an established apprenticeship program.
His workshop and design studio is located in East Aurora, where he manages the Schoolhouse Gallery for Roycroft Artisans and serves as the Mark Chair and Festival Chair of the Roycrofters at Large Association. He is a past-President and current Vice-President of the organization.
Ronald VanOstrand, Master Metalsmith:
Ronald VanOstrand is a Roycroft Master Metalsmith who began his association with the metal arts while studying under metalsmith Thomas R. Markusen and subsequently interned at the Markusen Metalsmithing Studio. After earning his Bachelor of Fine Art degree at the State University of New York at Brockport, he went on to study at the Rochester Institute of Technology's School for American Craft and earned a Master of Fine Arts in Metal/Jewelry Design. It was at RIT that Ron was introduced to the Roycroft Renaissance art movement.
Ron continues to craft works in copper, silver, German silver, and occasionally gold, in the manner set forth by the Roycrofters. Ron has continued to grow as an artist by adding hand-engraving to his collection of ornamentation skills. Ron has worked in East Aurora, New York as an art educator since 2002, and has been a Roycoft Artisan since 1999. He achieved Master status in 2002. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Roycrofters at Large Association.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Artist and Educator Tami Fuller. Fuller is an Exhibiting Member of the Buffalo Society of Artists, a 2021 Roycroft Emerging Artist in Fiber and curator who curated the 2023 Evolution of Roycroft exhibition at the National Arts & Crafts Conference in Asheville, N.C. alongside the Elbert Hubbard Museum. She has served as Executive Coordinator of the Roycrofters at Large Association since 2023 and is a 2024 Art Services Initiative MEDAL cohort.
The panel has been designed as an organic conversation amongst peers, and will be supplemented by Fuller with prompts that touch on topics that Fuller and the artists consider of interest to the Arts & Crafts movement at large, fine art practices as a whole and the individual philosophies of the artists. The panelists will also be open to questions from the audience, making this a real opportunity for the community to "Meet the Masters."
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The evening’s program will begin with a relaxed start with cash bar cocktails before the Annual Meeting and Presentation to Membership at 5:30 p.m. in Hubbard Hall. All members and prospective new members are encouraged to attend to hear the state of the organization's annual report and President's Comments. Report to Membership by Fuller and President's Address by President Potter will be followed by the evening’s program. Elections and installation of Board of Directors will also occur at this time.
As always, Little Journey will be followed by a period of informal conversation and socializing before dinner. Guests who support our Roycroft community by dining at The Inn following the presentation will receive a discount on their meal. Be sure to notify staff that you are a Little Journey attendee when reserving your table for 7:15 and after. Reservations are strongly encouraged.
Membership opportunities and the 2024 Goodie Box by Master Ronald VanOstrand will be available for view and tickets at the evening’s event prior to and immediately following the meeting and presentation.
RALA’s Little Journeys connects Roycroft Artisans with the community by offering artist talks, demonstrations and lectures in the Masters’ mediums that educate and create opportunities for collectors and members of the Roycroft community to connect with the modern Roycroft artists, and serves as a homage to Elbert Hubbard’s original Little Journeys, small trips to artists of note that shared intimate glimpses behind their process and lives. For years, this series was an important part of RALA’s presence on South Grove, and offered “show and tell” by Masters and Artisans, Artisan Forums and visiting nationally known speakers. RALA is proud to bring this lecture series back to its birthplace at The Roycroft Inn. Members are reminded that the success of these evenings for The Inn are crucial to the long term success of the program.
The next Little Journey will take place on December 12, 2024. This final Little Journey for 2024 will be a very special intimate performance by the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival. Not only is this performance celebration of the season, it is a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the RCMF and the work of RALA in the WNY performance arts community. More information will follow as musicians and performance pieces become available.
Mark your calendars now for the 2024 Roycroft Winter Festival - our largest Winter Festival ever, with nearly 40 exhibitors and non-profit partners, on the Campus of The Park School Buffalo:
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