Willow Vermont

08/29/2026

Early morning with artwork 🔥

08/28/2026

Day 6 of 8!

The 2026 Willow invitational is a group ex it of 16 artists showing 108 works. We are open daily through this weekend. Closing reception on Sunday August 30, 1-6pm. Admission and parking are free.

This year we invited a smaller number of artists to present a larger number of works. Works are clustered by artists to help you gain a view into their current focus and vision.

This collection is presented by Chelsea Bard, a young artist who brings exceptional skill and clarity to her work. These four artworks fold past present and future into one image—of Chelsea the child who spent hours in nature “biding time… Once in the landscape I could disappear into my surroundings to bear witness, inhabit the fantasies of past and future, or sink into the enchantment of the present “now”. This was the real thing.”

They call forth the artist’s present as she savors direct contact with nature after a recent move from New York City to rural Western Massachusetts. And they beckon to o future in which themes of pastoral Americana can be widely loved and appreciated.

We just love this wall!

Willow invitational, 369 Dover Road, South Newfane VT 05351

Willowvt.com/2026exhibit

08/27/2026

Day four of eight!

The 2026 Willow Invitational is an annual exhibit of contemporary realist art made from direct observation of nature. We are showing 16 selected artists and 108 exceptional works. The show is open daily 1-6 pm through Sunday September 30. There is a closing reception on Sunday.

In this photo, Tori Cole (Victoria Cole) is holding Wave, painted in her studio in 2026. Behind her is Traditions, also painted as part of a collection featuring

Tori is an independent artist living in northeastern Pennsylvania. She is exhibiting six works in this year’s show.

“My great grandmother, Lillie, was an incredible seamstress who worked with fabric, thread and yarn all her life. Painting her Singer treadle sewing machine that dates back almost a century felt like my way of celebrating someone I know only by the beautiful things she made and left behind.”

This and all of Tori’s recent works are on view at Willow in South Newfane, Vermont and online at willowvt.com/catalogue/cole.

Closing reception Sunday August 30, 1-6pm. DM for more details.

Tori Cole, Wave, 2026, oil on canvas, $1,100

08/26/2026

Day four of eight days!

The 2026 Willow Invitational is an annual exhibit of contemporary realist art made from direct observation of nature. We are showing 16 selected artists and 108 exceptional works. The show is open daily 1-6 pm through Sunday September 30. There is a closing reception on Sunday.

In this photo, Emmanuel F. Navarro Pizarro (Carson ) is holding December Clouds on Christmas Day, a beautifully rendered oil on arches oil cotton paper.

Emmanuel is an independent plein air artists living in Puerto Rico. He studies shifting light of the Caribbean.

“Painting outdoors is an act of creative immersion and vulnerability… My long term project of painting Puerto Rico, its landscapes, and its people seeks to discover new ways of valuing, protecting, remembering, and connecting with spaces and individuals threatened by the passage of time and human activity.”

Emmanuel has for several years been creating “a new pictorial archive of the landscapes and iconography that represents Puerto Rico in the twenty-first century.” His nine works in the show include seascapes, landscapes, architecture, portrait and sky studies. They are vibrant and painterly of his beloved home.

This and all of Emmanuel’s works are on view at Willow in South Newfane, Vermont and online at willowvt.com/catalogue/rauschenberg.

Closing reception Sunday August 30, 1-6pm. DM for more details.

Emmanuel F Navarro Pizarro, December Clouds on Christmas Day, 2025. Oil on arches paper, 6x9 inches. $450

08/25/2026

Today is day 3 of an epic 8 day exhibit

The 2026 Willow Invitational is an annual exhibit of contemporary realist art made from direct observation of nature. We are showing 16 selected artists and 108 exceptional works.

In this photo, Carson Rauschenberg (Carson ) is holding Performer with Hermaphroditus, a beautifully rendered oil on linen. Carson is in his fourth year of training at the Grand Central Atelier in NYC. His work “centers on craft and the physical processes of making…”. His other works in the show include works on paper. “I began making my own hand-toned papers, using ink to mimic the unpredictability of natural processes...[my] process of top-to-bottom craft extends to the frames as well.”

The painting is paired with a graphite on paper drawing of the same subject and same pose, but where Carson experimented by “pushing the pose” deliberately into a gorgeous arc that runs from thigh over the abdomen and up to the shoulder, calling forth the model’s passion as a professional dancer.

This and all of Carson’s works are on view at Willow in South Newfane, Vermont and online at willowvt.com/catalogue/rauschenberg. The show is open daily from 1-6pm.

Closing reception Sunday August 30, 1-6pm. DM for more details.

Carson Rauschenberg, Performer with Hermaphroditus, 2026. Oil on linen, 16x8 inches. $1,450.

08/25/2026

Today is day 3 of our 8 day exhibit

The 2026 Willow Invitational is an annual exhibit of contemporary realist art made from direct observation of nature.

In 2026, we are showing 16 selected artists and 108 exceptional works.

In this photo, Kate Kristian (Kate Kristian) is holding Vista Monsoon, an extraordinary oil on board-mounted canvas. Kate focuses on landscape painting, “aiming to capture places I’ve experienced that have touched me in some way. Hoping to include the feeling of a place, not just the visual experience of it.”

The painting evokes a feeling of calm and serenity even in the face of winds, monsoon rains and uncertain futures. It holds us in the present moment even as change is continually presenting itself.

Everything about this work is personal and bespoke. Kate makes her own elegant frames. We love everything about it! Kate has six works in the show.

This and all of Kate’s works are available to view in person at Willow in South Newfane Vermont and online at willowvt.com/catalogue/kristian. The show is open daily from 1-6pm.

Closing reception Sunday August 30, 1-6pm. DM for more details.

Kate Kristian, Vista Monsoon, 2026. Oil on canvas on board, 9x12. $1,500.

willowvt.com/catalogue

08/24/2026

The south-facing porch at Willow is a bright spot in morning. Bear (Bear and Scratch) and Chelsea Bard soak up some light on Day 2 of 8 in the exceptional 2026 Willow Invitational.

08/22/2026

Willow Vermont Retreat is hosting its 4th annual art show this week in South Newfane.

Opening reception (tomorrow) Sunday August 26, 1-6 pm and it runs through the following Sunday every day from 1 to 6.

15 artists showing 108 works. More info at willowvt.com/2026exhibit

08/22/2026

We are hosting our 4th annual art show this week in South Newfane.

Opening reception (tomorrow) Sunday August 26, 1-6 pm and it runs through the following Sunday every day from 1 to 6.

15 artists showing 108 works. More info at

Explore the 2026 Willow Invitational Exhibit showcasing realist art and fostering direct connections with artists and their works.

05/08/2026

Ravi’s Indian Takeout returns!

On May 9, 4-6pm. Order ahead please. See menu and order online at willowvt.com/place-an-order