THE CHAUTAUQUA CREATIVE GUIDE
Meet the people. Explore their work. Find your next inspiration.
FROM THE PAGE TO THE STUDIO
From paper sculpture to photography, discover six artists whose work connects with this place. Follow a profile to explore more.
Ceramics, printmaking & painting
Portage Hill Art Gallery · Westfield
Dowling works across clay, painting, printmaking, and mixed media. Portage Hill Art Gallery in Westfield showcases her work alongside other regional artists.
Visit Portage Hill Art Gallery ↗Browse the gallery for examples of her work and current visiting information.
Nature photography
Chautauqua County lakeshores & woodlands
Glosser uses photography to make painterly images of the outdoors. The lakeshores and woodlands of Chautauqua County are recurring sources of inspiration in her work.
Find Karen in the artist directory ↗Find her entry in the North Shore Arts Alliance directory for her artist statement and website link.
Painting & illustration
Jamestown
The artist and owner of Chautauqua Art Gallery also writes and illustrates for young readers. Her picture book One Day with Dinosaurs brings her visual storytelling to the page.
Artist & picture-book website ↗Visit her own site for the picture book and school or library visit information, or browse the gallery to discover work by regional artists.
Painting
Jamestown
Gutierrez is a Jamestown artist whose palette-knife paintings respond to the life and scenery around her. Her regional artist statement describes a practice rooted in memory and a sense of place.
Find Susan in the artist directory ↗Her North Shore Arts Alliance entry includes an artist statement and a link to her Instagram work.
Landscape painting
Chautauqua Lake & Western New York subjects
Annear’s outdoor paintings explore landscape and light. His portfolio includes Chautauqua Lake, Mayville viewed from Long Point State Park, and scenes at Johnson Estate.
Explore Thomas Annear’s paintings ↗Browse his paintings for a different way to look at familiar shorelines and seasonal color, then follow the Art Trail to discover more working artists.
Paper sculpture, drawing & ceramics
Jamestown
Bale explores the natural world through paper cuts, sculpture, drawing, and ceramics. Her Jamestown practice brings wildlife and organic forms into a range of materials.
Explore Wendy Bale’s artwork ↗Explore her paper work and ceramic projects on her own site, along with information about the techniques she shares in workshops.
An independent editorial selection, not a complete directory or a list of Ink House members, partners, or endorsements. Summaries are based on the linked author, publisher, college, and arts sources. Sources checked . Suggest a creator or send a correction.
FROM THE HOUSE SHELVES
Books by Ink House founders Shawn DiLorenzo and Bria Clauson, from illustrated adventures to speculative fiction. Each book page explains its preview and reading options.
Shawn DiLorenzo
Dead machines are supposed to stay dead. The one Kaela Veyr brings home remembers her heartbeat.
Explore the book →
Bria Clauson
Liam’s soccer game starts soon. His family is nearly ready. There’s just one problem: his right cleat has disappeared.
Explore the book →
Bria Clauson
Join Marnie, Pippa, and Tilly for a Halloween lantern walk through Moonlit Village, where a new friend, curious sounds, and a shadow in the forest turn a little adventure into a very big surprise.
Explore the book →PLACE & IMAGINATION
Chautauqua Lake offers a starting point for paying attention: water changing color under a cloud, the sound of a dock, the difference between a busy summer afternoon and a quiet autumn shore. For a writer, those small changes can become atmosphere, rhythm, or the first hint of a character.
The towns, roads, and everyday lives around the lake matter too. You can write from a place without setting every story there. Try the lakeside writing exercise below, or bring a detail from your own neighborhood to the page.
BEYOND OUR DOOR
A few useful starting points for readers and writers exploring the region. Follow the source links for current information.
Use the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System directory to find a nearby library, then check its own calendar for book groups, readings, and activities.
Explore writing workshops and readings offered by Chautauqua Institution. Check the organizer’s current program for dates, registration, and access requirements.
The county historian’s library guide points readers toward local history resources. Ask librarians about newspapers, local authors, and collections that can ground your research.
These are independent resources. Chautauqua Ink House is not affiliated with Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua County government, or the library system. A link is not a partnership or endorsement.
THE LOCAL NOTEBOOK
A place for writing exercises, local stories, and future interviews. Begin with a few minutes of close attention beside the lake.
Writing exercise
A short exercise in noticing a place before turning it into a story.
Choose a spot where you can pause safely, beside the lake or at a window overlooking your own neighborhood. For five minutes, write only what you notice: the rhythm of the water, a porch light, a voice carrying from somewhere you cannot see. Leave out words like beautiful and peaceful. Find the details that make this particular moment different.
Now imagine two people waiting there for different reasons. Let one of them notice something the other misses. Write a page of dialogue without explaining either person’s history. What does the setting allow them to say, and what does it help them avoid?
On a second pass, keep three concrete details and remove the rest. A place can shape a story without becoming a travel description. If you borrow from a real conversation, change identifying details and respect the people whose lives you have glimpsed.
Know a local writer or literary project we should hear about? Send the editors a suggestion.
KEEP EXPLORING
Our Interactive Stories include three free adventures and a preview of The House Beneath the Lake. Visit the story page for current access details.
Find community reading and membership options in the Ink Society, or return to the Community Library to discover member books.