Get to know a few of the Resident Artists at Lancaster Art Vault

A rising pillar in Lancaster’s vibrant arts scene, Lancaster Art Vault is a unique gem that has transformed the corner of Queen and Orange streets into a destination for art lovers and collectors. One key feature that makes it so special is the perimeter of private artist studios outlining the stunning gallery space. Resident artists are part of a talented collective with access to shared gallery space, photo studios, classroom space, and support from owner and manager Victoria Abadir. 

Meet five of the artists who are part of this exciting new venture, and visit Lancaster Art Vault on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays as well as Wednesdays by appointment. 

Marcy Stone

After building a career rooted in service through business consulting and life coaching, Marcy Stone picked up her paintbrushes as an outlet for herself and her own healing following the loss of her daughter Sydney. A lifelong creative, her painting style quickly evolved to abstract color expressions, where she finds double the joy—first in capturing her own feelings on the canvas and then when others view and find their own meaning in her works. Now with a studio at Lancaster Art Vault, Marcy is delighted to share her message of creating a positive path towards renewed joy through color. 

THE COLOR OF MUSIC 

Inspired by painting to different genres and sounds, Marcy’s newest body of work captures the feelings evoked by a medley of music. These works will be on display alongside other music-inspired exhibits at Lancaster Art Vault for the month of September, beginning on First Friday. 

Peter Stevenson

Peter Stevenson is a fine artist and member of the New York Society of Illustrators, whose early childhood was spent in the rural farmlands just beyond the Brandywine Valley in Pennsylvania. His art career took him and his work throughout the East Coast, where his self-defined “editorial surrealism” work has appeared in publications, interiors, and other contexts for high profile clients. Now back in Pennsylvania making his home here in Lancaster, Peter is re-exploring the region and allowing his impressions of it to influence new collections of thematic paintings, which can be seen at his studio in Lancaster Art Vault. 

BIOSPHERES III 

His latest series focuses on the place where land and sky meet, and rural life happens. The simultaneous contrast of two juxtaposed colors, depicting earth and sky, offers a simple abstract scene that is set for a meeting point. It’s at this intersection—the horizon line— where the buzzing, humming flurry of life and human emotion can be felt, sensed, and imagined. 

Kristin Witbeck Lee

Kristin Witbeck Lee is a published poet, accomplished artist, and teacher. Her work has been exhibited at the Houston Museum of Fine Art, Ganondagan in New York, Van der Plas gallery in NYC, and in private collections around the country. As a Tribal Artisan and healer, she seeks to find and share the living essence in people, landscapes, and beloved objects in her work. 

Her Haudenosaunee name, Ganä:gah:is, was given by her great-grandmother and means “She Splashes Water.” She uses this name as an inspiration in creating artistic experiences that are fresh and playful, as well as disruptive to normal patterns of thinking and seeing.

SPLASHINGWATERS 

Kristin founded and teaches through Splashingwaters, a retreat space and mobile art lab where intensive artistic development, healing, and personal exploration can happen in nature settings. Splashingwaters is based at Solacebrook, a 16-acre sanctuary in Connecticut, with workshops and retreats in Lancaster County and upcoming retreats planned for Brazil and Greece. 

Christiane David

Born and raised in Belgium, Christiane David began painting at the age of eight, following in the creative footsteps of her family. She first began her career as a designer, while continuing to study both oil and watercolor techniques as she participated in many juried art shows and sold her work across Europe. When her family moved to the United States, she became a full-time working artist, creating paintings as vibrant as her personality. Since moving to Lancaster in 2003, Christiane has been a major force in the local arts scene with her Prince Street gallery and now as a resident artist at Lancaster Art Vault. 

A WORLD OF COLORS 

An expert colorist, Christiane has the unique ability to capture the soul of whatever subject she paints, using the power of color to bring out emotions in the way she brings them together.

Carla J. Fisher

After a 25-year career in financial services, Carla J. Fisher and her husband Ed traveled the country in a 40-foot motorhome. When Ed died in 2013, Carla decided to pursue a completely new passion in her life by going back to school to study art. Armed with a diploma and enthusiasm, she began her career as a studio artist in 2016, creating two- and three-dimensional sculptures with thread. Soon after, she began adding recycled materials and encaustic wax to her creations. Carla is now an accomplished fiber artist who has made a home at Lancaster Art Vault. 

“I use thread and throwaways to symbolize how even the tired, used, and totally spent can experience new life. Through free motion machine embroidery, I seek the viewer’s surprise as they realize the sculptured material is simply thread. It’s the reminder and the confirmation that one little strand—or woman—truly can do seemingly impossible things when challenged to do so.”

Carla J. Fisher

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