Scratching the Surface

Greenfield artist and educator Karen Gaudette was trained as a printmaker, but she has always loved to draw. Scratchboard, it turns out, provides the perfect meeting point. For 20 years now, Gaudette has used the technique to achieve fine-line drawings that have the look and feel of vintage black and white illustration. Her “Wishing for the Moon” series, featuring 14 large works previously on display at Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, now moves to Main Street, where visitors can enjoy her richly detailed human and animal characters. “I grew up in a house where we didn’t have many books,” Gaudette told The Recorder in March. “About the only ones we had were the original Grimm fairy tales. And a sister once sent me a Hans Christian Anderson book, which was a big deal.” Judging by her unusual folkloric images, it shows.

 Wishing for the Moon: Gallery in the Woods, 145 Main St., Brattleboro. (802) 257-4777, galleryinthewoods.com.

— Hunter Styles