CHESTER FIRST FRIDAY ART STROLL
March 3, 2023 from 5 - 8 pm
Enjoy some of the oldest and newest paintings of my home and travels in the gallery.
Choose your favorite bottle at the Chester Package Store across the street, get a snack from any of Chester's fine restaurants and grab a growler from the Little House Brewing Company next door and enjoy yourself for a happy hour or two.

Join us for a book talk and book-signing with local authors
Judy Ricketts-White, Alan Harland and Rose Young

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Judy Ricketts-White

Judy Ricketts-White received a BA in Fine Art from Southern Connecticut State University. She began her career as a Graphic Designer for a publishing company. After a few years, she started her own graphic design business, creating illustrations, logos and designing websites. Her work has won three APEX Awards for Publishing Excellence.

Judy wrote newsletter articles, copy for ads, brochures and websites, but she always wanted to write and illustrate a children’s book. She did one illustration and sat down to write. 136 pages later she realized it would be a chapter book instead of a picture book. “Slater Mountain: The Journey” became a reality. She published her first book and won a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award.

Judy is the author of the “Slater Mountain” Book Series – “Slater Mountain: The Journey,” “Slater Mountain: The Legend” Book 2, and “Slater Mountain: Yellowstone” Book 3. These are fun fictional adventures for pre-teen and teen readers, about teenager, Bailey Mathews, her horses, family and friends. Judy has owned and studied horses for a number of years. She combines fun and danger while weaving solid horse-handling principles and valuable life lessons into the stories.

Judy designed and published “Count Me Never Lost,” a book of poetry by her mother, Elizabeth M. Ricketts, a New York Times published poet. In addition, she has recently designed and published other award-winning books, “Jig Gets Lost” by Julia Kneeland and “The Owl Watcher” by Frietha Lawrence.



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Alan Harland

I started writing these stories after I was in a car accident and was unable to work in the manner that I had in the past. The next (scary) step was to actually have someone read what I had written. It became for me the most fun thing ever. To have someone read and enjoy (or offer critical evaluation about) my stories has become a defining part of my life. I never know when, or if, I will write. It's always a surprise when I write a story and I like it. I write because I love the people that I write about. They are a part of me. I have always written. On scrap paper, or in an old notebook that is now lost, the writings just disappeared. It wasn't until I reached out to someone that l knew had some background in literature, and asked her to evaluate some early stories. She made one suggestion – that I keep a Journal of my writings. Honestly, the thought had never occurred to me. I would encourage anyone who writes to ardently save all that you write. Your story is important, even if no one else gets it.

Tales of Feral Youth (A Beginning)

I was very young. It was one of my first forays into the deeper woods alone. I had somehow eluded my mother's watchful eye (there were five others devising various means of escape also). I had been to this place with my brothers, and walked through a cut in a stone wall down a short path to a pond. As my view opened onto the water, I knew instinctively to freeze. I lowered myself slowly down to make myself less conspicuous, and watched. On a raft that neighborhood boys had built was a heron that had caught a large bullfrog, and was tearing it apart live to eat. My heart ached for the unfortunate frog, yet I held no malice toward the heron. I felt a revelation in my heart at having witnessed one small act in God’s Great Nature.


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Rose Young

Rose Young lives locally and writes modern-day mysteries that begin in Connecticut but expand beyond our borders through the cunning actions of the villains. Her books visit the luxurious and precarious worlds of wine and art while highlighting local lore and New England history.

Roses, Wine & Murder
Vineyards, gardens, fine wine, and food pairings delight, yet in this case, death disturbs all tranquility! Roses, Wine & Murder is a thrilling madcap adventure laced with N.E. history, wine dinners, & poisonous plants. A fast-paced, modern-day mystery that has plenty of flair and foul play.

Soon-to-be-released
Love of Art & Murder - From Mystic to the City of Steeples