Harrisville, NY, Mar 06, 2013 — March is the start of another busy season of exhibits, fairs and road trips for artisans across the region. Over the next few months, we'll bring you some of the voices of the many folks in the North Country who make a living in their own workshops, basements and spare rooms. It might sound charming - setting your own work hours - but the artisans we've talked to say full-time art is not an easy decision and a lot of hard work. Finding space, commissions, marketing, moral support, and reserving uninterrupted creative time are some of the challenges.

Today, a trip to the woods near Harrisville, in the northwestern Adirondacks, to visit a couple who gave up jobs in marketing and at the post office to devote their attention to all things fiber, from woven rugs to knitted sweaters. Lis Barsuglia-Madsen and her husband Michael moved from New Jersey to the North Country twenty years ago. The new environment offered a chance to focus on following a dream -- spending time together as artisans inspired by the mountains, deep woods and solitude.