"Make Your Own Tiles" Class at AOG

Arts on Grand offers all sorts of classes for children and adults in a variety of media. Somehow I got bold enough to propose one of my own, but now that it looms closer, I'm getting more than a little nervous. I've never taught anything before! But I'll go on ahead with it, as long as someone signs up, that is.

Some time ago, I decided to make some decorative sculpted tiles. I wanted to do some art nouveau style work, but I don't throw (pots), so I didn't have anything to put it on--but tiles are easy. My first one was (loosely) based on a design I took from a silver art nouveau cup. A year or so later, I made some tiles again, starting off the same pattern I'd used before. This time my main influence came from the enigmatic writer and illustrator (we think of him as an illustrator, but he considered himself a writer) Edward Gorey, known for his gothic/Edwardian style drawings of people and monsters (and elephants!). I made a series of Gorey-style creatures, some direct from his illustrations, some of my own invention. Of course, the result is a lot more gothic than art nouveau. An example is this set of birds (unglazed in these images):



This one is also unglazed in the photo. Finished, it looked amazing, stained dark, reminiscent of a tree or roots, but I also thought of veins:



Looks way cooler in real life, but I sold it (a mistake) and I'm not sure if I have any other photos.

The class is for adults, will be Tuesday evenings February 5, 12, and 19 at 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the clay studio at Arts on Grand (262-4307). We'll be carving into and building up on our tiles. I'll try not to be too lousy a teacher...

Artist Profile: Holly Kellogg

This is the first in what I intend to become a series of artist profiles.

Artist Holly Kellogg is a recent transplant to Spencer, Iowa. Though she has a degree in Painting, she has in her recent years explored the mixed-media genre of assemblage, creating art out of found objects (esp. things found in the road while running) and discarded blue jeans (waste-not-want-not), while also incorporating paint. Pattern and geometric shapes also characterize these works. At the same time, she shows her more traditional side through her colored pencil still life drawings and the occasional still life painting. She's been known to dabble in clay.


Things Found While Running


River Rocks in a Bowl

An Oklahoma native, she graduated from Ames High, started out at Cornell College, and ultimately received her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. Art has always been a fixture of Holly's life. She is the daughter of two artists (father a retired ISU professor of architecture and painter/sculptor, mother a painter/ceramist/paper sculptor), and grand daughter of an artist/architect. It was during her time as a student at Ames High that she decided that art was important to her (the art program there is on par with many colleges).

Her formal training was in painting. She says, "I enjoyed that [painting from life], but in time felt a desire to work more conceptually. I began dismantling used blue jeans to create a canvas and exploring the use of various materials and ways of applying paint in my work. A reoccurring theme that has developed from these explorations consists of a layering of form or materials, with part of the image being hidden, which suggests to me that our understanding and view of life, ourselves, one-another is partial. That there is more to be seen or discovered. Exploration is key for me."

She is currently working on building a body of work that began with a mop: "I had some cotton cord that came from a mop head (unused). I had the idea of laying the cord on a jean canvas painted red. I lay the cord in curving lines that resemble the lines on a geological map. It took many hours to sew the thread on. I liked what was happening, but wanted to do some work more quickly." The current work (as shown in examples here) sprung from this--2-D paintings using the line of the mop cords. "I began laying the cord down to created shape, drawing along those lines and painting from there. When working, I seek to bring in elements of composition to the work. I hope to created depth through the layering of shape and through color. I play around with various combinations and keep trying things."


Amoeba


Riverwalk

She currently works in a studio in her home. Her work is available at Arts on Grand here in Spencer, at the Octagon in Ames, and by appointment.


The artist in her studio.

One of my personal favorite pieces entitled Are You Awake is an example of Holly's work that uses layers of plexiglass in a shadowbox, spraypaint and stencils, and a photograph of her eldest daughter.:

More on "Together"

I finally got a chance to see the exhibit at AOG, "Together, and Artistic Journey," today. I'd half forgotten about it and I was going anyway to unwrap a pot I'm working on (it's a slow drying process), and I was very excited when I remembered what else I would find there. First off, when you approach the front entrance of Arts on Grand, you see two things. On the left side are some of Gilbert and Vodraska's works. My eyes were immediately drawn to the white sculptures in the center--matte white organic shapes. They're buglike and I immediately thought of fossils. Also in this window are other ceramics and paintings. In the OTHER window, lined by a Pollock-esque background, stands a lone Chad Elliot sculpture. OK, so I can't remember what the title was, but it was very romantic (you know, "Romantic," not "lovey-dovey"), and the work itself is a column of extremely Chad Elliot-esque ocean waves, and at the top, a storm-tossed boat. It's got rich color and, as I said, romance, adventure, and great MOVEMENT.

Moving on... upon entering, I was faced with a feast--a visual feast. As a potter, I'm biased (I notice ceramics more than anything else), and I spent most of my time examining the pottery and sculpture. The front area of the show features works from their collection (not for sale). My favorites were the whitish sculptures emerging from African sand. I believe that Marta (AOG Director) was telling me that these works were inspired by the drought and dryness in Africa (the Vodraska's spent much time there), but everyone approaches art from their own experience, and I just kept thinking of fossils. I really like rocks and everything having to do with rocks, so that includes canyons, caves, potholes, and fossils.

Towards the back, their are works for sale. Many of them are smallish enclosed pots (little round pods), some sculpted, some smooth. FLAWLESS glazes. I am rarely interested in glazes and even more rarely impressed with their execution, but these are just perfect. One of my favorites was a coppery/goldish, sleek metallic glaze that was used in several pieces. BTW, these little pods I'm talking about are all very affordable (around $40-$60), for any of you who would like to own original art but aren't made of money.

I'm sorry I'm not very good at describing things. I am pretty sure that no one is going to be able to read this and come away with any idea of what it's really like. Unfortunately I am unable to include photos, but even those wouldn't do justice. This is why it is so important for everyone to go look for themselves. Not only would it enrich and inspire you, it would help out AOG (become a member! buy something in the gift shop!), and AOG is not something we want to lose.

Not to turn this blog entry into more of a ramble than it already is, I'd like to say that Arts on Grand is a really great place to buy gifts. Not only can you buy a work from the "Together" show, you can browse through all sorts of works, from prints, to original drawings and paintings, to scarves and bags, to greeting cards, photography books, ceramics, jewelry, glass works, etc., etc. Things I have bought recently: a print of a pencil drawing, wooden bookmarks, a wooden box, glass icicles, and handmade earrings. There really is something for everyone!

Together: An Artistic Journey

The exhibit by Anita Gilbert and Anthony Vodraska opened at Arts on Grand yesterday. I haven't yet had a chance to see it, but based on the show postcard, it looks very interesting. It includes paintings, ceramics, and photographs. The couple has lived in Africa and it shows in the ceramic work that I have seen.

There will be an artist talk and reception on the 11th at 5:30.

I look forward to seeing their work myself because I've heard rave reviews from others who've been to their studio. Even my dad is impressed, and he isn't into art.

Tracks, towers

Tracks of many kinds:



The bell tower of Grace United Methodist Church: graceful and strong.



You can't see it from this angle, but there are a dozen pigeons up there. They must be able to see forever.

Some winter photos

The first three photos are from last week while the temperatures were below freezing. All the trees in town were covered with this layer of white:



It was a "winter wonderland."



This ice formation has been building up for weeks on the side of the police station:



This last photo if from yesterday when the sun was out.



In front of Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji.

Bright light

This morning I drove north at nine o'clock. Once I passed the north edge of town, I entered a fog, but the sun was bright and there was no gloom about it. That frosty layer that's been on all our trees in town but is now gone remained on all the plant life within the fog. And everything was illuminated. The sun passed through the fog and caused all the buildings and fields and trees to shine as if lit from within--despite the mist. It was very beautiful.