We are done westing.
We are ready to spring into action.
Yes, we’re getting the 2013 KEENE ART TOUR underway!
Luann’s infamous “wall o’ fabric”, a rainbow in fiber!
We have many returning faces and a few new ones. Check back to see what’s new and different.
If you enjoyed last year’s tour, please let us know! Post your comments and impressions below. We’d love to hear from you.
“Come back, we miss you already!!” Bunny puppet from KAT artist Luann Udell’s studio.
It was a roaring success, by all accounts. We had tons of visitors. We had great sales. (It’s important for artists to sell so we can keep making art!) Our studios have never been cleaner, too.
Best of all, our visitors had a great time! Everyone was thrilled to be invited into the magical places where art is made.
How do we know? Because you told us so!
And we were thrilled to have you, too. It’s exciting to meet people who are intrigued and interested in what we do. You’re all like a giant cheerleading section for us, creating good energy that encourages and sustains us in our work.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming to see us.
So…What are we doing now?
That reminds me of a beloved joke from my childhood. A woman opens her refrigerator and finds a rabbit inside. The woman says, “What are you doing in my refrigerator?” The bunny says, “Is this a Westinghouse?” The woman replies, “Why, yes it is.” “Well,” says the bunny, “I’m westing.”
This was a lot funnier when Westinghouse actually made refrigerators, but you see my point.
Actually, we’re not westing–yet. Plans are already under way for Keene Art Tour 2013.
We’ll have many returning artists and craftspeople, and some new faces. We’ll have even more ways to get the word out about the tour, and more maps available.
We’re going to spread the news about our tour further afield. We’re hoping you’ll tell your friends and neighbors about the good time you had. If you know anyone at regional and national magazines who might be interested in our story, please let us know. (That was a shameless plug for networking, I know. Except I’m not ashamed.)
We may even have a trolley route next year! (We can dream, can’t we?)
In the meantime, we’ll also be making more wonderful things for you to see, and admire, and collect, for next year’s tour.
Yes, we will be “westing”–a little. But not for long. Keene’s second open studio tour is already in the works!
Thank you to everyone who came to see us. And for those who couldn’t, we’ll see you next year at Keene Art Tour 2013!
“Y’all come back now, y’ hear?” Artwork by KAT artist Kathrine Piper.
See Luann’s work at stop #7 on our tour!
I make artifacts, inspired by prehistoric cave art. I use small ones to make jewelry and to embellish fiber collage wall hangings. Bigger ones become sculpture. Animals feature strongly in my work: Horses, bears, fish, otters, birds and aurochs. My newest artifacts are dogs, and foxes. Other artifacts echo sewing awls, amulets, medallions.
Many people think my artwork looks like shrines, small altars. Many think it resembles museum displays, fragments of a lost culture, an imagined prehistory.
All of it tells a story.
I took up my art late in life. Like many young people, I walked away from it, thinking I wasn’t good enough. But then I realized a life not following my passion, was not worth living.
When I returned to art in mid-life, I had to start at the very beginning. I looked through my art history books, starting with the cave of Lascaux, France. Long considered the birthplace of art, I thought I’d begin with the beginning for inspiration.
And never left.
There are now cave art sites that are even older, stretching back over 30,000 into prehistory. I feel connected to them, aligned somehow. They remind me that making art is as much a part of being human as shelter, community, family. Art has always been a way to see ourselves, and the world, differently.
I’ve learned a lot about the process of making my art and getting it out into the world. I write about that process on my blog, sharing what I’ve learned so maybe you don’t have to learn everything the hard way. (But sometimes you do anyway…)
When you visit my studio, when I speak publicly, when I write, when I teach, you get an inside look at my creative life–the good, the bad and the ugly. Mostly the good, because that’s how I choose to look at life.
Luann’s infamous “wall o’ fabric”, a rainbow in fiber!
I make wall hangings, sculptures and jewelry inspired by prehistoric, tribal and world art. I tell stories with my art, stories to honor and encourage others who are making their own place in the world.
Young woman, nomadic tribe, wearing her wealth of tribal jewelry.
I believe using our creativity makes the world a better place for everyone. I believe everyone can participate in that process. I contribute as an artist and a writer. And maybe other ways I don’t know about yet.
I write about how being a late-bloomer, a mother (of twenty-somethings. When did THAT happen??), a martial artist, a horse rider, a climber, a hospice volunteer and a writer, have all made me a better artist.
And….vice versa. Making my art has healed me in a hundred different ways. It’s made me a better human being.
I wrote CARVING RUBBER STAMPS for Lark Books. I wrote a regular column for CraftsBusiness Magazine (til it went out of business, and no, that wasn’t my fault.) Now I write a regular column Craft Matters for The Crafts Report magazine on the funnier side of a life in craft.
Luann’s book
You can see my articles here: Luann’s blog.
You can see more of my artwork here: Luann’s website
And of course, I invite you to visit my “cabinet of wonders” art studio on this, our very first, Keene Art Tour!
Luann’s worktable doesn’t always look this neat.
But it ALWAYS looks this interesting!
Cave bear sculptures.
Shaman necklace: Gaia Series
See Kyle’s work at stop #13 on our tour!
Kyle Stuckey was born in Keene, NH. Being home-schooled, Kyle needed art credits during his high school years, so his parents turned to Lori Woodward to create an art curriculum for Kyle. She began by having Kyle draw simple still life set ups. Lori immediately recognized that Kyle has a great deal of natural ability. Before long he was working with oil, producing paintings in the style of realism.
After receiving private instruction, attending workshops, and spending lots of time at the easel, Kyle was ready to “go public” by entering into Keene NH’s annual outdoor art exhibit, Art in the Park. It was during that weekend that his career “began” through making sales, placing in the juried contest, and most importantly, meeting the public. Soon after, he was asked to be represented in the Monadnock Fine Art Gallery, also in Keene.
Initially, Kyle had taken an instant interest in painting the human likeness, and during the first few years, produced mainly portraiture and figurative works. Along with capturing the likeness of a person, the subjects of his paintings convey a mood, suggesting an untold story which gives the viewer the opportunity to discover their own interpretation.
Stuckey’s paintings now consist of figurative, still life, and landscapes.
Stuckey also produces portraits through commission, offering paintings of both children and adults. He enjoys the challenge of going beyond creating a likeness, to capturing the personality of his subject whether it’s through a certain pose, facial expression, or setting.
Stuckey was selected as a Scottsdale Artist School scholarship recipient at the age of 19; He has participated in numerous invitational and juried shows.
Kyle has received the following awards: Kyle won 2nd Place in Southwest Art Magazine’s 21 Under 31 annual competition, which was followed by a feature article in Southwest Art Magazine (June 2010). He also won the grand prize for the National Bold Brush Online Competition later in 2010, and was a finalist in American Artist Magazine’s annual Cover Competition in 2011.
Stuckey is a member of The Putney Painters, an invitational group, mentored by Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik. His work continues to be featured in magazine articles. You can see his work online at kylestuckey.com and at the following galleries: Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale AZ, Monadnock Fine Art, Keene NH, and Sanders Galleries, Tucson, AZ.
See Mary Anne’s jewelry at stop #4 on our tour!
THE CAT’S MEOW – Mary Anne Knapp
“It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet.” Kojiro Tomita, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1890-1976)
From my earliest recollection, I have loved to make things. I made doll clothes out of scraps from my mother’s sewing basket, and my grandmother taught me to knit. I’ve made quilts, baskets, and have also done some rug hooking.
I began making jewelry a few years ago, and this endeavor, however, became an obsession. Whenever I would finish a project, I would snap a picture. My friends noticed my cat, Snoopy, seemed to be in all the photos. That is how “The Cat’s Meow” was born. He is a quiet, graceful presence in my life. I am not sure if he likes to watch me work, or is just waiting for an opportunity to pounce on an unsuspecting bead.
I thoroughly enjoy beading, and creating beads with polymer clay. Clay is such a wondrous medium, with seemingly endless possibilities. I love working with color, and draw inspiration from nature and my surroundings. “Magic Wings” is my interpretation of a butterfly my grandson and I saw in Deerfield two weeks ago, and “Animal Instincts” looks an awful lot like my swimsuit! Each bead that I make seems to me to be the “best so far”; that is what keeps the process interesting, challenging, and, in my case, hopelessly (and happily) addicting.
I have two grown and married children, six grandchildren, two cats and a full time job. I am a transplanted Texan, graduating from Texas Tech University with a degree in Secondary Education. I enjoy kayaking, and can also be found on the tennis court when time permits.
I am a member of the Walpole Artisans Coop in Walpole, NH, and have also been featured at The Vault in Springfield, VT.
Did I mention that I love beads…….
See Kathrine’s colorful work at stop #14 on our tour!
Kathrine Piper
No one who thinks about art can claim that representation is a passive process.
The artist projects order onto a subject; this can be tacit or, in Kathrine Piper’s work, explicit.
The grid-like systems where her works take shape are reminders of the way the human mind – while perceiving spatial wholes – may require and even impose an order which might not be present in the scene itself.
See a variety of her work at http://kathrinepiper.com/
Shows and Awards
2012 Keene Studio Art Tour, November 3 & 4, Keene, NH
2012 Art in the Park, Keene, NH, Honorable Mention
2012 Gallore Gallery, ESSIE Awards International, August, Middletown, CT, Finalist
2012 Dragonfly Gallery, 12″ x 12″ Exhibition, Austin, TX
2012 Twitter Art Exhibit, Moss, Norway
2012 Gallore Gallery, International Junk or Genius, April, Middletown, CT, Finalist
2011 Keene State College Alumni Center, Solo Exhibit, August ’11-June ’12
2011 Colonial Theater Art Auction, Keene, NH
2011 The Colonial Corner, Solo Show, Keene, NH
2010 Colonial Theater Birdhouse Art Auction, Keene, NH
2010 Stonewall Farm Juried Art Auction, Keene, NH
2010 Postcards to the G8, Huntsville, Ontario, Canada
2010 Art in the Park, Keene, NH, Honorable Mention
2004 Liquitex Paint, International “Be Original” Contest, First Place
2004 58 Knickerbocker Gallery, group show, Williamsburg, NY
2004 Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center, group show, New York City
2003 Cork Gallery at Lincoln center, group show, New York City
2002 Cork Gallery at Lincoln center, group show, New York City
2001 Cork Gallery at Lincoln center, group show, New York City
2000 Cork Gallery at Lincoln center, group show, New York City
1989 Anderson-Little Suit of the Future, National Runner-up
1989 SFD Christmas Card Contest, First Place
1988 Air France Young Fashion Designer’s Competition, School Representative, USA Finals
1980 Designed Flag for Cheshire County, NH, First Place
You can see work by George Ponzini and Larry Simons at stop #6 on our tour!
George Ponzini’s Biography
George Ponzini, an internationally recognized glass artist, creates functional and sculptural pieces with an uncommon style of assemblage. Architecture, art deco and modern art influence his lively work that he calls ‘Neo-Deco’. Engaging and elegant, George’s glass includes sculpture, stemware, martini pitchers, candlesticks, perfume bottles, bowls, mirrors, bud vases, sconces, shelves and even custom chess sets, tables and chandeliers. Stunning composites of slumped and constructed elements juxtapose with free form and geometric shapes ingeniously. Abstract and complex, George’s built pieces weave together modern and post-modern sensibilities to highlight glass’s color and light. Echoes of 20th century art deco and architecture deepen his work’s meaning, but his style also heralds futuristic urban design. For over thirty-eight years, George’s built
structures of glass planes have defiantly departed from traditional glass art.
Methods and Materials
George approaches designing with the loosest of concepts, relying on his
relationship with the material and his ability to stay open to an evolutionary, organic exchange. “I enjoy the spontaneity of the design process -the climax being when the last piece of colored or textured glass brings the design together creating the final piece -a three dimensional collage.”
History and Influences
George found glass art at New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce College in 1974.
“Taking my first stained glass course on a whim was my introduction to glass. I was always intrigued with the stained glass windows in church as a child.” Soon he was learning stained glass and furniture design at Virginia University’s Arts School of Crafts in. His current style was influenced by his studies at Pilchuck Glass Center and at North Carolina’s Penland School of Crafts. From Sonja Blomdahl at Pilchuck, George deepened his understanding of “the importance of a unique color sensibility” that infuses his work.* “I’m still fascinated with glass itself. As a medium, glass has seemingly endless possibilities. Even after 30 years I am still conceiving new ideas: a dining room table, bathroom accessories and a table lamp.” Other influences are his urban childhood and travels abroad. “My work is definitely founded in my urban roots in Yonkers and NYC. I was fascinated with the city’s art deco
buildings and modern architecture. More recently, on a trip to Milan, I was
inspired by Italian contemporary design.”
Galleries and Exhibits
George Ponzini’s work is in galleries, notable exhibits and collections in the US , Europe and Japan: The Glasmuseum in Ebeltoft , Denmark, The Renwick
Gallery, Vassar College, Nicolaysen Art Museum, and The International Exibition of Glass Craft in Kanazawa, Japan. George has served on the faculty of the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He has been a Vermont Council of the Arts Fellowship Recipient, and he earned a Grodin Award for Excellence in Design and Craftsmanship.
For more information, visit georgeponzini.com
Larry Simons
In 1965 I began making sculptures on Cape Cod with leather scraps from the sandal shop where I worked. When I moved west two years later, I visited the Watts towers in Los Angeles and the junk assemblages in the mud flats across the bay from San Francisco and my eyes opened to the art materials that are everywhere which I began turning into whimsical constructions on empty lots and beaches.
I love old ramshackle wooden structures with their lean-tos and additions, especially barns with weathered gray siding and red trim. Rather than re-coloring anything, I prefer to work with the palette I find – so I always have an eye out for broken down farm buildings from which I can scavenge fragments.
While living in the west, I fell in love with the raw beauty of the mountains and the desert. I was particularly drawn to unrestored ghost towns and the remnants of the mines they had grown up around where I found rusted metal with a reddish tone not seen in damper climates and deeply grained shards of wood which had hardened with age in the dry air.
Driftwood is one of my favorite collectibles, especially painted pieces which have been tumbled to perfection. A recycler by nature, virtually everything I use in my art has had a previous life – bobbins, chair spindles, tool handles, toys, croquet sets and wooden patterns from steel mills-most of which is brought to me by packrat-types who enjoy seeing what I do with their treasures. Bits and pieces of things that are fun to look at are spread throughout my studio so I can see as many as possible at a glance. I constantly move them around making different combinations on my worktables until I’m satisfied with an assemblage. A visual version of perfect pitch seems to guide me as I tweak a piece to completion.
My fondness for the rustic is reflected in my lifestyle which includes living in an early period style house I designed and built on a piece of property carved out of the woods to accommodate my earth-bound efforts at landscaping, poultry/game bird farming and forest management.
As an importer of handcrafts and artifacts, antique Asian furniture and natural-dyed Oriental rugs, my business has meshed nicely with other aspects of my life having furnished me with the resources to constantly rearrange my surroundings to suit my evolving tastes. I wouldn’t be able to stop fiddling with my environment if I wanted to.
A meeting of passion and profession have brought me a sense of harmony and fulfillment that was years in the making – a testament to the notion that it is never too late to nurture the creative spirit and drive that is inherent in all of us.
The idea that art arises out of need, lack and deprivation hit home for me the first time I drove through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado. Who needs sculpture when you can look at this, I remember thinking. But as soon as it was out of sight a desire arose in me to fill the void.
