Sharon’s Turtle Vision

Quilt on the cutting table in the studio

Sharon Sinclair has always expressed her creative spirit in fabrics, whether in her hand sewn stylish clothing, family quilts, knitted keepsakes or the grand scale of theatrical and rock and roll stages. Sharon says, “For me, sewing is a meditation. It is a way to enjoy the tactile sense, color, composition and construction in a three dimensional form of painting.” Her latest undertaking is a dynamic glimpse undersea. Sharon said that the idea came to her after months of looking at a brick wall in her Oregon home. “I’d been wondering what I could put there, but had only hung a sculpted ceramic tile of turtles and then it hit me… Why not cover the wall in a brilliant seascape featuring these amazing creatures?” “I’ve never liked aquariums or any form of caging animals, but this gives me a window into their world.”

Sea Turtle at play

Sharon scoured the internet and then designed a full scale drawing of the elements she wanted to feature. Choosing fabrics is actually one of the steps she likes most. “A trip to the fabric store is a form of exploration and discovery. You just never know which direction the quest will take.”

“I wanted to take advantage of the variety of textures and forms in the turtles and the incredible life forms, kelp, sponges and coral, so I chose felts and batiques and built my appliques, then I paint in the highlights and shadow.”

Sharon says she’s really looking forward to filling that long, empty space.

Sea Turtle

Water Color Award-Winner

Frank in his California Studio

Frank Wilson is a painter of immense power and drama. Frank has just been awarded first prize in the prestigious Turner Colour Works Painting Contest. The painting, “Alpine Sunset,” won over the judges with its vibrant depiction of a late afternoon Alpine hillside. Frank has been a full time professional artist for over 35 years.

Frank is a prolific painter and has painted over 2,900 highly detailed realism works in oils, gouache, and watercolor since 1995 in addition to hundreds of sculptures. His paintings are in private and corporate art collections in dozens of countries on four continents.

Frank describes his inspiration and work:

“My paintings spring from a life long involvement with the wilderness areas of Northern New England and, more recently, in Northern California. From an early age, I combined my passion for the wilds of nature with my art. This passion has greatly influenced the academic and professional directions I have taken in life, including where I chose to make my home, most recently in Northern California.”

See more of Frank’s work on his gallery pages on AmericaCreates.com

Alpine Sunset (click to enlarge)

http://www.americacreates.com/FrankWilson/galleries

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Water Color Award-Winner

Frank Wilson is a painter of immense power and drama. Frank has just been awarded first prize in the prestigious Turner Colour Works Painting Contest. The painting, “Alpine Sunset,” won over the judges with its vibrant depiction of a late afternoon Alpine hillside. Frank has been a full time professional artist for over 35 years.

Frank is a prolific painter and has painted over 2,900 highly detailed realism works in oils, gouache, and watercolor since 1995 in addition to hundreds of sculptures. His paintings are in private and corporate art collections in dozens of countries on four continents.

Frank describes his inspiration and work:

“My paintings spring from a life long involvement with the wilderness areas of Northern New England and, more recently, in Northern California. From an early age, I combined my passion for the wilds of nature with my art. This passion has greatly influenced the academic and professional directions I have taken in life, including where I chose to make my home, most recently in Northern California.”

See more of Frank’s work on his gallery pages on AmericaCreates.com

Alpine Sunset (click to enlarge)

http://www.americacreates.com/FrankWilson/galleries

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Kari Weaver Hopkins - Singing Tree Pottery

Kari Weaver Hopkins is a new America Creates studio potter working in the mountains of Yancey County, North Carolina. I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Ceramics from Clemson University in 1996.

For the next decade, I relocated several times, staking my claim to whatever available space I could find for my studio. In 2008, we escaped the suburbs of Charlotte and relocated to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Our home came well-equipped with an ample studio, gallery space and a large gas kiln.

Inside the Studio

It has been thrilling getting reacquainted with the high-fire glazes and gas firing that I learned in college. The learning curve has been steep, but I am more pleased with each kiln opening.

Opening the kiln

I named my pottery Singing Tree Pottery after The Singing Tree the children’s book of the by Kate Seredy. When I was a first-grader, the school librarian refused to let me check the book out until I proved to her that I could read it. I’m not sure I even enjoyed the book at the age of 6, but I loved being able to prove myself. The title stuck with me, and as I am a bird-loving gardener, it seems to fit me.

I participate in the twice yearly Toe River Arts Council Studio Tours and my gallery and studio are open most days.

Kari's Pottery Baskets

Jennie Lorette Keatts, Jewelry that rocks

Jennie Lorete Keatts is an America Creates jewelry artisan.She use a rolling mill, stamps or reticulation to create the many textures that she incorporate into her work. So many ordinary things can create such beauty when impressed into silver or when viewed outside the box. All of her jewelry is hand fabricated from sterling silver sheet and wire, with the addition of gold fill, copper and semi-precious stones. Jennie works alone in my studio making each piece.

“Turning Mud Into Gemstones” defines JLK Jewelry. Her stones are all hand formed cabochon “tiles”, mostly painted with the Jugtown Pottery glazes. The stones are fired in gas and electric kilns to cone 6 or cone 10, occasionally under-glazes will be used for one of a kind stones. The child in her quickly emerges each time the kiln is opened, I can’t wait to open it up and see what I will pull out. I feel as though I have struck a vein of a new and wonderful stone as the glazes have melded to form my new stones.

Next Blog Radio interview

Don't miss our next interview on Monday, Oct 5. (8PM PST) with an extraordinary metal worker, Jake Balcom from Lincoln, Nebraska and a fabulous potter from Virginia Beach, VA, the charming and effervescent, Crystal Bowers.
Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AmericaCreates
to listen in "live" or, for the archived broadcasts anytime!


Jake Balcom

Stone Soul Pottery and an AC Update

One of our most recent artists to join America Creates is Crystal Bowers, a wonderfully original potter from Virginia Beach. We immediately dug her work, simple, profound and each a unique stand alone. I spoke with Crystal earlier today and asked her about her process and experience.

Crystal hails from Troy in upstate New York, but found her way to Virginia through Hofstra, Hunter College, a six year stay in the Big Apple and a career that wandered merrily through music journalism, radio services for the disabled and blind, the United Way and serendipitously to a computer - an AOL chat Room - and her mate. Yes, Virginia, it can happen. Crystal met her husband in a chat room. Bless the Internet!

So how did she become a potter? Crystal says, "Everyone in my family is an artist. It came from my father and everyone could draw, but me. But when I was very young I was given an electric potter's wheel and that got me started. But it wasn't until I moved to Alexandria, Virginia with my husband and he encouraged me to take classes, that it happened. From the first class at the Art League - I knew. This was it."

"I am in love with the forms," Crystal continued. "Oh, I enjoy working with the glazes and of course, I spend a great deal of time choosing the right stones, beads and crystals that I use to adorn and embellish - but it is the form that comes up from the wheel that I take real pleasure in."

You should check out the forms and find one for you or a friend on Crystal's AC pages: http://www.americacreates.com/stonesoul/galleries

EXCITING NEWS FROM AMERICA CREATES

Promotion is everything, especially in this economy. We've been pursuing many avenues to get the amazing work of our artists in front of a larger audience. As many of you know we are working on an Internet radio show called "The Creative Road," which we plan to debut in September. The show will be interviewing AC artists and craftsmen and other creative folks around the country in many fields. We want to tell your stories.

We are in serious talks with a (yet-to-be-named) arts cable network about creating a program around our artists and the creative process. We are making progress on other fronts, which we will soon be able to reveal. America Creates has been revamping our search engine visibility and much more. But the best promotion is word of mouth. Please tell your friends and family about America Creates and BUY from a local artisan when you need that gift or certain something. Support the fantastic talent that inspires you.

-Larry & Sharon