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Artist Of The Month - January 2008
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Mailing
Address:
2151 W. Center St.
Provo, UT 84601
Phone: 801-360-8043 |
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What do you love about Art Clay?
For the metal claysmith,
Art Clay equals freedom. Time, equipment and work space are no longer
constrained. For most of us, time is precious; there is barely enough
of it to finish all that we have scheduled for ourselves. So how are
we supposed to squeeze in enough time to make a pendant with that highly
addictive Art Clay packet beckoning us from somewhere deep within our
work bench? To me, the beauty of working with Art Clay is that as soon
as a piece is roughed out, it can be completed in as little as 15-minutes
or as long as several days. If you want a true confession, some of
my unfinished pieces sat in boxes for years! How we spend our time
on our Art Clay masterpieces is up to us. Don’t you just love
being in complete control of at least one important thing in your life?
Of course, it’s always fun to have the newest metal clay tool and top-of-the-line kiln, but it’s not necessary. The perceived
lack of “proper” equipment does not need to hinder us from working with Art
Clay. For instance, I’ve taught budget-minded students how
to create beautiful Art Clay jewelry using almost nothing but items
borrowed (okay, stolen because they won’t be returned) from
their kitchens, offices, or even their bathrooms. A partial list
of these “free” supplies includes heavy duty plastic
sheet protectors or CD cases, plastic straws, pizza cutters, teaspoons,
paper towels, glass cups, toothpicks, rubber bands, water, oil, fingernail
Katie Baum, Art Clay World USA’s talented Director of the Art
Clay Society, recently described her art studio thus: “It’s
my dining room table, in a space so small that you have to slide
out of your chair because you’ll hit a wall if you try to back
the chair out first.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we
all had spacious, well organized studios? Instead, I suspect that
most of us can relate to Katie’s quandary. Don’t give
up, Katie, your time will come! In fact, until our recent development
of Almosta Ranch (an artist’s retreat) with its many cozy structures
-- including an art studio -- Katie’s description paralleled
my own. Over the past four decades I’ve left enough gouges
in our walls to keep our local mud man busy for years. Yet, to this
day and despite our new studio, one of my favorite places to work
with Art Clay is on a tray on my lap at a campground near the beach.
Now THAT’S true freedom!
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What are your favorite Art Clay projects/creations?
Since
I thoroughly love history, genealogy, and documenting the legacy left
by others a thousand years ago, or even yesterday, merging these interests
with Art Clay is simply another way to express my appreciation of those
who have left their mark on the tablet of our society. Art Clay’s
ability to instantly pick up the finest detail of whatever touches
it makes it a pleasure (and sometimes a frustration) to work with.
Because of its unique quality I’m able to produce delicate petroglyph
reproductions from Nine Mile Canyon, UT, on obsidian using a fine paint
brush; make an exact mold of the end of a 1,000-year-old vigas from
Pueblo Bonito at Chaco Canyon, NM; and scraffitto images on glass of
children photographed in Nairobi, Kenya.
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What other media do you work and/or teach in??
Portrait photography,
kiln-formed glass, and lapidary work are other artistic passions of
mine. Fortunately, Art Clay is so versatile that all of these mediums
can easily be integrated with it.
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Personal Background
Though raised as an only child primarily by my dad in the coastal mountains
just outside of Santa Cruz, CA, Utah is the place I’ve called
home for nearly 30-years. I’m a mom to four and grandma to
one. In 1980 I learned I had a sister that was put up for adoption
right after birth. It took me 26-years to find her, but I finally
tracked her down October, 2006. We met for the first time last
July. She’s awesome! Turns out we were raised about seven
miles from each other. We used to eat at her adopted parent’s
restaurant … the same one where my sister worked as a cashier.
Do the words from the song,
“It’s a Small World,” come to mind?
Current Project
Converting dreams into tangible
goals is the only way to experience progress. My business partner
and co-conspirator, Norma Gould, and I started a new project in mid-February,
2005. We jumped on the chance to expand our work space by purchasing
a 1/3-acre parcel with a 550-square foot run-down one bedroom home
and a termite-infested wood shed. The deed said the main structure
was built in 1933. Our
original plan was to spend 2-months converting the little house into
a functional art studio. Plans changed, however, when we discovered
the original rough-cut red pine walls and hard-wood floors after
removing decades of rotted, burned, and moldy materials. Our stinky
little studio turned out to be a turn-of-the-century mining cabin
moved over 50-miles to Provo, UT, from the rugged Tintic mining district
near Eureka in 1933.
Future Plans
It’s been nearly three very long years since we started our
art studio remodeling project, but the end is in sight! We didn’t
remodel, we restored … and then some. [See the Almosta Ranch
follow-up article coming soon in the Art Clay Society newsletter.]
Our little parcel now has eight mining theme structures on it. The
buildings, fashioned out of reclaimed, recycled, or local materials
as much as possible are both
functional and fun. Our goal is to provide a unique atmosphere for
working, teaching, photography, or just hanging out. It’s a
wonderful meeting place for a local Art Clay Society Chapter and
within a few months we will be back to a regular Art Clay teaching
schedule. I can hardly wait until I can lay down the shovel and pick
up the torch to create more commission or showcase Art Clay pieces!
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Philosophy:
I believe that the
art of creating is achieved by integrating personal experiences and
inspiring subject matter with interesting materials and techniques.
It follows then that the art of living is achieved by applying the
art of creating. With all endeavors in life, the quality of our work
should reflect our personal best appropriate for the task on hand,
our skill level, and our willingness to challenge ourselves. Learning
doesn’t stop whenever we make a mistake; it simply adds to our
mental database. Learn to think outside the norms. Don’t be afraid
to experiment. And then experiment again. And again. Master the medium.
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Awards / Degrees / Publications:
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Brigham Young University,
April 1995
- Art Clay World, USA, Certification:
- Level One Instructor, March
2002
- Level Two Instructor, April 2002
- Senior Instructor, July 2002
- 10th Pearl Jewelry Contest Special
Award for "Gentle Guardian," September
2006
(An international contest held in Japan)
- Contributing
Artist to the following books
- Art Clay Silver and Gold: 18 Unique
Jewelry Pieces to Make in a Day, by Jackie Truty.
Krause
Publications: 2003
- Dichroics: Art Glass All Dressed Up, by Jackie Paciello-Truty.
Glass
Press: 2002
- How-to Magazine article:
- Glass With Class: A Slumped Glass Ring, by Julie Rorden.
- Glass Craftsman: Issue No. 178 (10-year anniversary issue),
June/July 2003
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