Coulee Region Art

Before I get to the featured local area artist in this post of “The Spotlight” I have a quick news release of a mixed media fabric workshop being held at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor Center. “Fiber Art Journal: Stretching Boundaries” Saturday, March 20, 2010. “The workshop will focus on creating vibrant backgrounds, collage, printing, stamping, painting, surface textures, hand and machine stitching, embellishments and much more on fabric.” The workshop is open to all levels so no art experience is necessary. If interested you must act quick because the Registration Deadline is Friday, March 12th. For more information contact the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor Center at 608-625-2960 or email kickapooreserve@krm.state.wi.us.  The instructor is Carissa Brudos and she is today’s featured artist.

If her name sounds familar it might be because she was honored as WKBT NewsChannel 8’s “Top Notch Teacher” last May. Anyway, on to Carissa.

Carissa Brudos is an enthusiastic creative instructor with a passion for the visual arts and teaching. Currently she teaches art in the La Crosse School District at two elementary schools. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Masters of Art Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She also is very involved as a professional artist, creating mixed media fiber art quilts. Carissa displays her work regularly in a variety of art venues throughout Wisconsin. She is active and supportive in the community sharing and promoting the visual arts.

Carissa Brudos
Artist Statement,  2010

“The advantage of working in fabric is that it is so versatile.  One can print, paint, draw and sew on it. The way a quilt is constructed, layer after layer, over time, is a lot like how life is lived. My experiences in life are just that, many layers. As I create with this time consuming medium, I spend time with each layer, each experience both with my head and my hands. It gives me a chance to imagine the next part of the layer, the experience, the stitch and meaning.

The subjects in my work have changed as I have changed, but what is most important to me is interpreting the experience.The beauty that radiates from the female form is reminiscent of the natural surroundings with which I live. My series entitled Life Layers, depicts the female form as a dominate part of the living environment. The female is transformed and becomes the part of the space she inhabits. The beauty surrounds the form and the two become interchangeable.

Currently, my art quilts depict life, my interpretation of the many layers and experiences. Surviving cancer, I now view my life differently; reborn, refreshed, renewed, as I have received new life. The female form in my work becomes part of environment, strong, enduring, changing, connected as I have found myself to become.”

Carissa’s quilt “Life Streams” is pictured above. To see her quilt “Life Streams” click here, and her “Top Notch Teacher” segment is posted below.

(Press Release from Myrick Hixon EcoPark)

Myrick Hixon EcoPark is now accepting exhibition proposals for the Artist of the Month Program!

ONLY MEMBERS of MHEP will be allowed to show work, which will be displayed in the Gift Shop

To be considered during the next jury session, please include the following materials:

One or two paragraphs describing the work you would display and how you would like to display it. Please include retail price range.Artist’s bio and artist statement – Please include your personal contact information, including telephone number, email address, mailing address and website (if applicable).Please submit a CD containing the following information (CD will not be returned):

5-10 images representing the work you intend to exhibit.List of works. Please include title, media and dimensions of the work(If you do not have the capability to create a cd of your work, please contact us and we can work something out where you can show your work to the jury)

Artists will be scheduled to show their work for a one month period only!

Artwork must reflect the vision and mission of the EcoPark.

Our Vision is to: Achieve community understanding of, and respect for nature and to protect the environment for future generations

Our Mission is to: Create a unique destination with dynamic educational programming, interactive displays, and live animal exhibits that will advance the appreciation and conservation of our natural resources.

This includes animals, nature, environmental themes, made of recycled materials etc…..
If you are unsure if your artwork matches with our Vision & Mission, please submit your application and our jury will make the determination.
Artists will receive 60% of retail price and MHEP will retain 40%.
Artists will be paid within 30 days of pieces being sold/show being over.
Artists will work with EcoCenter staff on hanging/showing the exhibit.

span style=”font-family: “Times New Roman”font-size;”>Thank you for your interest in exhibiting your work with Myrick Hixon EcoPark. Please contact Michelle Nelson if you have any questions at (608) 784-0303 ext. 221 or by email, mnelson@mhecopark.org. Check out our website at www.mhecopark.org

In February 2009 I featured glass blowing artist Chad Moriarty in The Spotlight. At that time he was busy getting his business and studio up and going in Sparta, WI.  Just last week Jennifer Livingston from NewsChannel 8 did a feature story for her series “In Search Of…” on Southern Fried Glass.  Looks like Chad has settled in. Check it out…

For more information on Chad, his studio, or his gallery visit his website.  And if watching the video sparks some interest in glass blowing, sign up for a glass blowing class. It includes the basics of gathering glass from the furnace, shop safety, solid sculpting, blowing, color design, and much more.

One of my favorite methods of firing pottery is Raku Firing. Raku ware is a type of Japanese pottery that dates back to the 16th Century and is traditionally and primarily used and associated with the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Pictured here is one of my tea bowls that I raku fired just a couple weeks ago. I like raku firing for many reasons but I suppose the main two reasons are the very short glaze firing time and the unpredictability of the final product when placed in a post firing reduction chamber, which can produce awsome glaze colors, flashings and unique surface textures.

My understanding of the origin of Raku pottery is that it dates back to the 16th Century when a Japanese Tea Master named Sen Rikyu had a tile maker named Chojiro make hand crafted tea bowls for his wabi style of tea ceremony. These bowls kind of became the “gold standard” for the Tea Ceremony and as a result a guy named Hideyoshi, a powerful territorial lord, and who also unified the political factions of Japan, presented Chojiro with a seal of the Chinese character for Raku. It was at that time when Raku became both the name of the family and this style of pottery they produced, now in its 15th generation. The American Museum of Ceramic Art has a much much better description of Raku, its origins, the tea ceremony, and how this type of pottery/firing technique was developed in America.

For an interesting anecdote about “Can anyone other than the Raku family make raku” check out this short essay by Paul Soldner, considered by many to be the father of American style Raku.

I found out about today’s featured artist thanks to an email that was sent to me by our Internet Content Coordinator Brian Smith. I knew that he was a WINONA ST graduate and thought that Brian knew Zakary John Fellman through that connection. Turns out Brian didn’t know Zakary at all. While browsing local Twitter pages he found a blog link on Zakary’s Twitter page, @zakaryjohn_art, and then sent it to me. One thing led to another and Zakary ended up being featured today. 

So, I need to thank Brian for today’s Spotlight artist and also say thanks for so much help with managing this Blog. He is actually the person responsible for helping me set up and manage all the slide shows, categories, tags, etc. Brian also writes for a WKBT blog titled Music-Live-Reviews. If you’re into music, check it out music.blogs.wkbt.com. 

After contacting Zakary, he sent me this bio to introduce himself…

“My name is Zakary John Fellman. I am a stay-at-home dad and an artist. I love both. My daughter is “Two and an half,” she says. Greatest 2 1/2 years of my life!

As for art I love painting abstract.  My paintings are constructed through a long process of laying-up layers of paint, stain, varnish, washes and texture items(rocks, sticks, tape, etc.) This creates texture and patterns and stories.

I aim to build a history in a painting - the finished piece is meant to show all those layers and textures and colors. Essentially I am trying to hide just enough of the previous layer of paint and then I put on another layer that is meant to cover and bring out just enough of the previous layer…and so on.”

Zakary John’s painting “Amsterdam” has been added to the 2010 Spotlight slide show. Click on the Local Area Artists box below to view the slide show.

Paintings inserted above:  “Jung” and “Samson”