November 2019 Spokane Jewelry Guild

November Guest Artists:

The Spokane Jewelry Guild

This group is made up of Spokane's premier artisan jewelers working in a wide variety of materials, styles and techniques.

Joan Ashworth

My name is Joan Ashworth.  I am a Spokane life time resident.   I’ve always had a fascination for glass and the beauty of nature, so why not combine them in a one of a kind piece of wearable art.  I never really know where the beads and stones will take me, but the end results always amaze me.  And if someone likes my creation, that is the icing on the cake.  Peace!

When I pick up a polished stone, I look for the beauty within the stone and add the beads that I believe bring out the hidden beauty.  Some stones are believed to possess special properties and with that in mind, I like to convey that to the new owner by adding a note about the focal stone.  Intrigue!

Each beaded creation is a one of a kind.  My creations are stitched together using thread, foundation, a focal and beads of various sizes and shapes.  The small beads are added one or two at a time to keep the creations neat and tight, then I finished off on the back as well.  Each piece, when finish, is a complete surprise to me.  Love!

I am a member of the Spokane Jeweler’s Guild, The Spokane Northwest Bead Society and the Spokane Rock Rollers.

I hope you like.

Janet Z Brougher

My current focus is on finding ways to combine semi-precious gem stones with copper and silver sheet and wire. My aesthetic is evolving as I become increasingly familiar with the working properties of the stone, metal, and my tools. My favorites are pieces that have classical shapes and allow the interplay of metal and stone to “star.” 

Helga Hirsch

Helga Hirsch

Designing and fabricating jewelry has been my hobby for 36 years. I have participated in many workshops where I worked with national and international master artist. I regularly attend the Tuscan Gem for trends in design and techniques.

Kris Howell

Sarah Peterson

Metal smithing has become the next step in my creative process.  My previous work with ceramics give me the love of fire, texture and creating art with my hands. As an interior designer I have always been inspired by nature’s color and design which has guided me in creating pleasing spaces.  Now as I work in jewelry I enjoy contrasting different metals, putting movement into my pieces, embellishing them with natural stone and now adding color through the process of enameling. 

I have shown my work at Pottery Place Plus, New Moon Art Gallery, Spokane Gallery and Framing and the Entree Gallery at Priest Lake

Sandra Phoenix

September 2019 - Lynn Gardner & Brenda Everett

September Guest Artists:

Lynn Gardner & Brenda Everett

LYNN GARDNER IDAHO GIRL ART 

Bio:

Lynn Gardner is a self taught enamelist living the dream 40 miles south of the Canadian border. Lynn combined her love of painting, fused glass and silversmithing into creating whimsical organic torch fired enamel jewelry. 

She lives with her artist husband, five horses, six chicken, an ornery barn cat and her faithful sidekick Daisy, an old black lab. Lynn puts on many workshops in her studio and garden in pottery, jewelry and mixed media painting 

You can find her work at numerous galleries in Montana, Idaho and Washington. Magic, serious magic, happens every time I find my way to the studio. My never ending love affair is where color meets metal, where I create torch fired enamel jewelry for the eclectic soul. Add color and imagination along with a big dash of whimsy and you’ll describe my work in a nutshell. 

Artists Statement:

My studio is nestled in the Idaho Panhandle, among three mountain ranges, meandering rivers and the beautiful Lake Pend O'Reille. Inspiration is everywhere…..in the trees on the trails I ride my horse on, in the water of the rivers I kayak on, in the songs of the birds I listen to in the early morning hours. 

My work starts with that inspiration of form and color. Using sheet copper I cut out my shapes using either a metal shear, a hydraulic press, or a jeweler saw. The pieces are filed, shaped and then the magic starts with the enamel powder. Layers of color are fired on it’s put to the flame where the powder melts and fuses with the metal. My time in the studio is like going to a party and I almost always close the door at the end of the day with a happy heart and a smile on my face. 

https://Idahogirlart.etsy.com 

Instagram.com/lynn_c_gardner 

BRENDA EVERETT

Brenda Everett is a PNW native with an endless love of costal beaches, art, guitar playing, family and friends. Brenda lives in Spokane with her husband, two kids and two Welsh Corgis. She had a BA in drawing, painting, and printmaking from Portland State University, and a former life as a Social Worker.

“Carving into wood and linoleum is my passion. My work is inspired by the natural world, music and figures. Slowing the world down while gazing at a slice of everyday life is a key piece of my subject matter. Weaving narrative, and colors are important, though some prints are destined to be black and white.”

July 2019 - Liz Montgomery & Twyla-Lea Jensen

LIZ MONTGOMERY

I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, spent most of my adult life in Barrington, IL and finally settled down in Southeast, Florida. I have been retired for many years now and live on a small island in the Florida Keys.

My work has been published in several newspapers. My photograph was on a book cover. I have had many solo exhibits at the Marathon, Fl Community Theater. An image of mine has been on the 2015 – 2016 brochure for the theater. The Shady Palm Art Gallery in Marathon, Fl is where I currently have my work.

My Mission: To reveal God’s beauty through my lens for all to enjoy.

I currently work in the photo canvas medium. Landscapes, flowers and landmarks dominate my canvases presently. I also have a sub-specialty in photo note cards.

Email – sealife3@bellsouth.net

Twyla-Lea Jensen

Twyla-Lea Jensen is an alcohol ink and resin artist. I have been working in these mediums for approximately 3 years and am continually expanding and branching out. Art has been a part of my life since the time I was a childa nd I have always created something and had some kind of project going on. I am also an avid cyclist and runner and occasionally compete in triathlons.

Recently I launched a new arm to my art called Spirit Soul Teasures. It will specialize in creating “Treasures” using cremains of loved ones in colorful and beautiful resin pieces.

I also love to teach and have held numerous classes teaching the basics of alcohol ink painting.

Feel free to reach out to me at tjstreasures4you@gmail.com.

June 2019 - Joe Simonsen

Joe Simonsen

I started woodworking as a young boy helping my father with some of the projects he was doing. I went on to working in a cabinet shop building cabinets and counter tops. Although I have worked in several different fields and held different positions throughout my work history, woodworking has always been my passion. Since my retirement over a year ago I started having a lot more fun doing what I love to do. Give me a block of wood and I’ll make something out of it.

May 2019 - Katie Frey

Katie Frey

Katie Frey has painted and studied art all over the world, including Australia and South America. She graduated from Walla Walla College in 2007 and has been teaching and creating art in Spokane ever since. Her areas of focus are acrylic painting and mixed media texture art. These paintings range from realistic to abstract, and most paintings include some form of collage, found objects, or texture medium to emphasize depth and create layers of interest. For her, inspiration and texture are synonymous. Inspiration might be on the inside of a coffee sleeve, in the layers of peeling graffiti beneath a Spokane bridge, or found in the erosion lines of a rock.

It’s all about Texture

Katie Frey creates mixed media paintings that stretch from realistic to abstract.

Her abstract work is usually done in acrylic and often with mixed media materials such as found paper, metal foils, and texture mediums. These paintings often take on a geologic or strata inspired appearance.

Katie also loves painting trees and landscapes. Many of her landscapes are done with a palette knife to create bold strokes in an impressionistic style, while others include textures such as sand, sea glass, broken shells, and found objects.

Her third love is whimsical paintings of animals. Whether they live in the forest or in your living room, her cats, bears, and bunnies have a charming storybook quality.

Katie Frey also teaches classes and workshops all over Spokane. You can find her classes through Act2 and the Corbin Art Center, as well as on her blog: artwithkatie.blogspot.com.

March 2019 - Gayle Havercroft

Gayle Havercroft

I am a lifelong resident of Spokane. As I think back over my life, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in art. The first endeavor into art in my childhood memory is of doing a drawing of a stagecoach when I was probably around four years old. In my mind’s eye it was a masterpiece. Seeing it years later showed that it not very good.

As a child, I looked up to an uncle who was a good artist and oil painter, and I wanted to emulate him and be an artist. Art and music were always my favorite subjects in school. Going into high school I had to make the choice between the two and I chose to follow music (although I did take 2 years of architectural drafting to help fill my art fix).

I had the opportunity to go back into art in my early 30’s by going to SFCC in their fine arts program. Working, building a house, raising a growing family, raising livestock and just life in general, kept me from having time to get real serious with doing my art. So it has just been the last couple of years that I have chosen to be serious about it again.

Why I do realistic style of art:

The last name for my family is old English that means “small oat farm”. Though I’m the first generation not to truly grow up on the farm, there was enough of the rural roots left in my family that a rural lifestyle was something that I longed for. I’m not an overly sophisticated person, so I look at life through the eyes of what is solid, real and before me, so my art is a reflection of what I can see, touch and experience. Much of my art has rural, scenic and outdoor images. Weathered buildings particularly fascinate me with showing mankind’s struggles with time, the elements and age. The endless cycle of building up and falling down. Buildings also point back to my interest in architecture, and working in the facility maintenance field for the last 30 years.

February 2019 - Betsy Pozzanghera & Mike DeCesare

B. Pozzitive

My name is Betsy Pozzanghera, (and I am Pozzitive). I have been involved in creative endeavors such as ceramics, sewing, cooking, copper enameling, candle-making, since childhood.

Three (3) Christmases ago my mother-in-law gave me the gift of an online Craftsy.com course of my choice. I chose “Making Leather Bags” ---- the rest, as they say, is history.

After making my first leather bag I wondered if I could make a bag from my old pair of leather boots…yes. Then a jacket I bought at the thrift store, then … then … then…

My process involves the deconstruction of used leather jackets, skirts, boots, etc. Together with used leather belts, horse reins, gifted hair-on hide, and new leather I create one-of-a-kind bags and purses - giving them new and different useful lives.

Most of the leather pieces have natural wear, raw edges, holes, and markings. This contributes to their story.

Each piece I create is unique.

Custom orders from an idea, a beloved jacket, or “Dad’s old boots” are very welcomed.

My hope is that the bag you choose will lift your life.

Betsy

Mike DeCesare

Artist Statement

Photography is my first language, expressed in images that draw the viewer inside a scene to see, feel, interact with, and add their personal interpretation of a place or a time when light, color and form, combined to create a unique and memorable human experience.

Mike DeCesare Bio

Mike uses an academic foundation of technical expertise from his formal training at the New York Institute of Photography, along with a deep and abiding love and respect for the outdoors, to create images that interpret and respect, nature's grand and beautiful elegance, or serve as a time portal to a place where people once lived and loved, and left their mark behind.

Every image is photographed and then hand crafted solely by Mike DeCesare to render a final work that interprets the natural world and the bond between nature and people.

Mike has been invited to exhibit at prestigious art shows, including: Spokane's Artfest, Coeur 'd Alene's Art on the Green, Salt Lake City's Urban Arts Festival, and the Beverly Hills art show.

Mike's work has been featured in Hidden Treasure Art magazine - the editor called his work "Absolutely breathtaking." Mike has been a featured artist on the influential Artsy Shark website, included in Volume XII of International Contemporary Artists, and his portraits were featured internationally by Agefotostock, one of the top international photo agencies.

Photography by Mike DeCesare has received awards from the Las Vegas Red Room Art Gallery, Light, Space & Time Nature Art Competition and the international Centre of the Picture Industry.

Mike's images appear on handcrafted Maple bookmarks and other environmentally sourced wood products made by Mitercraft and his friends Julie and Ron Flint.

Mike lives in Spokane, Washington, but travels and photographs around the country and internationally.