January 2019
THE BEACON
Page 5A
Painting, Sculpture, Art Classes Are a Passion for So Many
Potters have used wheels
since at least the Early
Bronze Age, c. 3500–2350
BC. (Photo courtesy Bruce
Canfield)
Rebecca Davies with her painting, Spiritual Beings
Playing with My Heart.
Barb Gallagher is always
happy to answer questions
and encourage those new
to weaving.
Continued from page 4A
Cincinnati Weavers Guild,
she appreciates all of the fiber
arts including knitting and
crocheting, tatting and bead-
work. She says, “Weaving has
never quite found its niche. It’s
not really a craft, and a lot of
people don’t consider it an art.
Quilts have made the jump and
are very artsy now; weaving
has started to be accepted a lot
more, and people are referring
to it as ‘utilitarian art’.”
Mr. Canfield asks that ques-
tion about pottery, “Is it an art
or is it a craft? I think if there
is any amount of embellish-
ment to the pot, it starts to
become more art. If it is more
utilitarian and fairly simple …
then it might lend itself more
to a craft. It is a tactile art.
Potter Bruce Canfield is
the current president of the
Clay Alliance.
it’s got a meaning or reason to
be, it’s so much better.”
Area artists reach out to new
and emerging creatives in a
variety of ways. Mr. Canfield
has been a board member of
the Clay Alliance for over a
decade and is currently the
president. He says, “The Clay
Alliance is very supportive of
children. I should probably
say college-aged and high
school aged. We have student
memberships to encourage
them to come in and attend
our seminars and workshops at
half price or even less.”
Walking through the gal-
lery in Dillsboro, Ms. Davies
points out a painting that was
a collaborative effort by New
Horizons clients, created
following a tour of the gal-
lery. She talks about a show
judged by Hanover College
art students. She says, “This is
a place that would have made
all the difference for me as
a kid. I had different things
that the kids growing up now
didn’t have … it was a differ-
ent time, and now this is even
more needed. I’ve got a little
guy who comes in here all the
time to just hang out with me.
We talk art, and he brings his
sketchbook to show me his
work.”
Mrs. Gallagher says, “I do a
lot of teaching and what I have
found is it’s usually a slightly
older crowd, it’s the 50, 55-
plus empty-nesters, etc. that
either took a class when they
were in college and they want
to get back to it, or else a lot of
people are looking for some-
thing that is tactile and not
electronic. There are so many
people that find that once they
get involved with weaving,
they enjoy it. It’s very relax-
ing; it can become rhythmic…
It’s not a dying art in the
slightest; it is growing, and the
numbers of weavers across the
country are just astronomical.
And it just tickles me when I
see somebody get started in
something and how excited
they get about it. I love it - it
feeds me when I get that back
from other people.”
Every artist is not tucked
away in a garret in Paris, nor
is creativity limited to galler-
ies in Manhattan. Fortunately,
Southeastern Indiana has a
number of productive, talented
and passionate creatives, hap-
py to talk about their work and
willing to share their pieces
with the community. A class in
glassblowing, wheel throw-
ing, welding, or watercolor
might be just the thing for that
friend, and it might be fun to
spend the holidays with family
exploring galleries through-
out the region. Take a chance
on art and see what you can
discover – and create!
Potters, when they get a piece
of pottery in their hands, they
hold it and touch it and will
say is the handle right? Is that
a three-finger mug or a two-
finger mug? Is it balanced?”
“The stuff that I tend to
want to do is something that
is known as functional art.
It has a function besides just
sitting there looking pretty,”
says Mr. Kaiser. For example,
his repoussé pieces can be
designed to hold the cremains
of loved ones. Or it could
be flat with nothing behind
it, and it would be a memo-
rial to Uncle Joe or whoever,
but let’s make it a functional
piece more than just some-
thing pretty - I think that
means a lot to people. Art for
the sake of art is fine; I have
no problem with that, but if
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