America Creates

Water Color Award-Winner

Hitch — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:46:15 +0000

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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Kari Weaver Hopkins - Singing Tree Pottery

Sharon — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:31:55 +0000

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

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Jennie Lorette Keatts, Jewelry that rocks

Sharon — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:36:46 +0000

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.

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Jan Allman, Artist from Vermont

Sharon — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:08:18 +0000

Jan Allmon is a new artist on America Creates. She was born and raised in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. She was interested in art at an early age and took lessons on weekends as a young girl. Her love for old stone buildings and rolling farm land influenced many of her early paintings. Pennsylvania’s art heritage is rich with these influences. Majoring in fine art, Jan received a BFA degree from Bowling Green University in Ohio and studied with nationally known workshop instructors in both watercolor and oil. She worked for several years as a freelance and commercial artist. In 1985, Jan and her husband, Jim, and three daughters moved to the quaint village of Woodstock, Vermont. Jan is an artist with galleries in Woodstock, Vermont, Ogunquit, Maine and Worthington, Ohio representing her work. You can view her work and other noted New England artists at Gallery On The Green in the quaint village of Woodstock Vermont. Gallery On The Green is considered one of New England’s best art galleries for representational art. Since opening in 1988, it has established itself among Vermont’s top art galleries . Stay at the historic Woodstock Inn or upscale Twin Farms.While there, visit Billings Farm and Museum and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Historic Park. Ski at nearby Killington or Okemo or watch the glass blowers at Simon Pearce in Quechee, Vermont. Dartmouth College is also nearby. Jan opened the Jan Allmon Studio Gallery in Worthington, Ohio on August 1, 2008 as a working studio and gallery for her orignal paintings and giclee prints. Located across from the Worthington Inn in Olde Worthington. The village setting is reminiscent of New England. Jan’s style of painting is both realistic and impressionistic. Her original art consists of both oil paintings and watercolors and her giclee prints are sought after by collectors from throughout the country and abroad. Her subject includes landscapes, seascapes, gardens and still life. Often she uses palette knife to add texture to her original paintings. She was formally trained at Bowling Green University in Ohio although she has created art since she was a child growing up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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‘Tis the Season

Hitch — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:14:58 +0000

In contemporary culture, certainly ours, Christmas is the biggest commercial season by far. Love it or hate it, most retailers depend on holiday sales for their year’s make or break. In this economy we are surrounded with desperate holiday sales gimmicks and giveaways. The big box discounters are leading the pack. That’s maybe good for their bottom line, but is it creating jobs for people here in the US?

America Creates brings the best of American artists and craftsmen directly to you. If you’re buying gifts this season - discover the work of an artist near you and make your home brighter and their season the best ever.

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Writing About Art

Hitch — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:56:23 +0000

How do we describe how we feel about “art?” Much less, how do we presume to tell others what art is “better?”

Valuing art is also a thorny conundrum. After all, what is art? Historically speaking, art described a high level of skill in many disciplines. The distinction between art and craft is a fairly modern one.

Today has gotten away from me. I’ll return to this post tomorrow…

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JoAnn Depolo Podcast Interview

Hitch — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:10:14 +0000

We had a great show last night on Blog Talk Radio with artist and author JoAnn Depolo. JoAnn is the author of “Making It As An Artist,” an inspirational and instructional guide for working artists in the “business of art.” We dove right in and talked about what it takes to get a “career” off the ground. The shaping of a personal perspective and believing in the value of what you do and create. And of course, we get into the nitty-gritty of marketing and self promotion.

Listen to the show from our archived podcast:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AmericaCreates

Learn more about JoAnn and see her paintings by going to her pages on AC:

http://www.americacreates.com/JoAnn_DePolo26426/galleries

And read two great intros to her book and seminars in our Community pages:

http://www.americacreates.com/article.php

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Podcast Postscript

Hitch — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:06:13 +0000

We had a great time in our first podcast. Hope you were there, but fear not, there are always the archives! Just go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AmericaCreates and tune in at any time. In case you missed it, we were privileged to have as our first guests, jeweler, Jamie Santellano and visionary painter, Dennis Larkins.

We got to talk with Jamie about her burgeoning designs in classic chain and medieval mail. Jamie gave us insights on her early inspirations and continuing growth as a jeweler. Check out her work on America Creates.

Jamie_Santellano-Gallery

It’s been my pleasure to have known Dennis Larkins for over thirty years now. Dennis and I met when we were both working for Bill Graham, the San Francisco rock impressario - think Fillmore, Winterland and the mondo-rock tour as we know it today. Dennis was the scenic artist that presided over the flowering of that particular form of “bigger than life” presentation.

Dennis’ art can be yours in affordable Giclee prints on America Creates. Dennis_Larkins_Gallery

Here are a few visuals to go along with the recorded show.

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America Creates’ First Podcast

Hitch — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:44:01 +0000

Join us Monday night (Labor Day) at 8:00 PM PST for our first podcast on Blog Talk Radio. www.blogtalkradio.com/AmericaCreates We’ll be visiting with California jeweler, Jamie Santellano and legendary scenic artist and visionary painter, Dennis Larkins. Don’t miss the fun and inspiration as we talk about the creative process that each bring to their singular work. But, if you can’t make it to the live broadcast be sure and check out the podcast, which can be played or downloaded at the BlogTalkRadio site.

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!

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Pre-Production

Hitch — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:02:42 +0000

Sharon and I have been putting together a schedule for shooting a pilot, for a TV series to be called “The Creative Road.” We are talking with Ovation TV as the potential home for this series of studio visits and interviews with America’s most creative artists and craftsmen.

We’ve put together a terrific team to shoot this first series of interviews. We’ve been lucky enough to add documentary maker and musician extraordinaire, Dean Warner as our primary camera guy. Dean and Sharon will also be handling the editing. Another good friend, Todd Johnson will be coming up from his San Diego hideaway to be our director. We go way back to the mid-eighties when he and Sharon worked together on numerous commercials and music videos, including work for Santana and the jazz-fusion band, Montreux.

We’ll be shooting our first group of interviews in the Oregon/Washington area. Among the artists and studios we’ll be shooting are Andy Nichols and Miranda Teel of Nichols Art Glass Studio in The Dalles and the Our Town Pottery in Eugene, home of fabulous earthenware from Michael Baines and Jeani Holder.

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