(We asked Kathleen Krucoff to be a guest blogger for us and to talk about her show with Jo Gaston--Botanical Expressions.)

On May 20th, the Botanical Expressions Exhibit opens at Commonwheel Artists Co-op in Manitou Springs, CO. and runs through June 13th.

My Chasing & Repoussé art jewelry and Jo Gaston's watercolor paintings will be displayed with our interpretations of elements in nature that we find most beautiful. In some cases we discussed having works that were of the same subject matter such as acorns and aspens. Of course there will be others that embody our love of a particular species.

This is the first time I have prepared and submitted a proposal with a particular theme. Both Jo & I are extremely grateful to Commonwheel Artists Co-op for providing not only the opportunity, but the venue for an exhibit of this kind. Earlier this year, Commonwheel remodeled and their Creekside Gallery room is perfect for visiting artists like Jo and myself to display our works.

As I prepared, I envisioned demonstrating the many diverse art jewelry forms that can be created through the ancient art of Chasing & Repoussé. With that thought in mind, I also wanted to show the different types of metal I can incorporate into my work.  Although the majority of my work in this show is in sterling silver, I was able to utilize steel with fused gold and Japanese alloys like Shibuichi and Shakudo.

As an artist, I am always looking for ways to challenge myself. Doing a show of this nature pushes one to be even more creative. Prior to getting ready for this event, my main focus with Chasing & Repoussé has been creating cuffs. The canvas for that type of jewelry is larger and gave me a lot of freedom to express my organic style.

However, I was able to create a new body of work for this exhibit. To my surprise and delight, I discovered how completely Chasing & Repoussé lent itself to creating delicate works with minute details. The metal moved beautifully and I was thrilled to discover all I envisioned coming to life.

My belief is anytime you step outside of your comfort zone, something wonderful will happen. In this case, fresh ideas, new work and friendships are just the start of the positive impact this event has already had on my life and my work.

I hope that you will be able to join us for this unique, insightful visual display of the thoughtful reflections of two artists.

when you bury a seed into the earth,
whisper to it . . .grow
when it's curved neck begins to emerge,
shedding the weight of the soil,
whisper: grow
when the first leaves reach to embrace the sun,
whisper: you are growing
when the hail storms fall and the freezes come late,
whisper: you can still grow
when the rabbits nibble and the deer destroy,
you will grow
when branches stretch, flowers unfold, fruit hangs
how you have grown
when the leaves color and drop, the flowers wilt and fade,
whisper: you will grow again
when the seeds fall and bury into the earth once more,
whisper to them: grow . . .
           Ace McCasland
 
Ace McCasland’s current works are about growth: growth within / growth without / growth as an artist / growth as a solitary soul exploring this planet, seeking, wondering, investigating, wandering, dreaming, striving... 


Ace wandered (and settled) into Colorado eleven years ago after exploring and hiking and driving all over the west, stopping a bit to live in places like Point Arena, California / Moab, Utah / Flagstaff, Arizona. Her experiences have included driving converted 1956 tour buses for Green Tortoise Adventure Travel, travelling and performing with a three ring circus along the East Coast, working on the White Mountain Apache Tribe Reservation in Arizona, hiking into (and out of) the Grand Canyon at least seven times, living out of a '72 Toyota Land Cruiser for over three years while exploring the U.S., and failing miserably at surfing on the Sea of Cortez.  Having settled in one place has allowed for explorations in gardening, and in art, and she cannot get enough of either.
 
 
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Frank and Ginny Maiolo’s love of nature presents itself in organic designs using beautiful gemstones, sea glass and mixed metals. Drawing upon their love of nature, world travel, and creative imaginations they collaborate to produce a unique style of jewelry.  Combining the masculine and feminine, simple and complex we create distinctive metalwork designs that are timeless in their beauty and form. 
 
How many times have you heard someone say, “Oh, how I would love to wear jewelry like that?” Have you been drawn to something but do not feel comfortable purchasing it and displaying it in your home because it is different from your usual style? Fear is the great inhibitor! This gallery show is about allowing yourself to look at that fear while providing internal permission to “Dare to Express” by playfully incorporating art into your daily living.
 
We will have live music opening night, April 15th. “The Brothers Heath" are local boys from Monument, Colorado playing Blue Grass and Americana.
 
 
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Mo Morrow has several great loves when it comes to art media—clay, paint, and fiber being among the top. When she was surprised by twins 23 years ago she was at a loss to find a medium that would be compatible with a household of 5 very curious and active children. Voila! Polymer clay! It could be kept out of reach of grabby little fingers (most of the time), and she could find relief from the chaos by creating tightly organized tiny quilt squares. It was a corner of the universe that she could control and used her Math brain to piece shapes that she couldn’t sew out of fabric. Now that her house is quiet and empty she still loves to enter the magical realm of miniature geometry and looks for new ways to explore and connect landscape painting with quilt design.

Oftentimes a piece of jewelry is only brought out into the open when it is worn. This keeps the view of it confined within a limited context, and narrows the concept of the work. Mo is offering jewelry for “Dare to Express” that could be purchased with a larger piece of art so it can be enjoyed all the time. It is an opportunity to break out and think outside of the jewelry box!

“Dare to Express” was conceived as an inspiration to create jewelry that pushes the individual—artist as well as consumer—beyond their public self-identity. There are whole universes inside every person that lie untapped until that person is inspired to create something new.
 
A maxim Mo reminds herself of when facing a new work is that it takes a lot of bad art to come up with good art. With this show we are pushing beyond the safety of our tried and true expressions, and there are sure to be many fascinating surprises along the way!
 
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Our newest member, Valerie Bartron, writes “I forge my art in fire, constantly turning and blending, marking and cooling, mixing the elements of earth, wind, and fire to create what my mind’s eye sees for another in hope that my orbs please the fancy of one such as yourself, or perhaps for a lover.”
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Destiny struck in August of 2012. A friend was moving out of the country and decided didn't want to take her lampwork studio with her. At the time Valerie had no idea what lampwork was. She watched as her friend fired up the torch, created a simple round bead, and Valerie found myself absolutely captivated with the process that she purchased the entire studio that day.
 
With endless hours of practice, Valerie began creating special pieces for friends and family. At one point her daughter asked what she was going to do with her bounty of beads and asked if she could take them to a bead boutique to see if they were interested. The owner bought all of the beads and proceeded to order more. That was the beginning of a wonderful journey and the start of her business, “A Touch of Glass”.
 
Each piece is a signed original, crafted in her home-based studio in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. Valerie creates using an oxygen and propane fueled torch, imported Italian glass and Double Helix glass made in the USA. She often adds other elements such as pure silver, enamel powders and special reduction frit to give the beads unusual and interesting finishes. Each bead is annealed in a digitally controlled kiln for lasting durability.
 
“I hope my pieces provide as much joy to the individual wearing it as I experienced while creating my molten treasures.”

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Brenda Hadnagy is contributing two pieces for “Dare to Express” displaying her trademark ceramic birds in addition to being created to display jewelry.
 
 
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Joy Morauski graduated from the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo, Colorado with a B.A. in Art and Anthropology. She has been one of the lucky few that have continued to produce pots since graduating (albeit only part-time) and appreciates every minute of it.
 
Over the years Joy has worked in a variety of locations using one degree or the other.  In North Dakota she worked as an archaeologist on the Fort Union Archaeological Project.  In Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, she taught ceramic classes and was Studio Manager.  Joy has also participated in various workshops at Truro Center for the Arts, and had the opportunity to work with many renowned artists such as George Segal, Toshiko Takaezu, Bennett Bean, Sidney Simon, Daniel Mack and Harvey Sadow.
 
Joy says, “it has been too long since I have gone outside the ‘true’ pottery realm; and ‘Dare to Express’ gave me inspiration to do expand my ‘wings’. I have always found contrasting elements fascinating hence the hard nails piercing the soft clay. I am excited to continue to develop a new direction and look forward to what ideas and methods pour out.”

​…dare to express
cross lines, get out there, get out dare, dare to express
dare to cross the lines that tangle you and be different
dare to stretch limits, your limits
dare to cross fences, your fences
the barb wires, the barriers, your barb wires, your barriers
that keep you in, that keep you tamed
cross them, jump them, walk over them, break them,
the fence that ties you
the cord that strangles you
you yourself your freedom
the ropes that limit you and small you
the barb wires that hurt and bleed you
cross it, jump it, break it,
get out there, get out dare
dare to be
dare to own it
dare to express…
           Marta Lacombe, Feb. 19th 2016
 
Marta Lacombe is a licensed architect in her country of origin, Brazil and has worked as an architect here in Colorado since immigrating in 1997.
 
For a long time, she has felt the need to express her creativity in new ways, and in 2009 she started making jewelry which connects function and form, utilizing the antique beauty of objects she finds on hikes.
 
In Brazil, crime makes jewelry of precious metals and gems dangerous to own and wear. This led Marta to appreciate things that were not meant to be jewels, but possess a particular beauty in and of themselves.
 
Her husband, a native of Colorado Springs, is a lover of the wild, a hiker, and her best supplier of metal, scraps, and aged objects. He finds new possibles everywhere he goes, and brings home pockets full of amazing things.
 
Marta’s designs combine a variety of media, depending on the inspiration she finds in the objects with which she starts. The results are interesting, intriguing and unique, and no two pieces are exactly the same.

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Metalsmith and beader, Connie Lorig, is exploring new ideas in fabric for this show. Her new work highlights fun and playful earrings by displaying them on whimsical handmade cloth dolls. The earrings can be easily transferred from doll to human ears, depending upon the owner’s whims.  Connie sees this show as a way to explore unique ways of perceiving, displaying, and incorporating jewelry in unusual formats. “This will be a wonderful show for all jewelry lovers (and their lovers).”

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 Julia Wright has been expressing herself creatively for decades. She has done theater work, macramé, loom rug work with hand-dyed wools, photography, writing, and feather work. For “Dare to Express” she is focusing on creating statements with unique, exotic, and bold feathers. Her inspiration for this show is a recent commission piece—a feather collar that was worn for a special gala event. Her work for this show can be displayed as tiny pieces of artwork when not being worn.
 
“I love peacock eyes,” says Julia, “and the fact that peacocks molt them once a year and if not gathered swiftly, the peacocks will destroy them makes them all the more precious. So I played with them in many ways to showcase their beauty on masks, pendants and earrings for this show.”
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Leti Wesolowski has dared to design unique jewelry pieces in collaboration with two other potters, bringing both mediums into one coherent and captivating work of art. Her personal challenge was to explore new jewelry techniques while incorporating successfully into her design external variables set by the other two artists' displaying pottery.
 
Leti Wesolowski is a Colorado Springs jewelry designer whose goal is to create unique and elegant jewelry pieces intended to resonate with the wearer's feelings. All her artwork is one-of-a-kind handmade with most attention to craftsmanship, joining quality gemstones and materials with a variety of self-taught jewelry techniques. Her design process incorporates aesthetic elements shaped from her studies in architecture, her love of the arts and nature, and her personal travels.

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Husband and wife team, Curt and Robyn Elliott have worked together as potters, building and fine-tuning their skills as dedicated partner-potters. Known for their high fire functional stoneware, they jointly throw and develop shapes that complement the textures which are added to embellish the piece. Their current work includes, raku, pit fire, medium and high fire stoneware, and tiles. For “Dare to Express” they are presenting free form and wheel thrown Jewelry jars, tiles that can be used as stands or wall hangings, Raku and pit fire vases and jars, and handmade tile insets on lacquer jewelry boxes.