Dare to Express--Meet the Artists #2

​Step out of your comfort zone and feel the exhilaration of trying something new. Explore the possible creative ways of displaying and enjoying your beloved jewelry pieces by integrating diverse artistic mediums.  You might find that an exotic pendant can be displayed in your home on an interesting wall art piece when it is not hanging around your neck.  A gorgeous ring or bracelet may have a place to rest in a small shadow box that has a poem or haiku specifically written for the piece of personal adornment.  A painting can become three dimensional when adding another artistic component.  The possibilities are endless.  Can you visualize a wonderful piece of pottery embellished with a removable piece of jewelry

Ace McCasland, "Growth"

AceMcCasland

Mo Morrow and Carol Bilbery

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.”