Has Art Ever Spoken to You?

Determined by Lisa Kattenbraker

Has art ever spoken to you?  You know, the image literally jumps off the page and speaks directly to you and your life experiences; tugs on your heart strings and causes some weird water like substance to fall from your eyes?  Have you ever had this experience?  

I'm happy to say that I have had this experience, most recently this past week when my husband and I attended the Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City.  Here I met Lisa Kattenbraker and most instantly fell in love with both her, her work, and the medium of batik.  You can follow this link to learn more about batik or to see more of Lisa's new work.

The print above is the image I purchased for my new studio slash office, which is being remodeled by my wonderful husband as we speak.  The piece is titled She was always prepared for what she suspected might be just around the corner.  This is the image that brought tears to my eyes as my baby screamed and my husband kindly asked me to "just pick one already."  

What a hopeful and inspiring message.  I can't wait to hang this beautiful masterpiece, so that everyday, happy or gray, it can speak to me again, and tell me my future.  

Has art ever spoken to you?  What did it say?

Before and After Pictures...

The art of making a house a home sometimes requires that things be custom made for a space. I recently picked up an old wooden cabinet that had been converted into a play stove for kids. It was still in pretty good shape but definitely needed a little TLC. Josh took off all the old hardware, gave it a good sand, painted it, and added new door handles to match our little girl's room. Finally Josh rummaged through his pile of miscellaneous junk to find the perfect oven temperature knob. Along with that, Josh also made a grocery cart. Can you see it parked next to the newly renovated stove? I think a matching fridge is in the works for Christmas. Shhh, don't tell.

Here are the before and after pictures...

To make a room stand out as being unique, and truly belonging to you, you need to find a way to customize it with things that are truly one-of-a-kind; those things can be made by your or by others.  This is the secret behind the art of making a house a home.  In my daughter's room for example, items have been made by 16 different crafters and artists...

Print by Artist Charley Harper

 

Fairy furniture by Utah Artist Debbie Schraman

Custom made changing table by Great Grandpa Korte who specializes in woodwork

Hand-knit blankets, custom made by Great Grandma Korte and Grandma Kathy

Handmade one-of-a-kind quilt, custom made by nine of my dearest Utah friends

Custom made bed-skirt, curtains, one-of-a-kind machine appliqued quilt, and baby mobile all made by me.

All these items, perfectly mixed together like a good recipe, make Monet's room a genuine masterpiece.  Not only is it aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it's also warm to the heart because the items have been made by real people.  As Monet get's older, I'm sure the collection in her room will grow.  Like a fine wine, a house becomes a home over time.

More Than Words

Do you know Carrie Lee Wendt?  She is an amazing artist and has the sweetest little blog called More Than Words.  She just finished a new series of cameos for an exhibit she's in.  I just love the cameos and the message they're stating...  

You Are Who You Pretend To Be

Inventive Girl

Lock and Key

What do you think?  Sweet aren't they?!  You should stop by her blog and let her know.

Who Does She Think She Is

Do mothers have an obligation to society?  What is that obligation?  Is it to solely be a mother and nothing else?

On the other hand, what about the obligations of a society?  Does society have a responsibility to uphold in regards to enabling its mothers to be successful?  Are there not two sides to this relationship?

"Lullaby" by Joyce Sandri

Think about all the expectations and pressures that fall on a mother: to be a wife, a financial contributor, a manager of the household, and an unselfish nurturer in every sense of the word.  Mothers are expected to be all of these things and we also tell them to find time to be a person of their own.  How is a mother to balance her obligations along with her ambitions and needs?

Society tells us that mothers need to care for their children and spouses, that they need to be in the work force, that they need to be breaking through, continuing the path that all those feminists paved before them.  Yet despite all this hard work, the average woman still earns just 77 cents on the dollar, when compared to her male counterpart. If we go one step further and factor in the cost of childcare on top of the artificially low salary, the scales are skewed even further.  Why would a mother choose to work with odds like this stacked against her?  This alone seems to be enough to put a damper on a mother's dreams.

How do mothers navigate this delicate balancing act with such a weight on their shoulders?  I never truthfully understood the inherent dilemma of motherhood until I myself became a mom.  Some days have left me wondering, should a mother, a good mother, follow her own ambitions, or is this selfish on her part, like society often makes it seem?

I realize most woman choose to have children.  I consciously made a choice, and will make that choice again when the time is right.  Just think though, of all the people you know.  Their mothers chose to mother them, and to do so they probably had to put some of their aspirations on hold.  Mothers do so  much for society when they raise a child well, yet are judged harshly when they make mistakes.  But what happens when a society fails to provide for its mothers?

Here's my fear and dilemma.  I don't want my daughter saying I wasn't around when she was growing up because all I did was work.  But I also can't be a one-dimensional "cookie cutter" of a mom.  I want her to see me for the diverse and wonderful woman that I am.  When she grows up I want her to aspire to be like me, a person who had passions and followed her dreams, but also was able to balance it alongside the irreplaceable beauty of being a mother.  

Many of the questions I have posed in this post may not necessarily have a specific answer. I simply ask them with the intention and hope that they will inspire thought and reflection in my readers. Where does responsibility lie regarding the relationship between mothers and society?

Please follow this link and go see a preview of "Who Does She Think She Is?" by Pamela Tanner Boll.  This documentary changed my life.  And when you're finished, please come back here and join the conversation...

Foreign Ceramicists Invade The Heartland

While earning my BFA at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Studio of Jun Kaneko. Actually, I should probably say I visited the studios (plural) of Jun Kaneko located in downtown Omaha.  He owns at least two giant warehouse buildings with different floors dedicated to his different crafts.  Floor one, ceramics.  Floor two, glass.  Floor three painting and drawing, etc. etc. etc.

When walking in to his studio you can't help but admire the massive work produced by this man.  I use the word massive to describe not only size, but also volume and scope.  When you step in you will see multiple clay sculptures approximately 6-12 feet tall built on pallets so they may be moved with a fork lift.  His ceramics monoliths are so large that they must be dried for over 6 months and the firing process can take upwards of eleven days. Keep going on through his warehouse and you will see paintings that would each fill your wall from floor to ceiling arranged in what looks like a filing cabinet for giants.  Wonder a little further and you might see stacks of drawings dedicated to storyboards and costume design for the opera "Madame Butterfly."  All this massive work pouring from a small Japanese man who maybe just hits the five foot mark.

Visiting Jun's studio greatly inspired me and I urge you to see what he is up to on youtube or by visiting his site at junekaneko.com

Just recently I stumbled upon another foreigner who somehow emerged within the Nebraska art scene though it was after I had abandoned the cornfields to return to the mountains.  Gerit Grimm's whimsical approach to ceramics may starkly contrast the seriousness of June Kaneko's but I find her work inspiring none the less.  Who knew that the main tool of a sculptor of figurines could be the potter's wheel?  Check out Gerits recent work on youtube or at netNebraska.org. You can also check out her website though it seems like it hasn't been updated with much since 2006.  http://www.geritgrimm.com/

Keep the foreigners coming Nebraska.

On a side note,  it looks like the matching puzzle competition we made for our last post still does not have a winner.  Give it a shot and you could win a life sized poster of our daughter Monet.  Or maybe something else a little more useful, similar to what you might find at the Artists' House Etsy Shop.

Miranda July Teaches Us How to Make Buttons

I love buttons. Often they are the final perfect touch to a project. I have been known to buy something at a second hand shop with the intention of just cutting off the buttons for keeps when I get home, and discarding the rest of the purchased item.

When a friend of mine mentioned this YouTube video, I instantly checked it out and was smiling ear to ear. You must follow this link to see Miranda July's "How to Make a Button Video".

I think this is just what we need to lighten things up on this stressful Monday. Let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

(Note: We are just two commenters away from our first giveaway. You can read about it here.)