artists Archives - Solamente

Artistic collaboration: A sparkling virtual art show

November 12, 2020 1 Comment

Celebrating collaboration

As an artist, I’ve shared before how inspiring and uplifting it is to collaborate with fellow creatives. Just recently, I started back to meeting weekly with my local artistic ally, Kathleen Mattox to talk about all things art. Even if we’re physically distancing, this connection is vital.

Last month, when I saw two of my favorite lampwork glass artists’ gorgeous online show, I just had to cheer. Kerri Fuhr Keffeler and Stephanie Dieleman have been friends for almost 15 years and, in Kerri’s words, “met over their mutual love of beads.” Their creations end up in my own designs all the time.

In this month’s post, I want to celebrate their inspiring collaboration. If you’re a fan of beautiful glass lampwork beads and jewelry, you’re in for a treat! Feast your eyes on their stunning work from a recent online show and look for an announcement about upcoming plans.

(c)Kerri Fuhr Keffeler, used with permission

(c)Stephanie Dieleman, used with permission

Stephanie: “We’ve always done shows together — you only have to pack half the boxes! We usually do artisan shows in US and Canada, but they’re all closed. I wanted to place to sell not just jewelry and interact with customers. We’d been losing that.”

(c)Stephanie Dieleman, used with permission

(c)Kerri Fuhr Keffeler, used with permission

Kerri: “Selling online is much less hassle, gives us more time to be in the studio creating beads and jewelry for our amazing customers. We each have a large customer base and many of our customers purchase from us both, so it seemed practical to group everyone together into one online space where they could easily purchase from both of us.”

(c)Kerri Fuhr Keffeler, used with permission

(c)Stephanie Dieleman, used with permission

Perhaps some would not be willing to share the spotlight, but Kerri and Stephanie understand the many benefits of collaborating with other artists.

Stephanie: “We’re there to support each other. ‘You make lunch, and I’ll post on Facebook.’ It’s nice to have a partner, since we make beads by ourselves all the time!”

(c)Stephanie Dieleman, used with permission

(c)Kerri Fuhr Keffeler, used with permission

Kerri: “It’s so much fun being able to do this together since we know each other so well and we are used to working together as we have in our travelling show days.”

(c)Kerri Fuhr Keffeler, used with permission

(c)Stephanie Dieleman, used with permission

Kerri: “The beauty of online shows is that we can host a show together, even though we live far apart. It’s also really helpful to have two of us to take care of group administration and make sure that our shows run smoothly and that we are able to keep our customers happy and entertained.”

(c)Kerri Fuhr Keffeler, used with permission

(c)Stephanie Dieleman, used with permission

Announcing the next Stephanie and Kerri Show: Black Friday weekend

Stephanie: “The next show is massive—three days starting November 27th, the day after U.S. Thanksgiving. It will be the biggest show of the year with the best bonuses and giveaways.”

If you would like to view and participate, join their Facebook group. I’ll be there too, cheering them on!

The Stephanie and Kerri Show (Facebook group)

Creativity while recuperating

June 30, 2020 Leave a Comment

It’s surprising how often we need two hands or a healthy shoulder to make art. We don’t realize it until something is out of commission.

Last month, I finally had a postponed elective surgery on my left shoulder, and I’m recuperating well. However, it’s curtailed everything from cooking and sound sleep to creating art. My work has come to a screeching halt.

Thankfully, while my shoulder mends, my imagination and creativity can still play. Somehow not being able has me thinking more than usual about what I would create if I could.

Lately, my mind has been returning to a project I was working on last fall—creating pendants with art glass (lampwork) animal beads. Some of the beads feature realistic heads and faces in beautiful detail like this Heron by artist Kerri Keffler that I’ve set in silver wire.

Others are playful, like these charming character beads by Catherine Steele.

Another of my current favorite beads are by artist Tammy Mercier. Her beads are stylized, realistic-looking animals that feature striking color combinations. The leopards below include silver and pink!

If I could use my shoulder, I’d be working on this series of sophisticated critter necklaces. In fact, I have a couple in the works that I need to pick up again once I regain the strength and dexterity in my left hand.

One of my Works in Progress (WiP) is this Lion bead by Kerri Keffler in a scrolled, embellished wire setting.

While I recover, I’m missing my wire. Creating beautiful jewelry with these stunning beads is one of my favorite activities. In the meantime, using my imagination is helping me feel excited about getting back to my bench. When I’m healed enough, I look forward to creating again!

A juicy necklace for my next art show

September 2, 2019 Leave a Comment

Every year since 1994, Madera (CA) County Center for the Arts has hosted a juried art show centered around our region’s agriculture. This year, I’m entering a necklace called “Central Valley Slice.”

While I’m saving the full reveal for the show itself, I wanted to give you sneak peek (details about attending the show at the end)!

Inspiration

Where we live, produce is all around us. One of the most important crops grown in our area is citrus—from mandarin “Cuties” to lemons and navel oranges. All year, we watch the cycle of trees in blossom, ripening, harvest, and pruning—citrus, tangerines, nectarines, peaches, plums. We drive around and through it all the time.

Because of this, the Celebrate Agriculture show is on my mind year-round. Recently, when a beadmaker posted these citrus beads, I jumped at them, knowing immediately that I would use them for this show. I love how accurate and juicy they look!

All the juicy materials

This necklace is completely hand-forged using copper-enameled, green art wire into a lariat-hybrid design. With citrus slice art glass beads made by Olga Boiko, and the lemon tree bead by Debi Cogwell, the piece makes a beautiful whispering noise when worn. It also includes Lucite leaves, lead-free pewter bead caps and spacers, and smaller glass beads.

What I love about the Celebrate Agriculture show

It’s a fun show and dear to me. I especially love the variety of artists and mediums and seeing their interpretation of each year’s theme. It’s a friendly competition between local artists.

To participate, a jury reviews all the pieces and decides which gets into the show. Then, there a second process in which each category is judged and awarded first place, second, or honorable mention. In 2017, I received an honorable mention for one of my submissions, Night Watchmen.

Want to see the finished piece?

You can see the finished work (and those of many other talented artists) by attending the Celebrate Agriculture reception at Circle Gallery on September 12. Not local? You can also follow me on Facebook where I’ll be posting images afterward.

Facebook message: (will remove this before publishing)

No matter which way you slice it

These gorgeous beads inspired this year’s submission to the Madera County Arts Council art show, Celebrating Agriculture with the Arts. Slices of lemon and orange lampwork adorn this lariat-hybrid necklace. Here’s the inspiration for its creation!

A juicy necklace for my next art show

A flowing year for my art

December 24, 2016 Leave a Comment

Celebrating a year

In some respects, this month is the most productive of the year as I prepared for holiday shows and created new art for them. In other ways, it’s a time when I reflect on the year’s accomplishments.

2016 was probably my most art-filled year in recent memory—a fact I’d love to celebrate with you. I haven’t had a year with this much artwork in a long time.

Here are my four big successes from 2016….

One: A more satisfying process for producing art

This year has been about flow and new energy. Instead of being surprised by deadlines, I planned ahead and got the dates down on my calendar. This allowed me to focus on meeting one deadline and then look ahead to what I wanted to participate in next.

What was really different is how I planned in enough time for the creative unfolding process. You can’t execute big art pieces in a day, but it sometimes still surprises me how long things take. Every project has at least one “OMG this is never going to come together” moment. With better planning, I could work on it, step away, and keep coming back until it starts to come together.

Spaciousness and time make better art and a happier, saner artist.

Two: More art pieces than in recent years

This spring, something just clicked for me when I started working on the piece below, a free-form sterling wire necklace with a lampwork blossom bead.

Then I created Breastplate for Ninsun using this same free-form style. I loved it so much, I even decided to submit it to Bead and Button.

BreastPlate for Ninson wire art necklace (c) Melanie Schow

It’s common for artists to focus on a particular color or medium for a while, creating a series of pieces that use a similar style. Once I got rolling, this new, bigger style kept flowing through the subsequent pieces of jewelry and wire embroidery.

All of the designs revolved around the theme of precipitation and water. Talk about flow!

Organized Precipitation Little Sister necklace

Organized Precipitation’s Little Sister necklace

Three: Recognition for my art

I entered Organized Precipitation (below) into Madera County Art Council’s Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts 2016 23rd Annual competition and exhibition. It won second place for the category “Water… Agriculture’s Lifeblood.” I received a Certificate of Recognition for the award from California Legislature assembly and senate with my name and title of piece and stamped with a silver emblem.

The Alliance of California Artists Open Show’s theme was Falling into Winter. I submitted The Sky is Falling, a wire embroidery piece depicting rain turning to snow. For the rain, I used glass beads, crystals, bugle beads, and wire. The snow is wire with sparkly Lucite beads in stars and shapes. I won Honorable Mention in the category of Three-Dimensional Drawing and Non-Traditional Artwork.

Four: New venues for my art

The Art Shop at Vintage Market at 601: This year, Paul Parichan created an art shop dedicated to local artists. All of the participating artists make diverse and high-quality art in a variety of media—including mixed media, ceramics, fabric pillows, wire work, paintings jewelry. I’m really honored that he invited me into this prestigious group and featured three of my artworks (Monarch Duet, Breastplate for Ninsun, the “baby sister” of Organized Precipitation).

New online shop: People have always asked if they could purchase my work online, and this year, it’s finally possible! Although, it’s on vacation mode during the holidays, my online shop will be active again in January. Here’s the link to see what’s new in my online store.

If you’re in or visiting the San Joaquin Valley, I’m also showing my work at:

Mixed Messages in Sanger, CA
The Art Shop at Vintage Market at 601 in Fresno, CA
Circle Gallery in Madera, CA

My hope is to ride the energy and success of this year into the new one. In the meantime, I’m wishing you a fruitful and flowing new year!