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ICYMI: Annual Artists Studio Tour

A Great Weekend Out!

 

(Part 1 of a 2-part series)

 

Studio 1

Bob Harwood, bronze sculptures

Eight years ago, Bob Harwood began creating bronze sculptures. Some of his works were inspired by his profession as a surgeon, and others by his wife, Gwen’s, volunteer work.

Bob’s sculptures are created using the ancient lost-wax method, the first known examples of which date back some 6,500 years. He starts the process by first sculpting the piece in clay in the Art Studio. The clay piece is then sent to a foundry where it is cast in bronze. When the bronze piece returns to the studio, Bob might apply finishing touches such as paint or a patina.

Bob’s bronze “Fear/Hope” was inspired by a young woman with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She survived only five years.

Gwen Harwood volunteered on the Navajo reservation at the Tuba City elementary school. She did field trips with students and returned home with a photo of an elder Navajo woman outside her hogan. The image inspired Bob’s bronze “Diné amá Sáni (Navajo Grandmother)”.

 

Studio 2

Wendy Wilson, nature-inspired mixed media & painted rocks

Deb Weckesser, whimsical paintings

Wendy Wilson lives on an island out in Georgian Bay, Ont., with a marina in Honey Harbour. The area is north of Toronto and home to one of Canada’s national parks. “We’re up in cottage country.” she says.

“My paintings are inspired by the windswept pines that grace the Georgian Bay shores.” This beautiful part of Canada is marked by dense forests, granite outcrops and Georgian Bay’s crystal clear waters.

In addition to painting, Wendy also works in torn paper collage and will be teaching a class next February.

She says, “Each year, I tweak the class to be a bit different than the previous one. Change is always exciting! All levels welcome, why not give it a try?”

 

Deb Weckesser exhibited her latest series, “Well Earned”, which she describes as “a tribute to women who have lived, learned and arrived.”

She says, “The drink each woman holds is a quiet toast — to experience, resilience and the freedom to enjoy what has been earned along the way. May we all pause, raise a glass and savor a life well lived.”

 

Studio 4

Lynda Alexander, hand & wheel ceramics

Louise Shwartz, hand-built pottery

Lynda Alexander mixes beads and other things with her pottery. She credits her inspiration to Mike & Pat Markham, who have taught pottery classes, and also her neighbor and fellow ceramist Barbara Garay, who “had a great influence on my creativity and skills. Louise Shwarz also inspired me to do jewelry for the first time since I was in high school. She had seen a piece of my costume jewelry and encouraged me to make some.”

Louise Shwartz’s ceramic pieces range from cups, plates, platters and bowls to impressions of actual leaves. The small leaves are mostly from Arizona native plants such as brittlebush and desert ragweed and are designed as pendants. The larger leaves, which can serve as small plates, were made from hydrangea leaves from her and Larry’s other home in New Bedford, Mass. Her interesting hexagonal mugs were made using an extruding device specifically designed for clay.

 

Studio 5

Tina Bechtel, miniature ceramic bird houses & photography

When a friend of Tina’s showed her a very tiny, very cute little birdhouse, Tina thought “I can do those!

“So I said to all my friends, ‘Name a type of house!’. They came up with ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. A church (as a house of worship) — so many things remotely like houses. It was just fun!”

Tina also does still life nature photography of cacti and desert rock formations, focusing on the beauty in nature’s forms and colors.

 

Studio 6

Cheri Saffro, contemporary landscapes & figurative paintings

Cheri’s primary medium is pastel. Her work focuses on Native American people, Western imagery, still lifes and landscapes.

On display at her studio is a large image of Native Americans dancing, done entirely in quick strokes with just a marker. Despite the sparing use of medium, the image captures the energy of the figures.

Cheri says, “It takes a patient artist to produce an accurate painting, but it is the energetic painter who turns a painting into an emotional experience. I paint memories and connections… classic themes painted with contemporary flair.”

 

 

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