​I am a member of Artistic Portland but I also sell at the various markets and local shows/fairs. When I work at fairs or shifts at Artistic Portland, patrons often ask me questions about my art so I thought I’d share those questions as well as my answers here on this blog.
 
In no particular order…

Customer: “Is this enameled work?”

I get this question often and I can see why people think my work is enameled since many of my pieces are colorful and vibrant. Though I plan on incorporating enameled bases in my work in the future, I currently do not utilize the enameling process. My work is strictly mosaic, meaning I cut and shape tile and glass as well as other materials and then I create miniature mosaics from those pieces.

Customer: “You must have a lot of patience.”
​
I probably hear this comment at every show/fair. My response is a resounding “Yes I do!” For obvious reasons, I think one must have a fair amount of patience to work tiny.  When I first started to explore micro mosaics, I thought I would be a dismal failure at it.  I couldn’t imagine working with tools such as tweezers or cutting tessera into tiny pieces.  To my pleasant surprise, I learned that I love to work small. It’s challenging to create patterns in tiny spaces. I also find the process to be therapeutic.

Customer: “Where do you get your materials?”

I source the globe for my materials. It has taken me over three years to find my sources. In the process I have tried and eliminated a number of sources as I’m very particular as to the quality of my work. As they say, garbage in, garbage out! I have worked hard to ensure that my art is of good quality while also being affordable. Currently, many of my materials are sourced from Morocco, Italy, Turkey, and Mexico. I also use some local materials. 

​Customer: “I can see your brain in your work in your pieces.”
​
I love this comment as I strive to express the inner workings of my head via patterns and color. Rarely do I plan a pattern before jumping into a piece. My mood and overall outlook on life is reflected in my work. Sometimes however, I dream of a pattern or will suddenly wake up in the middle of the night and various patterns and colors will bombard my brain so that I cannot sleep. As crazy as it sounds, I welcome those sleepless nights as I find that in the dark and silence of the night, my brain comes up with some interesting ideas and I am oftentimes excited for the morning to arrive so that I can put those ideas into motion.

Customer: “What is the shiny material used in some of your pieces?”

​I love this question because I love the material! Sometimes you will see hints of shiny bits mixed in with the tile and or glass that comprise most of my works. The shiny material is called “mosaic gold.” It is 24kt gold leaf which has been mounted on glass and then is covered by a very thin hand-blown piece of crystal and fused into one solid, durable piece of glass in a furnace. The gold appears as if it is on the surface of each tessera, reflecting the purity of gold when touched by the light. I use Orsoni Mosaic Gold which has long been considered by many to be the finest mosaic gold produced!
 

Customer: “What tools do you use?”

Ah yes, tools! I will preface this with, I love my tools! Finding good tools has also been a quest. You’d be surprised at how many different types and qualities of tweezers there are available in the marketplace. I also use dental picks, various nippers, rubbing stones, glass stones, files, and a few other tools that come in handy when working tiny. Did I say how much I love my tools? I just acquired new nippers from Italy that I now use to cut glass and mosaic gold. Let’s just say that my world has changed and leave it at that. Yes, mosaic artists are nerds.
 
If you have any questions about my art and/or process, be sure to leave a reply to this post and I will respond. Thanks for reading and be sure to stop by Artistic Portland to see the many beautiful works created by talented local artists.

What would you say was your “ah ha” moment in going from thought to passion to actually starting your business?
We always wanted to work from home together. We were looking at the market and realized that not a lot of people do quality handmade leather goods anymore. Everything these days is made industrial and with no soul. There are people out there that still appreciate and prefer small businesses that work to make each client happy. At the moment we still have day jobs but we hope that our business takes off and we can focus on Belamy Leather full time.
​
Describe yourself in one word. Why that word?
Adventurers. We love to travel, love to explore new places, new stuff, new people.

Where do you create?
At the moment we work in our garage.

What motivates/inspires your work?
The idea of making something new and different every day.

Who inspired you if anyone?
Well my husband inspires me every day.  He shows me new “tricks” every day.

Tell us how you choose your supplies, material, you use in your Art?
We try to get the best leather we can find. There are only a couple of leather stores in the area, but they usually are well stocked.

Did anyone ever tell you couldn’t do it?
Maybe they did but we are not really listening to anybody.
 
What kind of creative patterns, routines, or rituals do you have?
There is no routine or pattern to our work; we like to play with ideas.

What is the most difficult thing about making your Art?
The most difficult thing is making people see how much love you put in every piece.

How long have you been a part of Artistic Portland, and what appealed to you about joining the Co-op?
I joined Artistic Portland in February 2014.  I had recently moved back to the Portland area and was looking for places to sell my work.  I enjoy being part of a community of artists who inspire each other.
 
What’s your background?
For the most part my non-creative work has been typical 9-5 office work providing administrative support.
Why do you do what you do?
Glass fascinates me because of its wide range of colors and what you can create with it.  I love that artists can work with it in both liquid and solid states.  Recently, I have also been working with recycled glass, turning it into functional bowls, decorative starfish, and unique pendants. 

Where do you create?
I turned one of our extra bedrooms into a studio where all the designing, cutting, and assembling takes place.  The kilns (I have two) are in the garage.  Another bedroom is where I photograph my items and package them for shipping.
 
What’s your favorite piece you’ve ever created?
I think my favorite piece is from when I was working in stained glass.  I made a clown wearing patchwork pants sitting in the rain with a ribbon umbrella.  Maybe someday I’ll recreate it in fused glass.

If you could wake up tomorrow with a new artistic skill, what would it be?
Probably the ability to see things in abstract.  There are times when my left brain is too rigid for the vision of how I want a piece to look.
 
What do you like to do when you're not creating?
Reading a book or spending too much time on Facebook.

This week's blog is written by Carl Sandeen of Kristi Usher Fine Art. Carl's wife Kristi is a bronze sculptor of western themes as well as a two-dimensional artist with oil, pencil and ink. Kristi's work is known for realism and projects her intimate knowledge of horses, dogs and the cowboy way of life. 

REALISM
Kristi's style, whether sculpting, painting or drawing, is to produce a piece that is accurate in its details. Kristi raised boys, horses and dogs. Because she had young cowboys, quarter horses, heelers, and border collies around the ranch, those are her favorite subjects. But when it comes to realism, she can't stop there. Kristi will acquire pictures, use reference books such as The Anatomy Of The Horse or Animals In Motion, or actually hire professionals to show her exactly how something should be done.

An example is Kristi's bronze sculpture A Trail Less Traveled where she has a pack mule loaded with an elk carcass. What sort of pack saddle frame and lashing technique would a hunter most commonly use? An experienced packer was enlisted to show her the diamond hitch, how to cover and distribute the load, and how to properly anchor it to the mule. 

The highest compliments come when a seasoned rancher or someone with full knowledge of the elements in Kristi's western art, spend time studying a piece, then step back and say, "You got it right." Kristi might say to a horse person looking at her work, "Feel under the hoof, the frog and shoe are just as they should be."
 
Kristi rarely rushes a new sculpture to the foundry. It's much easier to correct the clay original than trying to fix a piece cast in bronze. Usually, that's just about impossible. The same goes for paintings and drawings. When realism and the tiniest of details are important, the artwork needs to sit a while, studied for correctness time and time again, before it's ready to be released.

KRISTI USHER FINE ART
(503) 397-3740
kkusher@q.com
www.kristiusher.com
​

This week's blog was written by Visual Artist, Lea K. Tawd.

Every city has its ups and downs.  If you live in Portland, you've been hearing a lot of downs lately as housing costs rise, homelessness increases, and our country in general struggles.  But when I was 21 years old, I moved here sight unseen and I have never looked back!  I love being an artist, and Portland is a great place to be one.  Here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. Community
​
One thing that Portland is not lacking is artists! There's a fantastic art community here, and I have found most people to be very friendly and generous with sharing their skills and resources.  This is not the cutthroat art world that you hear of in some of the bigger cities.
 

2. Rain
​
Everyone complains about it, but what better weather is there to hunker down in and make some art? 

3. Portlandia
​
Whatever you think about that show (personally, I'm not really a fan), Portland IS still pretty weird.  There is such a youthful, creative vibe in this city that can fill you with inspiration.
 

4. Location

Need to get a hit of nature to reinvigorate yourself? In a mere 20 minutes you can be at a campground, the ocean is only an hour and a half away, Multnomah Falls, Seattle, tons of hiking, skiing, and more are all only a short distance away.  Not to mention the city itself is full of beautiful parks and nature areas.

5. Artistic Portland
​
Okay, so I am admittedly biased about this one! But whether you are downtown at our shop, or at one of the many other beautiful galleries and shops in Portland, you are sure to find art and inspiration wherever you look.  

I’ve been thinking lately about my first creative endeavor. It was sewing! My mother was a great seamstress but I wasn’t interested in having her teach me, so when I went to college I took a sewing course. On my own I made Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls for my nieces. Although I made some clothes for myself it never really stuck as an inspired craft.

I made resin grapes as a young wife for my in-laws’ coffee table…they were big in the 70’s. Again not something I was inspired by.

Then while my husband was stationed in North Carolina at Pope Air Force Base in 1971 I took a ​class in eggery! The focus of the class was on making Christmas tree ornaments out of egg shells. I learned to make ostrich egg clocks and duck eggs with doors and hinges. To tell the truth those things were fun to make but weren’t something I would ever have in my own home. The little chicken egg Christmas ornaments, however, were a delight to make, so that creative endeavor lasted for a long time. Everyone in my extended family received these little treasures ,and I sold them at a local shop and Christmas bazaars in Carmel, California in the 1980s. In 2014 after 35 years I started making my little egg ornaments again and then sold them at Artistic Portland.

Most of my themes are of Spring and Christmas, but I have expanded them now to include Portland bridges, food trucks, and Voodoo Doughnuts!

The questions I get asked most on these decorations are: how do I get the fabric so smooth around the eggs, and how do I get the background pictures in the back of the egg, and how do you get the egg out of the shell?
​
The trick to the fabric is to cut a strip of fabric on the bias (perpendicular to the edge) so that it stretches over the shell.

The trick with the background picture is to find a picture with a white background so that it fades into the back of the egg. How do your get the egg out of the shell? I use curved cuticle scissors. I tap the egg and cut the hole the size I want it. Usually when I shake out the egg it does not break the yoke.

In addition to creating one-of-a-kind egg diorama's, I also make felted scarves, felted cat balls, felted soaps and hand dyed silk scarves! You can find my art at Artistic Portland, Monday through Saturday from 10 to 6 and on Sundays from noon until 5!

When my children were young I let them experiment with all kinds of art mediums.  We had so much fun making things together.  As they got older they found their art.  Before my daughter left for college we started a farmers market business of making hand-painted floor cloths and memory boxes.  We had a great time together painting and talking.  She is now a musician and tinkers in a few crafts.  My son is a photographer.  Art inspires, art opens creative pathways.  Have fun with your kids and grandkids.  Make Art!

Listed below are some gift ideas that you and your child can make together – either when you’re bored and looking for something to do, or have a special occasion/holiday coming up.

1. Hand and Footprint Apron

For this craft, all you’ll need is non-toxic paint and a white apron.

First, lay the apron flat on a clean surface. Have the variety of paint colors nearby. Then, take turns dipping your child’s feet and hands into the paint. Press them against the apron until the hand- and footprints are clearly shown.

Use the paint to then label each hand and foot with the child’s name if you have multiple children taking part in the project.

Allow the apron to dry completely before giving the apron to someone as a gift.
This gift is very thoughtful and will leave mom, grandma, or auntie feeling very loved. Every time they go to use the apron, they will think of the person who made it!

2. Bracelets out of Beads

For this project, all you’ll need are beads and some string.

Cut the string according to the length of the person’s wrist you’re giving it to. If the person is not around, you can guess or you can measure on someone who has a similar sized wrist.

With the beads, slide them through the newly cut string. Once the beads are how you and your child would like them, simply tie the string together to form a bracelet.

3. Personalized Coffee Mugs

For this craft, you’ll need a white mug, non-washable paints, and paint brushes.

If you are doing this project with a little one, help them to hold the mug to prevent it from breaking. Allow your child to dip the brush into the paint and brush it onto the mug to make whatever design they may please.

This gift will leave the recipient feeling very loved and will give them a smile every time they use go to drink their coffee in the morning.

4. Rustic Twig Picture Frame

For this DIY, you’ll need hot glue, twigs, and a picture frame.

Help your child collect the twigs from outside. Ensure that there aren’t any bugs or moss on the sticks.

Once you’ve collected the twigs, you can start hot gluing them to the picture frame. Depending on how old your child is, determine whether or not they can help you use a hot glue gun.

Once the twigs are surrounding the outer corners of the picture frame, set the picture frame aside to dry. Once you feel the picture frame is dry enough, you can place a picture in. This gift will give an autumnal and rustic feeling in the home.

Spending quality time with your kids making presents for people who deserve it will make you, your kids, and the recipients feel amazing. Giving is better than receiving, which is a great lesson to teach your kids while making these gifts. You never know where art will take your kids!

This week's blog was written by textile artist Karin Kaufman of Nadelwerk Designs. Karin interviewed visual artist, Lea K. Tawd. 

 
How long have you been a part of Artistic Portland, and what appealed to you about joining the
​Co-op?

I joined Artistic Portland in October 2016, but I had been thinking about joining for a while before that.  I had my son when I was in college, so even though I got an art degree, as a single mother I felt unable to really engage with the art community for a long time. Being able to connect so closely with a community of artists (even though my son is a teenager and I now have a toddler, too!) was a big appeal.   I was also really excited to get my art into a permanent space downtown so that I can connect with potential clients who never would have otherwise seen my art.

What is your background?
I earned a degree in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking from PSU in 2002, but I've been making art my whole life.  My parents are both creative, and my dad and stepmom are artists.  My mom used to leave art projects on the table for my brother and I on the weekends so that she could sleep a little later. 

In high school I wanted to be a writer, and spent a lot of time writing short stories and poetry.  That morphed into an interest in comic books, and later in fine art as I worked my way through college. 
I've been a working artist for about a decade now, selling my art and doing commission portraits and murals.

Why do you do what you do?

I know a lot of artists say this, but: because I can't do anything else!  That is not to say that I don't have any other skills, but I am miserable working full time for anyone else, and if I do not spend regular time in my studio I'm not very fun to be around, either.  Plus, I am stubborn.  You have to be if you are going to choose this lifestyle and keep at it!  Finally, I want to show my children that they can make what they want of their lives.

What would you say was your “ah ha” moment in going from thought to passion to actually starting your business?

I was lucky in that I had a set of circumstances that allowed me to pursue my art more seriously.  Which may sound funny when I say the first thing that happened was that I got a very serious case of tendonitis from my office job.  I couldn't work there anymore, and luckily a friend needed help with her eBay business so I became self-employed as her partner.  This gave me the luxury of working at my own pace so that my arms could heal and so that I could make my art a regular practice and begin to create a business around it.

Describe yourself in one word. Why that word?
Aquarian, haha!  Whether or not you believe in astrology, it fits! 

Where do you create?

I have a beautiful studio/in my backyard that my husband built for me.

What motivates/inspires your work?

My current work began as part of a journey to find my own beauty after so many years of not seeing it.  Now I hope to inspire others to see beauty and strength in themselves.

Who inspired you if anyone?
My parents and stepparents have inspired me a lot, by introducing me to art and to creative lifestyles, and showing me how to be independent and create the life I want for myself.

Tell us how you choose your supplies, material, you use in your Art?

I was given some wood panels to paint on many years ago, and I was so inspired by the wood grain that I began to paint almost exclusively on wood.  The other supplies and materials, besides paint, come from my collection of paper scraps and other media that I've collected over the years.  Each painting calls for different materials.

Did anyone ever tell you couldn’t do it?

I've been lucky to have a pretty supportive family, although I've been surprised at times by who can have the most negative comments!

What kind of creative patterns, routines, or rituals do you have?

I find that creating on a regular basis is vital to feeding the muse and avoiding creative blocks.  In ideal times I have worked at the same time every day; when that's not possible then I at least create on the same days of the week as much as I can.  I like to sweep up my studio first, grab a cup of coffee, and play loud music that I can dance to while I paint :)

What is the most difficult thing about making your Art?

Besides finding more time to create (I can always use more time!), I would say the most difficult thing is making sure that I am always learning and pushing myself to grow as an artist.  It can be so easy to stay in a comfortable place, as a creator and as a business person.  Whenever I feel uncomfortable, I know I am growing.

Do you have other staff, partners etc.?

I wish!  I dream of having an intern to help me with some of the more mundane tasks in my studio so that I can spent more of my time in my strongest areas.

What’s your favorite piece you’ve ever created?
​
That's hard to answer.  My most recent piece is often my favorite.  Currently, that would be a large piece called "Storyteller," which features a woman who is holding a bird in one hand, and has tree branches growing from her hair. 

If you could wake up tomorrow with a new artistic skill, what would it be?

That's a hard question!  There are a lot of things I'd love to learn but aren't related to what I do so I've never found the time to do it, like knitting.

What do you like to do when you're not creating?
​
I spend a lot of time playing with my kids, hula hooping, pulling blackberries out of my back yard, reading, and watching television.

How long have you been a part of Artistic Portland, and what appealed to you about joining the Co-op? 

I just passed half a year.  The biggest draw of a co-op is the hands-on aspect and collaborative nature, allowing the business to reflect its artists in a variety of ways.
 
What’s your background? 

For my photography, my formal education that influences my work is two years of Film Production and two years of Architectural Design.  As for the actual camera operation and creation of images, I studied independently as a hobby for eight years before turning it into my full-time work.
 
Why do you do what you do? 

​The lifestyle of an independent artist is ideal for spending more time with my son and having a large amount of freedom to spend my time doing things I enjoy.

Describe yourself in one word. Why that word? 

Simple.  Just like my photography, I try to keep my life free of drama, distractions, and general stress.  I’m working towards my idea of a minimalist life, though I admit I have some work to do.
 
Where do you create? 

Obviously, as a nature photographer, I try to find places far away from people, in the woods, remote spots on the coast, in the desert.  I’m also drawn to locations that aren’t photographed by thousands of photographers a year, which helps me put my images forward as something that’s truly unique to me.
 
What motivates/inspires your work? 

​I’m always looking for new images for people to add something meditative into their life, the world isn’t getting any simpler so I’m hoping my art brings simplicity into people’s lives.

What kind of creative patterns, routines, or rituals do you have? 

I’m a night owl, so usually after sunset is when I’m motivated to spend time at the computer editing or in my workspace assembling prints & framing.  I like to photograph the changing of seasons so about four times a year I get an extra rush of creative energy!
 
What’s your favorite piece you’ve ever created? 

​I have a black & white image titled “Infinite Pier”, which was shot on the central Oregon coast, near Reedsport.  I was able to expose the image for four minutes so the water and clouds got the smoothing effect I love, which contrasts with the weathered wood of the pier.  Also, the horizon across the bay was visible and it lined up perfectly with the high tide marks on the Pier posts to essentially tie the whole image together.

If you could wake up tomorrow with a new artistic skill, what would it be? 

Painting!  Photography is limited to what you can frame within the camera’s view, which I mostly love, because it forces me to work within a constraint of time of day, weather conditions, season and of course physical location.  But the idea of being able to paint whatever comes into my head at 2 am in my workspace is awfully enticing, especially when it’s 20 degrees outside.
 
What do you like to do when you're not creating? 

I play softball, watch baseball, play the occasional video game and board game.  I’m a pretty big movie fan when I have enough time.  I go on a fair amount of hikes for non-photography purposes too.

Editor's Note:
​In terms of artistic vision, Nate shares that anytime he starts to let the issues of the day overtake his thought process, whether global issues or local to himself, he finds that if he gets away from it all, deep into non-populated areas, closer to nature, those thoughts begin to quiet and eventually vanish. As an extension of that, he hopes that his artwork can be that escape when you can't get in your car and drive 3 hours away from it all.

​This week's blog is written by Carl Sandeen of Kristi Usher Fine Art. Carl's wife Kristi is a bronze sculptor of Western themes as well as a two-dimensional artist with oil, pencil and ink. Kristi's work is known for realism and projects her intimate knowledge of horses, dogs and the cowboy way of life.

​For someone who enjoys the beauty of minerals and hiking through remote areas picking up rocks with hidden secrets inside, then combining oil painting with skilled lapidary, it is fun and fulfilling as an artist. At the liquid-cooled, diamond-bladed rock saw, a promising stone is inspected for possible flaws and orientation for the best slice. Then it is cut open to reveal its inner beauty. If it's solid, without holes and cracks, it's a good candidate for painting. Slices can be any thickness, with one-quarter inch being about right for most paintings.
 
Kristi searches out rock people in the local area to do her cutting or show off their findings. eBay and other online sources are good places to find that perfect "canvas" for a horse, dog, pet commission, or some other portrait that will look good on a slice of rock. Care has to be taken when ordering online to find only unpolished product. If the rock slices are polished, as they often are, they are hard to paint on. Unpolished receives and holds the paint much better.

​Rock slices can be any size, with a four to seven inch diameter being ideal. Kristi's paintings are highly detailed so she spends most of her time with a tiny 18/0 brush in her hand. The oil paints and thinners are standard artist quality. Agates of various kinds including thunder eggs, along with petrified wood and obsidian, are most commonly used.
 
The real fun is finding shape, coloration and striation in the rock to complement a painting subject. Kristi prefers to let the rock provide as much of the background as possible. It lets folks both enjoy the natural beauty of the rock slice along with an original work of art by the artist.
 
When the painting is finished, one or two coats of a spray like Krylon Kamar Varnish will protect the piece and give the unpolished rock surface some of that sheen that polishing would give. The painting can be displayed most simply on a small wood easel, or mounted on matting in a frame or shadow box.

ABOUT KRISTI
Kristi was born and raised in Clatskanie--living, working, ranching and raising a family in Columbia County Oregon. She grew up drawing horses she was surrounded by before becoming a commissioned oil painter and bronze sculptor. Kristi prides herself on bringing accuracy to her art and nailing down the details in the subjects she loves so much.

"If there's something I'm not sure of, I will research it until I have it right. I really appreciate when people come to my displays, look at my art, and are impressed by the authenticity. I put my heart into it."

You can see Kristi's exquisite paintings and bronze sculptures at Artistic Portland. We are open Monday thru Saturday from 10AM to 6PM and Sundays from 12PM to 5PM.