Building a body of work can be greatly enhanced with a commission, and a big one came to Kristi from the Ellensburg Rodeo Association, one of the nation’s top ten rodeos. Bronze sculp-ture is an expensive medium, so when a call came from Ellensburg, Washington to produce seven rodeo events, one each year for seven years, the answer was a definite “yes.” Kristi would ride in the parade each year, have guaranteed sales, and begin to establish loyal collec-tors in central Washington. 

Having raised horses and cowboys while squeezing in time to pursue her passion for art crea-tion, made Kristi a candidate for this coveted commission. Now, years later, in galleries and Western art shows, those rodeo pieces often sit front and center in a body of work encompass-ing the Western way of life. 

It has always been fun for Kristi to come up with creative names for her bronzes and to add a touch of poetry to each piece. At shows it’s fun to have a patron stop and read the plastic plac-ard while commenting on her ability to capture the action and fine detail of a rodeo event. Kristi named her bull rider “Double Tough”, and wrote:


The bull is just plain ornery
Like a freight train on a track
He'll unseat anyone who dares
To climb upon his back


The cowboy is determined
His will to ride is strong
He manages to stay aboard
When seconds seem so long


There's eight of 'em to deal with
And when you think they've had enough
They keep on dancin' round and round
This pair is "double tough" 

In addition to the bull riding event, Kristi sculpted the saddle bronc “Diggin’ Deep”, the barrel racer “Turn ‘N Burn”, the bareback bronc “Marked Out”, bulldogging “Down ‘N Dirty”, team rop-ing “Ropes & Hopes”, and calf roping “Quick Catch.” 

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

​Art is an Action
 
I remember the first time my parents took me to an art gallery.  I was 11-years old and I noticed right away that my mom and dad behaved differently there – more formal and polite.  Not like they were at home.  This was more like church -- stuffy and fake.
 
And there was a lady in a long dress who worked there.  She wore her hair high on her head and smelled like perfume.  But she was seemed a little mean as she walked around pointing at pictures and talking -- as my parents nodded politely and followed.  I looked at one of the pictures she pointed to.  It felt grey and sad – and I turned away and looked out the window.  A bus rumbled by.  I wondered where it was going . . . .
 
When we got home I changed back into my jeans and went outside to play.  None of my friends were home.  There was nothing to do, and I kept thinking of that lady in the gallery and how weird my parents acted there.  I went back inside – to my room.  I laid on my bed and wondered what I should do.

​On my desk there were some markers.  Magic markers my mom bought me a long time ago.  She had put them in an old coffee cup next to a stack of scratch paper, but I never used them.  They seemed like they were for younger kids. 
 
I sat down at the desk and dumped the markers out of the mug.  They rolled across the surface of my desk with a nice rattling sound.
 
I grabbed a sheet of paper and started to draw.

​I made a flower – a big happy flower with lots of colors for the petals.  And I drew curling clouds with happy faces.  I laughed a little at what I’d done.  It was fun.  It made me feel good!
 
So I did it again.  Only this time with trees and birds, a big mountain and the sun shining over all of it.  I redrew my world . . . and I was okay again.

That’s how I discovered the secret power of art.  All along I thought it was about critics and connoisseurs – but I was wrong!  It isn’t about them at all.  It’s about you . . . and the act of creating.  It’s about tapping into hidden places and re-creating yourself.  You make your own spirit . . . and art is a way to do this.
 
Now selling . . .  well that’s another question entirely.

Have you heard about our Community Bowl Project yet?  Every 1st Thursday you can stop by the shop from 2-6 and paint your own bowl for free!  If you are in love with your masterpiece, you can come back to purchase it for only $10.  100% of the proceeds go to Sisters of the Road Cafe, a local non-profit that helps feed the homeless.  Or you can leave it and we will offer it up for sale to someone else.

This project is for all ages--I brought my 3 year old in and she painted her bowl for over an hour (supervised--I opted to come paint my own another time).  Now she always wants to use her "painted bowl."   This would be a great way to take care of some early holiday gifts, too! Bowls are dishwasher and microwave safe.

This project is thanks to the generous time and materials donation by one of our glass artists, Michael Barley.

Our next 1st Thursday event is on September 7th--be sure to drop by to paint a bowl!  While you're here you can browse the art, have a snack, and enjoy a tasting from a local distillery.
 
Still have questions?  Check out our feature on KGW news!

Thinking about felting?
 
Earlier I wrote a blog about what felt is. Today I want to show you some of my favorite videos for making felt. 

When I first started felting I searched for videos online to understand the process. I landed on Terri Pike’s site. She gives freely, lessons on all kinds of wet felting. She is a great teacher and her videos are basic, detailed and timeless. 

Watch this video if you are thinking about adventuring into the art of felting. It is Terri Pike! Why make felt?  Her videos can also be found on YouTube. 
​
That was five years ago, and I do go back to her site once in a while. I have found shortcuts and don’t always follow her instructions. You will find that once you start looking at her videos on YouTube you will see many more videos along the side panel…It is like going down the rabbit hole. 

​My advice is to check out about three different artists and combine the information. 

Recently I took an online course from Fiona Duthie. It was fabulous. I love online courses when you can’t find one in your area. Check out some of Fiona's online courses.

Also mark your calendar for the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby, Oregon on Sept. 24th and 25th. It is a chance to take a class, buy some fiber and see some beautiful examples of felting! 

​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.