I imagine that everyone who sells art gets stuck from time to time. Your stock of successful products has to be replaced, but your chaotic workspace overwhelms you. On one corner of my studio table there are five half-done projects. Yikes - time to focus! Other times you carve out a little time to create new designs, but your 

muse takes a hike and you feel uninspired.

Here’s my motto.  When the muse takes a vacation, it’s time to retreat - not retreat as in run away, but retreat as in step back, refresh yourself and take time to play.  I am most grateful to have the opportunity to do just that every August when a group of professional polymer clay artists gather in the awe-inspiring northern Rockies to spend a weekend together.

Each artist generally chooses to explore something new during the week which pushes a bit beyond her comfort zone. Jewelry artists sculpt, color zealots work only in black or white, sculptors use clay as pointillist painting medium or artists collaborate. I crafted a series of large pods, using millefiori cane work (which I do) and oil painting (which I don’t do). Bonnie Bishoff, a maker of extraordinary wearable art,  used polymer clay to create this 2-D textured painting. 

Energy is augmented, and the workroom thrums from early morning to the wee hours. As punctuation to the studio work, individuals demonstrate techniques, spontaneous “seminars" (marketing, teaching, social media) spring into life,  and critique groups form. Artists share other skills - one polymer artist is also a photographer who shares tips. There’s lots of storytelling and jokes by a couple of masters, reminding us all not to get too serious!  I’m way too introverted for that, but I  bring my guitar and play classical music each night. Maybe best of all, there are myriad lovely, deep conversations during our week-long slumber party. 

There’s time for walking around the gorgeous northern Colorado landscape, sketching or taking photographs. I love doing that by myself so I can process the heady brew of group experiences. The combination of solitude and camaraderie is my secret sauce. Some artists are fed by the group synergy and create amazing new pieces. I know I’ll never be one of those, since I work most productively in the quiet of my own studio. However,  I always leave the mountain with a notebook full of drawings and ideas, a ton of photos and an eagerness to get back to work since I know the muse will have returned.
 
I am most fortunate to have my amazing August retreat as a time to reset and re-energize. Best of all, it has taught me a “retreat” strategy we can all use any time: take a walk, sketch what you see, and play! 

How long have you been a part of Artistic Portland, and what appealed to you about joining the Co-op?
I've been a member for about a month now! I wanted to join a co-op to meet other artists and have a consistent way to get my work into the public eye. 
 
What is your background?
My background is varied. I have no formal training as an artist. I have a degree in Theater with an emphasis in costuming. But for the past 13 years I have been a stay-at-home mom.  Prior to being a mom I traveled around the world to about 40 countries and lived in Japan for three years. I've always been inspired by nature. And have always had a fascination with color.  

Why do you do what you do?
I like painting and creating because there are endless possibilities. Every painting and creation is unique and I never tire of doing it.  
 
Describe yourself in one word? Why that word?
Multi-passionate. I call myself multi-passionate or a multi-potentialite because I'm never going to be "one thing." I have many interests, many passions. When I finally stopped trying to fit myself in a box, I started to fulfill my full potential. 

Where do you create?
Mostly in my kitchen at a work table that sits under an east-facing window. 

What motivates/inspires your work?
My work is nature and color inspired. I love texture. I love mixing colors and color gradation. I use dried and pressed leaves, plants and flowers in my work.

What kind of creative patterns, routines, or rituals do you have?
I'm not very routine. I wish I had more of that. I often paint at night when my kids have gone to bed. I do a lot of creating when my kids are around.  

What is your favorite piece you have ever created?
So far, my favorite piece is called 4000 Feelings. I spent about a week on this 11x14 water color. I layered grasses and lace-leaf maple leaves in reds, pinks, purples, gold and black. It looks like two trees, one tall and strong and one being blown around by a storm. In the strong one, a face started to emerge, so I spent a great amount of time creating the detail in the face. And the one being blown about became a woman with long hair who is upside down in the tree.  It represents what was going on in my life at the time. 

What do you like to do when you are not creating?
When I'm not creating, I'm landscaping. I have a small landscaping business. Since moving to the PNW I've become obsessed with plants and flowers. I also like to go on nature walks. I take macro photos of flowers and plants, as well. I spend time with my three kids: Quinn (13), Wyatt (9) and December (6).  We like to play tennis, swim, cook, watch movies and go on adventures. I also love food and wine!  I'm a bit of a bakery addict.  

As a mosaic jewelry artist who sells at various venues including Artistic Portland, I find I am often trying to keep a balance between staying on top of trends while also satisfying my need to create art that stimulates me. For example, I love working with certain color palettes such as turquoise, orange, and ocher. I call this my Mediterranean palette and find myself gravitating toward this palette often because, well, simply put, the combination of those colors makes me feel happy!

Perhaps it's selfish of me to create art that makes me feel good rather than focus predominantly on trends or what other people fancy. For this reason, I try to find a balance between what I love to create and current color and shape trends, though admittedly, I tend to lean toward the former.

To be fair, I tried an experiment about a year ago where I focused on creating mosaic jewelry pieces that aligned closer to then current jewelry trends. I created pieces that did not bring me much joy. The color palettes, though on trend, did not excite me while I was creating them and some of the bezel shapes seemed too trendy to me. In short, I did not stay true to myself. I veered too far to the "trendy side" and lost my voice in the process. Not surprisingly, these pieces did not sell for quite some time. One of them in fact was stolen at a show! Though I normally feel a loss when one of my babies, er, I mean, pieces is stolen, in this case I remember thinking "good riddance!" I was happy that the thief did not have very good taste! 

The moral of this story, at least from my perspective, is that I need to stay true to my design aesthetic while occasionally tempering this with trends. I have learned that if I experience joy while creating a piece, that joy will shine through, thus hopefully making the piece intriguing to others, while if I create a piece that feels commercial and uninspired, that piece languishes, longing for a home.

Many artists who sell in wholesale markets or in multiple venues have “lines” of designs. Others, including me, rarely repeat designs, always making one-off pieces. So I have to remind myself from time to time that working in series is an important part of a creative practice. Redundancy can strengthen the artist’s individual voice- not the same thing done over and over again in exactly the same way, but rather concepts improved and tweaked in different yet interconnected ways. It creates a recognizable style, which is important for refining one’s artistic voice.  

By creating multiple pieces around the same idea, we are helping the audience understand what our art is all about;  pattern or intent is evident, so viewers can get a sense of who you are. The process is not about repetition, but rather about being able to explore, investigate, examine or address particular themes, compositions or concepts in progressively deeper and more meaningful ways than is possible by making just one or two.  

And then there’s the sheer aesthetic pleasure, because a cluster of similar pieces looks fabulous! Above are a group of my bowls from 2017. When I make millefiori cane designs, I first choose a palette and mix clay, then I create a series of canes using my mixed colors, finally combining the patterns in different ways to make pieces.  Each of these bowls is unique, yet they clearly belong together as a set.  Every new iteration is an exploration, and inevitably the last pieces are  more interesting and more refined that the first.

Each summer, I have the privilege of attending an invitational retreat of fellow artists who work with polymer clay. The highlight of the week is an exchange of pieces. We have made pendants, bowls, totems, and beads among other things. The group decides on general guidelines and each artist creates about 25 similar versions of the same piece. Voila! A yearly experiment in working in series!
 
Sometimes a series varies by just a bit of color, like these Chinese inspired carvings of artist Nan Roche, one of the founding mothers of understanding polymer clay as a fine art medium. Other times,  a series can explore variations on a theme. Here are Katie Way's totems, both made for the same swap. Katie’s differ quite a bit in color and texture, yet are still easily identifiable as a set.  

​For my contribution to the totem exchange, I was inspired by the wonderful designs of the aboriginal Tiwi tribe.  Like the bowls, each one differs slightly from the group, and, as always, I improved as I worked. The experience of working in series has been valuable for me as a learning experience -  prototype, make samples, discard failures, reevaluate and refine!

Artists know that shows highlighting their body of work, bringing in customers ready to buy art like theirs, help pay the bills. Sometimes just one or two shows a year. Sometimes one or two a month. And if it's a venue like Portland Saturday Market, weekly. Shows are hard work, and when the cost of the booth, travel, meals and lodging are met and exceeded by sales, a thrill. Kristi and I have pared art shows down to only a few each year, and to those that are within a narrow niche--for us, ranch and rodeo western art. We've learned buyers of art know what they like, and will choose from the many options to focus on their favorite shows to attend. 

Facilitating and directing a show is also hard work, usually consisting of a team constantly looking to make it better. At the end of a show, smart leadership will debrief artists for valuable feedback, and act on ideas that come out of that process. Often, artists that have been faithful in their attendance, are asked to join an advisory board, or something similar. Kristi and I recently received a letter from one of those show teams for an art show we plan to display at in October. We think the letter demonstrates some of the great ideas that can come from great show leadership. It reads as follows:
 
"It's Spring in the Pacific NW and ... last fall, after the show, we sent out a questionnaire ~  we asked ~ you answered ~ we listened ~ we brain stormed ~ we have many winning new ideas ... We want you to think 'Art Extravaganza'!  We will have all art forms represented ~ both visual and performing ~ Opening on Saturday and Sunday only ~ Friday night gathering & dinner for artists to unwind and visit with their peers ~ Fewer booths to allow for a different set up arrangement ~ Spotlight Stage for demonstrating artists and performers ~ Showcase Gallery for one piece from each artist to submit for judging and People's Choice ~ Gallery area for pieces submitted for sale only ~  Children’s art display area ~ Finishing Touches Auction to replace Quick Draws ~ Central area for Slow Finish artists to gather for the patrons viewing pleasure ~ Ticketed Dinner and Live Auction on Saturday evening ~  Silent Auctions ~ Benefit Auction ~ Color Catalog with auction items ~ Full screen photos projected during auction ....
 
"We have hired an Advertising Agency to help us promote the show. We will continue to send out beautiful full color brochures to our Patron list ~ we have already secured ... publications for ads ~ we will use pertinent newspaper ads ~ we will have a very heavy social media presence and paid ads with them ~ we will also be pursuing public TV. Another piece to complete this advertising component is you contacting your own patrons...."
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​Being a member of Artistic Portland is a great chance, not only to sell art, but also to network and share ideas. Just like the debrief at the end of a show, participating in a cooperative and spending time with other artists, can help us in all areas of the artist life. And maybe pay the bills.

I have been a member of Artistic Portland Artist Co-operative for nearly four years. Occasionally I am asked why I choose to belong to a co-operative. I’d like to share my thoughts and experiences in this regard, so in no particular order….

Community – If I were to leave the co-op tomorrow, I think the first thing I would miss would be the community. As a working artist, I sometimes find that I am isolated since I work alone in my studio, although I do enjoy the company of my neighbor’s cat, Pickle, who essentially now lives in my studio. That’s a story for another day. I have met so many wonderful, talented, and interesting people at Artistic Portland. We share ideas and even resources with one another because we genuinely care about one another and want to see everyone succeed. I am quick to share my resources with other jewelers at Artistic Portland even though one could say other jewelers are my competition. I feel as though we’re all in this together so if we help one another, we will all benefit and hopefully be successful. If the gallery is successful, we are all successful.

A place to sell art and to gain exposure – This is an obvious one. When I first started creating mosaic jewelry, I mainly gave pieces to family and friends. I sold a few pieces here and there on Etsy but I soon found that I needed to have another venue where I could sell my work because if I didn’t, my house would be overrun by mosaic jewelry. I have a supportive husband but I doubt he’d appreciate me using up what little storage space we have in our small house, for my art.

Meeting customers – At Artistic Portland members can work shifts based on the level of membership they choose. I work two half days per month which gives me a chance to meet our amazing Artistic Portland customers. Yes, I'm talking to you! Working shifts also helps me to “get out in the world” rather than be sequestered every day in my studio (with Pickle of course). I have met so many lovely customers by working shifts; locals and tourists alike. It’s easy to start conversations with customers at Artistic Portland as the gallery is inspirational and customers often engage with the artists on shift. Many customers have shared their stories with me and I have shared mine with them. It’s been fun to learn about what brings customers into Artistic Portland. Often I find that people come into the gallery because they are looking for that “perfect gift” for family or friends and they like the thought of buying unique local art.

Sharing – I touched on this already in the community section of this blog but I think this concept deserves more attention. I am always appreciative when someone shares their ideas and/or resources with me. Sharing with others is a lovely gesture and demonstrates care and thoughtfulness. As I mentioned earlier, we’re all in this together so by sharing, we help each other grow and strengthen our community. 

Business acumen – Belonging to a co-op has helped me to pay attention to the business side of my art business. Since many of us work shifts at the co-op, it is easy to see how managing the day-to-day of a store can help artists manage their own businesses. Picking up business tips and techniques has been instrumental in how I operate.

Fun! – I thought I’d save this for last because ending on "fun" is just a good thing…always! I guess this category could be coupled with community but I thought I’d give it its own category. Simply put, it is fun to work in the co-op because the co-op has a lot of fun members. We have a member who is an expert yodeler, another member who brings joy to many lives because he spearheads a monthly activity that helps an underserved population, and a member who brings cats to life in a way that I’ve never seen before. I could go on and on about each member if space allowed! All of the members are unique in their own way and they each bring something to the gallery beyond their art.

If you’re an artist and you’ve thought about joining an artist co-operative, check out our membership page! We’d love to meet you!

How long have you been a member of Artistic Portland, and what appealed to you about joining the Co-op?
June 1st will mark my second year at Artistic Portland. I joined because I wanted to be a contributor to the local art scene, be around other artists and see their work to inspire me to go beyond my conventional thinking of what art should be.  

What’s your background?
I grew up in a very small town and my parents bought a business when I was 9 years old, so my background is steeped in the business world. I always made greeting cards for my family by cutting up old magazines and gluing to colored construction paper, but I've no had no training having to do with art.  
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I've always been attracted to glass art and while at an art fair oooohing and awwwwwing over the glass, one of my friends said, "You know you can make that yourself." So I took a beginner class and was hooked!  Besides my personal love for glass artwork, there's nothing like seeing someone fall in love with a piece from the gallery or see the joy in the faces of someone who commissioned me to make something special for them.

Describe yourself in one word. Why that word?
Optimistic. My glass (no pun intended) is always half full. I've retired from the business world so I get to play with glass whenever I want. My husband is my biggest fan and is always there to help with whatever I need. I get to spend as much time as I want with my sweet little grand daughter and I have a grandson on the way. Life is good.

Where do you create?
My husband helped me "build out" the unfinished part of our basement for a studio and I am lucky to have the finished part of our daylight basement set up as my gallery.

Every piece of jewelry is a small scale work of art worn on the body.   Each of the jewelry artists at Artistic Portland has a different vision, carefully crafted and unique. Jewelry from Susan Hunter features striking metalwork, while pieces of Beth Jones are delicate and romantic. June Martin’s signature mosaics are both geometric and subtly colored, while Petra Woodworth imaginatively combines found objects with metals and stones. My work in polymer clay is highly patterned and brightly pigmented, falling perhaps into the category of “statement” jewelry.
 
“Statement” jewelry necklaces are one-of-a-kind, attention-grabbing pieces which are often large, colorful and sometimes asymmetrical. Glittery or tribal, statement pieces transform that little black garment into a canvas.  Polymer clay is especially well adapted to making statement jewelry because it is a great chameleon.  Lightweight and inexpensive, it can be carved, twisted, painted or sculpted into infinite shapes, patterns and colors. Polymer jewelry artists have discovered a myriad of approaches.
 
My partner at our teaching studio,  ViaArtistica ,  Maggie Maggio, is an architect, so perhaps it not surprising that she is known for exploring and expanding the structural possibilities of polymer clay. Maggie pinches and twists polymer to create sinuous neckpieces.  The model shown here is from a series she has called “Octopi”.  Maggie’s wow factor comes from complex swirls woven into a dramatic neck piece.  One can fully imagine these pieces on the runway.

Another local Portland colleague, Wendy Wallin Malinow, has a completely different approach to making dazzling jewelry with polymer clay.  A metalsmith, illustrator and sculptor, Wendy transforms polymer clay into mysterious fantasy pods, bones and imaginative unearthly creatures.  Her imagination astounds! Wendy’s panache comes from vibrant colors and surprising shapes that range from naturalistic birds to gothic skulls. Her necklaces are eye-catching collectors’ pieces, which are also wearable

Kathleen Dustin’s calls her work “Wearable objets d’art” and her website showcases several collections of her polymer jewelry and handbags.  Trained as a ceramicist, Kathleen has explored several properties of polymer, including translucency and the imitative potential of the clay.  Here she pushes the boundaries of texture in her Tribal Bead series with lush mark-making, carving and the complex layers of pigment which create her distinctive palette, earning her a place in many galleries and museum collections.

My own work takes advantage of the lightweight nature and malleability of polymer. I love to form flat polymer into 3 dimensional petals,  disks and pods. Most of all I love creating and juxtaposing patterns, a bit like a collage artist or a quilter.   By mixing the primary colors of  polymer clay I can create virtually any color I want. The complexity of millefiori cane work adds rich patterns to the mix. Nothing makes me happier than creating a palette, then making a pile of canes on my studio table ready to create veneers. I invite you to come see my polymer clay jewelry at Artistic Portland!

​Attending an event at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in Otis, Oregon I was enjoying the presentations of several artists. Sitka Center, as part of its mission, provides artist residencies; and this was the conclusion when artists talk about what they have accomplished during their stay on secluded Cascade Head. Kindra Crick was one of the presenters. Her last name intrigued me as she introduced herself as a molecular biologist, and artist, who loved science but was also inspired by her grandmother to pursue art. As Kindra began clicking through her PowerPoint slides, she soon mentioned that her grandfather, Francis Crick, was the Nobel winner who had worked on the structure of DNA. And his artist wife, Odile, first drew the DNA double helix. To this day, Odile Crick's artistic concept of DNA still visually represents DNA's molecular structure.

Smitten by Kindra's story, I listened intently as she concluded her presentation focusing on a neuroscience inspired artwork installation, in collaboration with U of O Health Sciences University, called Cerebral Wilderness. She, as was her grandmother, is using art to promote the understanding of science. Kindra is often quoted as saying, "Artwork gives visual expression to the wonder and process of scientific inquiry and discovery."

​And it's not an isolated concept. Quoting Stanford University, "There is growing interest in the intersection of art and science, whether from artists adapting technology to suit their visions or from scientists and engineers seeking to explain various visual effects. To take advantage of possible creative sparks at the art/science interface, it is necessary for fuzzies and techies to have some knowledge of the language used by the other side. This interface will be explored through examining approaches used by an artist and an engineer in the context of the materials science of cultural objects."

​So now I look for opportunities to discover and contemplate these ideas and understand them better. Recently at a Fishtrap event exploring Native American, environmental and cultural topics at the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture in Joseph, Oregon, the topic of art and science intersecting came up often. At Artistic Portland I look around at works on display, talk to folks browsing in the store; and have a growing sense that art, my friends creating artwork, can through their creative efforts help change the world.

How long have you been a part of Artistic Portland, and what appealed to you about joining the Co-op?
I joined AP in December of last year. I am drawn to the idea of a group collaborating to make everyone's goals a reality. It follows that when I started looking for a way to market my sculptures, I specifically began looking for a Co-op. Artistic Portland was in particular appealing for the wide variety of artistic expression represented. I enjoy being influenced by the different styles and personalities that are represented. I also feel that the customers' experience is enhanced with that variety.  Many members use the similar materials as I do- metal, glass, text, paper etc. - but we all produce wildly different results. The juxtaposition of those results enhances the appreciation for each artist's voice.

What is your background?
I have been a live entertainment technician since the mid -1980s.  I predominately work in lighting and scenic construction for  plays and dance. I began assembling sculptures in late 2017.

Where do you create?
I actually find this to be a complex question. The easy answer is in my home.  I have creative assembly spaces in my basement and garage. The text is composed on my computer.  But the inspiration/planning/creationeering happens inside my head wherever I am at the moment. Driving, showering, shopping, working, etc. Sometimes a creature will be inspired by a piece of junk I find in the corner of a deconstruction shop, or at IKEA. Sometimes I wake up with a solution to an assembly problem in my mind or see a piece of random Portland ingenuity that sparks new solutions. Other times a friend or colleague will make a suggestion that leads down a rabbit-hole of  creation.
 
What motivates/inspires your work?
My creatures often spring out of my subconscious without my permission. Most of the time, I don't realize what emotional/intellectual nugget was inspiring the work until a fair bit into the process. Eventually, I realize "Oh! This was my back-brain gnawing on global warming or social policy or the phone bill."

What kind of creative patterns, routines, or rituals do you have?
It depends on which part of the process I'm in. I'm fortunate to have a life partner who will give honest feedback while I'm writing/creating the text portion. I like to do the wiring and soldering while watching Netflix. While assembling, I try to incorporate materials in a way I haven't before to avoid overusing any one process or solution. Shopping for materials is a sort of creative routine because the new materials make me contemplate new solutions or new projects.

What is your favorite piece you have ever created?
In truth, I tend to be most excited by whatever sculpture I'm currently working on. The act of creating brings a level of stimulation and engagement that doesn't exist after the piece is finished. 

What do you like to do when you are not creating?
I have another career that keeps me busy. Other than that I'm a home body. I love having dinner with my partner or watching Netflix together. Depending on my mood, computer games and/or social media can give the brain a rest.