Contemporary Twist to Traditional Crafts
By Mary Jane Lapin
Florida is not primarily known for a history of traditional crafts. Many of our transplanted artists were originally traditional, but they have transformed their art to a more uninhibited version of what they once did. They kicked off their heels, put on their flip-flops and set about doing what they loved with little constraint from past expectations.
Lois Mills, formerly a weaver of wall-art for public interiors in the Cleveland area, is one such example. She has followed her passion for weaving tapestries with bundles of multiples of yarn and color. These are now her evening jackets. Abstract water themes, using the colors of the sea are often represented in her highly textured and loose end weavings, which she uses to capture her vision. Her emphasis is the creation of this vision, not the medium of weaving.
Another artist, transplanted from St. Paul, MN, is Karen Johnson. She was an award winning painter and photographer, but now also works in bead and jewelry design. Her pieces include fresh water pearls, crystals, and seed beads. Her bead weaving techniques are off-loom, and have a nature theme as a source of inspiration. Karen is the store manager at Beads, FOB, where she also teaches beading classes as well as at Selby Gardens. Her one-of-a-kind bracelets and dramatic necklaces are award winners.
Marge Schemanski is an artist who uses both traditional techniques and a contemporary version of the Nantucket Basket. She has won numerous awards in her home state of Michigan, as well as in Florida, where she teaches her craft in Venice and Placida. These traditional baskets are woven over a mold to shape them. A wooden base holds the staves. Traditionally, cane is woven around the staves. Marge’s contemporary technique substitutes more free form materials for the cane:
grapevine, pine needles, palm inflorescence, yarn, raffia, sea grass, and beads. A wooden rim then finishes off the top of the basket, as it would in the traditional style. Marge’s new technique adds color and variation to the normally highly structured Nantucket Basket.
Betsy Meyer was not formerly a traditional artist, but had a successful kitchen/bath design business in New York before retiring to Florida. Her serendipitous visit to a local yarn store presented her with the freedom of color, texture, and free-form that was lacking in her former life. Her award winning work expands the concept of the wrap, vest, or cloak. Betsy describes her customers as being of eclectic style and a bit daring. When she starts a garment, she has no preconceived notion of what that finished project will become. She follows no patterns and at some points the piece tells her it is finished. It will be loosely woven with many undulating layers, with added crocheted or felted decorations. One of her cloaks ends with a pointed train that gracefully floats along the floor as the wearer walks.
These four artists, along with several dozen others members of Surface Design of Sarasota, Manasota Weavers’ Guild, Florida West Coast Bead Society and the Venetian Society of Basket Weavers will show and sell their work at FAB, the Fabulous Arts Boutique, at the Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail.
An Opening Reception will be from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10. There is a $5 voluntary contribution for the opening, and free admission all other days. The show continues on Feb. 11, 12 from 10-4, and ends on Sunday, Feb. 13, where it is open from 11-3.
The Power of Beads
By Karen Johnson, published in West Coast Woman
Semi-precious stones and crystals are attributed with unique healing powers. The faithful use Rosaries, and Prayer Malas for mediation and worship. As a world community we have always adorned ourselves with beads. At Beads, F.O.B, where I work, beads are often much more then pretty baubles to wear. Beads represent the transition from one life to another. Beads can become talismans to hold onto when all else is lost. Through the art of beading, many women work their way to healing broken hearts and bodies.
My dear Friend, Kathie Hayes, lost her husband Mike, several years ago. Her story represents the lives of so many women I meet and work with at Beads, F.O.B. Mike’s tragic death destroyed future plans. Kathie had to rebuild her life. Bead by bead, she forged her way into a world that contained new artistic expression. With beading needle and thread, Kathie wove her way through the pain. Beading helps sustain her on the days when all feels lost.
Other women I meet have sustained severe physical injuries; some are recovering from life-threatening illnesses, a few have been in the process of dying. They all come to class to learn to bead, to bring in new life, new creativity. A woman with breast cancer comes into Beads, F.O.B. to make a pink survivor bracelet for her friends and family. An elderly woman approaches me to repair a strand of pearls and tells me stories of fleeing across Europe during World War II, with those very pearls sewn into the hem of her skirt. Beads are a legacy and sometimes a lifeboat.
So next time you open that Pandora’s box of dreams sitting on your dresser, and pull out your grandmother’s pearls, or some other treasure, keep in mind that your not just holding a bauble, your holding a piece of the past and the future. If your really lucky, the person who made the jewelry, created it with the intention of healing, and not a little love. To see some of the beaded art, forged with love, sometimes tears, and lots of good intentions, please come to “FAB” - The Fabulous Arts Boutique at the Art Center Sarasota on Feb. 11, 12 and 13 with an Opening Reception, Thursday February 10 from 6-8:30pm. This is a great opportunity to meet the artists! You’ll be able to see the tangible results of joy and healing all around