July's Artist X: Marie Gibbons

My apologies, readers, for the delay in announcing the identity of my featured artist for July. As I mentioned in my last post, I headed down to Santa Fe for a long weekend, and I have been blissfully disconnected to the internet. Stay tuned for updates from that trip, as I found some incredible new talent and came back to the office with some wicked pieces on consignment. I am hoping that my clients like them as much as I do!

Just for fun and because it was AMAZING, here is a picture of some wild horses I saw on the ride back:

Now, without further ado, the identity of July's Artist X is the talented Marie Gibbons. Here is a link to her site:  http://www.mariegibbons.com . Be sure to check it out both for her original art pieces as well as the line-up of ever changing classes she offers in her Tennyson Street Space.

Stop by her studio this Friday (First Friday!) between 6-9 to make your own clay owl - just $10 for workshop time, materials, and firing.

Kokeshi Class

July's Artist X is always coming up with the most compelling concepts for workshops. A few years ago I took a totem series from her, five successive Tuesday night classes in which I created organic forms that were meant to be stacked upon each other. I decided that each was interesting on its own, so they never made it to a stack, but the series is displayed on a glass shelf in my home and gets many compliments.

The artist's son is currently living and working in Tokyo, so her next workshop is inspired by Japanese culture: Kokeshi dolls.

Original Kokeshi Doll

The original Kokeshi were made in the Edo Period, roughly 1600-1868 and produced in only 6 to 8 perfectures, aka studios. Most of these were located in close proximity to health spas, so there is strong speculation that the dolls were used in massage treatments. Another theory, presented by Artist X, is that they were given to new mothers to wish good health upon their newborn babies.

For her upcoming workshop on August 1st, students will be immersed in Japanese music, food, and art as Artist X leads a 90 minute class teaching students to create clay versions of these dolls. Email me if you would like more information...

Clay Kokeshi standing before her wood predecessors

Bending Books

I have previously blogged about my love for reading, holding, possessing, and displaying paper-bound titles. No Nook for this bibliophile.

July's Artist X obviously feels the same way. In addition to real books that she has tucked into the corners of her studio and presumably reads, she has also reinvented some titles that she has found at garage sales and the Denver Public Library sale and made them into unique art pieces. Here is an origami-esque treatment of a book about Michelangelo:

Here is another one that she has mixed with a combination of some other mediums including her material of choice, ceramic, and a beeswax encaustic:

Friday Freestyle: Spend your Fourth at the Festival

Every year I am torn about the 4th of July holiday. On one hand it would be great to beat the heat and get out of town, on the other I just can't miss the Cherry Creek Art Festival going on in my own backyard. Considered by many who track these things to be the top outdoor fine art fair in the nation, I personally know that it is worth viewing. In the past year I have placed three of the artists that I met in 2010 in corporate collections. Yesterday was a treat to show Kaiser Suidan, a ceramic artist from Ferndale, Michigan the suspended installation of his pieces I did a few months ago:

Classic Blue and White

Artist X used to, in his words, "impulsively collect" blue and white porcelain until he ran out of room in his home. Here is where he displays some of what he has:

Do you like porcelain as well? Here is a way to wear the trend: 

Owl brooch available at this etsy site: