JUL/AUG LOBBY SHOW: Fused: Fiber & Glass

Fiber artist Pam Geisel and glass artist Sara Gray have collaborated to present a two-person exhibition titled “Fused: Fiber and Glass” which will be in the Village Artisan’s Lobby Gallery from September 13 through November 5, with an artist reception on Friday, September 13 from 6–8 pm.

As artistic mediums go, fiber and glass are quite different from each other. Fabric is usually considered soft, flexible, and impervious to breaking while glass is often perceived as firm, rigid, and fragile. One way in which these two mediums are similar is that they can both be fused. Glass fusing is the process of joining compatible sheet glasses together in a kiln until the glass becomes one. Fusing of fabric requires ironing an adhesive to the back of one fabric then fusing it on to another piece of fabric.

“Being able to fuse fabric was a game changer for me,” says Geisel. “Now I’m not limited to squares, triangles, and rectangles found in traditional quilt blocks. The fabric doesn’t have to be pieced with seams; it can be placed randomly.”  Gray added, “Fused glass has changed my love for working with glass. Being a stained-glass artist over 20 years and now making fused glass for over 10 years has allowed me to create functional glass art.”  

To make the exhibit a true collaboration, they each made pieces based on the other’s art. Gray made a fused art glass piece based on Geisel’s “Chasing Geese” art quilt. When Gray shared photos of pieces she made for the exhibit, Geisel was immediately drawn to Gray’s piano keyboards with rainbow colors. Geisel states “I knew immediately that I also wanted to make a keyboard using hand-dyed fabric in the colors of the rainbow.” Geisel was also inspired by Gray’s square and rectangular plates that had different colored flowers that each had six green leaves. “Pam used yarn for her stems, and I used glass stringers for mine.”

For “Fused,” the artists focused on using rainbow colors along with the color black. “With both glass and fabric, you have really vibrant colors, but you can’t really mix colors like you can with paint. Instead, it depends on what colors are next to each other and layering colors on top of each other,” said Gray.  “And adding black really makes colors pop,” explains Geisel “which is why we wanted to put our focus on that.”

The show can be viewed from September 13 through November 5, during regular gallery hours, M-Th 11-5, Fr-Sa 11-6, and Su 12-5 or during the artist reception on Friday, September 13 from 6–8 pm.

40th Annual Art on the Lawn

WHEN: Saturday, August 10, 2024, 10 am-5 pm

WHERE: NEW LOCATION just east of 118 East North College Street (the corner of Livermore and East Center College Street), Yellow Springs, Ohio

Same great festival in abrand NEW LOCATION, more than 100 artists from Ohio and beyond will gather just east of 118 East North College Street, a few blocks from the downtown heart of Yellow Springs, Ohio, to show and sell their original fine arts at this year’s Art on the Lawn on Saturday, August 10, from 10 am–5 pm, rain or shine. This popular, free, outdoor festival of art, food, and music, now in its 40th year, is sponsored by Village Artisans Gallery of Yellow Springs. Both new and returning artists will present their ceramics, drawings, fiber art, garden art, glass, jewelry, leatherwork, mixed media, paper craft, paintings, photography and more. Food vendors and live music complement the outstanding, juried artwork.

Of the many artists this year some are returning artists while others are new to this show. One of the returning this year is Art on the Lawn’s Featured Artist Maggie Reckers of Xenia, Ohio, who won Best of Show at the 2023 Art on the Lawn.

Maggie has been a painter for 15 years using watercolor, acrylic, and oil. Her process has changed in the last two years as she navigates studio time and motherhood. She says her process has become more experimental with mediums and styles while being creative with her toddler during their art time of crayons and chalk. Most of her recent inspiration comes from her imagination and her child’s drawing request.

Reckers started her career sharing live performance paintings on large canvases for a ministry in Cincinnati, Ohio. On occasion you can still see her do live paintings in Dayton but she prefers building her body of work from her home studio.

She has an associate’s degree in art from Sinclair Community College and has participated in several solo exhibits including the Gem City Catfé in Dayton, Art + Craft in Yellow Springs, and a visiting artist at The Artery at Front Street. To get a sneak peek of Reckers work, visit maggiereckersart.com.

Dogs and other pets are kindly requested to remain away from the fair. Typical August temperatures and crowds with children make the fair an unsafe place for pets.

The change in location this year is due to construction at Mills Lawn Elementary School. Village Artisans would like to thank their sponsors , the Yellow Springs Senior Center and the Emerge Recovery and Trade initiative, for the use of their properties for this year’s event. Also new this year, Village Solar will provide solar power for the food trucks.

Village Artisans, sponsor of Art on the Lawn, is a cooperative art gallery in Yellow Springs featuring locally-made, affordable hand crafted jewelry, woodworking, pottery, photography, paintings, drawings, fiber, glass, and mixed media art. Located at 100 Corry Street in Yellow Springs, Ohio, the regular gallery hours are Monday–Thursday 11 am-5 pm; Friday and Saturday 11 am-6 pm; and Sunday Noon-5 pm with extended hours for special events. For more information call 937-767-1209, email villageartisans.email@yahoo.com, or visit www.villageartisans.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/villageartisans.

JUL/AUG LOBBY SHOW: Birds of a Feather

 

The Village Artisan’s Lobby Show “Birds of a Feather” has been hung in the lobby gallery. One of the Village Artisans members raises guinea fowl and has shared some of the feathers that the birds have shed. In addition to having bird-themed artwork, some of the pieces in the show will incorporate the guinea feathers. 

The show is up now through September 10 during regular gallery hours, M-Th 11-5, Fr-Sa 11-6, and Su 12-5.

MAY/JUN LOBBY SHOW: Songbirds & Serenades

 

The Village Artisan’s Lobby Show “Songbirds & Serenades” features mixed media paintings by Leah Mendenhall and Samantha Farkas and there is an artist reception on Friday, May 10 from 6–9 pm.

The pieces in this collection feature subject matters having to do with birds, musical notes, and musical instruments. Leah, whose compositions are influenced by the music she was listening too while creating, says that her goal for this show was “experimental growth by building each painting from an imprimatur consisting of a different color and value.”

The show is up now through July 9 during regular gallery hours, M-Th 11-5, Fr-Sa 11-6, and Su 12-5.

MAR/APR LOBBY SHOW: Out of This World

 

To celebrate the total solar eclipse that will occur on April 8, the theme of the current lobby show is "Out of This World." The show is up now through May 7 during regular gallery hours, M-Th 11-5, Fr-Sa 11-6, and Su 12-5.

JAN/FEB LOBBY SHOW: Abstract

Our lobby show, "Abstracts" has been hung in our Lobby Gallery. The show is up now through March 12 during regular gallery hours, M-Th 11-5, Fr-Sa 11-6, and Su 12-5.

NOV/DEC LOBBY SHOW: Reds & Greens

Our lobby show, "Reds & Greens" has been hung in our Lobby Gallery. The show is up now through January 9, 2024 during regular gallery hours, M-Th 11-5, Fr-Sa 11-6, and Su 12-5.