Its June and my cabbage roses are about to bloom, and so is The Artists Hand.

Beginning Tuesday, June 4 the 72 Annual Art Association Spring show will open here at the gallery. The reception is Friday, June 7 from 6 to 8. This show represents the the best of the Association and we are pleased to have them as residents here at the Artists Hand. Art work will be for sale and will fill the back half of the gallery space, so come in and celebrate an Indiana institution.

June 8 will mark the last Children's "Make and Take" until September. We take the summer off in order to allow our local arts camps to flourish, and for family vacations. We will keep you updated as to when we are starting back up in the fall.

June 1: Mobiles

June 8: Paper making

Times; 6/1 10 to 11:30, 6/8 10 to 11:30 & 12 to 1:30

Cost $20 per workshop, per student.  Spaces available.

Music & Theater in June

June 7  6-8 Sean Howard returns during the IAA Opening with his band "Baby In A Cage"

June 12 7-8 A Keystone Repertory Theater Reading;  It: A New Musical 

June 14  6-8 Fiddler, Julie Voris will be here with her ensemble playing a variety of traditional Irish, Cajun, and American music.

June 19 7-8 A Keystone Repertory Theater Reading; A Night in the Garden

June 21 6-8   Our perennial favorite Al Craige will help us mellow out with his smooth Jazz Guitar licks.

June 28 6-8  Is still open. Contact Kyla at coffee@theartistshandgallery.com if you have any suggestions.

Need to relax?

Ishaya monks Avya and Adya will instruct you in various meditation techniques, Thursday, June 13 from 6:30 to 8:15.  Cost $11 See our Facebook page for details.

More Thoughts on Tamarack

Back to my musings on Tamarack in West Virginia and how we can be a small part of that model. Tamarack has artists demonstrating and working in their studios, and they offer workshops in a variety of processes.  Here at the Artists Hand you can often catch J.R. Sherburne working at his wheel in the back Studio, and when Greg Langham or Ken Vinton sit the Gallery they can often be observed working on a piece.  We've had a couple of false starts in the Adult Education department  The IAA has done a great job over the last year with its painting and drawing classes, but the gallery itself hasn't gotten very far off of square one with the more craft oriented workshops.

We can offer hand built clay classes (we are not set up for wheel throwing) , fibers classes (such as felting, dyeing, weaving), photography, at many levels, basket making, chip carving, and more. My question is what format best suits our audience?

There is a model out there where adults bring some wine and munchies,  gather with an instructor and enjoy an informal activity in a relaxed atmosphere. Just for fun! I really like the idea, but would like your input. And of course, we are happy to offer more intense instruction for those interested in gaining a skill or learning a process. Give me your thoughts at sandyt@theartistshandgallery.com.

I really think that The Artists Hand has the potential to become "The Best of Indiana". Join me!

Sandy

Darlene Palmer

Darlene Cathrine Palmer is an Indiana county native and a self-taught photographer. Her career consisted of weddings, sports and eventually opening her own portrait studio.
In 2012, she decided to pursue a totally different aspect of her profession. This introduced her to the world of "water-drop" photography." This process consists of capturing the most minute details of drops of water colliding in mid-air. Each photograph is unique and authentic and arrives through the process of timing, colors, lighting and most of all, patience!

Foot
Water drop photo
$195

Milk Drop
Water Drop photo
$225

When you see a photograph of Darlene's, you'll want to look twice. It's hard to believe that the images she captures are comprised of simple water drops. Timing is crucial in achieving this type of image, as well as choosing the camera settings (shutter speed and aperture) perfectly. Her captivating work reminds us that there is beauty in even the smallest daily occurrences that often are not noticeable or simply go unnoticed.

Stop in to see Darlene's work, and the work of over 60 local artists, Tuesdays through Saturdays, at the Artists Hand.

On our way home from Tennessee this past weekend, my husband and I stopped by Tamarack, in West Virginia. An Arts Center established to display, sell and encourage the best of the arts in the state of West Virginia. What a refreshing excursion! We experienced top notch crafts in a contemporary setting, had a lovely meal from their food court, and if our timing had been right we could've listened to music by West Virginia musicians! It was a truly inspiring afternoon. And it got me thinking. . . .

In someways The Artists Hand Gallery is the Tamarack for Indiana County. We strive to provide the residents of the county with the best art and crafts work in the county displayed in a beautiful contemporary setting. We might not serve you lunch, but we do serve a fine cup of espresso, coffee or tea, that can be partnered with artisan baked goods from Six Hand Bakery. Like Tamarack we are a celebration of the arts for Indiana County. Not to mention that on Friday nights from 6 to 8 you can hear life music performed by local musicians, for Free! And all of this got me thinking about the creative process and the need to make something good.

After our visit, my husband and I listened to a couple of podcasts on creativity and the arts & crafts. It was a good way to continue the journey in an artsy frame of mind. One of the topics presented was the current "Maker's Movement". That is the activities being taken up by people to fulfill an need to make something of their own, with their own hands, be it a knitted object, a jar of jam, or a bottle of wine.  More and more people are putting their hands to the creative task. How cool!  We need more Tamaracks and more Artists Hands to show off and share the gift of making and to provide folks with the opportunity to make things themselves.

To that end I would like to invite you to think about the kinds of things you want to make. Maybe at the Artists Hand we can help be a part of that. Let's make it fun and rewarding. Let's encourage each other as creators.

The following is something I wrote after our visit and podcast immersion. For our friends and fans;

ART
CRAFT
CREATVITY
MATERIAL
             CRAFT
             PROCESS
             MATERIAL
             COMMITMENT
                                 PROCESS
                                 CREATIVITY
                                 COMMITMENT
                                 CRAFT



"Good Craftsmanship makes the message stronger" Joyce J. Scott

Vaughn Clay

Vaughn is a retired Art Professor, of 36 years, from Indiana University of PA. He grew up in Kenmore, New York and received his Bachelor of Studio Arts degree at Westminster College in Wilmington, PA.  Doing his graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, brought him to Western PA, where he joined the faculty at IUP. 

He has exhibited widely in the Pittsburgh region, and nationally in selected shows as well. As an artist he finds a great deal of inspiration being a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. He juried into the AAP in 1973 and has been juried into 25 of the 40 shows they have had in the years he has been a member. He has also served as President of that organization and won three prestigious AAP Jurors Awards in three separate shows done at the Carnegie-Scaife Museum.

Gasoline Dreams Series: Neon Nights

Print

Gasoline Dreams Series: Graffiti Nation/Homage

Print

Vaughn's work tends to have political and spiritual overtones, and he often uses iconic imagery in his compositions. The Gasoline Series Prints, currently in the Gallery, address our addiction to fossil fuels and the imagery related to that industry. Vaughn uses mixed media in his work, a combination of pencil and paint. He borrows images from popular culture and gives the viewer much to think about.

Stop in to see Vaughn's work, and the work of over 60 local artists, Tuesdays through Saturdays, at the Artists Hand.

Nancy Laird

Nancy is a Punxsutawney, PA native but has hailed form Indiana, PA since college days beginning in 1955. After teaching English for the Marion Center Area School District for over 22 years, Nancy retired from a career she loved in 2001 to spend much of her time at their second home in Kill Devil Hills, NC. Nancy is a member of the Indiana Art Association, the Punxsutawney Arts Association, Inc., and the Indiana Arts Council in PA, and the Dare County Council in NC. 

Photography is a specialty of Nancy's; her focus involves a lot of nature scenes such as beaches/waves, old buildings, and wooded areas. Trusal Bridge has a soft tinge to it, which makes the edges not as sharp therefore creating an antique vibe. Her compositions make the viewer's eye wander through the photograph to discover all of the details surrounding the main focal point. 

Trusal Bridge
Photography
$48

Mountain Stream
Photography
$100

Betty Hedman

Betty as owned and operated the Gallery of Smicksburg Pottery since 1996, which is conveniently located in the heart of Smicksburg, PA. Betty has been an active member of the Craftsmen's Guild of Pittsburgh since 1986 and is serving as a juror this year. 

Betty salt glazes her pottery; she uses flame, kiln atmosphere, and salt or soda as the elements that intimately intermingle with her pots to give them the warm, rich colors and surface she desires; her pots become the canvas. 

She has a degree in fibers from Edinboro University in Edinboro, PA and completed graduated courses in ceramics at IUP. Betty has taught ceramics at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and IUP's Continuing Education. She has given numerous demonstrations and workshops over the years, the most recent at the Hibbing Community College in Hibbing, Minnesota. 

Betty has several salt-glazed, white stoneware pieces on display in our current exhibition, New Works: The Potters of Smicksburg, at the gallery. Her work incorporates various textures and tiers to catch the viewer's eye, while also maintaining an incredibly smooth surface on other areas. 

Vase
Salt Glazed White Stoneware
$115 each

Watering Can                                                                     Flower Brick
Salt Glazed White Stoneware                           Salt Glazed White Stoneware
$78                                                                                                $78

TREE the Band will be visiting the gallery!

Come out and see TREE, a traditional Celtic/Irish musical act from Johnstown, perform on Friday, May 10 from 6-8pm. 


For more information please visit the group's website: http://treetheband.com/the_band

Uploaded videos (playlist)

Check it out this Friday