Ann Widner: : Photography + Jewelry

Today we are visiting the studio of Ann Widner, photographer and jewelry designer.

Ann began making jewelry four years ago.

She was on hiatus from her freelance photography business when her cousin suggested that she incorporate her photography into jewelry components.

Everything Ann made received rave reviews from her friends, family and coworkers. She realized she was onto something.

She uses her own original photography and vintage family photos. This stained glass window detail is one of Ann's photographs from a local church.

She loves incorporating images from St. Louis and her travels into her jewelry.

Ann's home studio is light filled and meticulously organized.

She has surrounded herself with things that she loves.

This piece, "Immigrants" features photographs of her grandmother and great aunt as teenagers. They immigrated to the United States in the 1910s.

Ann's considers her beading style to be simple and classic.

She wants the focus of her art to be her photography.

The transition from photographer to jewelry designer was not effortless. Ann said it took her about a year to perfect her resin technique.

At one point she called the resin company directly because she had so many unanswered questions.

This Queen Anne's Lace photograph is one of her best sellers.

Ann finds herself in this space about three days a week.

Her resin technique requires that the humidity level in her studio be 50 percent or less, so winter is her best production season.

Her favorite tool is her drill press - it's not in this space. "It's so relaxing to hear the hum of the drill press," Ann said.

Ann also is thinking about diversifying her line. She's been experimenting with these antique wooden puzzle pieces from the 1930s.

You can find Ann's work locally at Salt of the Earth and The St. Louis Curio Shoppe.

Ann's website

Ann's etsy shop

Thank you Ann!

I swear this wall is staring at me

What a reflective week I've had over here. I've decided not to post resolutions elements of my strategic plan (I am a business owner now) because I'm still just too all over the place. And, I've learned from some of my coaching clients, with a new business, plans do legitimately require some degree of flexibility.

But the wall reference has been important to my wonderings this week about my personal artsy ways. Here is my dining room wall. Boring, I know. The dresser was purchased to help us stage the house - I would not pick it. This alone is a challenge because if you're trying to simplify (we are) then you don't buy two buffets in one year. Alas. Anyways, the wall is crying out for a painting and as I reflect on what I want to do, one thing that keeps coming to mind is the word big. I want to make big pieces of art. Many artists grapple with this desire, because if your big pieces don't sell, you're out a lot of time and often, a lot of money.

But I have a wall for at least one big piece that may never sell. A big perfect wall. A wall that stares me down each morning saying, "Nothing for me today? Again?" And today I will stare back. Contest on. Bring it.

 xo!

P.S. I have a great (and much more colorful) studio tour scheduled for tomorrow! And next week will be all about Valentines Day, so please know that my "beige stage" is over!

A year of different

I'm cleaning today and it feels very very necessary and very very good.

David and I have realized that this 2011 needs to be a year of being different. We're not having midlife crises, nothing like that (although I would love to get a tattoo....hmmmm). But we sat down this week and realized that while we are happy, healthy, content and thankful, we still are not doing enough of what we want to be doing - a majority of our time is not spent as we would choose. We're tasting too much "mediocre" in our days. We're not too in debt, we're not too unhealthy, we're not too homebound and yet, we're not vivacious these days either, and that is something to think about.

And this applies to me creatively as well, as much as I hate to admit it. I'm loving my new business, meeting potential customers, etc., but behind the scenes in the "art that I'm making for my own joy" department...well...read the paragraph above.

The picture today is of the long window seat in my art room. It has never - in the four years that we've lived here - been empty. Never. It's narrow and making a cushion for it that would fit with the window would be a challenge, but it's a window seat - not a yarn stash depository, not a where-does-this-paper-go-I'll-just-set-it-here table, not a dust collecting mass. And now, it is clean (insert Nemo clip). Totally cleaned out, wiped down, labeled, clean. It's a small start.

Here's to a [different] new year. xo

All over the place

I'm attaching soothing, nature pics to this phrenetic post. These were taken over New Years, on a hike close to the cabin we love in Licking, Missouri.

To those of you who are discouraged about dropping New Years Resolutions, be gentle with yourselves: 1. resolutions are not meant to bring you down and 2. I haven't even gotten to the "resolving" part yet. 

I feel like I am literally all over the place. I can be in my art room, make a goal, remember to get the vaccuum, walk downstairs, see the porch door, remember I want to paint it, go outside to see what paint colors I have... 

I'm like a completely dysfunctional grown-up version of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," except, there's no cookies!

I'm list and deadline oriented, so I know what I need to do. In the meantime, it is no surprise that I stumbled upon this today (20 minutes, worth every second).

Lisa challenged everyone to come up with a word to symbolize the coming year. Do you do this? I'm still undecided (of course) between authenticity, rooted, calm, certain, full - all words that mean a lot to me right now.

In the meantime, I'm starting to clean one thing and then getting sidetracked. Starting one project and then putting it aside because of this other thing I started. Returning one email, but not reading the one that has the deadlines attached.

 

I also really want to take an online course - there are oodles of good ones about to start. But I know I won't stick with it in this state that I'm in. That won't work.

Thank goodness it's only Monday. xo

Kristen Powers: : Illustration + Rubber Stamps

Welcome to the studio of Kristen Powers! Kristen affectionately calls this her "Ludio" because her studio is also her living room.

Kristen is a working artist and an art student, so her work right now is very diverse.

She "got serious" about art in 1993 when her parents opened a rubber stamp company. She became a stamp designer and traveled around the country teaching and demonstrating her techniques.

Her hand carved stamps are still one of her best sellers.

After this she started painting. She displayed her work at a Surtex show and soon began designing fabric.

"That catapulted me to go back to school," Kristen said. She loved her work, but didn't have a community of peers. She wanted to meet like-minded people and have a network of support.

 "I realized that when you're artist, you have to be a business person as well," she said.

Kristen's studio is organized and full.

Her family moved into this space last year and Kristen's studio needed to be incorporated into her living space.

 "I stay so organized here because I have to," she said. 

It's fun to see glimpses of Kristen's family (husband + three kids) sprinkled throughout.

Her finishing station is in her kitchen, also beautifully integrated with the rest of her home.

Here is her inspiration board.

Her collections are interspersed with her supplies.

"I have an affinity for the miniscule," Kristen said, "I love creating the small stuff...

"and I love making artist trading cards."

She also loves sharing her techniques.

In 2011 Kristen plans to expand her stamp line, add her paintings to her online shop, teach and create more tutorials.

She'll finish her BFA in May and will have her senior show on April 28th, at the Morton May Gallery. (I'll post it again here as we get closer to the date.)

Kristen's etsy shop

Kristen's blog

Thank you Kristen! 

Yep

So I'm saving these bottle tops for a project that I will share here, but probably not for another 10 months or so (that's a clue, kind of, not really). Look at the message on the one I found today. Perfect for the new year.

I'm in my art room today prepping and cleaning book covers. It's meditative almost, but not photo-worthy.

I'm also reflecting on this lovely post. I think I will copy it and tape it in my journal. Happy Tuesday! xo