Come 'Strolling Through the Eye of a Needle' during Second Friday ArtStroll
THERMOPOLIS - The Second Friday ArtStroll in downtown Thermopolis, this Friday from 5-8 p.m., will feature fabric and textile artists, live music, refreshments and door prizes. Most downtown businesses are open during the event. Several artists will be demonstrating on Still Strolling Saturday.
In keeping with the theme of "Strolling Through the Eye of a Needle" the Artstroll will highlight downtown businesses who provide textile art, according to organizer Toddi Darlington. WOW Store is the host business and not only provides demonstrations during the Friday evening stroll but also offers a range of craft items including knitting and sewing supplies and more, Darlington said.
Phyllis Baker, a well-known Thermopolis resident will be the WOW Store's featured artist. Baker has been embroidering since she was 10 years old. Her interest in needlework began with her grandmother, who hand quilted and passed on the tradition to Baker. She also hand quilts and hand pieces all of her work.
Baker will have her hand stitched quilts, fine embroidery and crewel work at the WOW Store during the ArtStroll. She is bringing a special treat as she will have a cross stitch sampler made by her great-grandmother in the 1880s. She will also have a cross stitch sampler of her own, made in the Williamsburg Tradition. The Williamsburg Tradition includes cross stitch and fine embroidery. Strollers can see the difference and similarities between today's work and work done over 100 years ago, Darlington said in a news release.
Other textile artists at the WOW store include Andrea Linn, a spinner and textile artists Joyce and Jane.
Owl Creek Graphics is one of the featured businesses who provides textile services to customers. The staff at Owl Creek Graphics will be explaining and demonstrating the processes involved in producing custom decorated items that range from T-shirts to coats, bags, hats, blankets and much more. Owl Creek Graphics, also specializes in custom embroidery and imprinted clothing and accessories. Equipment at the Thermopolis store includes automated embroidery machines, two screen printing presses and heat presses to apply cad-cut materials available in a wide range of colors and styles.
Flying Eagle Gallery will have an opening reception Friday evening for Sallie Wesaw and her textile art. Wesaw makes baskets from various plant materials and also uses textiles such as felt and fabric to create some of her many pieces of art. Sallie's artwork will be on display during the month of August.
Other textile artists include Cindy Toth who will be showing at Broadway Bygones. Cindy has been sewing and quilting for nearly 50 years, a passion learned from her mother and Mrs. Skinner, her first home economics teacher. She began with her first project, an apron, then went on to making much of her own clothing. She eventually became interested in producing quilts, wall hangings, purses, etc.
Recycling old clothing, dishes, furniture, and other items is a more recent interest. Toth will be demonstrating rug weaving during the stroll.
Textile artist Marsha Hill will also be located in Broadway Bygones. After taking one class in 1987, Hill began weaving baskets in Colorado. She has learned from several basket weavers over the years and has woven more than 1800 baskets, numbering them all because she believes them to be works of art. Using reed as her basic material, she accents with woods, vines and grasses and weaves at least 40 different styles and sizes. Hill will be demonstrating her basket weaving techniques during the stroll.
Another textile artist featured at Broadway Bygones is fiber artist Carolyn Wostenberg. Wostenberg began weaving when she moved back to Worland in 1976. With the help of friends, classes and books, She has progressed from a four shaft table loom to a sixteen shaft 48 inch wide computer controlled AVL loom. She enjoys many fiber art activities such as sewing, quilting, knitting, embroidery, and spinning, but weaving has been her primary interest for over 30 years. Since retiring, Wostenberg has begun using her hand woven fabric in mixed media wall art. She also teaches adult classes in weaving, dying yarns for weaving, and handmade books with hand woven cloth used for the covers.
Textile artist Lynn Barton will be on hand at the Storyteller. Barton always liked the miniature fairy houses that are so popular right now. She saw an artist's work in Mary Jane's Farm magazine featuring fairy people. Barton tried her hand at sculpting fairy faces and making little fairy babies. It fascinates her that each one takes on its own character as she works on each doll.
Each doll is a combination of Barton's interest in art including carving the faces, knitting clothes, and making jewelry, crafted for their wings. Dolls are about 5 inches long and are a kind of personified angel insect.
Returning to the stroll is Cuddleknits. Tammy and R'lou Blackmon will be located in City Rags and will be demonstrating knitting. And a special treat Friday evening will be Nellie Corley's quilts, on display at Hazel N Pearls, Darlington said.
Other artists this month include Glenda Ramsey, painting/multimedia (Ramsey Gallery); Jennifer Taylor, handmade soaps (Storyteller); Cindy Clancy, painting on vintage items (One Eyed Buffalo Brewery); Claudia Augustin, mixed media artist and Marcia Nelson, fused glass (Nature's Corner) and Timothy and Kelli Wesaw, multimedia (Storyteller).
Darlington said musicians will be playing at several locations during the ArtStroll, including Mike Howland, (Wesaw Studio); Stepheny Butcher (Ramsey Gallery); and Shawn McWilliams & Rick Phipps (City Rags) and several musicians at Broadway Bygones.
Darlington said, "Strollers are encouraged to pick up a map at any stroll business, have each business initial the map and return the completed map to the host business, the WOW Store, at the end of Friday evening's stroll. Names will be drawn and winners will receive a piece of art work donated by the artists."
The Second-Friday ArtStroll and Still Strolling Saturday are organized by Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation and Smoking Waters Art Guild with additional help from Main Street Thermopolis and Hot Springs Travel & Tourism.