Field Trip! A Visit with Shana Kohnstamm

 Hey, y'all! During my final weeks of summer, I had the chance to hang out in the home studio of Nashville fiber artist Shana Kohnstamm. Shana is, first of all, amazing! How kind of her to take time out of her busy creative life to have me over for an afternoon of wet felting! AND she's a wealth of knowledge on all things felting, both wet and needle felting. Just hanging out with her for an afternoon made me feel like I'd just had a crash course on all things fibers...and this from someone who is no stranger to felting. 

 Shana shared with me a fun process on how to create a wet felted adjustable headband. I filmed the process so I could share it with you. I know very little about wet felting...so it was great to learn from a pro. I really enjoyed learning all about her supplies and how she sets up her space for wet felting. Here's the video!

I mean...isn't she the best? Also, she's just a fun person to be around and that totally shines through in this tutorial. BIG thanks to you again, Shana!

Shana is such a prolific fiber artist...and does things with felt that I didn't even know were possible. I've done my slight share of wet felting and a TON of needle felting. But was really blown away with the possibilities of this medium that Shana shared with me. However, let's first talk about this studio space: so tidy, organized and perfect for a fiber artist!

And you know that epic stash of wool roving had me all starry-eyed! A lot of the roving, Shana dyes herself in her backyard! Can you imagine being her neighbor and seeing those rainbows of roving hanging out on the clothes line?!

 When I first met Shana, she shared with me a necklace she'd made...which lead me to believe she was a jeweler. Then, when I got to her home which, by the way, is FILLED with her art (as well as her collection of other artist's works), I found that she's a fibers jack of all trades. 

 Sculptures, light fixtures, weavings, jewelry, you name it. In fact, if you live in the Nashville area and are interested in learning more about felting, you should look her up. She can be found teaching classes on felting!

I had so much fun hanging out with Shana. A person who understands my love of felting! Gah, I'm starring at those weavings and itching to create one, so fun. 

 The sculptural felting was what really caught my eye. Her pieces and gradients of color were just stunning. 

 Not to mention solid. If you've felted before then you'll appreciate the amount of time and patience a piece like this requires. 

A lot of Shana's work put me in the mind of Tim Burton, like this amazing light she created the shades for. Seriously, her entire house was a work of art. So much to see and take in.

Shana, thank you so much for letting me hang out with you! It was a blast and I learned so stinkin' much!

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Field Trip! Doris Wasserman

I'm so excited to share the latest artist in my Field Trip! series, Doris Wasserman. Doris is a Canadian artist who lives in Nashville. I discovered her when I was searching for local artists and her beautiful paintings popped up. I absolutely love the air, space, color and radiating light that seems to shine thru her work. On a whim, I sent her an email to see if she'd be interested in taking part in this series. Not only did she agree, but she hosted me both at her showing and invited me back to her beautiful home studio. How wonderful is that? Below, you'll find the video. Art teachers, feel free to share this with your students. Doris does a wonderful job of explaining her process and sharing her journey as an abstract painter. 

Doris was originally a medical illustrator. She decided to take an abstract painting class...and the rest is history. Well, that makes it sound like the journey was an easy one. If you've ever tried your hand at abstract painting, you know that it really is a journey full of ups, downs, self-doubt and discovery. Doris likens getting into the grove of painting like meditation. When I look at her work, I can sense that peace and calm that comes from mindful breath. 

Doris and I share similar painting backgrounds in that I was once a representational artist. In fact, my degree is in painting (which got me real far working at Pizza Hut, lemme tell you). Over time, I found that style of painting to be very constrictive and I lost interest. During my college years, abstract painting was looked down upon by my professors and it was ingrained that the only real painting was realistic painting. What a pity that I missed out on learning just how incredibly rich abstract painting can be. 

Listening to Doris talk and witnessing her process was very eye-opening to me. I love her method of hanging a wall of canvases in varying shapes and sizes. How fun would this be for our students? How freeing would it be for our kids who struggle to get things "just right" as I used to do? Would't it also be great for our wiggly friends? 

Doris' method is to put a color on her palette, a heap of white and some medium that give the paint more viscosity. Working in acrylic, she applies paint with one hand and scrubs with the other, using inexpensive house paint brushes. 

As she works, Doris also will collage bits of paper into her work. Sometimes the paper is so subtle, you have to look for it and other times, it has more of a voice in her work. As Doris paints, she also uses the back of her brush to scribble and sometimes write onto her canvases.

 Over time, the paintings take on layers of color and texture. As the paintings draw closer to completion, Doris adds delicate lines and designs in a deep gray. 

Her process and her work inspired me to look more closely at abstract paintings. When I was in her studio, Doris asked me if I miss painting and if I think I'd ever get back to it. Y'all know that I piddle with painting and create silly pieces to hang around the house. At the time I told her no...but after visiting her studio, chatting with her and editing this video, I have to say, I'm feeling very inspired. 

Thank you so much, Doris, for allowing me (and my students) to get to know you, your artwork and learn about your process. You are an inspiration! 

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Field Trip! A Visit with Camilla Spadafino

For the second installment of my Field Trip! series, I was excited to sit down with the amazing artist and art teacher Camilla Spadafino. Long before I ever met Camilla, I had heard all about her: what a wonderfully kind and warm person she is and what an incredibly inspiring teacher. My best friend Mallory put it best: she's the kind of person who makes you feel good just being around her. So y'all can imagine that I was thrilled when she agreed to take part in our Field Trip! 

With this Field Trip! series, I want my time with the artist to feel natural. I also want the artist to feel comfortable so I have been letting them decide on the format. With Bebo, we watched him create one of his fun and funky sculptures. Being a teacher, Camilla suggested walking us through how she created the portraits for her Miss Camilla's Neighborhood Coloring Book. 

In the video, Camilla chats about what initially inspired her portraits. Since then, she's created over 100 portraits of friends and family in her east Nashville neighborhood. What I love about her process are the endless ways they can be used in our art rooms. 

While she was sharing her method, I got the idea that my Gallery of Gratitude project could be updated. Instead of the kids drawing the portraits, we could use Camilla's process, thus making the portraits more realistic and, if on canvas, more permanent. Also, the kids could interview the person to find out their interests and their dreams for the future. How fun would a wall of the faculty and staff of our schools be?! 

I learned so many new tips and tricks by hanging out with Camilla. I love how she talks about working quietly to let the art speak to her and finding magic in what she is creating. I also love when she chats about respecting art supplies. Doesn't she do a fabulous job including vocabulary? The perks of interviewing an art teacher.

I love what she had to say about using certain colors and how that is a form of branding. I had not thought of that! But what a wonderful way for the kids to think more carefully about the colors they use. 

Another idea I had came when Camilla was talking about her pet portraits. This year, my school is reaching out to the local animal shelter and working with them on several projects. I have been trying to come up with a way for my students to create portraits of the adoptable pets. With this method, I can drop by after school, snap photos and have the kids use these. I know they will LOVE this project. 

Having the kids create coloring books of the portraits would be a wonderful fundraiser as well. I'm telling you, when I walked outta Camilla's house, my head was spinning, I had so many ideas. She truly is magical.

 When Mitch came home from work that night, I was so excited to tell him about my experience with Camilla. Every sentence started with, "...and then..." 

Camilla also shared her latest project called Paint the Town by Numbers. I learned so much about the back story behind this new endeavor including how she dreamt up this project and is bringing it to fruition. I'll be certain to share that with you in a follow up blog post and video. She was even kind enough to give me one of her paint by number kits which I enjoyed on Thanksgiving, in between plates of food. 

What a wonderful time I had hanging out with Miss Camilla! I'll be certain to share my video'ed lessons to company my visit here. I often update my YouTube channel before I share here so subscribe to stay tuned! 

Special thanks and a warm hug to Camilla for being so open to an interview and being a lovely host. Have fun, y'all!

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In the Art Room: Kid/Artist Interview, Charles Keiger

The Celebration, oil on canvas, 25" X 28", Charles Keiger

You would think that looking at surrealistic art with children would make perfect sense as most of them live in the land of surrealism. “Look, Mrs. Stephens, I drew a self-portrait,” said one kindergartener, handing me a drawing of a purple poodle. “Wow! Look at you! A striking resemblance.”

Conjurer, oil on panel, 16" X 18", Charles Keiger

However, children are also very literal and their world is often black and white, hold the gray. Independently creating a landscape, children will often begin with a blue stipe at the top, green stripe at the bottom and a bright yellow corner sun. Because, well, that’s what a landscape looks like to the under-ten set.

When Nashville Arts Magazine asked if my students would like to interview the surrealist artist Charles Keiger, I jumped at the chance. I spent time pouring over Keiger's work (which is like entering into a delightfully dreamlike fantasy world) and created this prezi to share with my students (please feel free to borrow, change and use in your art room if you wanna). The kids were so engaged examining the work of Keiger that we nearly spent an entire art class chatting about his work. 

The Dreaming Cat, oil on canvas, 22" X 24", Charles Keiger

Showing children the surrealistic and imaginative world of Charles Keiger both piqued their playful mind and annoyed their analytical one. Which was wonderful because it got them asking questions. Here’s our third grade interview with Charles Keiger.

 Roam, oil on canvas, 18" X 20", Charles Keiger

Why is the background and floor the same? It looks like the people are on a stage. Is your painting like a play?

I don't see the paintings as illustrations for a play but they are definitely theatrical. The stage like setting, with the curtains, floors, and backdrops, helps to open up my imagination. Since it is an illusory world being presented, the choices of what I can paint are expanded, in other words, you can get away with anything.

A friend said recently,“your paintings are like poetry and theater on canvas”, I like that.


Tidal Adult, oil on canvas, 25" X 28", Charles Keiger

Your paintings look very 3-D and realistic. But then you mixed everything up and got us confused. Why?

Painting from real life has never been my forte. “Mixing everything up” suits my temperament and skills. If I am enjoying myself while painting and engaged as I create these scenes then hopefully the viewer will also be intrigued.  As an artist you want people to look and this is my way of trying to hold your attention and thus, my own.


Distant Planet, oil on canvas, 29" X 38", Charles Keiger

You have so many ideas. Is it hard to think of these ideas? Where do your ideas come from?

This is the question I am most often asked and the one that can be difficult to explain. The short answer is, everywhere and everything, the long answer can get complicated and mysterious but let's see.... I keep a journal where I sketch out ideas as they come to me, these are quick, small thumbnail drawings. As I go about my day I might hear a phrase or see an object that will spark my imagination and this gives me a starting point to build a picture. Then there are times when the painting I am working on will inspire ideas for the next one. I must admit however, that some paintings I look at when completed and wonder, “Where did that come from?”. 


Still Life, oil on canvas, 40" X 35", Charles Keiger

I like to make a lot of things at once. Do you ever make a bunch of paintings all at the same time?

I know many artists that prefer to have multiple paintings in the works, but for me it's best to focus on one till it is complete. Each of my pictures has a specific mood or spirit and if I stay immersed in that world for the duration, it makes for a better painting.

If y'all live local (that'd be the Nashville, Tennessee area) and wanna get your kitten mittens on this kid-lead interview with Charles Keiger, here's a sneak peak at the beautiful Nashville Arts Magazine. Riiiiight?! It's a positively beautiful publication and totally free. 

And here's my article that, unless you have ant-sized eyes, I know you can't read. But have no fear, the entire article can be viewed right here, kids. Until next time, I hope your day is as delightfully dreamy as a Charles Keiger painting! 

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