“The pieces all fall into place serendipitously. Like they’re meant to be together. They’re meant to reunite or converge. I call it the collision of the ingredients.” -Timothy weldon
“I use these materials in a way that you’ll never notice them if I don’t tell you what they are.” -Myron whitaker
starts drawing and sketching on its own. The combination of everything in that stone designs that piece for me. When you see my work, it’s evident that the stone dictated everything about the piece.” For Tim Weldon, though the composition doesn’t always form in his head instanta- neously when he sees an ob- ject, he knows intuitively when it’s something worth collect- ing. And for him, this journey is a manifestation of a lifetime of thoughts, ideas, and a passion for hunting and collecting nostalgia, but also a desire to bring people back to a more innocent and uncomplicat- ed time. “I think I’ve been creating this type of work all along,” he said. “Being in the music business, I traveled around the country and some of the
reintroduced to scratchboard––and it was kismet. “After college, I picked up my first professional scratchboard and real- ized how effective it was for creating animal fur,” she said. “I got hooked on it because it takes so many finer lines, and I can layer and do shading much more effectively.” Though she had some exposure to the medium in grade school, to achieve the level of detail and realism she envisioned, she turned to the support of a small, but mighty online network of other scratch - board artists who were willing to share best practices and of- fer constructive critiques. “There was a pretty active online commu- nity called
“Wet Canvas” and I was already on there for my pencil drawing,” she said. “I saw there were some people doing scratchboard, so I started asking them questions, and over several years, we de- veloped a really active scratchboard commu- nity on that forum. All of us progressed much further than I think we would have in isola- tion.” This group eventually evolved into the Inter-
"Reddy or Not", 9" x 12", scratchboard by Cathy Sheeter
my mind, but I couldn’t get them out through my fingers. That was a block for me. But when I sat down to do ceramics, it was completely different. I could take what I saw in my mind and roll it out in my clay. It was natural for me. It was like I was supposed to be there.” As Myron got deeper into the world of ceramics, he saw an opportunity to elevate his work from craft to art. So, he began looking at other objects that would add to the overall composition, and that led him to a unique roster of rare objects––natural stone, coyote toe- nails, bones, alligator teeth, and even porcupine quills. “I use these materials in a way that you’ll never notice them if I don’t tell you what they are,” he said. “You’ll see it, but you won’t know what it is be- cause you see the whole composition. That’s the fun part for me.” Now, these unique materials often dictate the design direction of the ceramic piece––influencing the color, texture and shape of the ceramic. “When I see a stone I like, my mind starts building that piece,” he said. “It
national Society of Scratchboard Art- ists (ISSA), which Cathy helped form.
world, and every time we had days off, I would go to museums or art gal- leries. I always thought, if I did some kind of art, I’d combine bits from all that I was taking in. It has evolved to be more nostalgic in nature, inviting us to remember when life was good–– when we were kids, not a care in the world, wide-eyed and curious, and a bit fearless at times.” Art is a powerful storyteller and most artists intentionally craft the message their work is communicat- ing. And, chances are, when there’s an unexpected medium involved, there’s like another fascinating layer to that story.
The path to the unexpected
What called these artists to these unexpected medi- ums and the chal- lenge of learning to work with them? For some, it was a desire to share the experience of anoth- er culture, feel the soothing effects of nature or travel back to a simpler time. For others, it was an - swering the call of a passion that was deep inside. “I always loved art, but I was never good at what I considered art,” said sculpture artist Myron Whitaker. “I can’t draw or paint. I would get images in
Far left: "Composition", mixed media by Tim Weldon Middle: "Prickly Fruit", 24" x 36", etched acrylic by Brit Hansen Right: Gourd sculpture, mixed media by Doug Fountain
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Issue 3 | Winter/Spring 2024
Issue 3 | Winter/Spring 2024
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