Humidity
Report
humidity
gallery/local & regional fine art & fine
craft
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Bio
Notes: Kathy Wilcox
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Kathleen Wilcox is a contemp- orary enamelist who lives and works
in Tallahassee. Born and raised in south Florida, she finds that
her earliest experiences influence her work today.
"My early years were spent in the tropical outdoors, snorkeling,
seine netting, roaming the Everglades, digging for Indian artifacts
and collecting snails, shells and bones.
These have become my personal icons.
I earned a degree in Art Education at FSU and taught art
professionally before I established my enamel studio.
I continued to study enamel in graduate school at FSU and with many
notable enamelists at Arrowmont Arts and Crafts School (Gatlinburg,
TN), where I have also taught enameling for the past four
years.
When I enamel, I usually apply the glass powder to a copper base,
which is then fired in a kiln. Each piece is developed in multiple
layers and firings. A piece will be fired 5 to 20 times, depending
on the complexity of the image. The image is built from the
background to the foreground."
An award-winning enamelist, Kathy is a full-time studio artist who
also teaches her craft. Her work is exhibited in national juried
shows and festivals, museums and galleries. Her works has been
published in Art of Enameling and 500 Enameled
Objects.
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Of
pumpkins, and treats, and craft/art, oh my!
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Halloween is just around the corner and Humidity Gallery's
neighborhood, now known as the Market District Tallahassee, is
holding a daylight trick-or-treat event on Saturday, October 30,
from 11:00 a.m. until about 3:00 p.m. Trick-or-treat the
shops and cafes in the District and your costumed young
one will receive treats and participate in a scavenger hunt --
while YOU get to visit the gallery and explore all the cool shops
in the 'hood!
In this issue of Humidity Report, we feature the
astonishing work of Tallahassee artist, Kathleen
Wilcox. Called Kathy by her friends, her work is well
worth a long and satisfying look. She makes pieces for your wall,
wearable pieces, and a few that are in between (or both!)
And we are announcing a new presence we will soon have in the
downtown Tallahassee area! We've been invited to create a small
gallery presence in Visit Tallahassee's visitors'
center on Jefferson Street, overlooking the Capitol
complex! (We'll tell you more about this next
issue.)
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Featuring Artist Kathy
Wilcox!
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You
may think you know what 'enamel' is, but until you've stopped to
really see the amazing enamel-on-copper work of Kathleen
Wilcox, you do not know exactly what enamel is.
An
ancient art form that uses ground glass fused to metal, enameling
can take many forms. Kathy's enamels are known for their imagery
and detail. Whether natural images of fish, birds, reptiles,
insects, blossoms or plants -- or pure abstraction, Kathy's pieces
are recognizable in an instant. Using personal icons that reveal
her reverence for the natural world, she has created a private
language that interests and soothes the onlooker.
"Two Fish" copper enamel wall piece, by
Kathleen Wilcox. (Not shown in this shot
is its beautiful wood
frame).
In
her creative process, she taps into favorite memories of growing up
in Coconut Grove, Florida. Her father and other family members
worked with natural life in zoos and aquaria, and in her childhood,
Kathy gained deep knowledge of tropical plants and animals, the
Everglades, and all of the details of that environment. These recur
in her enamels.
Captivated
by the art of enameling since college in the mid-1970s, she has
explored the union of fused glass to metal, producing gemlike
colors and surface qualities, as well as textural depth. Her enamel
images come from her original drawings, paintings, collage and
prints of the flora and fauna of memory.
"Aquatic
Bird" wall piece by
Kathleen framed in a
beautiful
handcrafted
wood frame in the gallery.
Although
enameling dates back to at least the 13th century, it was almost a
forgotten art in the 20th century until the Arts and Crafts
movement brought new, contemporary techniques. All enamel, ancient
and modern, is permanent and will not change over time unless
broken. Like gemstones, enamel glass never loses its beauty, color
or brilliance over time.
We
have a nice selection of enameled wall pieces in the
gallery.
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Wearable Works by Kathy
Wilcox
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Kathy
Wilcox' art jewelry contains the same delightful, complex images
she achieves in her larger wall pieces. Like small studies of this
detail or that, her earrings, bracelets and pendants reveal true
mastery of this medium.
Some
of her jewelry depicts the flora and fauna of her larger works,
while other are pure abstraction or design.
Her
linked bracelets are new this year, and we have a good selection in
the gallery.
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Holiday
shopping begins early at Humidity!
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This
year, we've worked with our artists early and have ordered many
holiday favorites. These works have been arriving and are going
right out onto the floor.
So
we're not kidding you when we tell you that this is a great time to
shop -- before the crowds are intense and selection is more sparse.
Since we offer mostly one-of-a-kind items by local and regional
artists, gifts you select from their inventories in the gallery are
very special and unique.
The
gallery is an Art Festival every day. You'll find a lot of your
favorite artists' works here, and we'll introduce you to some you
might not yet know.
So,
while we haven't decked the halls yet -- no 'Sleigh Ride, Jingle
Bells' tunes to be heard -- we are so ready to help you prepare for
the holidays to come! Until Thanksgiving weekend, we're open
Monday-Saturday, 11-5. On the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, and
every Sunday between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we'll also open
from 11-3.
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We
are located in the newly named Market District Tallahassee,which is
just north of I-10 and just west of Thomasville Rd. 2nd red light
above I-10) In The Verandas shopping center, we're in the deep
corner, next door to Tasty Pastry Bakery, just behind Tallahassee
Diamond Center.
1355
Market Street, #A-3, Tallahassee, FL 32312
850/222-0380
Hours
of operation: Mon-Sat, 11-5
Humidity Profile Page
Humidity Group Page
Humidity Fan Page
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