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• Meet Bettina Welker, Part 2

  

  [email protected] on Sep 24, 2012
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  More from Bettina!

  
  4. Tell us more about your career.  Did you plan to be here, where you are, teaching, writing books, etc. or did it just happen?  Tell us how!

   

  Plan? No! I didn't plan anything - Polymer Clay just took over. After being hooked, there naturally was a lot of jewelry sitting around in my office (my studio back then) which I thought I had to get rid of. So the first thing that comes to your mind is of course selling it. I started out like most of us do selling my stuff on craft fairs. Well, I tried - but nobody wanted to have it. People loved the colorful things I created, asked a lot of questions about the process but in the end bought a simple and boring necklace from the girl in the next booth because it was not plastic but had some silver plated beads...*duuuh*. I spent days in my booth outdoors in the cold trying to convince people that my art is worth the price that I ask for it. And not being a sales person didn't make it easier. 

  I always had a talent for organizing and being a member of a german polymer clay yahoo-group (founded by germany's most influential clay artist Kerstin Rupprecht) led me to organize the first polymer clay workshop with a foreign teacher hosted in germany. One thing led to another - after organizing 2 workshop weekends by myself 4 more girls joined the fun and we founded the german guild polyclaykunst.de in 2007. Naturally hosting and organizing workhops also led to teaching. People saw my stuff and wanted to know about it and so I had my first teaching gig at our 2007 workshop weekend. And it was fun! Actually it was way more rewarding than standing in a booth trying to convince people why this material is awesome. These people already knew that and had fun working and learning with me. So I put teaching to my roster as well and so far I didn't regret it.

  Book writing is another thing that just happened. Being a graphic designer for nearly 20 years, the idea of writing a book was not that far fetched as I came equipped with all the technical knowledge to manage such a print project. I figured that I didn't even need a publisher, I just needed printing money. So I figured out a way to get that and just started creating, taking step-out pictures of everything  did in my studio and by the middle of 2009 there was enough material to put it into a book. It was a big success as most of the literature on the topic was written in english and the german speaking community was grateful to have a new comprehensive book in their language.

   

  5. Now, tell about your teaching philosophy?  And, tell us why you teach, too.

   

  Oh, teaching is a lot of fun and so rewarding. Once I started I didn't want to stop. It's so amazing having creative people around you that cherish what you do and that are grateful if you share your kowledge, creativity and inspiration with them. I always try to give my students food for more thought. I don't want to just teach a fixed class project with steps set in stone - I rather like to teach them a concept for developing their own design ideas by using that single project as an example. Makes sense? I want my students to think out of the box, put their own twist on things, make their creations personal rather than making copies of my ideas. And when that happens in a classroom it's just as amazing for me as it may be for them. I actually never went out of a class room without having learned something myself.

   

  6.  The future.  What are your goals moving forward?  Is there anything you really want to do, that you haven't?  I guess this is a "bucket list" question!

   

  Wow, hard question. As I already said - I don't do plans that much. I am an organizing type, but when it comes to my life I am more the person who is curious what the next day will bring. If an opportunity is thrown my way I consider it and decide. I'm grateful to have a family that supports that unconditionally. Without my great husband, everything I talked about here wouldn't have happened like it did if it were'nt for his support. He just let me take the challenge trying to be an artist and teacher in the polymer clay world even if it meant that I didn't bring home any money for quite some time. 

  It starts to work out and now I can say that my work finally can at least cover my cost and a part of my life. I wouldn't feed the family though (this is where the cool husband comes in again;).

  I don't know what the future has in store for me - my only goal so far is to stay true to myself and my work and to be able to do this amazing "job" as long as possible.

   

  7.  Now, before we part, can you share any little working tip for your students?

   

  If you - like me - hate to sand, always work as precise as possible when doing the steps in a project. Sanding is soooo not creative and just keeps you from doing the fun parts. So, be precise and thorough along the way - even if the single steps take a bit longer - you still will be faster in the end without having to sand away all the small inaccuracies. This is what I think makes a good piece a great piece in the end.

   

  8. Do you have some words of advice to those just starting out in this medium, or is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

   

  Every error or fail is just an opportunity in disguise. Learn from it - there is no wrong or right when it comes to creativity. Put yourself in there and "just do". Dive in, be creative and enjoy what you're doing. And if - along the way - you want to know more or get a push in a certain direction - take a class, choose a teacher whose work is near and dear to you and benefit from their experience. 

   

  Thank you, Bettina!  Click to see Bettina's CraftArtEdu classes!

• Meet Bettina Welker, Part 1

  

  [email protected] on Sep 20, 2012
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  Meet Bettina Welker, artist, author, teacher and mother.

   

   

   

   

  1. What are you vital statistics.  Where and when (ladies, if this is a touchy subject, you can skip it) were you born?  Large family?  Small family?  We want to know what you were like as a kid!

   

  I was born 1965 in the southwest of Germany - an area called Saarland which is very close to the french border. I grew up with an older brother in a smallish town called Heiligenwald -  which translates to guess what? Hollywood, yay;) I was a curious little thing with blond curly hair always trying to stand out against my 4 1/2 year older brother. Not only was he a lot older, he also was a big teaser, so, little as I was, I always had to find a way to keep up. Maybe that's the reason why I always liked center stage:) As a kid I loved to sing, to paint to craft and to play with my friends in the outdoors. It was great living there close to nature, running around playing in this huge and wild but long forgotten orchard right to the back of our house.

  My family is great. My parents - especially my mom - always tried to treat me and my brother equally, which is great. She's a caring person with a big heart, so I never had the feeling to miss out on something. To twist my dad around my finger o get what I want was way easier - I'm my daddy's girl, always was and always will be. 

  Especially when I was older and trying to find my way in the world my parents always respected my decisions and never tried to mold me in a different direction. Well, I guess they already knew that they wouldn't succeed anyways - I have a strong will and once I made a decision (which can take ages - decision making is hard for me - I'm a libra) I stick to it and I want it with all my heart.

   

  2. In every life, "influential people" exist!  Tell us about that one person who you feel was your most important influence and why.

   

  As I already said - being close to my family had a big influence on my character. But thinking closer about that I guess my grandma (dad's mom) had a huge influence in me. She was kind of a free spirit, had to manage her life with three little boys since her husband went missing in WW2. They realy were poor back then and she knit for a living to be able to buy food for these three boys. Well, guess who taught me crocheting and knitting:) She never married again and after the boys were married and had children themselves she did stuff that my other, more conservative grandparents didn't do. She went out for bowling, went to the beauty parlor, had a lot of friends. When I was around her I always had the feeling I could be anything I want because she let me. She wasn't around that much, but I  enjoyed every minute with her when she was. Unfortunately she died too young at the age of 66 and I miss her a lot. My mom always says that I'm just like her - especially when I'm stubborn, self confident or uncompromising. She does this to tease me, but I always feel kind of proud when calls me "Grandma Liesel";)

   

  3. Artists tend to hop around before finding that medium that they passionately dive in to.  How did you discover your medium and what was it that made it so compelling? 

   

  I always was a creative person - my room was always cluttered with crafty stuff. I never got bored when I was not able to go outdoors to play - I just pulled out my stuff and did stuff. I kind of liked everything that let to creating something. I sewed and knit clothes for my barbie dolls, build closets for the barbie clothing together with my grandpa, I enjoyed cooking and baking with my grandma (the other one). After high school I went to University studying graphic design which is actually still my profession but after finding out about polymer clay this got pushed more and more into the background. I still have a few customers but most of my time I spend creating with clay now. How I came to it? Well, this question is already answered in many online-interviews and most of the people already know it. In 2003 I was thinking about making kitschy snowglobes with tiny winter wonderlands inside as christmas gifts. I figured that Fimo would be a good medium to sculpt these landscapes. I knew Fimo existed but for some unknown reason I never touched it before. So I went online and googled FIMO and there it was: tons of websites showing beautiful patterns and jewelry made from polymer clay. I couldn't believe that I missed out n this medium my whole life. I spent the whole week researching, reading, learning about it and then I went and bought the first blocks of clay and some tools. Luckily there already was a pasta machine in my kitchen (which has never been used to make pasta ever since). And guess what - I never made the snow globes but everybody got a piece of jewelry that christmas:)

   

   

  Tune in on Monday for Part 2 of our interview with Bettina Welker!

   

• sometimes you just have to do something else

  

  [email protected] on Sep 17, 2012
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  My head has been planted in a bucket of clay.  Polymer clay, to be exact.  I live and breathe clay and I do love it, otherwise my head would be stuck in something else.

  Having said that, sometimes, even I have to do something else.  Cooking?  Nope.  Shopping?  Nope, I don't like that much, anymore.  Drawing?  Yes, that's my something else.

  I edit classes, a lot of them and I love learning about other processes.  And, I have a lot of supplies, just not the right supplies for all the classes but one day, I surely will.  I know myself, I will.

  I have the 120 box of Prismacolor pencils.  I have thick pads of paper.  I have fine point waterproof pens.  I have drafting tools.  I have all the "stuff".  So when I was editing Genevieve Crabe's class on the drawing Mandalas, my fingers started to itch - I had a physical reaction to her class.  It was the perfect combination of my affinity for geometry and drawing.

  I'd never thought about how you draw a mandala.  I could have figured it out - it's the affinity for geometry, but her method made immediate sense to me so off I went.  I probably should have been sleeping but I stayed up and drew.

  Peg, who helps me edit, saw the class (we're both in and out of the classes) and began drawing, too.  She borrowed some of my supplies so she was set.

  Here are our very first mandalas and we wouldn't have done it without Genevieve Crabe's class.    Thank you for the inspiration, Genevieve!  You gave us the foundation and off we went.  It was, in every sense, the perfect "something else" for us.

   

  Photo:  Left Mandala is mine, Peg's is on the right.  Click to see Genevieve's preview of her class Drawing Mandalas.

• Getting unstuck

  

  [email protected] on Sep 13, 2012
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  Meet Frodo.  Frodo looks the way I feel when I'm stuck.  

  Not every day begins with an idea of what you will make in studio.  Most of the time, I've found that just beginning, just doing something, anything, usually starts the thinking process that leads to creating something.  When I get "stuck" I usually just make a Skinner Blend.  I'll use it so it's not a waste of time or of clay, either.  The folding and rolling, watching the streaks disappear, is usually enough to engage my brain.

  Sometimes, I need another kind of kick start.  I may take a piece that's partially finished and finish off the back.  I may take components that I have sitting around and arrange them.  These usually work as brain engagers, too.

  But sometimes, I'm just stuck.  None of those strategies work, my brain is still sleeping.  So, what to do?

  I'll grab a book, any art book, doesn't have to be clay related at all.  Seeing what other artists have created is a definite brain engager.  Thinking, as an exercise, can I do this with clay?  How can I?  That gets me back into gear.

  I may actually try to replicate glass in clay, or metal in clay, or food in clay but that's just a preliminary step, an exercise, and I'm then back in the swing and doing my own thing.

  We all get stuck, we all find our own strategies for waking up our brains for getting our creative juices flowing again.  If you find yourself stuck, as I sometimes am, try these, they may work for you, too.

  Oh, and one last little bit of unstuck advice, hop on the nearest treadmill, the ideas will come fast!

   

  Photo:  Frodo is Dani and Natalia's wonderful, sweet pooch.  

• quality

  

  [email protected] on Sep 06, 2012
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  Quality is not just a chart, or a standard, or a specification -

  it's a state of mind, a commitment, 

  a responsibility, a spirit.

  It's a way of doing, being and living.

  -Don Galer

  
  This is a quote from a wonderful, little book of quotes, simply titled, "Heart".  I love this quotation and it is very pertinent to artists and anyone who chooses to create anything.

  It's the reason we finish the backs of our work with the same attention as we finish the front.  Whether a part of a piece is seen or not, doesn't matter because that's not the reason we make that part as perfect as we can.

  The quality of what we make extends to every aspect of what we create.  Even if those who see the piece don't immediately understand what we have done, the very act of fine finish and construction, each step of the way, imparts quality that is felt and appreciated.

  So, when you create, when you make, apply those high quality standards, it makes a difference, even if what you do is unseen.

   

  Photo:  Back of my class, the Bean Pod Pin.

• Labor Day

  

  [email protected] on Sep 03, 2012
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  It's Labor Day!  

  I hope you've got great plans for the day.  Me?  I'm going to try to take time off for myself.  I'm going to visit a few friends.  We labor, it seems all the time, don't we?  I'm not laboring today.  We all deserve a day off.

  This is a good day to relax, enjoy your family and recharge your batteries.  Have a great one.  But, we celebrate these days and sometimes we don't exactly know why.  So, perhaps a bit of history is in order.

  From the History Channel page on the Labor Movement:

  The labor movement in the United States grew out of the need to protect the common interest of workers. For those in the industrial sector, organized labor unions fought for better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions. The labor movement led efforts to stop child labor, give health benefits and provide aid to workers who were injured or retired.

  For more about the origins of this day, why we celebrate it, here is a link to the History Channel!

   

  Photo:  "How We Fish", a mural designed by Ennis Carter and Eric Okdeh, a collage of imagers from the 1930's and 40's presenting modern labor.  Website: www.newsworks.org.

• Making time for your art

  

  [email protected] on Aug 30, 2012
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  When I began working on my career in the wild and wonderful world of polymer clay, I also found myself working in my home.  This is good, can work in jammies, and it's bad, oh, my the fridge needs to be cleaned.

  My work at home and my new career melted in to one big puddle.  Leaving the house to go to work had created a very clear delineation between home and work that disappeared when I was sitting in my jammies and fuzzy slippers.

  It took some time to figure out that I wasn't doing the best job of each set of tasks so I had to make rules for myself.  Weekdays, computer until noon, studio in the afternoon.  I'm a terrible house keeper, so I shoved that to the weekends.

  This system worked really well, I got my tasks done and I was productive in studio, too.  These days, life is more complicated.  The good old computer demands and gets the lion's share of my mental energy and my time.  

  Helping new teachers, teaching them how to make their classes, editing and writing - I lost my own studio time! I love what I do, but losing my studio time is an issue that I must resolve.  I understood but never fully related to artists and students who would wishfully sigh, "I wish I had time to work on my art".  But, now I sure do.  So, I'm going to schedule studio time, otherwise I'll never get there!

  I know a lot of you are in the same situation.  The needs of caring for a family, working, well, the day just disappears, poof, it's gone.  But, our creative time is so important - we deny it, we deny a huge important part of who we are, who we may become.

  So, I'm starting.  One hour a day, I will go in studio and make something.  One hour, my computer will have to sit without me!  

   

  Photo:  My lonely laptop.

• Funny on a horse

  

  [email protected] on Aug 27, 2012
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  You can't lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.

  -John Peers

  I know I've done this - it isn't just my blouse is wrinkled or my jeans are too too tight to go out and do something but mentally, I've stopped myself from doing or trying something because I thought that I lacked something, or that I'd let someone else down.

  It's the gnawing, self doubt chains that have held me back too many times.  Of course, realistically I'll never be a rocket scientist at NASA, I won't win the Nobel Prize in Physics, and I won't be hopping up on Ciara and charging a windmill like our friend, Don Quixote, but I'm not talking about unrealistic or questionably rational expectations.  I'm talking about not doing the do able, because I chose to let my fear - of failure, of success - get the best of me.

  One of the greatest things about getting older is that the chains seem to weaken, they aren't nearly as strong.  Once we understand that life is a solo sport and that ultimately a certain kind of self doubt comes from how we think others view us, and that how they may view us  isn't as important as the way we view ourselves, they weaken.  If we're lucky, we have a strong foundation of friends, family, loved ones, but we each walk this journey alone.

  It sounds grim?  In a way, I guess it does.  But, it's also liberating, we are in charge of our own destinies, we don't have to always live for others - sometimes, because we love them, we do.  But, by living and achieving, we make the world a better, happier, more content place for us and, naturally, for those who love and care for us, too.  If they aren't happy with us, then we have to figure out why.

  So, hop on the figurative "horse" and lead a charge!

   

  Photo credit:  Don Quixote charging the windmill, Woodwalk Gallery.

   

   

   

   

• Moxie and other words of wisdom

  

  [email protected] on Aug 23, 2012
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  The best books I think I may have purchased are 4 little ones full of wonderful quotes.  Moxie, Heart, Joy, and Yes!  

  How about this one from Moxie:

  Believe that you have it, and you have it.

  -Latin Proverb

  Those nine little words are words one can live by.  Believe and there is very little you cannot accomplish or be.  

  This world too often beats us back into submission - life has a way of picking away at our self esteem and that colors and changes how we regard ourselves.  It's natural to see yourself through someone else's eyes.  Just remember, someone else is seeing you through their own.  

  Believe that you have it, and you have it.

  Our thoughts, ideas, attitudes become self-fulfilling prophecies.  What we think, tends to become so why not believe the best of yourself, why not?  

  Believe that you have it, and you have it.

• Fabulous Felt and She Paints, too. An Interview with Jeanne Harlan-Marriott

  

  [email protected] on Aug 20, 2012
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  Today, an interview with artist, Jeanne Harlan-Marriott!  Jeanne is an accomplished painter (working in oil), as well as, a felting master.  

   

  1. What are you vital statistics.  Where and when (ladies, if this is a touchy subject, you can skip it) were you born?  Large family?  Small family?  We want to know what you were like as a kid!

  I was born in Detroit in 1951, the youngest of seven interesting and talented siblings and to two very accomplished parents. My father was a hillbilly who came north to make his fortune in electrical contracting. By the time I came along my parents were deeply involved with Cranbrook Art Academy which had a lasting influence on my life. I grew up surrounded by art and artists. I grew up knowing that art was important. Interestingly enough of all the art my parents collected from Cranbrook Art Academy the one area they almost completely ignored was painting and I became a painter.

  2. In every life, "influential people" exist!  Tell us about that one person who you feel was your most important influence and why.

  There are a lot of people who have influenced me, but I tend to think of Toshiko Takaezu as my mentor and guide. She was an amazing ceramist and artist! She taught me that an artist doesn’t wait for inspiration, they work. It’s that faith that inspiration will arrive, you just need to provide the opportunity and meanwhile you’re doing something constructive. Toshiko’s art was in everything she did, not just her pots. She taught me to use chopsticks when I was five years old and to this day I eat with chopsticks more often than any other utensil. I carry chopsticks in my purse. I do love eating with them, but it is also a reminder (daily) of Toshiko and the wonderful spirit that she was.

  3. Artists tend to hop around before finding that medium that they passionately dive in to.  How did you discover your medium and what was it that made it so compelling? 

  I’ve dabbled in about every medium. If it is done with the hands, I’ve done it and maybe still do it. I have two major mediums which are worlds apart. Oil painting is my passion! I love oil paints!! There is nothing quite like the experience of having my brushes dance on the canvas while I’m listening to my favorite music. My paintings are very realistic and often mistaken for photo realism. I call my style “Sharp Focus Impressionism”. I’m really not interested in trying to do photo realism. I change things, color, composition. I see small things clearly and then I paint them very large. I want to share the wonder I experience when I witness the small treasures of beauty that nature generously bestows. When I paint I feel one with the universe. I feel whole.

  I also do needle felting. I originally started needle felting as an interesting hobby to pursue while my paintings dried. Oil paints dry slowly so there can be sometime between on layer and another. I had seen a book at Borders on needle felted animals that I thought were very cute and told myself that I could do that. I bought a kit, read the instructions, threw the instructions away and found my own path. I liked needle felting a lot, but I didn’t get fully into it until my husband became ill. He was in the hospital for over a year and while I still did some painting I just couldn’t throw myself into it as I normally would. So I threw myself into needle felting.

  In both oil painting and needle felting I like to push myself, challenge myself to become more skilled and to learn something every time I work. Needle felting is very magical. You take all this loose fiber and with a barbed needle and determination you can shape it into just about anything. I’m still learning new things that can be done with needle felting. It’s very exciting!

  4. Tell us more about your career.  Did you plan to be here, where you are, teaching, writing books, etc. or did it just happen?  Tell us how!

  I probably expected to be (and may still be) one of those artists who really isn’t discovered until after they are gone. I had the freedom to follow my own muse. I’m good at pushing myself to get better, to work, to learn. I’m not a big fan of modern art so I haven’t really involved myself in the art “scene”. A lot of the qualities that I appreciate in art are not currently in vogue. Skill being one of those qualities. That’s a sweeping generalization so don’t take it literally, but it is close to being true. I just can’t see pickled sheep as being “art”. It is my hope that my art will long outlast me, long enough to be fully appreciated.

  5. Now, tell about your teaching philosophy?  And, tell us why you teach, too.

  I’ve always been my own best teacher. I tend to study and explore technique and the physical science which is involved in creating art. That sounds very technical, but these are just the building blocks that are used to create art well. I tend to want to teach skills so that my students are free to go off and explore their own inspirations armed with the information which will make their explorations successful. I’m still learning to wrap my head around the idea that a lot of students really do prefer projects. I’m actually adapting to that pretty well, but it is more or less the opposite of my own inclinations. I’m the sort of artist who takes a basket class and ends up making a pith helmet. It’s very important to me to provide my students with all the information they need to be successful with the class project and to give them knowledge and skills that they will be able to apply to their own projects. When I prepare a class I may end up making the class project many times and every time I make it I’m trying to see the project with new eyes. How can I explain this more clearly? How can I make this easier? Is this the best way to do this particular step or is there another approach which is easier and better?

  I love to share information! Teaching is a gift that keeps on giving.

  6.  The future.  What are your goals moving forward?  Is there anything you really want to do, that you haven't?  I guess this is a "bucket list" question!

  This is rather a difficult question for me at the moment. My husband’s illness really turned my world and my life upside down. I’m grateful every day that he is still with us. I’d like to see my paintings in museums.

  7.  Okay, hope your paintings end up in museums!  Now, before we part, can you share any little working tip for your students?

  In oil painting: paint what you see, not what you think you see. Sometimes this is easier to do if you change the perspective from which you are painting i.e. turning a painting on its side or limiting your view to a specific area. Our brains are always interpreting what we see and in painting you sometimes have to stop that process and just look at the colors.

  In needle felting: squeezing the object slightly while needling will help speed the reduction/firming stage.

  8. Do you have some words of advice to those just starting out in this medium, or is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

  Learn by doing! Question everything and don’t be afraid to experiment! Time spent making experiments and samples is time to learn and hone skills. Pay attention to the details whether that is the placement of the barbs on the needles or the sound when the needles are inserted into the fiber. I can teach you why the placement of the barbs is important, but I can’t teach you the sound that fiber makes when it is reaching that perfect level of firmness in which the shape is stable but there is still enough “give” to make changes. It is an insight that you have to discover on your own. Art is a journey, not a destination.

  Thank you for spending time with us!  I learned a lot, I think others have too.

  To learn about Jeanne's classes on CraftArtEdu, both felting and oil painting, please click on this link:  Jeanne Harlan-Marriott