BirdieCribbs
This month, Bainbridge Arts & Crafts presents three mature artists all influenced by ancient histories and techniques, yet continuing to develop their own approaches, techniques and personal stories. Visit this wonderful exhibition. Take in their stories and reflect on your own.
Cynthia Toops creates jewelry often in collaboration with her husband, Dan Adams, but also with other artists. She works in polymer clay creating figurative and abstract micro-mosaics on flat sheet and as beads. While her main inspirations were traditional Huichol Indian seed beads (Central Mexico as far north as Arizona) and Roman micro-mosaics, she clearly works within her own narrative voice. These are fun, inviting images.
A featured work in the exhibition that strays from Toops’ usual work style is “1st Generation.” This neckpiece is very personal. It reflects her frustration and concerns over recent U.S. immigration policies and attitudes. Toops, a first-generation immigrant herself, calls attention in this artwork to the many contributions of immigrants to the United States. The work is made of transfer images, polymer clay, silver and glass tube beads, crimp beads, lamp-worked glass, sterling silver and SoftFlex cording. Learn about the issue through seeing it up close and reading her statement.
Janis Miltenberger studied and apprenticed with legendary glass artists such as Marvin Lipofsky, Richard Marquis and ceramicist Ron Nagel. These experiences must have been amazing, yet they also could make it difficult to find one’s own voice and style as an artist. Studying summers at our Northwest’s own Pilchuck Glass School offered Miltenberger new glass methods and an open door to discovering her own narrative and style.
Miltenberger’s lampworking, flameworking and painting do not fit the common conception of that craft. You will find uncharacteristically large, non-traditional sculpture. On view, sculptures such as “Sweet Redemption,” reach nearly 30-inches tall, partly blown glass form a structural element, and by using the whole form as a canvas, literally, Miltenberger paints her stories for the viewer to get lost in.
Keke Cribbs’ has glass and painting in common with Miltenberger and also is a Pilchuck alumnus. However, she extends her work in different directions to suit her ever-changing exploration for her artwork. She uses common window glass panes as her canvas to paint her narratives. Unlike regular painting, however, she does “reverse painting” on the glass. This craft was perhaps more common in the 18th and 19th centuries, and as far back as the Renaissance. Just as its description says, the artist must think and paint in reverse order, highlights first, and so on.
Cribbs also exhibits sculptures such as “Birdie” where she may fracture painted glass and include the shards in a mosaic fashion of sorts and add shredded layers of linen to create complex textures for her surfaces. She may decide to use sandblasting, engraving, concrete, ceramics, wood paper, and metals to create what she feels is needed for her vision to be realized. As with all three artists in this exhibit, the results are fascinating.
August 6 – 29, 2021
Cynthia Toops, Keke Cribbs, and Janis Miltenberger
Bainbridge Arts & Crafts Gallery
151 Winslow Way East
Mon– Wed 10 – 6 p.m., Thur – Sat 10 – 7 p.m., Sun 11 – 5 p.m.
206-842-3132
CLICK HERE TO READ OTHER FIRST FRIDAY FOCUS & EBB and FLOW ARTICLES BY BILL
ABOUT BILL BARAN-MICKLE: 2020 Island Treasure Awardee. Recently, Bill has enjoyed exhibiting in several international art biennial exhibitions. Of the three in which he has participated, he won Third Place for Sculpture from the European Confederation of Art Critics in the Chianciamo Biennale, at the Chianciano Art Museum in Italy in 2011, and First Place in Applied Arts in the London Biennale of 2013. In 2013 alone, he will have participated in eight exhibitions: from London to a two-person exhibition near home. In addition, Bill was asked to be a representative for CCAC’s exhibition celebrating 100 years of the Metals Department, and a mix of group shows in New York City, Miami, Seattle and Las Vegas. Bill is the designer of the 10 foot Equitorial Bowstring Sundial located at the Richie Observatory in Battle Point Park on Bainbridge Island, WA and completed in 2015.