Ravings of a Textual Deviant

Once a year, the Stutz Building in downtown Indianapolis holds an open house in which artists can show off what they do the rest of the year. This kicks off the summer art season in Indy, which includes the Talbott Street Art Fair, and the Broad Ripple Art Fair.

Taking advantage of a free ticket (thanks, Heather!) I hit the Stutz building at 2:30 on Saturday afternoon. There were plenty of people, but not so many that you couldn?t move around. More than one artist told me that Friday night had been a complete zoo?wall to wall people wandering about more or less at random.

There?s a fabulous variety or artists working in the building?everything from photography and oil painting to customer furniture and jewelry. Riccardo Cosciasecca?s floral photography blew me away, and normally I don?t go in for still life photos. However, these looked like photo versions of Georgia O?Keefe paintings. The vibrant colors practically leapt out of the ultra-sharp photos. I could have happily walked out with one of everything. Ardis Harsche showed some impressive ?reproduction? cave paintings done in mixed media. She had recreated the texture of a cave wall?these pieces had serious depth?and used the shadows from the texture to make her paintings appear to move. If I didn?t know better, I?d say the work came right off the walls at Lascaux. Laura Lafarge?s modern, not-quite Picasso, cartoon-bright portraits were at the other end of the timeline. Susan Mauck and her daughter Nikko Minichiello share a studio; Mauck showed a variety of subjects, while Minichiello?s work was more abstract. My favorite painting of Mauck?s was an unintentional homage to Monet?s waterlillies; the painting was actually done from a photograph taken in Michigan. She also had some underwater scenes with bright orange koi contrasting the blues and greens. Blaque Jack Studio had some portraits that didn?t do much for me, but the geometric designs, and the ?cutout? pictures more than made up for it. Heidelberg Bayquen does a little bit of everything?jewelry, stained glass, oil painting, and therapeutic massage?and it?s all good. (The art anyway; no time for a massage, unfortunately!) Glass and metal artists Marti and Tina Icenogle?s Magickal Dragon Designs was packed. They work in metal wire and semiprecious stones, and if I hadn?t just been to Francie Broadie?s studio, I?d have been tempted beyond my poor ability to resist. The Icenogles? work is more classical, while Francie?s glass and polymer clay is definitely contemporary. Francie?s work is right out of a coloring book?bright colors and well-defined shapes. She also does some painting in acrylics, and her distinctive style shows loud and clear across media. Francie shares space with her mom, Vickie Broadie, who paints in oils. Finally, Ironweed Productions had the most contemporary of contemporary furniture. If I were decorating a house by I. M. Pei, that?s where I?d start.

You can?t go wrong at the Stutz Artists? Studio Tour. You may not like everything you see, but there?s so much variety that you?ll surely find something you love. I?m already looking forward to next year. My only caveat is that it?s imperative to wear comfortable shoes?there?s a lot of walking around, and place is a labyrinth.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2003 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Off the Shelf. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.