September & October Artist: Becky Thomas
About the Artist:
Becky Thomas, Painter/Illustrator passionately produces works that convey an appreciation for the simplest and most meaningful concepts from the world around us and how they touch our lives. Her work has been described as the product of a “keen eye” and a “quiet yet intense sensitivity.” She grew up in a small Ohio town when life was simple. Her love of drawing overshadowed any other childhood pastime, and her talent was evidenced soon after she could hold a pencil.
That small town was also home to a vastly accomplished painter/teacher, Eva Pauline Cox. Now in her 80’s her last student was Becky. Thus began four years of three-hour weekly private lessons from one of the “greats” who had trained during, and studied with several masters of the Post-Impressionist Era.
When Becky arrived at that first lesson, sketchbook and pencil clutched in her somewhat timid hand, she was nine years old. It was in that carriage house “Barn Studio” that Miss Cox lovingly guided Becky’s hand to the artist’s brush and canvas.
Life happens. Years passed. Now a Grandma, Becky has dove back into her passion for Painting/Illustration. Her hope is that you get as much joy from it as she does.
July & August Artist: Kat Silent Water
Kat Silent Water is a printmaker based out of Ankeny, Iowa, working in woodblock and linoleum relief since 2014. She recently embraced the alchemical properties of encaustic painting in her latest body of work, ‘Wax Cathedral’. Silent Water’s inspiration has taken root in Art Nouveau’s celebration of organic forms and cultural anthropology.
Silent Water earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Visual Culture from Iowa State University in 2015, with an emphasis in printmaking and painting. Her work has been exhibited across the state of Iowa and St. Louis, Missouri, in national group exhibitions. She also painted a Mural for the University of Colorado Boulder, College of Music.
About Kat’s Artwork: Wax Cathedral is a glance into a world we have yet to visit; the bee hive. The body of artwork celebrates the sisterhood and hard work of honey bees in North America. Capturing their sainthood of agriculture and modern struggles against incursion of mites, fungi and disease with beekeepers as watchful guardians of the hive.
Cathedrals are seen as hallowed ground. When individuals walk through the threshold of the sanctuary, they are transported to a safe place of spiritual solace. Cathedrals embellish every detail in their interior, allowing daily worries and hardships to dissipate. It creates an unworldly and beautiful place, as though you were in heaven itself.
Just as these spiritual institutions are maintained amongst a community of like-minded individuals, so is the hive of the honey bees. The unique fortress is founded on hard work and communication. It serves as an escape from the plague of predators and treachery. The worker bees build their interior with careful yet creative consideration.
The resilience shown in both the honey bees and beekeeper community have been the foundation of my artistic inspiration Although the enemies of mites, fungi and disease threaten the bee’s hallowed sanctuary, the beekeepers find ways to repair and mend these colonies with research and patience. Making the art of beekeeping even more valued just like Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing and beautification of broken objects.
May & June Artist: Sudhanva Kashyap
Sudhanva Kashyap
Artist Statement
For more information, please contact me via:
email: [email protected]
follow me on Instagram @sudhanvakashyap
Display Your Artwork at the Co-op!
If you are interested in displaying your artwork please contact Melissa Lanphere, Marketing Manager, by email, phone or stopping into the Co-op. Please fill out the form linked below to have your artwork considered for display.