Alabama Craft: Tradition and Innovation

All this month Alabama Public Television (APT) will finally be airing their original documentary film Alabama Craft: Tradition and Innovation, which will feature one of our members, potter Charles Smith.
The first airing will be this Thursday, April 9th at 7 pm. For a more complete program schedule for this program, please check out their site. Well done, Charles!

Won't You Join Us on Dec 6th?

We are pleased to be presenting our Third Annual Christmas Art Show and Sale, where we will be showcasing our eclectic mix of fine art and fine craft at the Mobile Botanical Gardens located at 5151 Museum Drive, Saturday, December 6, from 9 am to 4 pm.

Not to be confused with Bellingrath Gardens, the MOBILE BOTANICAL GARDENS is nestled in the heart of The Village of Springhill across from Langhan Park and the Mobile Museum of Art. (see map & directions below or, if you prefer view the Google Map)

Our one day event is held in conjunction with The Master Gardeners' Annual Greenery and The Botanical Gardens' Annual Poinsettia Sales. The Master Gardeners, who are always ready to share their expertise, play an instrumental role in making the Gardens as beautiful as it is.
Their handmade fresh garlands, centerpieces, and other seasonal greenery, are most professionally executed and surprisingly reasonably priced. And did you know that there are over 50 varieties of poinsettias, and that just about every one can be found on sale at the Mobile Botanical Gardens that weekend?

Directions to the Botanical Gardens
: (courtesy of the Botanical Gardens)

1. On I-10, take I-65 North
2. Take Springhill Exit (5A), turn left
3. Go over Spring Hill. At the bottom of hill, Langan Park will be ahead.
4. Turn left at traffic light onto Pfc. John New Drive.
5. This dead-ends almost immediately onto Museum Drive. Turn right.
6. Pass the Mobile Museum of Art on the right, then look for the Gardens entrance on the left.
7. Turn left to enter the Gardens.

(NB: Map shown is not to scale)


For more information about our event and group, please contact:
Charles Smith (251) 432-3705 or
Anne Webb (251) 965-6661

We look forward to seeing you there for a day of art, greenery, and holiday cheer!

Kurtis N Thomas, Serigraphy (Fine Art Screenprinting) - Mobile AL

"When I was in college, earning a BFA degree in art, I asked one of the professors why he made art. Waiting in anticipation of his answer, I was expecting some deep philosophical reasons. I will never forget his answer. He said, “I make art because I like to make art.” Over the years I have come to realize that his answer was a deep and insightful reason to create art. I make art because I like to. I believe God made people in His image. God is creative and thus, we are creative."


Kurtis Thomas was born on 3/26/55 in Fresno, California, and has resided in Mobile since the age of ten. He lives with his wife Brenda, daughter Karen, and three cats. He received his BFA from the University of South Alabama in 1977 with a major in commercial art and minor in painting. He then spent several years as advertising art director for a chain of regional home centers. In 1981 Thomas began to exhibit his artwork as a professional artist. His artwork has been shown at reputable galleries and juried art shows across the country. He has work in private and corporate collections in the United States, Japan, England, Australia, and Canada. He has received many awards and prizes for his artwork.

In 2001, Thomas had the opportunity to join the curatorial staff at the newly renovated Mobile Museum of Art. After serving as an art exhibition technician, Thomas became the head registrar at the museum.

Thomas is proficient in drawing and painting in all types of mediums, but his public reputation is built on the fine quality serigraphs he has created by hand since 1981.
"Serigraphy... requires one to think in terms of mass and color instead of just thinking linear. "
Serigraphy, or silkscreen printing, is a stenciling technique which produces fine art, limited edition prints which are signed and numbered by the artist. From the initial idea to the drawing, making the stencils, to hand application of the ink to paper, Thomas performs each step of the process by hand. After completion of an edition, all stencils for that edition are destroyed. This ensures that each print is truly a unique, limited edition piece of art. In today's age of automated technology and photomechanical reproduction, this kind of fine art printing created entirely by the artist has truly become a rarity.

Thomas has an imaginative style and unusual, delightful perspective that can place ordinary (or not-so-ordinary) subjects in a world just a few steps removed from reality. These walks into the "looking glass" are always composed with a serious eye for the best design possible, and may require from 20 to 80 stencils.

While most silkscreen artists use only a few stencils with large areas of flat color, Thomas strives for texture, form, value and a wide range of colors achieved only by the use of multiple stencils and stenciling techniques. This results in a true "painterly" effect, and over the years has given him the reputation of a master in his field.

Subject matter includes landscapes, water scenes, birds, houses, flowers, fish, cats, and the Christmas story. His whimsical cat prints get the most vocal response from viewers, as almost everyone recognizes his own feline companion in at least one. But his Christmas prints have also attracted a large following of collectors. In 1981, Thomas created his first Christmas silkscreen print, "O Night Divine," which depicted Mary and Joseph traveling through a snowy forest at night on the way to Bethlehem. He created from one to three new Christmas prints annually through the year 2000, always basing them on the Biblical story of Christ's birth.

Kurtis Thomas has a personal goal of always doing the very best work possible while looking for new ways to grow and new subjects to explore. He feels his work has improved by studying several artists he admires, such as Thomas Hart Benton, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Henri Rousseau and Paul Klee.

He has often been recognized for his unique mastery of the silkscreen medium, but says, "While the recognition and awards are nice, I think the most important things to me are my own personal satisfaction in the work, achieving the standards I set for myself, and the enjoyment of the people who buy the work and look at it every day. They are telling me they want quality work and appreciate it, and that means a lot to me."

Charles Smith, Pottery - Mobile AL

Charles Smith is a well-known and well-liked Mobile, AL, potter who began his career in the early 1970’s: “I began studying art after a tour of duty in Vietnam, the trauma surrounding the war made me want to pursue the arts.”

Smith matured his interest in the arts by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education with a minor in Pottery from Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. There he served as a Teacher Assistant to the late professor Marcus Douyon. Smith credits Douyon with providing a solid foundation of artisic discipline, skill and vision that would help him grow into the artist he is today.

In 1977, he was hired by the City of Mobile as a resident artist, during which time he painted murals and taught art in city parks and recreation centers. Since that time, Smith has won some 25 first place or Best of Show awards for his work. His work was included in the traveling exhibit: “Uncommon Beauty in Common Objects: The Legacy of African American Craft Art.” He has exhibited all over the country, including the National Museum of American Art in the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the American Craft Museum in New York City. His most recent work uses bold colors such as black and tan.

“I’ve been doing this for several years now, and in that time my work has evolved remendously, but it has not changed all that much. Art for me has been a maturing process, not a series of radical departures.”

Smith said he is always attentive to the technical aspects of clay and glazes, considering their limitation, and at the same time, employing the unimagined possibilities they hold. His forms are classic, and his glazes are sophisticated in color and application.

Charles uses cone 7 stoneware and decorated each piece using a carved-and-sgraffito technique. The style is derived from realistic and Art Nouveau forms, mixed with and interspersed with abstract animal imagery.

While the size and shape of each pieces is unique, it is – and always has been – the hand-carved surface that distinguished his work. Designs used today originated in design elements first explored in the late 1970’s. “They are the shapes and patterns of nature, and until Mother Nature finds it necessary to rediscover herself, I’ll remain content following her lead.”

Visit Charles Smith's web site: www.smith-pots.com

Celia Dionne, Fiber / Weaving - Foley AL

Handwoven Trans-Seasonal Wraps & Scarves

Originally known for rag weaving and hand spinning in Tennessee, Celia Dionne has been exhibiting prize winning “Fun Wraps” since moving to Alabama in 1994.

She weaves these shawls and triangle-based garments on triangular frame looms of various sizes. "Weaving this way is a pure tactile experience for there is no mechanical manipulation of the warp or weft as with a floor loom. I finger weave on the frame and the warp and weft are the same yarn but intertwined. Each triangle is woven individually, then I apply a fringe and/or finish the edges."

Celia earned a BA from Sophie Newcomb College of Tulane University and a teaching certificate from Washington University in St. Louis. Her formal education and teaching experiences included Classical Flute, French and English as a Second Language, yet she had always wanted to learn to weave.

In the 70’s Celia met Ruth Truett, demonstrating weaving on the porch of a historic home in Nashville. She decided to take a basic weaving class from Ms Truett, then joined a weaving guild. More skills were acquired through workshops.

In 1983 Celia opened a weaving and spinning shop in Franklin, TN, called CLARA’S LOOM, which is still the name of her studio, now located in Bon Secour.

"After frequent trips with my husband to Washington, DC it became clear that I wanted to do some weaving in off time in the hotels. We saw a triangle loom in a shop window and decided to try this technique. He had to read me the instructions over and over until I got it. The loom disassembles and became part of my travel gear.

Part of the skill of handweaving is tension control. Floor looms have tension devices that must be mastered. Frame looms have none…just the weaver. I place every yarn manually in the items I create. By using color and texture I hope to please your eye and hand."


To learn more about Celia Dionne, her creations, and her Fiber Studio & Art Gallery, Clara's Loom, please visit her web site: www.clarasloom.com

Frank Ledbetter, Sculpture - AL

Metal Artist Frank Ledbetter creates functional metal art using stainless steel, carbon steel and aluminum. Because his Dad always had a metal shop in the backyard, he grew up around steel fabrication and welding. After serving in the Marine Corps from 1971 to 1974, he began his own metal fabrication company in 1976. Frank has always been interested in art, but his business kept him too busy to pursue it.

In 2001, after 27 years in the business and fighting burnout, he sold out to an investor. After a year he moved from Alabama to Florida, and did miscellaneous jobs in the building trade. During this time, he bought a welding machine and started playing around and is now creating full time.

Frank has since moved back to Alabama and currently has his studio in Theodore. It gives him a lot of pleasure to see people's faces light up when they see something he has created. His passion is to work with people who have ideas for things they want and to make it happen for them.

Besides functional art, Frank has also expanded into sculptures, wall art and fun art.

To find out more about Frank and his work, please visit his web site:
http://www.artisticmetalcreations.com