Derek Schlueter

FIND Art Across America hits LemonDrop (416 W Commercial) tonight and aside from the rig hauling a 55-artist truck gallery coast to coast, you can find some the region’s most progressive artists at the local event. Jefferson City’s Derek Schlueter will paint anything. The world is his canvas. Train cars that pass through J.C. are a top target and though his favorite medium moves quickly, Schlueter will be in one place tonight at LemonDrop.

TAG: Your Facebook says you work in murals, canvas, digital design, what will people see from you at LemonDrop on May 16?
Derek Schleuter: The people will see a mixture of some of my newer colodge stuff, will also having a couple metal signs, and some of my faces that I been getting into lately. Overall they will just see something totally different than some of my other shows. I’m very excited and grateful for this opportunity to display my art.

TAG: Is there a medium you prefer?
D.S.: Does steel count? If not steel I prefer road signs, canvas, metal doors, anything and everything.

TAG: How did you get introduced to art and when did you find out you could be an artist when you grew up?
D.S.: I first started noticing art at a young age around the train tracks, my definition of art blossomed from there. Just seeing how other people were able to paint magnificent colorful pieces and a train was amazing to me a such a young age. From that day forward I spent all my time drawing my name “Derek” I forgot about school and was always in another world.

TAG: Who are your favorite current/historic artists?
D.S.: Let’s see Larry Carlson, Alex Gray, Duece7, Geso IBD

TAG: What setting is best for inspiration?
D.S.: Just a good night out with my friends, I find inspiration all around but mostly it revolves around the train tracks. Its hard for me to keep up with writers in other cities but luckily the trains are a way of other people keeping up with the recent work that I’ve been pushing.

TAG: You’re in Jeff City, what’s the art scene like, is it pretty active?
D.S.: I wouldn’t even consider Jefferson City to have an art scene that I would be interested in, nor would they consider anything I do to be artistic in any way. As for staying active im a veteran when it come to the train scene in Jefferson City.

TAG: What’s playing in the headphones these days? Favorite current album nobody else has heard of?
D.S.: That new and old school J-Wally, Electric Moses, Chrizzle, Bassthoven, Andre Nickatina, Mac Dre!

TAG: Drink of choice?
D.S.: JONES SODA blueberry lemonade

TAG: Food of choice?
D.S.: BBQ

TAG: Where can people find your work?
D.S.: Well since most of my work is usually moving I try keeping up with facebook, and flickr as much as possible. HIGHgradeGRAPHICS INC on Facebook. Shouts to DBIRD and all the homies back in Jeff City! ONE.

Joey Trent, with some original work

FIND Art Across America hits SGF on Monday, May 16 at LemonDrop. We’ll be releasing new (and old) stories to introduce you to the artist cast you’ll find at the event. (Originally published 1/13/2010)

Joey Trent grew up in Los Alamitos, California, inspired by the art of Nick Baxter and Guy Aitchison. He’s been tattooing at Hearts of Fire Tattoo since February of 2009. shortly after he moved to SGF.

TAG: How’d you get started tattooing?

Trent: It all started from being in art classes all through school. I just got more and more interested.

TAG: What’s the process of taking that the next step from artist to tattooist?

Trent: I did an apprenticeship for six or seven months in Kirksville. I was working two other jobs at the same time, so I was keeping real busy.

TAG: So, how’d you end up in SGF?

Trent: My sister, Carly, was living here and going to school. We have other family around so it was an easy decision.

TAG: When somebody comes in to the shop, when do you know how the final product is going to turn out?

Trent: I usually know before I even start. Once I get the finalized drawing and a proper stencil to go off of, I have a good idea if it’s going to be good. If it’s something that’s going to be stupid, I know right away, too.

TAG: What are your specialties?

Trent: Organic biomech and calligraphy

TAG: Do you have any favorite specific tattoos you’ve done?

Trent: I did a large chest piece on a girl that was a crow. It was a lot of fun and turned out great. Right now, I’m working on my sister’s sleeve and it’s been a lot great project.

TAG: What do you get out of each tattoo?

Trent: It’s good to see the end product. I like to look at the whole thing and learn from it, so I can make the next project that much better.

TAG: When did you get your first ink?

Trent: I got a koi fish when I was 15.

TAG: What’s the worst place (on a person) to tattoo?

Trent: Any time you get anywhere near somebody’s private parts. Especially, if they’re just nasty.

TAG: If your life were a movie, what kind of music would be on the soundtrack?

Trent: Gangsta rap

TAG: What actress would play the lead female?

Trent: I don’t know, who do you think Carly?

Carly: Winona Rider

Trent: I don’t really like her.

TAG: Cake or pie?

Trent: Cake

TAG: What kind?

Trent: Confetti

Jess Heugel

Jess Heugel is no stranger to the waiting game. When he’s on a shoot, Heugel picks a backdrop and fades into the background. Then he waits. “I realize how few times a day when a moment is just right,” he said. “You can go search for something all day, but sometimes it’s better to just be patient and wait for something to happen within a scene.” Coincidence that Heugel, and wife Kelly, had visa applications turned down twice when trying to enter Myanmar.

The Heugels were allowed visas on their third attempt and the result is featured at the Park Central Library downtown. Magnificent backdrops are a constant theme, from palaces and temples to impoverished streets. The pictures, taken in 2009, demonstrate the unspoken lives of Myanmar’s oppressed. Myanmar was probably a once-in-a lifetime experience and Heugel hopes the photos introduce people to the strains on the Burmese people. “The photos are really centered around letting people see that there’s a country out there where everything is run by the government,” he said. “We never hear anything about them, and their government is very satisfied with that.”

It left Heugel thankful for the opportunity at all, considering the restrictive military dictatorship. “Being allowed into Myanmar as an American is a very special thing,” Heugel said. “(Their government) couldn’t be happier about the U.S. trade sanctions. They just want to be left alone.” Once there, Heugel connected with a travel company and spent three days taking in the Burmese controlled way of life. “We had a very powerful experience there – never felt unsafe, but definitely felt the oppression that was weighing on the people. We went to go and do and experience what life was like for every day people in Myanmar. Yes, they’re oppressed, but they’re not unhappy.” A military dictatorship rules their lives, politically nothing exists outside of the military – except the monks.

A Monk Asleep (Heugel)

Experiences with the monks became the eventual “driving force behind the show.” While walking around outside a temple “trying to be respectful and not disturb anything” Heugel was engaged by a group of monks and welcomed into a monastery. They drank tea and talked about Buddhism. “They invited us to the temple and took a couple hours to show us around,” Heugel said. “Of course it was with limited English, but they let us witness a very special place.” It created his favorite shot in the collection – a photo of the monks leaping on the ground. For Heugel, it represents a rare opportunity. “When it happens you get to let (the experience) be a part of your life. If it happens it’s wonderful. If it doesn’t, you never knew the difference,” he said.

Heugel is no stranger to taking in new experiences. His travels have delivered him all over the world and his camera has become an extention of that. As a teenager living in Nairobi, Kenya, he picked up a camera in need of “a way to process and document that.” He came to Springfield for school (Heugel’s a 2004 graduate of Evangel University) and stayed for a job at the News-Leader. He moved briefly to Jamaica where he helped at an orphanage and a coffee farm owned by family of a friend. Heugel said he enjoys opportunities to shoot in Easter Europe – he will have a show featuring work from Ukraine at The Coffee Ethic in January. Another exhibit is in the works, supporting non-profit group Dusty Feet, which he shot from Kenya this summer. His parents, missionaries, currently live in Sudan and his next project is in Esotnia. “Who knows from there?” The Myanmar show will be featured at the library through the end of the month.

Shwedagon Monk (Heugel)

On the job:
Five Questions with Jess Heugel

1. What’s in the camera bag?

• Canon – 5D body, 40D body
• 3 lenses – 17-40, 70-200, 1-400

2. When do you know you have a good shot?

Half of the time I’ll know (a good shot) as soon as I take it. Half of the time I’ll get home and start dissecting a picture and it will come alive. I’m not out there: “Click” then look at the picture. They call it “chimping” – there’s not a lot of time for that. Sometimes you know as soon as you release the shutter, sometimes it’s when you get home.

3. How much do you edit your photos?

There’s a little bit of color and tonal tweaking, but not much.

4. How’s shooting for yourself different from shooting for the paper?

It’s really the life of the free lancer, I’m the king of the temporary job. Shooting like this is very … a lot more free flowing, a lot more liberating. It’s really where I feel more comfortable. I’m not a worrier, not a pre-planner.

5. How can people keep up with your work, professional and personal?

The website – www.JessHeugel.com or on Twitter – @JessHeugel

The Rocky Horror Show has a little spice for everybody – comedy, spookiness, insanity and effects. With director Nathan Shelton at the helm, the effects will no doubt catch your eye in the cult phenomenon that spawned The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Heath Hillhouse plays Dr. Frank N. Furter who stole a page from Frankenstein.

The Rocky Horror Show opens tonight at Vandivort Center Theatre at 7:30 p.m.. The show is presented by Springfield Contemporary Theatre. TAGsgf.com caught up with Hillhouse while crews were putting the final touches on the stage to talk about the differences between the movie and live show, his role as a gender-confused psychopath and about working with Shelton . Somehow we didn’t discuss The Time Warp. The show closes on Halloween.

Heath Hillhouse talks about the Vandivort’s production of The Rocky Horror Show

Springfield Little Theatre Education Director, Lorianne Dunn

Lorianne Dunn has been involved in Springfield Little Theatre for nearly eight years. A true SGFer, she was originally hired by SLT as a Volunteer Coordinator, but quickly moved into the role of Education Director. While Dunn has been involved in an unreal number of stage productions at the Historic Landers Theatre, but is currently preparing for her favorite – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s award winning and world renowned CATS – as both director and choreographer. It’s SLT’s first run at the song and dance musical, which features a large onstage cast. TAGsgf.com caught up with Dunn as she continues to prepare for SLT’s season opener on September 10.

TAGsgf.com: CATS is right around the corner, everybody knows the name, but what make this such a special performance?

Lorianne Dunn: Based on the whimsical poetry of T.S. Eliot (Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats), CATS, through spectacular song and dance, tells the story of the annual gathering of Jellicle cats at which time one special cat is selected to ascend to the Heaviside layer (a sort of “cat heaven”).  The multiple Tony-award winning CATS, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, etc.), has conquered the world as the longest running musical in history, been translated into 20 languages, and features a magical score including “Memory.”  The energy and elegance that has elevated CATS to world popularity makes it a purr-fect show for the whole family to experience.   A true musical theatre phenomenon. A first for Springfield Little Theatre.

This is SLT's first production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's popular musical.

L.D.: CATS is entirely told through music and dance, so it is a natural fit for the choreographer and the director to be the same person.  I am also extremely lucky to have the constant support of a wonderful Musical Director, Susan Gravatt.

TAG: Is there a singular role you prefer?

L.D.: It just depends on what kind of show it is.  If it is a show like Once On This Island, Seussical, or the upcoming Children of Eden — a show that I very much connect with on an emotional level and features more music than text — I prefer to be the Director/Choreographer.  If I’m serving as Choreographer on a “book” show with another Director, I enjoy the collaboration, the discoveries that only that kind of synergy can bring, and the opportunity to learn from the way another director works and communicates with their cast.

TAG: Springfield Little Theatre is different from the touring productions with the “amateur” label. Everybody’s working other jobs, but has an incredible level of commitment to the production. Is it ever difficult to get everyone on the same page?

L.D.: We have assembled a very talented and dedicated group of volunteers.  They believe in their craft and are committed to doing their very best.  They excel because they are passionate about their art, and they hold each other to a very high standard.  Many of the cast members have an extra special fondness for the show, claiming seeing a production of CATS was their first exposure to musical theatre.  They are thrilled to now, not only have the opportunity to tackle such challenging material as performers, but also, to perhaps give another young audience member an experience similar to their own.

Cast members of CATS: Gary Lyons (center) as Monkustrap; Emily Bowen as Grizabella; and Anna Kicker, from Petra Ballet Company, an ensemble member.

TAG: There’s a lot of talent in the area. What are the names of some people we should keep an eye out for?

L.D.: CATS features 41 onstage performers and 6 offstage vocalists.  I anticipate our audiences will be impressed with all of them!  Principle players include Gary Lyons as Munkustrap, Alberta Smith as Jennyanydots, Josh Inmon as Rum Tum Tugger, Emily Bowen as Grizabella, Dean Price as Bustopher Jones, James Brandon Martin and J. Mackenzie Huley as Mongojerrie and Rumpleteazer, Derrick DeVonne King as Old Deuteronomy, Taylor Haverstick as Jemima, Dale Haverstick as Gus, Jana Thomas Coffman as Jellylorum, Cody Collier as Skimbleshanks, Chris Jasinski as Macavity, Mackenzie Lollar as Demeter, Sally Trtan as Bombalurina, and Kim Alvarez as Magical Mr. Mistoffelees.  We are also thrilled to have seven members of Petra Ballet Company in the cast of CATS.

TAG: You’ve been involved in a lot of productions, are there any that stick out as your favorite?

L.D.: The production I’m currently working on ALWAYS has to be the favorite.  I love the work.  Looking back, I have so many “favorites”— Curtains (a top notch cast and funny, funny show), Once On This Island (the most beautiful music and stellar storytelling), Seussical (crazy fun cast of 97 performers and delightful material), The Full Monty (a radical departure for SLT at the time), Beauty and The Beast (elevated the standard of production at SLT), and Godspell (new orchestrations and inventive staging), to name a few.

TAG: How did you get started in theatre, was stage production always your passion?

L.D.: I was terribly shy as a child.  I began ballet lessons at the age of 8 with Springfield Ballet and soon ballet became my life.  At the age of 11, I attended my first summer program away from home at Missouri State Ballet’s Webster University camp.  I, then, would sometimes ride the bus back and forth from Kansas City to take classes with their company.  At 13, I began attending the School of American Ballet (Balanchine’s official school of the New York City Ballet) summer workshop and then at 15 was invited to stay for the school year.

I studied there for the entirety of my sophomore year while attending academic school just a couple of hours a day at Professional Children’s School, an academic school that is accommodating to a young person’s professional schedule.  After coping with an injury, I decided to come home and finish out high school as a “normal” kid.  That’s when I became involved in theatre.  I had always loved theatre and living in NY had given me the opportunity to see a lot of incredible theatre.  I attended Missouri State University, was active in their Theatre and Dance Department, did Tent, taught, choreographed, and then became involved with SLT.  There were a couple of other chapters in there, too, along the way, but for the most part, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it…and the rest is history!

TAG: Have you ever hit the mental panic button when a show is about to open? What’s the nerve factor backstage right before a show opens?

L.D.: No, my anxiety always hits closer to the beginning of the process.  “What have I gotten myself into?”  “Why are my ideas not flowing freely?”  “Why can’t I commit to this choreography?”  “Have we taken on too much?”  Blah blah blah.  Usually, by the time a show is about to open, I am so confident in the work that we have done to get to that point, that I am THRILLED for the cast to finally have an audience to share it with.  They truly crave it by that point.  The energy backstage is definitely tangible.  The actors have to channel that nervous energy into positive energy.  I just pray for their health and safety and leave the rest to God.

TAG: The curtains close and it’s time to blow off some steam, where do you head in SGF to relax?

L.D.: After the show—either the Mud Lounge (where everybody knows your name) or Harlow’s (please don’t tell, no one knows me there and it’s great) or my own front porch swing.  On a “dark” (meaning a non-show day in the middle of the run) day—Bodhi Salon for a massage.  After the production run—the lake!!!!

TAG: Favorite musician?

L.D.: My parents.  My mom and dad are both musicians.  My mother is a pianist and my dad started his career in education as a band director.  Music was a huge part of our family life growing up, at home and at church.  I owe my musicality and my love of music to them, and their examples of hard work, dedication, and follow through have made me a better teacher and creative artist.

TAG: Favorite author(s)?
L.D.: Stephen Schwartz, Alan Menken, Tim Rice, Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens

This Is Our Youth

Nungesser plays Warren Straub, a young man who was just kicked out of his father’s house. Dark memories aren’t far from recall for Straub. Those thoughts weave into comedic moments with drug dealing friend Dennis Ziegler, played by Watt. The chemistry between the pair of offstage roommates is prevalent. Straub and Ziegler try to decide how to spend/return a large sum of stolen money. Cocaine is the answer they frequent.

Straub is unassuming, easy to relate to, but the volatile Ziegler makes it difficult to like either of them. It’s not that they’re bad people, they’re just trying to figure it out. They certainly represent (at least to a certain extent) the life of confused males after high school. It’s portrayed in foul mouthed humor, girl chasing and the search of head changing drugs and alcohol to chase away the past.

Of course, there’s a love interest for Straub, Jessica Goldman (played by Merri Yeager). It’s fun to recall your own first date jitters as Straub makes awkward advances.

This community theatre-esque production of This Is Our Youth is very well acted. The set consists of items from Nungesser and Watt’s home. It’s performed on no budget in tight quarters. Unless you’re in the front row, it’s difficult to see what’s happening, but conversation carries the play. If drug use and potty mouths offend you, this isn’t in your alley, otherwise do yourself (and your wallet) a favor and check out this free show. It shows tonight and Saturday as well.

Donald Walkingbear was raised on the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edgar Allen Poe and William Shakespeare, as read to him each night. Walkingbear stopped listening and began writing when his age could still be counted on two hands. Since he hasn’t shied from a topic, just spun each into its own rhythm. Tonight, Walkingbear (AKA “The Man with the Green Hat”) is the featured poet at the MOPoetry Slam at Nathan P Murphy’s, for what could be his curtain call. A health condition makes it difficult for him to properly breathe. “One of the cysts on my liver has grown sizable enough to intrude into my diaphragm,” Walkingbear said. If you’re curious about Slam or have never been to a MOPoetry event, make sure to get out of the house tonight – cancel the mental image of Michael Myers in So I Married an Axe Murderer. Also featured is musical guest Cornfed Chronicles. Tickets are just $5, show starts at 7 p.m. Walkingbear will be releasing his first CD, The Best of Green Hat. Vol. 9 as well, with half the proceeds going to Ozarks Food Harvest.

TAGsgf.com: These events aren’t like people see in the movies (candles, finger snapping, etc.), what can the audience expect from a slam in SGF?

Donald Walkingbear: There’s a general mood of good-natured rowdiness among both performers and audience members. I’ve had folk tell me on their first attendance to a Slam that they felt as if they had walked into a family reunion…a family of which they were readily accepted by and drawn into.

TAG: Tell me a little about your background as a poet and how the art of spoken word drew your attention?

D.W.: My stepfather had a library of classic poets from which he would read aloud of an evening. Although born in ’55, my upbringing was a 19th century one; no television or radio. He instilled in me the seeds to perform from those evenings of Longfellow, Poe and Shakespeare.

TAG: How would you describe yourself as a poet and who influenced your style?

D.W.: I’m a scatter-shot poet…nothing too sacred or profane to miss poetic observation I feel. I’ve been compared to (literally) any poet you may think of. I stopped reading poetry at the age of nine when I began to write my own. I’d like to think that living has influenced me the most.

TAG: Which local poets do you enjoy most?

D.W.:I’ve never met ANY poet not worth listening to. I enjoy every one I meet and am privileged to hear.

TAG: How has the scene grown or changed since you got involved?

D.W.: Well, Mike Sowers brought the integrity of slam poetry, here on the local scene, back into line with that of the national scene. On my return to the city a couple of years ago the increased number of open mics was immediately noticeable and most welcome.

TAG: Do you have any places that really get the creative juices flowing? What’s your ideal setting for inspiration?

D.W.: Anywhere. Everywhere. Seriously.
I’ll let it rip
I’ve got the roar
Lay on the lip
like never before
Give you quick
or a soft slow down
Or lullabye sing
a feeling around

TAG: Most recent album you listened to?

D.W.: Probably the triple album “Yessongs” by the group Yes back in the mid-70′s. Although I do listen to Last Radio and Pandora on the Internet I prefer my music as I do my poetry; live and in person.

TAG: Most recent book you read?

D.W.: The Player of Games by Ian M Banks.

TAG: Best piece of advice you can give or have received?

D.W.: Any and all moralizing advice is wrong.

HIVE is a locally-produced quarterly comics anthology with international distribution. The fourth edition is due out at the end of April and is loaded with talented cartoonists. TAGSGF.com is tracking down its contributors to give you an inside look at what makes these cartoonists tick.

Malachi Ward is a second-time contributor to HIVE, but his work wasn’t always that of cartoon strips and comics. Six years ago Ward was a gallery artist, but then he made the jump. From Pasadena, CA, Ward is displayed at various spots across the U.S. When he’s not drawing, you can find him posted up at comic conventions or with his band – The Denouement (check out this non-traditional music notation … sweet!).

TAGsgf.com: How has your style changed and grown from a few years ago? It’s a pretty drastic difference.

Malachi Ward: It all happened pretty gradually. I think the style of art has changed a lot to suit the kinds of stories I want to tell through comics. It was a big jump for me to go from paintings for a gallery to the comic world. Of course, within the frame of comics there’s a huge variety of work, and I still wasn’t sure exactly what kind of comics I wanted to make. Slowly I honed in on what I liked and what I wanted to do.

MW: A lot of it was just making comics. I’d make a comic and not really be satisfied with it, either the artwork or the type of story, so I’d make adjustments on the next effort. I didn’t finish many of them, but it was all part of that “honing in” process. Of course I’d be inspired by other comics along the way and incorporate what I liked, or stay away from what I didn’t want to do. I was (and still am) probably soaking up lots of inspiration from other forms of storytelling also, like tv or movies.

MW: I think I’m just in a process of circling closer and closer to what I want to do. My work from six years ago doesn’t look a thing like what I’m doing now, it wasn’t even comics then, but I think the comics I’ll be doing six years from now won’t look quite so different from my present work. Hopefully it will be a lot better though!

TAG: When did you know this would play a major role in your life? How did you get started?

MW: I’ve been drawing my entire life, and I always knew that I wanted to be doing something art-related, but I jumped around between what specifically I wanted to do all throughout high school and college. I was a studio art major in collage, but towards the end I started to get into comics. One of the librarians at the school was actually giving me lists of good stuff to read: Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing, some Sandman comics, Hellboy, all mostly superhero related. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon “McSweeney’s Vol. 13″ (the one edited by Chris Ware and filled with old newspaper and “alternative” comics) that I started thinking of comics as something I wanted to actually make and not just read. I’ve been focusing on making comics ever since.

MW: Jordan at Grimalkin Press sent me an email asking if I wanted to submit something to Hive 3, I think after seeing some of my work online. I looked at some of the stuff he published in the previous volumes and like it a lot, so I got to work!

MW: A lot of the work I do draws on history and science. I’m always reading history books in particular. Usually ideas come while I’m reading about ancient civilizations. From there I start making notes, writing down ideas. Over time they sort of coagulate into a rough story and I start to write outlines and layout thumbnails of pages.

MW: Right now I mostly self-publish. I have a story called “The Scout” in Hive 3, and I’ll have story over at TopShelf 2.0 pretty soon. The easiest way to get my work is at my website, malachiward.blogspot.com. My comics are also at some comic shops scattered across north america, like Meltdown in LA, Floating World in Portland, Desert Island in New York, and Lucky’s in Vancouver.

MW: I like the most recent Joanna Newsom album a lot, but I also feel like I’ve just begun to dig into it. It’s more than two hours long, and I don’t think she repeats lyrics much!

MW: I’d probably toss a brick at Ignatz from Krazy Kat. He needs some of his own medicine!

TAG: Beer or coffee?
MW: Coffee I guess… but I don’t like either very much.

TAG: Favorite midnight snack?
MW: Those Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies.

MW: I’ll be at Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland April 24-25, so stop by the booth if you can! Also, go to malachiward.blogspot.com all the time! It’ll make you happy.

Carmelita DeLeon calls herself a “cross-genre photographer” and it takes just a quick glance at an exhibit to understand the description. She got her start by shooting collegiate sports when she became an SGFer in 1991 (originally from Effingham, Illinois), but has “expanded the scope” to include family and animal portraits, as well as engagements, reunions and commercial shoots. She’s adamant about leaving her work unedited, so viewers catch exactly what she captured. Her work frequents downtown galleries and other venues (most recently displayed at Lili’s Diner). DeLeon said she’s working on new collection. TAGsgf.com took the chance to ask a few questions of the eclectic photographer.

Carmelita DeLeon

TAGsgf.com: When did you become passionate about photography?

Carmelita DeLeon: I have always loved to look at life through the lens of a camera, but I really developed as a photographer while in college.

TAG: Did you go to school for photography or are you self trained?

CD: Years of practice and a little luck have really developed my skills behind the camera. I don’t edit or Photoshop any of my photos. What I see is what I want to share with my audience, of course my audience only sees about 10 percent of what I shoot. The other 90 percent go in the trash.  I’m pretty hard on myself…

TAG: What do you enjoy shooting most?

CD: It varies really. I’ve always loved shooting live, musical artists!  The energy linked with musicians is CRAZY!  I love it!  And when you can get musicians to initiate back and forth and connect…it just works and the fans love those pictures.  Family pictures are a huge hit, too.  When you can get families together and connect and capture a moment they aren’t expecting…wow.  Years later, those families will call and thank me for those memories.  It’s touching.

TAG: You just got back in town from a shoot. Where’d you go and did you get the shots you were looking for?

CD: I went to a small town in Arkansas to the Mildred B Cooper chapel. Even though rain was in the forecast, God must have wanted some good shots…NO rain and the sun was shining Ah… I did get the shots I was looking for and more!  The angles and lighting were absolutely perfect!

TAG: Do you anticipate what you want to shoot on these trips or is it all surprise?

CD: Even though I have some idea of what I would like to achieve, inevitably, the day hands me surprises.  Like I said, I’m a “lucky” kind of a gal. Last year for my birthday, a friend took me to a little town outside of Eureka Springs called Beaver. The Golden Gate, I believe is what it’s called and I have the most exquisite photos that came from that day, including great shots of local kids jumping off a rock…

TAG: Your work was recently displayed at Lili’s Diner. Where can/will people find collections in town?

CD: I do have a piece at The Gravel Bar at 843 S Glenstone.  It’s one of my favorites so you’ll have to get out there to see it!  Our local MS Society, Springfield Brewing Co, Kickapoo High School…I can’t really think of any other places right now off the top of my head.

Finish at the Tour of Missouri (DeLeon)

TAG: What inspires your photography? Places you prefer to shoot?

CD: Anything and everything inspires me.  Before I look through my lens, I ask myself one question.  How many times do I want to look at this photo?  If I want to look at it more that three, five, ten or twenty times…it’s photo worthy. I really like to shoot anywhere.  My camera is always with me because you just never know when that perfect opportunity is going to arise.

TAG: What do you need happening for a great shot? Favorite spots to take photos?

CD: No rain and an inside person to let me backstage.  Sometimes if you’re carrying a camera and walk with confidence, most people don’t even ask questions and just assume you’re with the media.  It’s kind of funny.  It doesn’t work all the time, but for the most part, it does.  Ha ha ha!  Music venues are my favorite places to shoot.  Like I said earlier…when you can get the artist to look at you or capture them interacting with the audience…it’s like magic!

TAG: Favorite park in Springfield?

CD: I would have to say Sequiota! The natural backdrops for portraits are amazing.

TAG: Bottle or can?

CD: Eh…usually a can.  Bottles break and are dangerous to those of us at the lakes and rivers!

TAG: Mini golf or real golf?

CD: Real golf!  I like to drive around the golf course, drink adult beverages and well…there’s nothing like teeing up your own ball and chasing it all over a big course, right?!  Maybe even losing a few balls along the way! Ha Ha Ha!

TAG: Lake or river?

CD: Depends on the day!  I love to fish and a weekend at the lake with a fishing pole and a nice sunburn…ahhh there’s nothing like it.  Yet being at the river … the gravel bars look different no matter how many times you’ve been to that same river.

(Do you have a favorite local artist you’d like to know more about? Send me an email – Brett@TAGSGF.com – with their name and why you enjoy their work. We’ll try to get a convo so you can learn more about SGF’s artists.)

HIVE is a locally-produced quarterly comics anthology with international distribution. The fourth edition is due out at the end of April and is loaded with talented cartoonists. TAGSGF.com is tracking down its contributors to give you an inside look at what makes these cartoonists tick.

Noah Van Sciver

Denver’s Noah Van Sciver has been published from Colorado to the Czech Republic. He makes brutally honest statements with clean illustration and conversational stories. HIVE Publisher Jordan Shiveley said Van Sciver is the “rising star” of issue four, but his work speaks for itself. Check out his website and keep a look out for more on HIVE Four. TAGSGF.com caught up with Van Sciver.

TAG: First, tell us a little about yourself and how you got hooked up with HIVE.

Noah Van Sciver: I’m an alternative cartoonist. I’m getting older everyday.
HIVE contacted me after the last issue came out to see if I’d be interested in appearing in the next issue. And I am always interested in working with anybody who also works with Hawk Krall, who is incredible.

TAG: How did you get started cartooning? Did you always have an interest in it?

NVS: Yeah, I’ve always loved cartoons and comics.
Whenever I think about it, it’s like drawing comics was a family thing.
All the boys in my family drew comics when we were growing up in this broken down house in New Jersey.
So, as I got older, it just seemed like the natural thing to do.

TAG: What cartoons did you read growing up? Who are some people you keep up with today?

NVS: I read a ton of stupid stuff. I won’t lie.
I read Ren & Stimpy, Ralph Snart, and this Calvin & Hobbes book that we had in our home. Also, Spawn was really big when I was growing up so I of course loved that. Milk & Cheese was also a comic that we had around as well.

TAG: The term “cartoon” has childish undertones. Your work boasts a dryish humor for adults. Describe your work to people who may not be familiar. What should they expect?

NVS: Expect that I am going to give you pure and simple entertainment and
easily understood comics.
I like to write short fiction comics as well as obscure historical stories.
For example, one of my most popular comics was about a man in Denver who killed another man
and then lived in his attic undetected for a long time. It’s a true story that didn’t get too much attention.
I would say that most of my work touches on themes dealing with desperation and how bad things can get.

TAG: How biographical does this become? There is one figure who shows up frequently and looks a bit like you. How much of the dialogue comes from you and how much is from your interpretation of the characters?

NVS: That figure is myself. I guess it’s all me. Although I try to write from other characters perspective.
When I do write autobiographical things, I do it with just the plain truth about myself,
but people always read those comics and think I’m being self deprecating. Unfortunately, I am not.

TAG: Where have you been published and what are some of your favorite collections?

NVS: I’ve been published all over the place. From MOME and The Comics Journal, to comics in the Czech Republic. I have a weekly comic strip in Denver’s Alt. Weekly Westword called 4 Questions which is a four panel interview comic that is conducted with a different band every week.
I recommend people seek out my comic book BLAMMO for the full Van Sciver experience.

TAG: Do you have any strips that stick with you? At what point in the process do you know you’ve got a great cartoon?

NVS: Yeah, I did this comic strip a couple of years ago about the horrible living conditions of my apartment here in Denver. I published it and my landlady some how got a copy of it. That led to a very uncomfortable conversation. But, people seem to really enjoy that comic.
Whenever I’m working on a new comic strip and it makes my girlfriend laugh, I know I’ve got a good one.

TAG: There’s plenty of options to play around Denver. When you aren’t drawing, how do you spend your time?

NVS: Most of the time I’m out taking a walk. Denver’s weather is almost always sunny. I like to go to the bookstores around here and relax. At night I’ll go out to see a band play somewhere.
Maybe get a drink at a bar.

TAG: Rocky Mountains or Colorado River?

NVS: Rocky Mountains.

TAG: Kyle Orton or Brady Quinn?

NVS: Well, Brady Quinn is my age so I guess I’ll go with him
just for that Orwell year of 1984.

TAG: Pinball or Skeeball?

NVS: Hhhmm… Pinball.

TAG: What’s the best recent album you’ve picked up? Comic book?

NVS: Jeremy Jay‘s album “A place where we could go”
is my new favorite album. He’s great.

A really good comic book is King-Cat by John Porcellino.
Poetically beautiful and honest.

TAG: Anything you’d like to add?

NVS: Yeah, I would like to win an ignatz award sometime.
Thank you.

Excerpt from Noah Van Sciver's I Want to Be Special to You

Wayward Wind by Peggy Wyman

TAGSGF.com: First, tell us a little bit about your background
Peggy W.: I was born in Kansas and grew up in SE Idaho. After graduating from the University of Idaho with a degree in Math, art was the last thing I would ever pursue. My sights were on a career in computers and, having enough of snow and winter, I moved to S. California to begin. Decades later I came to my senses and realized it was time to live life out of the workaday mainstream. So I set out to write the Great American (Historical) Novel.

TAG: When and how did you figure out you could put pine needles together to sculpt
P.W.: While doing research on the main character of my second book, I took a class in Native American basketry. That proved to be such a positive experience that I sought out more basketry classes until discovering coiling with pine needles. Immediately I was hooked and began making “normal” pine needle baskets as a way to reground myself after a day of being in the fictional world of my book characters.

Global Swarming by Peggy Wyman

In the decade since that moment, my work has been shown in over 250 solo, small group and juried exhibitions across the country and now resides in museum, corporate and individual collections from coast to coast.

TAG: Your work is very interesting … How would you describe it to somebody who has never seen it and tell us about the process of creating each piece. How do you get such intricate and unique designs?
P.W.: To people who are familiar with Topology, my sculptures are like three-dimensional Mœbius strips. To those who know the work of Escher, they are like something Escher would have created if he worked in 3-D. To others, I’d say imagine a long flexible rope the diameter of a pencil that someone has wound, looped and coiled round and round, gluing each length upon the one underneath it whenever two or more cross, allowing the rope to dictate the way it wants to go and working until the rope decides it’s time to stop. Instead of rope, I use a bundle of pine needles the diameter of a pencil, adding in more needles, one at a time, to keep the diameter constant as I go along. Instead of glue, I sew each coil into the ones beneath. Every natural material has a bias, a directionality. Adding needles to the coil subtly changes the direction of the coil. My job is to “listen” to the coil and allow it to define the shape. It’s a dance: the needles lead. I follow.

TAG: Who are some of your favorite artists?
P.W.: So many visual artists locally and nationally, I can’t choose without leaving someone out.

TAG: Your sculptures are displayed all over the states. What are a few of your favorite galleries where people can find your work? Where can people in Springfield find them?
P.W.: Locally my work is shown at Waverly House. Regionally at EureKan Art on N. Main in Eureka Springs and at Sturdevant Gallery on KK Highway, Lake of the Ozarks.

Exhibition-wise, I have work currently at 31st Contemporary Crafts Exhibition at the Mesa (AZ) Arts Center; 2010 Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock; National Art Premiere at Elmhurst Museum, Elmhurst, IL and the 2010 National Juried Exhibition at Baker Arts Center, Liberal, KS. At the latter, my piece “Global Swarming” took 2nd place in 3-D.

During the month of March, my work will be on exhibition at Decatur Arts, Decatur, Il along with four other fiber artists in the show: “Fiber by Five”. Opening for this show is Friday, March 5.

TAG: If you weren’t an artist, what would you do to earn a living
P.W.: God forbid! I’ve done my time in the corporate barrel. One of my goals in life is to never again wear panty hose. One of the things I did during my computer career was to live well beneath my means, to save as much money as I could and learn to invest wisely so, when the day came to turn in my corporate identity badge, I could walk out that door and never look back.

TAG: When you aren’t working, what are your favorite things to do
P.W.: That is an easy one. I love to read, especially sci-fi and fantasy. I enjoy walking all over our 100-acre ranch with our three lively pups. My husband and I built much of our home ourselves and, though we’ve lived here 5 years, we’re still finishing some parts of it. I’m also into gardening – veggies, roses, and flowers. The pine needles I use in my art need to be long and flexible so we take annual trips to the Carolinas or Georgia to gather the long-leaf needles that grow in those places. Those trips allow us to explore parts of the South. Getting to know the South was one of the reasons we moved to the Ozarks.

TAG: If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be and why
P.W.: My first book was about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It focused on two of the enlisted men of the Corps of Discovery: John Colter and George Shannon. I would dearly love to sit down and listen to their stories to see what really happened to them on that incredible journey.

TAG: If you could visit any period of time, what would it be
P.W.: Again it’s hard to choose. I’d love to be able to check out Ancient Egypt and Ancient China – to see/experience how the ruling classes lived as well as the general population.

Before I gave up writing, I did a lot of research on the time before the people of the earth shifted from a focus on the Goddess or Great Mother to male-dominated religions. I would love, love, love to go back to the time when women were honored for holding up more than half the sky and people were more tuned into the Earth and respected Her bounty rather than exploiting it.

TAG: Are you a dog or a cat person
P.W.: I’m an animal person. Dogs, cats, birds – 4-footeds and 2-footeds. Bring ‘em on.

TAG: Anything you’d like to plug?
P.W.: Buy art from your local artists, people. Use that money you’d spend going out for dinner and add art to your life. Your life and your soul will be better for it.

Told You So - By Sean Lyman

Sean Lyman is a naturalized SGFer. His drawings can tend to make viewers cringe a bit, and his new series – Rights of Passage – is getting ready to tour. We stole a few minutes from Sean for a Q&A.

TAG: First, could you give us the long-walk-on-the-beach intro to you?

S.L.: I have been in Springfield for five years now and I am an Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at Missouri State University. I am a Kansas transplant, and am enjoying my time in Missouri. I got my Undergraduate Degree from Wichita State University and Masters Degree from the University of Kansas.

TAG: What would people expect to see when you’re featured someplace?

S.L.: Drawings that are thoughtful… I might also expect a little discomfort, like going to the doctor for a shot.

TAG: How long have you been at it?

S.L.: Drawing? I have been drawing since I was a little kid. It started when my Mom used to draw me animals from Zoo Books… she eventually stopped and I had to make my drawings as good as my Mom’s.

TAG: When did you know your calling?

S.L.: Sometime during my junior year of college. I knew the only thing that would make me happy was to be making things.

Drone 1 - By Sean Lyman

TAG: “Rights of Passage” almost feels uncomfortable, but oddly inviting. I’m not sure that’s a very good description. It’s been difficult to explain. How would you describe it?

S.L.: It should feel uncomfortable, that is my goal in the end. The work deals with the idea of Identity and how it is easily altered based on situation and experience. The current images all deal with people having pillow case bags on their heads. This is loaded in content, but what I am using it for is the idea of gestation… before the identity is formed.

TAG: It’s going to be exhibited at Arkansas Tech, right? I’m trying to picture the look on a conservative Russelville coed’s face. What kind of response have you received or is this the first showing?

S.L.: I’m not sure how they will respond… Generally the responses I have gotten in the past have been positive.

TAG: Tell me about the connection with the school, you said you’ve been working on it for a while. How did this all come about?

S.L.: I was approached by the Gallery Director who I was in the Texas National 2008 with. He liked my work and it went from there.

TAG: Take me through the creative process. Do you have any rituals?

S.L.: The easiest way I can describe it is solitary. Music is certainly part of my ritual, I will make playlists based on what I think might get me going… but normally it is something that is an intuitive process and comes naturally.

TAG: What drives your inspiration?

S.L.: My experience

TAG: Whose work – historic and current – is your favorite?

S.L.: Jenny Saville, Francesca Woodman, Duerer, Jan van Eyke, Eric Fischl… there are honestly too many to list. And all serve a special purpose. One person I am really enjoying a lot right now is Monica Cook.

TAG: Do you have a favorite Pandora radio station?

S.L.: Clap your hands and say Yeah…

TAG: If you were in a Pixar movie would you be a monster or a robot?
S.L.: Monster

TAG: What actor would be your voice?
S.L.: Sir Anthony Hopkins

TAG: What restaurant has the best cashew chicken in SGF?
S.L.: I can honestly say I have no idea?? That makes me bad I know.

TAG: Favorite Sylvester Stallone movie?
S.L.: Over the Top

TAG: Where can we find your work in SGF?
S.L.: Right now it is only on my Blog

TAG: Give a plug for whatever you’ve got coming up or anything else you’d like to add:
S.L.: This show is going to be traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah in August and again to Hannover, Germany in November.

Lil Olive of Good Girl Art

(Story by Amanda Lane, originally published in SAUCE, April 09)

Lil Olive paints with a surreal touch and vivid imagination. The ambiance of Lil’s art studio is filled with objects and portraits that bring a vast amount of fervor and verve to create beautiful paintings of nature. There is also an essence of hidden characters that create a whimsical tale for viewers to ponder.

Born in Joplin, Lil Olive moved to Springfield in 1991 when her three young children. She graduated from Drury University with a degree in journalism prior to motherhood. Her education landed her in Washington DC for some time. Once she returned to the state of Missouri she became a nurse. With many endeavors under her belt, she quit nursing to conquer solely motherhood when she moved to the Queen City in the early 90’s. Olive, with her innovative mind, then decided she needed more fulfillment.

Olive began taking every art class in which she could bathe her paint brush. Her passion for landscape permitted her to convey “a not so obvious narrative” to enhance the observer’s thoughts. The representative splendor of her work is created in her studio where she listens to daft punk and instrumental music without words. Lil prefers to work in her studio, but likes to create in workshops to “drive out” energy. When working in her studio she enjoys having images and objects that construe the piece’s obscure story.

Outside of painting, Lil enjoys all things nature. She loves horseback riding, camping and hiking. She considers her children, ages 18, 19 & 21, her greatest accomplishments. Her wit and tight knit relationship with her kids keeps her life interesting and youthful.

You can find Lil’s work displayed at Good Girl Art Gallery. Good Girl has been open for six years, but recently moved to Walnut Street between Jefferson and South Avenue. Although, Lil Olive owns Good Girl she has never considered the gallery as just hers. She feels that it is owned by the other 40- plus artists that are exhibited.  Different artists are featured every month.

Don’t be surprised to find that many of her paintings are not for sale. Olive paints for the love of it rather than for profit.

Heather Amer of Heather Cherie Photography

Studio photographers can be demanding. “Tilt your head! Smile! Stop crying! Cheese!”

Heather Cherie Photography is the anti-studio. Heather (Amer, as her birth certificate would read) meets people in their natural environment and lets them relax. “I don’t know how it happens, but I have a way of making people feel comfortable. People are so often stressed about looking perfect. We work through that first – eliminating stress.” She masterfully uses natural light, capturing moments outdoors, all without any formal education in the arts. Amer, 24, graduated from Evangel with a business degree, and is entirely self-taught in her trade. “It’s something the I picked up on my own. I’m glad I went the route that I did.”

Amer never really intended to become a full-time photographer, but when friends and family came calling, one thing led to another. “It all happened right as I was graduating. Early on I photographed a wedding in Mexico and as it has developed, word of mouth took over.” Now nearly three years later, business is rolling and her style is captivating people all over the Ozarks. She struggles to pinpoint a description of her work, trying to avoid common artist catchphrases: “I hate to use the word candid because it’s so (cliche), but that’s not descriptive of all of my work.” She says people tend to give her credit for shots, but her modesty quickly retracts from a lot of praise. “There are some shots that I do that are of beautiful things, it just makes for a beautiful picture.”

Heather Amer captures people relaxed, while in their natural environment.

She has been an SGFer for life and stays involved in the community – mostly through work with James River Assembly. Amer leads a youth group with sister, Hona, a very rewarding but sometimes stretching experience. “It’s been a really cool experience (working) with Hona. We know eachother’s strengths and weaknesses, and throw each other overboard from time to time, in a good way.”

Heather Amer hasn’t had her work featured in any galleries, though offers have been there, especially regarding a collection from her trip to Thailand early in 2009. The most rewarding part for her has been the response from the people she photographs. “It’s so incredible to me that something that I could capture is so meaningful to somebody.”

You can find her work online and on Facebook.

For more information, you can shoot her an email at HeatherCheriePhotography@gmail.com

Too Long Gone - Holly Elkins

Without saying a word, Holly Elkins can narrate a story several generations long. Elkins combines research with great detail and paints the people. Their eyes tell the rest. “The story is behind the eyes. I paint people because I think (their eyes) are the most interesting thing to look at.” Elkins said she has always drawn and painted, but it wasn’t until college that art surfaced as a dominant passion. While studying to become a costume designer at the University of Texas she was required to take a handful of courses in drawing. One in particular required extensive study for a piece set in Africa. “I fell in love with the process of researching other cultures. It got me started painting works based on concepts I hadn‘t really considered.”

Holly Elkins

Painting had become a constant, but costume design paid the bills out of college. After graduating from UT Elkins worked in Denver before moving to Springfield in 2004 for a design gig in Branson. She became familiar with the local art scene and an “interesting group of artists in Springfield amazed (her). I left the theatre and decided to make a full push (for a career) in painting.“ Elkins works in acrylics and water color. Often, her pieces contain a seemingly simple background which gives way to exquisitely detailed characters whose eyes demand the attention. Vibrant shades are carefully placed drawing the mood in the appropriate direction. The results of her research-driven art is work set in other parts of the world – particularly Haiti.

Haiti was the poorest of the Americas until April of 2009 – when Nicaragua assumed the title – and it is estimated to have between 100,000 and 140,000 people living with AIDS (around 7,500 deaths annually). “I came across an AIDS organization and it really just touched my heart with how they were helping children in one of the most impoverished nations in the world.” Elkins donates 10% of everything she sells to Haitian charities to build children’s homes and medical facilities, something she barely mentions.

You can find her work featured this month at Fresh Gallery – 400 W Walnut – while you can. Elkins admits she’s beginning to feel a bit land-locked. “I know that I would like to live somewhere near the ocean. In (Austin, Texas) I was just three hours from Galveston and I’m kind of missing that.”

For more information, visit her website.

Gabe, left, and Terry Bloodworth form a vase at Springfield Hot Glass. Demonstrations are happening all the time.

Terry Bloodworth left his gig of more than two decades to chase the “dream of every artist.” After 25 years impressing constant Silver Dollar City crowds he made the leap based on a feeling that the smoldering SGF art scene was about to burst into flame. Seven years (this coming May) later, Springfield Hot Glass and Art Studio lies at the heart of downtown – at 314 S Campbell. “Silver Dollar City was a great place to learn the craft aspect (of blowing glass), but frankly, I wanted to be a part of the art movement in Springfield,” he said. “At the time this area was being very underutilized, it was mostly unoccupied.” Even though most of Campbell was vacant then, Bloodworth’s faith has been rewarded with a host of neighbors to fan the art flame. “We have shared goals. It’s a creative neighborhood of small, creative, family-owned businesses.”

When you enter Hot Glass, you are immediately invited to learn about the craft. A small shop in the front of the open room features a wide variety of pieces to purchase – including vases, night lights, pitchers, jewelry, and decorative pieces (the penguins are my niece’s favorites), of which 90% are created by friends and family, mostly in the shop – with the workshop in the back.

More than 90% of the items to purchase are made by family and friends.

Terry or Gabe, his son and successor, explain what they’re doing to the glass torching it in more than 1,500-degrees. They move quick through each piece, a fascinating action-packed sequence of blowing, forming and adding color – though much more complicated than that sounds.

Gabe has been under Terry’s tutelage since he was 12 and the natural ability was immediately evident. It’s a dangerous venture, so he started with simply grabbing tools from around the shop, but by 15 Gabe had discovered that he really enjoyed it. “He’s got a great visual sense and more talent than I do,” Terry concedes. Now, Gabe is moving into the “gaffer” (person in charge of the bench) role and his father couldn’t be having a better time at work. “It’s fun too work with someone who is very gifted and coachable, but the best part of the gig is to get to work with my son.”

Springfield’s only blown glass shop is open throughout the week with constant demonstrations, but also offers technical classes. “We use straight-forward tools in an art that’s more than 2,000 years old. Machines cannot duplicate this work by hand. I don’t see this kind of work becoming obsolete.”

The biggest perk for Terry (right) Bloodworth is working each day with talented son, Gabe.

For more information, visit Springfield Hot Glass online.

Story by Amanda Lane

Kris and Al of Clement's Clayworks

Kris and Al Clement aren’t your average potters. They create art which hosts our daily intake of essential vitamins and minerals. Kris says with buoyancy, “our pottery just makes food taste better.” Their work carries the essence of Frank Lloyd Wright in that each piece is created to serve two purposes: form and function. “We don’t want to make another ‘something’ that is going to collect more dust,” says Al.

After receiving degrees in French, English, Education, and Music, Kris left her St. Louis home for Springfield in 1988, with aspirations of finding a career in music. The Clement pair met shortly following after when drowning in country music, the twang-less mama didn’t find her calling. Al, a Springfield native, was an outdoor specialist for Burrell Behavioral Health. Al showed recovering alcoholics and drug addicts how to cope through navigating the wilderness. I guess you could say he literally paved an alternate path for troubled beings.

Once Kris realized her musical passion wasn’t in Springfield, she began searching for another creative outlet. Kris took her first clay class at OTC. On the first day, her class was told they would learn no more than how to play with. Unsatisfied, Kris Clement found a mentor – Dedee Johnson – who taught her everything she needed to know to develop her skills as potter. Kris passed the knowledge on to her best friend – Al – who made it clear the moment was nothing like the memorable scene from “Ghost”. He sat at her side, but kept his hands to himself – and the clay.

They established Clement Clayworks 15 years ago – shortly after their son, Josh, took his first step on the school bus. Josh had the luxury of staying at home with his mom when he was a wee tike. Kris opened her own daycare to ensure that Josh was raised by her and not strangers. No matter what endeavors they face, the Clements continue to do business right. They do it for the good, whether it’s doing it to watch your kid grow up or to make something that adds beauty to your table, not because they hate authority or that evil “m” word (Hint: rhymes with honey). “We want to be a part of the solution, not part of the problem,” explains Kris.

These clay love birds can be found at around 40 art shows along all stretches of U.S. Highways. Their work is never displayed in a shiny case or at any store in Springfield for that matter. The Clements stay true to their cause, which is to form a relationship with every customer. What they sculpt makes consumers more mindful. “It’s not fluff … If people want something without purpose they’ll go to TJ Maxx,” Kris says.