Page 16 - the NOISE February 2013

16 • FEBRUARY 2013 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us
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Silver Capped Amber Necklace by Christina Norlin captures the elements used by the artist in her new pieces found at the Artists’ Gallery.
storage. From Hinterland is less weighted by refined forms or logical placement of colors. All the elements are loose and more freely intuitive and abstract.”
I ask Ms. Coe about recent inspirations. “Life and everything it entails, nature, mys- tery, fairy tales, mythology, science fiction... these and more are all sources which rein- vent themselves in many of my composi-
tions. It’s a cacophony, I know. Everything I create just sort of spins out from where I am in the moment.
“Automatism is something that I actually take very seriously; creativity to me is never a completely planned event and I don’t feel confined to stay within some kind of frame- work of my own or someone else’s. I always feel surprised by what happens on the can- vas. It is like a game of Exquisite Corpse.”
Gallery One13 is a fun place to be for the First Friday ArtWalk on February 1, from 6 to 9PM. The art of Ms. Coe will be up for the en- tire month of February. CharmagneCoe.com
GLASS, MiniAtuRES AnD MORE
I met Artists’ Gallery stained glass artist Chris Norlin a few years back when she in- vited me out to her studio to see where she works, how she works, and her creations in progress.
She even gave me a mini lesson in solder- ing, and lent me tools so I could experiment in stained glass at home in my garage. After almost soldering my foot, I decided perhaps I ought to stick to glue, and further realized how much energy and skill go into the intri- cate stained glass pieces that Ms. Norlin so passionately creates.
This February, Ms. Norlin, Sondra Francis, Mary Carter and Katherine Farr are fea- tured in the window of the Artists’ Gallery.
a farm girl roaming the fields and streams, which is why I so enjoy the Flagstaff area,” Mary Carter tells me. “It’s been more than 20 years since I owned a car, so I ride my bike and walk everywhere. I get lots of ideas for my paintings observing the plants, trees and skies as well as the animals, wild and domes- tic. I also must mention that I am a member of the Cloud Appreciation Society (a rather obscure English society that really has a fantastic website, but I get a lot of laughs because I always have to point out the won- derful clouds we see here.) I carry my cam- era with me everywhere so I don’t miss some wonderful sight.”
“My miniature paintings began when I lived in Florida and owned a framing shop,” Ms. Carter tells me. “Several of my custom- ers were members of the Miniature Art Soci- ety of Florida so I eventually joined and had paintings in their shows. I really enjoyed it, but until a few years ago I hadn’t painted at all; there were too many outdoor pursuits here in Flag. I started again and have thor- oughly enjoyed doing landscapes, tiny de- tails that people often overlook, and also pet portraits on commission.
“The framing I particularly enjoy because I’ve been a picture framer for years and work part-time at Aficionado Framing here in town,” Ms. Carter continues. “I like to use a variety of mats and frames and techniques to make the miniatures look as wonderful as possible. I’m looking forward to a lot more years of doing this since, with the variety of subjects available, I just never get bored.”
You can see work by the featured artists in the window of, and inside The Artists’ Gal- lery, located at 17 N. San Francisco during the First Friday ArtWalk on February 1, from 6 to 9PM and throughout the year.
“I grew up in Southwestern Wisconsin as
FlagstaffArtistsGallery.com