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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v08n11)
Broad Ripple Art Fair - Profiles of three artists - by Hannah Waltz
posted: May 27, 2011

by Hannah Waltz

Rob Thomas & Tanya Gerard - didgeridoos
The mystery and playfulness of the name didgeridoo perfectly aligns with the actual nature of the wind instrument. Originally designed to celebrate ceremonies and human life, the didgeridoo is a wind instrument of the Australian Aboriginals.
Artists Rob Thomas and Tanya Gerard have been zealous players and creators of the didgeridoo for over twenty years. They harvest Agave plants to create these fascinating instruments, polish them up, and paint nature-inspired designs on the finished piece such as moonflowers and shells.
The didgeridoo creates a rich and resonant tone that sounds very natural and easily reached the ears of those who attended the art fair this year. As Tanya and Thomas expertly played the instruments, children and adults alike gathered round to watch. . . and some even to dance.
"Kids are especially mesmerized by it; they usually start to dance. It seems we learn to work very hard at forgetting. That's the great thing about art shows-they're filled with people who remind you," Thomas said.

Rob Thomas & Tanya Gerard - didgeridoos
Rob Thomas & Tanya Gerard - didgeridoos
image courtesy of Hannah Waltz


Broad Ripple Art Fair - Profiles of three artists - by Hannah Waltz
image courtesy of Hannah Waltz


Broad Ripple Art Fair - Profiles of three artists - by Hannah Waltz
image courtesy of Hannah Waltz


Broad Ripple Art Fair - Profiles of three artists - by Hannah Waltz
image courtesy of Hannah Waltz


Joy Wallace - "creative curiosity" pieces
Artist Joy Wallace decked her tent at this year's Broad Ripple Art Fair with paintings and drawings that invited all fair-goers to open their minds to magical possibilities. Each piece oozed with Wallace's obvious passions for children, curiosity, and literature. They also offered a bit about the artist herself.
"I love to read, so everything I read is part of the story within me-the feeling of elsewhere you can get to in a book," Wallace said.
Hailing from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, Wallace brought her world to Broad Ripple through her works of wonder. One work in particular catches the eye called Another day, just like any other day in which she illustrates a normal dining room setting with colorful sticks, ribbons, and leaves dancing around the room with no one in particular to witness this extraordinary (or ordinary) event.
"I hope there's a greater sense of enchantment or wonder, a kind of intimate quality," Wallace said of her art.
Wallace's paintings and drawings often seem to offer the view of a universal onlooker considering possibilities of an almost dream-like quality. The images evoke a sense of sudden comprehension of life around us all the time, but are so obvious, it's often hidden-a conundrum shared by all.
"We can be different, but there's a basic thread in our dreams."

Joy Wallace - creative curiosity pieces
Joy Wallace - creative curiosity pieces
image courtesy of Hannah Waltz


Broad Ripple Art Fair - Profiles of three artists - by Hannah Waltz
image courtesy of Hannah Waltz


Broad Ripple Art Fair - Profiles of three artists - by Hannah Waltz
image courtesy of Hannah Waltz


Laurie Fowler & Bill Thelen - Sculptural Fiber
Spouses Laurie Fowler and Bill Thelen quite literally weave their skills together to create sculptural fiber and mixed media constructions.
The artwork this power duo creates is fluid in shape, yet very sturdy in structure. Thelen, learned in the art of dimensional and sculptural mixed media, lays the foundations for the shape a piece will take by welding steel into elegant forms. Fowler then weaves color into the piece with fiber in and around the metal base yielding breathtaking results.
The artists often seek inspiration in Lake Michigan as they enjoy the waves and the reflections of the sun.
"We've actually created a series of pieces just by looking at the water," Fowler said.
The two have crafted pieces for the American Greeting Card Company as well as the Dallas Airport.

Laurie Fowler & Bill Thelen - Sculptural Fiber
Laurie Fowler & Bill Thelen - Sculptural Fiber
image courtesy of Hannah Waltz


Broad Ripple Art Fair - Profiles of three artists - by Hannah Waltz
image courtesy of Hannah Waltz




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