ArtsGo! 2009

By Charlee Beasor

April 27, 2009 04:56 pm

— For Laura Tesdahl, a flower is all she needs to create art.
“I’m inspired by nature,” she said. “Flowers, from the budding, to blossoming, and dying and the changing colors. Spring is my favorite time of year.”
That’s why Frazee Gardens was an appropriate place for Tesdahl to show her botanical illustrations during the Hendricks County Arts Council’s fourth annual ArtsGo! tour.
“I’m so excited to be able to draw all day amongst the botanicals, it’s exciting,” Tesdahl said. “(Drawing) is a very teachable skill, it’s all about learning how to see lines, to learn how to really see things in a different way.”
Tesdahl was one of about 75 artists in all mediums to open their art to the community Saturday during the event. There were artists all over the county at different venues, including the Bread Basket Café & Bakery in Coatesville, the Blanton House in Danville, the Avon Town Hall, and the Pittsboro One Room School House.
Doris Martin, who portrays one of the school marms at the Pittsboro One Room School House, was on hand there with her spinning wheel, demonstrating how to spin yarn out of wool.
“(The spinning wheel) works like a bicycle, the tread is like the pedal,” she said. “The job of any spinning wheel is to put a twist into it to turn it into yarn. It’s very relaxing.”
Martin has been spinning wool since she retired in 1996. She had on display some of her tatting, weaving, knitting, and crocheting.
She also volunteers at the state women’s prison by teaching the inmates how to spin and weave.
“It’s a very humbling volunteer thing, they’re so appreciative of your time and it’s relaxing for them too,” Martin said.
Della Stanley-Green of Plainfield stopped in to see Martin spin wool.
“I’ve never gotten to come before, and they’ve got it set up for interesting venues and interesting artists,” she said. “We’re going to Lizton, through Danville, Clayton and then back to Plainfield. I think (ArtsGo!) is great.”
Martin also uses her art as a form of teaching students who come through the school house. It takes her about eight hours to spin enough yarn to fill a skein of yarn.
“One skein (of yarn) is about enough for a baby’s hat or pair of mittens,” she said. “I tell the children that in Pioneer days, if they’ve had a good year they might get one good outfit a year.”
There were also chainsaw carvers set up at Frazee Gardens, as well as Cheryle Lowe, whose particular art medium is watercolor paintings.
“I put my daughter in art lessons and she inspired me to get started, she created a monster,” Lowe joked.
Lowe, of Pittsboro, said she was proud to be a part of the ArtsGo! tour so she could get to know the people of the community.
“You get your stuff out there, and it’s getting to know the people who are really interested in art,” she said. “It’s fun to be out in the community, it brings a lot of the arts (to the community) and you can share your passion.”
For more information on upcoming arts council events, visit the website at www.hendrickscountyarts.org.

charlee.beasor@flyergroup.com

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