Call to Artists - True Love and Broken Hearts February Show


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1P2yoSQrHp3-MXh0Ww22uxr6mIzUp0IoL8l9U7NaIm04/viewform?usp=send_form

We are seeking work for a group show opening in February! What could be more fitting than show about love and heartbreak?

TO APPLY: Fill out application here and send 2-3 photos of your current work to tintopart@gmail.com. Deadline to apply is January 5, 2015

If you are selected to exhibit you will be asked to submit 1 or 2 pieces for the show. Work must be dropped off by JANUARY 26, 2015. 2-D or 3-D work accepted. Must be ready to hang/display, all mediums will be accepted, nothing larger than 40" wide or tall. Work must be new or made within the past two years.

 Please email me with any questions or you can call 703-999-2997.

Featured Artist: Jody Mussoff


Black Net2014 
I'm so happy to have Jody Mussoff as our featured artist this month! Jody is a well established and prolific artist, concentrating on drawing and ceramics. She's been showing her work since the mid-70's and has a pretty impressive resume - her work is in the public collections of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, DC to name a few. 

I fell in love with her work immediately after seeing it at Gathered in Front Royal, VA. Her work is fun, whimsical, expertly executed, thoughtful and clever. Although, she considers herself as retired, she continues to crank out work in her home studio and keeps Tin Top stocked with her original drawings, prints, cards and ceramics.

Read on to learn more about her. And be sure to come into Tin Top Art and Handmade! 
_______________________________________________________________________
When did you decide to pursue art as your profession?
It was my identity and my decision as long as I can remember - since I was 5, maybe.
Did you study art in school?
I had a year of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon, and  2 years at the Corcoran School of Art. My year at Carnegie Mellon could easily be considered 'anti-art' school, but that's another story.
How did you get to where you are today?
1. Supportive parents: 
Growing up, I had parents who supported my talent - sent me to art schools as a child, and encouraged me in countless ways.  
2. Creative energy, discipline, and a good full-time job:  
As a young adult, I worked hard making lots of drawings, and I was a federal employee.  The latter supported the former.  I worked in a wonderful museum - the Hirshhorn - as a library technician for most of that time, so I was surrounded by art books, art, and art people.  
3. Galleries to represent me, and a bit of diversity: 
When I was about 26, I found a gallery in DC who represented me and had many exhibits of my work for over 20 years.  The owners of that gallery introduced my work to a NY gallery, who showed my work also, for about 10 years.  A Swedish gallery owner had a couple of solo shows for me in the 80s.  Plus solo shows and group shows in various places in the US.  All that peaked in the late 80s and 90s, and dwindled down by 2005 or so.  In the 90s, I also turned to making ceramics as a respite from the occasional monotony of drawing.  The challenge of the 3D work was a welcome change.
4. Age and location:
 I am now retired, more relaxed, and making smaller, more whimsical drawings.  Being out of the big city means lots of changes.
Where is your studio?
We live on a hill overlooking a part of the Shenandoah Valley, so my studio for drawing is really our sunroom,  where I sit in a chair, looking out at the view, with a table of colored pencils.  I have a small pottery  studio down the driveway, where I have a wheel (no kiln).  And when I draw on my pottery, I sit at my desk where I pay bills, work on the computer, etc.

Vice Versa 2, 2010

Why have you chosen drawing as your current medium?
For the most part, I've made primarily color pencil drawings thoughout the last 30 years.  It's a medium that's immediate, not messy or toxic, and very portable.  I can get my images out simply and spontaneously.  And I love line.
Why do you feel art is important/relevant today?
It taps into and shines a light on the human experience.  Makes both the artist and the viewer into observers and interpreters of what we're all living through.  Today or a hundred years ago - the same thing.
Is there anything you'd like the public to know about your work upon purchasing it?
The only thing, really, is that the images come from my head, and that these images hope to connect with you in some way.
What is the most gratifying part of making your work?
I'm most gratified when the drawing I make matches the image I have in my head, or if not that, when it evolves into something wonderful that I hadn't expected.



Where do you find inspiration?
Reading books, looking at people, observing my surroundings, paying attention to detail, walking my dog, sitting and visualizing.
How do you get yourself out of a creative rut?
I usually don't force it.  I just don't work on anything and eventually an idea will hit me.  On the other hand, sometimes if I sit down and start doodling, a drawing will appear.  So you never know!
Describe yourself in 5 words.
Funny, honest, introverted, neurotic, irreverent
Describe your work in 5 words.
Colorful, humorous, fictional, symbolic, heartfelt

To learn more and  see more of Jody Mussoff's work, check out her website here.

Intro to Classical Drawing




Intro to Classical Drawing with Michael Cecere

Students will be introduced to classical drawing techniques while drawing a plaster cast. Students need to bring pencils, erasers, sharpeners and a drawing pad. 

September 25th • 6:30-8:30pm

$20 fee

Click Here to Register 

Opening Reception for Lauren Fleming-Buchbauer


Death in the Garden
A Collection of Photos by Lauren Fleming-Buchbauer 
Opens this coming Friday, September 5th

Opening Reception
September 5th 7-10pm 

Tin Top Art & Handmade
130 North Loudoun Street
Winchester, VA 22601

Please come out and support local art! 
This is Lauren's first solo show and Tin Top's first special exhibit of photographic work. 

Featured Artist: Karen Sikie




Meet Karen Sikie!

Karen currently has a collection from her Butterfly Messenger series of collage/rubbings on display at Tin Top. If you haven't seen these gorgeous pieces please come by!


Karen was born and raised in southern California. Out of high school she attended UCLA as a French major. It was there she discovered Gustav Klimt, Ernst Haeckel, Egon Schiele, William Morris and Alponse Mucha and the dormant artist was awakened.  She left UCLA and pursued an independent study program at El Camino College. She conducted life drawing sessions in her apartment and surrounded herself with art by working as a framer and in a local art galleries. As a framer she was introduce to many types of decorative papers and they began to make their way into her paintings. Soon the papers took over completely and she developed a highly specialize form of collage she calls “Paper Mosaics”.   She then began working with interior designers installing “Paper Mosaic” murals in small interior spaces and eventually gaining representation at the Pacific Design Center with the Bradbury Collection.  This led to exposure in The House Beautiful Celebrity Design House in 2003, the Hancock Design House in 2004, and the Pasadena Design House 2008. Her interior design contacts expanded from there.    As she grew as an artist she became interested in also working with Lucite. This enabled her have more flexibility when working with interior designers by installing the Lucite as panels in doors or using them as partitions. The Lucite has an amazing reaction to light. This is what Elements Kitchen’s Head Chef Onil Chibas saw when he commissioned her to do all the work for his new fine dining restaurant, including the bar area. Her work is currently shown at Cisco Home showrooms in Los Angeles and Pasadena. And, she is an active member of the Los Angeles Art Association.



When did you first realize you were an artist?
In College I decided to pursue being an artist.

Why have you chosen your current medium?
I always loved paper and when I worked as a framer I was exposed to beautiful decorative papers. I was studying painting at the time and the paper made its way into my paintings. Soon papers took over completely.

Why do you feel art is important/relevant today?

We are in the age of the creative so people now are looking to the arts for spiritual and intellectual nourishment.


What has been the most difficult challenge for you as an artist?

Becoming a business person and learning to make money with my art.

Is there anything you'd like the public to know about your work upon purchasing it?
That it is  my intention when I create it that the piece finds a home and that the owner derives joy in looking at the piece.

What is the most gratifying part of making your work?

The creation process.
Where do you find inspiration?
Nature and patterns and spiritual concepts like transformation (butterflies)!

What's your studio playlist?
Im love Hay House Radio which is a talk show and pandora on world beat or 70s rock.

Where is your studio?
My garage is attached to my house and converted to my studio.


How do you get yourself out of a creative rut?
I have never been there
Favorite blog/movie/tv show/book that never fails to inspire or just clears the mind.
Love all kinds of movies and tv shows but I mainly read memoir or spiritual text. Just finished "Unbroken" and always have "the Untethered Soul" or and Echart Tolle Book nearby.

You have a time machine. Where are you going?
the future. I am obsessed with going into space!

Share a recipe - bonus points if there's a story behind it.
I hate to cook

What's your dream project - if you had all the time and materials in the world?
Build an Eco home on 3 acres of land with chickens and I would rescue grey hounds. I have one already

What artists influence your work - who are your creative idols?
Mary Delany, Rex Ray, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, William Morris to name a few.

Describe yourself in 5 words.
seeking, creative, conscious, dreamer, homebody

Tell us something funny that happened recently.
I was at the International Garden Nursery with my greyhound who is super docile and sweet. All of sudden he leaped over some hedges and knocked over something and got tangled! I couldn't image what caught his attention... There were several chickens running around. Never saw them there before apparently they escaped from a neighboring home.Thank god he didn't catch one!

How do you find balance?
Meditate in the morning and before bed

Is there a story behind your blog/shop name?
Paper Mosaic is a descriptive way I work. Thought it was more interesting that
"Collage". Each piece of paper is hand cut and placed one at a time.

What's your typical day?
My days are flexible. I assist my husband with his work three days a week and work in my studio and art business the rest. I LOVE having flexibility.

We're handing you plane tickets to anywhere. Where are you going?
somewhere peaceful and close to nature. Hawaii comes to mind

What's your favorite local haunt?
The art supply store!


To learn more about Karen Sikie please visit her website at: www.karensikie.com


Featured Artist: Karen Watson


Karen Watson is a mixed media artist based out of Potomac Falls, Virginia. Working with acrylic paint, ink and collage, she incorporates varying materials including paper, photographs and objects. She enjoys experimenting with texture and dimensional art to create a piece that is visually stimulating and also interactive in the hope that others may find it interesting and add to their own home or collection.

Karen was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions for us to gain more insight into her thought and process behind her work. To see more of Karen's work visit infusionarts.com and be sure to visit us at Tin Top Art and Handmade. We currently have five of Karen's mixed media pieces on display and for sale.

Why do you feel art is important/relevant today?
I think in our fast paced world, it’s so easy to lose touch with ourselves. With all the external obligations of everyday life, it’s easy to spend all your time attending to the demands placed on you by others and soon forget what you are all about. Art is a way to get and stay in touch with yourself – what is inspiring, honest and true to you, rather than what someone else needs you to be. I sometimes catch myself getting off track by starting pieces that are likely of interest to others – and these are the pieces that don’t really work out as well in the end. The work needs to come from me, be inspired from within, and in that case, it is actually more likely to resonate with others as well.


What has been the most difficult challenge for you as an artist?


Taking myself seriously as an artist. For years I couldn’t call myself an artist. I still consider myself as someone who creates more than “an artist” but more importantly, I take it seriously. I’ve always been internally driven to make things. As a child, I drew, worked with my grandpa in his woodshop, and made all kinds of little do-dads. It’s always been a part of who I am, and therefore easy to take for granted and not take seriously. Until you realize that if you don’t do it, you are really missing out on an important aspect of your life and selling yourself short.



Pattern Whimsy - Currently at Tin Top


What is the most gratifying part of making your work?


The moment when the color, pattern, and design all come together in a way that couldn’t have been anticipated, and the piece just hits a sweet spot and is larger than the sum of its parts. That’s the moment when tears briefly come to my eyes, and I see something new that wasn’t there earlier. I don’t have a fully developed vision of a finished piece before I begin, and even when I plan the color scheme or design ahead of time, the planning isn’t able to evolve beyond a certain point without getting my hands dirty. In many of the classes that I’ve taken, I hear it over and over from teachers, “just start.” I say, “just start, and then follow yourself.”




Shell & Sea Fan (sold)

Where do you find inspiration?


I’ve always been a collector of little stuff – mostly items found in nature like rocks, shells, bug wings, leaves, pods, sea glass, nests -- I’m on a perpetual treasure hunt. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, we were always outside and in the woods and I learned to “see” and find interesting many things that most people would probably not find so appealing. I remember digging randomly in places just knowing that I would hit a treasure (which, incidentally, did not happen other than the occasional old horse shoe.) And, nirvana at the beach, where treasures just wash right up to me – love it!

I’m obviously inspired by the natural world as well as small items that have a history or tell a story like coins, stamps, old paper documents, keys, and books, as well as dramatic architectural elements and interesting color combinations.

Describe yourself in 5 words:


trusting, optimistic, funny, warm-hearted, inventive

Sundown Festival


Tin Top is an official sponsor of Sundown - an indie rock a folk festival to be held June 28 at Willow Grove Farm here in Winchester, VA. There will 28 bands, various art and food vendors and craft and domestic beer! Get yer tickets now! Check out www.sundownfest.com for more info and of course "like" the Sundown page on facebook here.

Rad Grads Gift Guide

Gotta chicken flying the coop? 
Whether they're off to college or traveling to far off lands,
 Tin Top has a unique gift to send them off with!


Virginia Pillows by Dreamfly


Winchester Cutting Boards and Coasters by Richwood Creations


For the Traveler
Travel Jars by June Jars


For the Art Student
Typography Art by That's What She Said Art 



For the Writer
Journals by Amanda Michael Harris and Pens by Timber and Whimsy


Just because Bow Ties are Cool.
Look smart in a bow tie by Anykind


Inspirational Quote Magnets by Vintage Type Girl