Local Indiana artists display work in Art in Hand Gallery

UD student, Jamie Blodgett, reviews Indiana gallery that displays artwork in an array of mediums. Photo courtesy of Blodgett.

Jamie Blodgett | Contributing Writer

Local artists founded the Art in Hand Gallery in 2000 in Zionsville, IN. The local artists featured are continuously changing within the gallery bringing an array of mediums and different styles to the art industry. 

Currently, there are 22 artists displaying their work at the ‘Art in Hand Gallery,’ but the gallery continuously adds new artists. Current artists being featured at the gallery include Scott Kinzie, Ken Rabbers, Susan Kline, Judy DeGan, Lisa VanMeter, Sally Phillips, Tim Lewis, Steve Miller, Sylvia Gray, Micah Kirby, Christine Davis and Bob Anderson. You can even have your work shown at the gallery by applying via their website. Below see descriptions of each of the artists featured at the gallery currently. 

Photography 

Scott Kinzie is a local photographer who began taking images in the mid 1970s. He was noted to have said, “My goal is to let others see nature through my eyes.” His photos feature nature as well as macro and architectural photography.

A fellow photographer is Ken Rabbers, but unlike Scott, Ken’s signature is black and white. Ken appreciates that photography provides an avenue to explore in detail the world around us.

Painted Silk

The gallery includes other works of art besides photography. Sylvia Gray does a rare and unique medium called painted silk. She is trained in shibori, or a Japanese dyeing technique and is inspired often by many different German Expressionists, especially Romare Bearden.

Pottery

Yet another unique medium style is Raku pottery, which is the specialty of Christine Davis. This type of pottery is done at a temperature of 1900 degrees. Davis is also a founding member of ‘Art in Hand’.

A fellow pottery specialist is Judy DeGan. She calls her pottery business ‘Piece of my Peace’. Sh

e is the mom of four children and never duplicates any of her pieces. Many times she looks to make unique items to be featured on a table to bring peace within the viewers daily life.

Mixed Medium

Susan Kline’s art is mixed media. She suggests that her art is a “direct line from my heart to my hands… that will find its owner in its own time.”

Painting 

Tim Lewis began “Realism” work as a painter after retiring in 2014. He had completed 2.5 years at Purdue University pursuing a degree in electrical engineering but then changed majors to graduate with an associate degree in technical illustration.

Printmaking

Another uncommon medium featured is Lisa VanMeter’s printmaking, focusing specifically on nature and the world around her. Her work features various elements of nature ranging from the snow to farms all the way to flower covered gardens. She follows a unique process called the color reduction method. This involves taking the color depth of a given image and decreasing it.

Jewelry

Sally Phillips is unique as well as she uses her skill to design jewelry. Beginning ten years ago Sally began wire wrapping jewelry which is a technique she has built upon over the years and has continued to trademark throughout her time even adding 14k gold and sterling silver to her work.

Similarly, Micah Kirby is also a jewelry maker in his own right. Micah’s work takes a contemporary approach to jewelry while highlighting his training in cold connections, inlay, silver fabrication, advanced chain making, cabochons and fold forming.

Wood making

Yet another form of medium highlighted in the gallery is the art of wood making. Artist Steve Miller takes his 30 years of graphic design and applies that to “build items with a longer life.” 

Similarly, artist Bob Anderson retired from his 30 years of pharmaceutical research and began the art of woodworking. Anderson uses wood from local downed trees that would have gone to a landfill to create his work. It typically takes a year or longer for each piece of Anderson’s artwork to be made. Each piece is air dried naturally.
The above artists are just a few of the unique and talented individuals displaying their pieces for the world to see.

If you have a unique art form, consider submitting your work.

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