THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 36, Number 45 Thursday, November 12, 2020 A Life of Imagination & Creativity by Linda Weigel Editor’s note — This is the latest in an ongoing series that profi les women artists in the region. “The power of imagination makes us infi nite.” John Muir For Michigan City artist Laurel Izard, her imagi- the early 1900s, setting up her easel and canvas in nation is akin to a bottomless well of ingenuity, cre- British museums to copy famous paintings. ativity, color and design. “I grew up with one of them, which is a stable An infi nite pool to explore. scene,” she said. “I’ve seen photographs of the origi- Over the years, her work has evolved, pushing nal in art books.” through various media and revealing a highly in- For her, art was imbedded into the very fi ber of dividualistic voice. For her, making art “is both a her family. In fact, she can’t remember not making meditation and dialogue art. As a youngster, she with the materials and would get frustrated for the elements of art,” and not having the manual this dialogue, combined dexterity for sewing, em- with a highly imaginative broidering or knitting. mindset, have brought That came later. forth impressive results. “One of the fi rst things Born in Elgin, Ill., Iz- I made from fabric was ard spent her early child- a stuffed brontosaurus hood in Crystal Lake and out of Kelly green fabric Northbrook, Ill. Later, I had gotten for Christ- during her high school mas,” she said. years, she lived on an I found it interesting uncle’s farm, where she that a dinosaur repre- spent time out in nature. sented one of her earli- With innate curiosity and est works, noting the link a keen eye for observa- between those youthful tion, those times outdoors efforts with more recent held a strong infl uence as works. she grew up. She received her Bach- She comes from a long elor of Arts from Northern line of artists, “so being Illinois University, where creative and artistic was she studied anthropology. not anything unusual or During her senior year, remarkable in my fam- she took an art course in ily,” she said. Both her ceramics, which became parents made art. Her her passion and focus. father was a commercial From there, she contin- artist who worked out of ued her clay studies, re- Chicago. Her great-aunt ceiving a Master of Fine Edith traveled abroad in Laurel Izard is photographed sewing at home. Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 November 12, 2020 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 Beacher Company Directory e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] Don and Tom Montgomery Owners email: Classifieds - [email protected] Andrew Tallackson Editor http://www.thebeacher.com/ Drew White Print Salesman PRINTE ITH Published and Printed by Janet Baines Inside Sales/Customer Service T Becky Wirebaugh Typesetter/Designer T A S A THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Randy Kayser Pressman Dora Kayser Bindery Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is Hope Costello, Jacquie Quinlan Production also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. John Baines, Karen Gehr, Dennis Mayberry Delivery learning and growing as a person and an artist.” A Life… Continued from Page 1 One commonality I have discovered when talk- ing with serious artists, including Izard, is how they Arts from University of Wisconsin-Madison. are creatures of inquiry, passion and hard work. Jon Thames was her early ceramics instructor. “I think most artists are self-taught in a way,” she “It wasn’t his work that inspired me as much as said. “We can learn techniques and rules for com- his attitude about art,” she said. “It was more about position and such, but I feel the art-making drive living and breathing art making, and seeing ceram- comes from within and is forged rather than taught. ics as a starting point for creating almost any kind All I know for sure is that I need to create and make of art that incorporated any materials. art of some kind or another just about every day.” “Jon believed in my talent and sent me to his ❑ mentor, Bruce Breckenridge, at Madison.” “There are no rules. That is how art is born, how Life’s infl uences and infl uencers can make such a breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ig- huge difference in an artist’s work. nore the rules. That is what invention is about.” Helen Frankenthaler After graduating college, Izard and her husband started their ceramic business, Izwin. The art they produced over those 23 years was unique and whim- sical. Looking back, I recall seeing their glazed, col- orful, quirky and unusual forms, just smiling with delight. Afterwards, her embroidered art, based on tarot cards, showcased densely packed hand- embroidered works that looked more like exquisite little paintings, jewels of DMC fl oss on cotton twill fabric. “The vibrant quality of the surface is created by mixing the fi bers of the fl oss, and that gives these works a presence that belies their small size,” she says. Not surprisingly, it takes her a good four to six weeks just to complete one piece. Why use tarot cards as a source of inspiration? Her embroidered imagery, she said, is “informed by the archetypes of the tarot. I have been intrigued by these archetypes, which embrace ideas about hu- man existence as both physical and spiritual beings. What draws me to these symbols is their open-end- Laurel Izard calls her husband, artist Edwin Shelton, edness, which allows the viewer to interpret them a mentor, collaborator and inspiration. according to their own journey through life.” “My husband, Edwin Shelton, is a mentor, collab- She is further infl uenced by an ongoing interest orator and inspiration for me, too. The people that in medieval illuminations, pulp science-fi ction il- I went to school with provided me with inspiration, lustrations, old wood block prints and comic books. ideas and networking possibilities. I still fi nd that Additionally, she is inspired by other contempo- true today as I attend workshops around the coun- rary textile artists such as Joe Cunningham, Sue try and fi nd out all manner of ideas and hacks from Brenner and Dorothy Caldwell. other participants,” she said. “I think it is so impor- Resources, like those mentioned above, are val- tant to keep learning new things about your artistic ued studio treasures. Much like the Victorian era’s practice, whether it is new techniques, approaches cabinet of curiosities, Izard fi lls her art space with or simply getting out of the studio and meeting other art, fossils, pottery, rocks and old lunchboxes different artists. Mainly, I feel it’s critical to keep she has collected. She also saves visual images, she THE November 12, 2020 Page 3 says, and has “over 50,000 images of art, science, science-fi ction, quilts, animals, artist’s work and you name it stored on Pinterest.” bbeacheach bbumum jjewelsewels Obviously, her past interest in anthropology has impacted her collections, and how she sees and in- CCreatingreating terprets the world. AAuthenticuthentic In addition to her collections of objects and digi- BBeacheach GGlasslass tal references, Izard’s studio holds more than 50 JJewelryewelry fforor sketchbooks recording what she thinks, sees and 1155 YYearsears plans. “I don’t feel I can stress enough how important 662222 FFranklinranklin St.St. 2219-743-959519-743-9595 having a daily art practice is, and using a sketch- MMichiganichigan CCity,ity, IINN wwww.beachbumjewels.comww.beachbumjewels.com book is such an important place to do that,” she HHours:ours: TTues.-Sat.ues.-Sat. 1111 aa.m.-5.m.-5 pp.m..m. • BByy AAppointmentppointment said. “Sketchbooks are where I sketch out new work, record thoughts, collect images and experi- ences, or play with things that amuse me. I would recommend anyone interested in creative expres- sion to keep a sketchbook.” LOCAL ARTISAN-MADE GIFTS 622 Franklin Street, MCIN ArtAndScienceWorks.com “Blue Dreaming Bear,” an embroidered self-portrait against quilted/pieced fi ber art. One of the more amusing characters/subjects in 622 Franklin Street • 219.552.2419 • these earlier works and sketches, both in embroi- dered art and paintings, are cats. She and her hus- band have two cats. In some ways, her interpreta- tions of cats within a visual format reminded me of T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats with their variety of personalities. At a point, her embroidered robot and alien forms were replaced by cats, but not just any old cats. Cats with personali- ty, the result of subconscious doodling during school Open 701 Washington St Mon - Sat 11-7 meetings. Later, the doodles turned into what she Michigan City, IN 46360 Sun 11-3 219-814-4127 described as weird cats with questionable attitudes. Attitude is right. I’ve enjoyed several versions, and Dine In or Outside on the Patio they are delightfully purrrfect. Drive Through & Carryout Available • Catering At the moment, however, she no longer is making art informed by either aliens or cats. Say you saw us in The Beacher! Continued on Page 4 THE Page 4 November 12, 2020 cies has an often critical role to play in the ecologi- A Life… Continued from Page 3 cal web, and we are playing with fi re allowing any animal to go extinct.” “I think the pandemic, crazy politics and the im- When asked why she utilizes vintage quilt tops pending extinction of most animals on the planet in her work, Izard listed fi ve important consider- has everything to do with that,” she said, “and I feel ations: I need to make a statement about how I feel about • “I love the old fabric prints they are made out of the world.” and the soft feel of the quilt itself.” • “The fact that these pieces were carefully made by hand, but have sat for decades unused, and they now have a new life.