TERRE HAUTE —
Take a fiber artist mother who is compelled to tell a story through her Early American-influenced rug hooking. Add a color-loving daughter who incorporates a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues with a twist of humor into her fiber and polymer clay jewelry. The result is an enthusiastic local duo that share an art studio and the designation of Indiana Artisans.
Marilyn Oehler and Gretchen Kraut are thrilled to be named artisans representing their respective crafts and Indiana. The awarding of the IA brand to a specific piece or type of artwork comes after much preparation both artistically and through application.
“Receiving the title of IA is your opportunity to grow not only your workmanship but the IA brand,” Kraut said. “IA is a very accessible and connected group, and the level of artists is top notch. We’re proud to be a part of it, artist to artist, booth to booth. There is no weak link, and jurors are fresh each time, which benefits the artists.”
• All about Indiana Artisan
According to www.IndianaArtisan.org, an IA “is a Hoosier recognized for careful attention to detail, knowledge of a craft and an entrepreneurial spirit. Their extraordinary talent contributes to Indiana’s reputation for quality work.”
Submitted work is juried with focus on design and quality technique, originality or authenticity, and exhibiting the tradition or heritage of Indiana communities and marketability.
More than 175 of Indiana’s best artists and foodists from 53 counties have been named IA’s since the program was launched in 2008 by Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and the Indiana Department of Agriculture.
It is also sponsored by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Arts Commission.
Indiana’s program was patterned after successful longtime initiatives in Kentucky and Illinois. A two-day IA Marketplace is conducted each spring in late March or early April in Indianapolis and showcases more than 100 artisans. More than 75 artisans from Kentucky also participate. Visitors are greeted with an amazing plethora of shopping and sampling opportunities. From mouth-watering chocolates to stoneware and pottery to vinegars and wine and wearable art, the marketplace offers something for every art enthusiast or foodie.
• Telling stories through rug hooking
For many artists, including Oehler, it’s hard to remember when their medium of choice wasn’t an intrinsic part of their life. “The biggest joy of my childhood was opening a box of crayons — 24, 48, 64 — it was irrelevant after that,” she said with a laugh. “Though I don’t have a fine arts background, I’m always doing something tactile. Rug hooking is a forging medium for conveying a story onto a surface. I like that I can tell a story with a hook and a piece of wool.”
“There was an awareness of rugs in my home growing up,” she said. “When I was younger I learned my family could send garment sheets and fabrics to certain companies and back to my family came a rug. My mom said whatever you do, keep the rugs.”
Oehler’s love of rug hooking with wool developed when she met her mentor, Peggy Taylor, a former resident of Vigo County and fellow IA, in the 1990s. “Peggy is a mixture of artist and writer Tasha Tudor and cowgirl Annie Oakley! She opened up the world of wool to me thanks to her family raising sheep and her spinning. I’ve gained an appreciation of how the process begins with the sheep, processes into the yarns and ends up in my rug hooking. I receive validation from her that what I’m doing is valuable.”
Oehler began rug hooking in 1996 when she couldn’t find her favorite style of Early Americana rugs. Her solution — make them herself. “Where rug hooking is concerned, I think of ideas and put them on paper. I also admit I’m sort of a displaced person; I live in 2012 but my mind dwells in another time with history being my motivator. I think of historical things here and far away, of people and places, and how I will convey them in rugs.”
In addition to Oehler and Taylor being named Indiana Artisans, in 2009 and 2008, respectively, they have also been featured in Early American Life magazine and were named to its top 200 craftsmen in 2007 and 2010. “Being selected for EAL is all about credibility,” Oehler said. “It opens doors for shows, but you do have to resubmit every year to receive the designation. My next submission will be for 2013. A potter in New Harmony and a wax portrait artist in Vevay have also been named EAL craftsmen.”
• Passionate about color
Though Kraut began her college career at DePauw University she opted to transfer to Indiana State University where she further discovered her love of fine arts, majored in life science and has a teaching degree. A growing passion for making lampwork, or glass jewelry, morphed into classes with local artist Patrick Titzer and befriending former local bead shop owner Benicia Broeker.
“Benny and I did some small shows together,” Kraut said. “But at the same time Mom kept prodding me to do fiber jewelry. I kept saying, ‘Mom, you’re not supposed to wear your wool yarn around your neck!’”
Kraut began dabbling with mixing fiber and glass but discovered the wearability was not practical. “I slipped away from lampwork jewelry and got into a fiber kick because of Mom. I liked the color choices and I learned about dye and roving (wool that has been washed and carded) from Mom. Peggy spins the yarn for me so she is very connected to both Mom and me.”
Oehler notes her daughter’s IA designation came for her wool felt jewelry. “Gretchen’s collections are about fiber, not glam,” she said. “Her wool felt jewelry and wool felt and polymer clay jewelry stand alone in their class and display well. Her colors are spot-on. She is much more of a commercial artist and has met with tremendous success with galleries and wholesale orders both in and out of state. She’s even been an artist in residence for a day at the indigenous gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio.”
Where Kraut is a commercial artist, Oehler is more commission oriented. “My art is labor intensive and time consuming,” she said. “I do travel to shows in the Midwest, including Chicago, and Ohio, and I have some coming up in the East.”
Mother and daughter share a studio in the second floor loft of the Red Barn event site located at the picturesque Sycamore Farm Bed and Breakfast in Terre Haute. Though they don’t create products together, they do lean on each other.
“We encourage each other and enjoy the bond our respective arts have forged for us,” Oehler said. “We’ve learned to focus on that one thing that is your nucleus. Give yourself permission for rejection and for success. It’s a process of casting and reeling in. Protect your art and get a lot out of critique. The constructive critiques will make you stronger.”
For more information on Oehler’s and Kraut’s work, go to HookandFancy.blogspot.com, GretchenKrautDesigns.blogspot.com or info@thesycamorefarm.com.
• Other Artisans
Mark Donham, of Rosedale, and Brooke Schmidt, of Dana, have also been selected as Indiana Artisans in recent years. Donham is recognized for his emphasis in wood sculpture and furniture design and enjoys using wood native to his area. Cherry, walnut, maple, sassafras and other types of wood are featured at his Deer Run Studio in northern Vigo County.
The restored 1900s Plantation-style home where Schmidt grew up is the headquarters of Brooke’s Candy Co. Run by her and her mother, Donna Thompson, the business features delicious handmade treats made from Belgian chocolate. Schmidt earned the Indiana Artisan Seal for her fudge and toffee. They also sell coffee beans from Clabber Girl in Terre Haute.
For more information on Donham and Schmidt, visit their websites www.deerrunstudio@yahoo.com and www.brookescandyco.com.
Valley Life
Related Photos
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Framed art(isans): Gretchen Kraut and Marilyn Oehler are Indiana artisans and showcase their work at Sycamore Farms Bed & Breakfast. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
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By hand: Marilyn Oehler works on one of her latest creations at Sycamore Farms Friday, April 27. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
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Handcrafted: One of Marilyn Oehler's rugs that she created and has on display at Sycamore Farms. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
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Attention to detail: One of Gretchen Kraut's pieces features handcrafted detail which is on display at Sycamore Farms. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
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Signs of good art: Gretchen Kraut and Marilyn Oehler craft and display their art at Sycamore Farms. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
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Handcrafted: One of Marilyn Oehler's rugs that she created and has on display at Sycamore Farms. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
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Handcrafted: One of Marilyn Oehler's rugs that she created and has on display at Sycamore Farms. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
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A select work of art: Gretchen Kraut displays one of her handcrafted pieces under an Indiana Artisan placard at Sycamore Farms. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
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The tools to craft the art: Some of Marilyn Oehler's raw materials and tools she uses to make her rugs. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
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Handcrafted: One of Marilyn Oehler's rugs that she created and has on display at Sycamore Farms. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
Discussion
A craft and talent all their own
Mother-daughter fiber artists share Indiana Artisan honor
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