Lisa Vogt Art Adventure Blog: We All Start Somewhere

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always known I wanted to be an artist. Early on, I wasn’t sure if I had any real talent, but I did have a strong desire to draw and do arts and crafts projects. Since, I’ve learned that creativity, imagination and artistic talent can be taught and learned. You just have to want it.

My humble beginnings were rough. I’ve had many artistic endeavors go wrong. The key to success is perseverance and a positive attitude even in the event of failure. What I believe to be my earliest surviving piece of art has a lot to teach us about the value of persistence and the power of optimism.

Can you guess who would’ve kept my first piece for all these years? Of course, my mom. I recently reclaimed the ugly, but endearing ceramic bunny refusing to let it get tossed in the trash after enduring so long. Look closely at the ears. They’ve been glued back on more than once. That’s love.

This funny little guy has a story. When I was a Brownie, our troop would occasionally do arts and crafts projects. It was the dead of Winter. Everyone was wishing for Spring. And so, the troop leaders thought it would be fun for us girls to make ceramic bunnies to welcome the milder weather. A paint-your-own-pottery store owner brought all the supplies to our meeting. She explained how to paint the glazes on the clay. She laid out all the pretty spring colors: pink, yellow, orange, blue and green. The bottles were labeled but the glazes looked nothing like the colors written on the labels. They were all slightly different shades of mud. She said we had to use our imagination to picture the finished pieces. She wasn’t kidding.

She also made a special glaze available in case anyone wanted a bumpy textured effect on their bunny’s egg. Of course, everyone did. After the meeting she loaded the mud colored bunnies in newspaper lined boxes and toted them away. She promised to bring them back, in all their colorful glory, at next month’s meeting.

I remember being super excited about seeing my sunshine yellow bunny with powder puff pink ears holding a sky blue egg. Apparently, the bottles of glaze weren’t labeled correctly. All the bunnies came back forest green. I don’t know how the troop leaders handled the mix up, but we never painted pottery again.

You can imagine how disappointed I was. My bunny didn’t look the way I hoped. I’m surprised I didn’t throw it away then. It’s unlikely I’d even remember the whole disastrous event if the little guy didn’t remind me every time I visited home. But he sat quietly and proudly on a prominent book shelf in mom’s living room year after year. Now I have a soft spot for the little rebel rabbit who broke tradition. He’s beautiful in his own unique way like the rest of us trail blazers who break the rules.

I painted this Indian Chief when I was in high school. It’s watercolor on paper and measures about 18 x 24 inches. It was inspired by a photograph I saw in a book. This piece of art belongs to my brother. I see it rarely. Every time though, I’m amazed to see my name on the bottom. I guess I did have some talent back then. It didn’t just blossom with maturity and adulthood. Sometimes, it takes a fresh perspective to appreciate yourself and your accomplishments.

In college, I painted this woman’s face. It’s oil paint on canvas and measures 28 x 36 inches. It was inspired by an image I saw on a blank greeting card. This piece hangs in my home. I get to see it everyday and yet it still manages to stay fresh and encourages me to continue making art.

The lesson here is: never give up. I look at my ugly green bunny and feel a sense of awe. He’s proof that my artistic skills have come a long way. I’ve met many creative goals. It wasn’t always easy, but challenges make your successes that much sweeter.

Be kind to yourself. Keep trying. Always, push ahead!

No matter where you are in your artistic journey, you’re doing great!

Happy Fusing!

Lisa

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February 5 – 8, 2019

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You'll love the concentrated, in-depth study and creative momentum you’ll gain while actively producing, nonstop for four consecutive days. You’ll leave class with a working knowledge of kiln operation, custom project specific firing guides, and the inspiration you’ve been craving to go bigger and do more!
Its hard-core fusing in a nurturing, relaxed environment.

In this class, you will push the boundaries art glass imposes. Students explore innovative approaches to design and combine multiple advanced techniques to construct original art that reflects your own personal style. You’ll enjoy: the one-on-one instruction, making large scale projects, the well-equipped classroom, and the intimate class size.