Carved Pottery by Kolene Spicher

Tree trunks, birds, ships by the sea 

Both of these pieces have been scratched or carved.  The bottom one was an early piece.  I actually like this little sheep mug.  It is not worthy of selling but I like it and intend to use it if not to drink out of to paint out of LOL.  

I am not sure how I will paint this one  It is one of many pieces that is sitting on my studio shelf.  I just look at it as it is drying and I say,  hmmm.  What should I do with this??  LOL, I have no idea but I will know one day.  It will tell me.  

This is a vase that fell.  I thought to myself, I am going to carve the heaviness and ugliness away.  I am going to perform plastic surgery on this baby and what others would trash, I will improve and help and make something beautiful with it.  Will it work?  It just might.  Tune in and see.  

I love squirrels but not in my house.  This is as close as it will get.  

I liked how when you sight across this you see a ship painted on the inside.  Don't judge the painting yet, it has to be fired and will look different.  I am hoping it will look better.  I have NO clue what it will look like after it is fired.    

Along the sea.  I named it.  If you have ever been to Nantucket, you will know that in the spring there are 1,000s of daffodils.  

 So Bloom where you are planted. 

K. Spicher 

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New *POTTERY and artwork - FLOWERS - for Atlantasmart Summer 2018 by Kolene Spicher for Spicher and Co

Flower MUGS and Artwork 

Made with Love 

I have been behind.  

So let's start with the thing I finished LAST.  That way, hopefully, I can reconstruct my days.  Seriously, I need to number my days so that I can keep them straight and spend them correctly.  I really try to juggle the family with my work and fun.  I am not the most organized person and at times it's tough for me, BECAUSE of this.  Pottery has helped me because I am for the first time in about 25 years around other people when I create.  I am thankful for Audra.  She is a very industrious lady that co-runs and owns a clay studio that is local to me.  From this point forward, let it be understood that this is a process of learning for me.  What you see may not be perfect but it is heartfelt and sincere.  

This is to compliment my latest artwork for Spicher and Co.  I am NOT mass producing anything  of pottery.  These will remain one of a kind pieces :) 

I am learning that  'handles' are not so easy to make.  In reality, handles have the power to ruin
a cup, just like a frame a painting. 

I scratched some detail into this cup after it was painted.  The scratch lines will be white.  This will be more obvious after firing.

Painting pottery is funny.  What you see is not what you get, unlike picture painting.  There's so much guess work in this.  I paint in faith that it will turn out, but like life, once this baby hits the fire, it's anyone's guess what it will look like.  My most rewarding days in pottery are when I get something back that I love.  So far, this hasn't been a lot.  I have high standards, LOL.  Let it be said, I AM enjoying the process of learning as long as I am still learning!!

I will be painting about 12 of these.  All of them will be the same colors choices but with differences in the shapes of the flowers and vases and polkadots.  Because they are hand painted, the color values will vary.  

Thanks for Looking today.  I may try to attend Atlanta in July 2018.  Time will tell.  

Enjoy. 

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New Spring Flowers for Spicher and Co

April Showers Bring May Flowers

I have always loved that poem, April Showers.  The problem is that I only know one line of it.  I couldn't really paint the spring flowers around that poem because I don't know what happens to the flowers in June and so forth.  

However, I thought it would be fun to paint a different flower theme for each month of the year.  I have been working on this for about 

2  1/2 weeks now.  I should have posted earlier.  

January 

I spent extra time on this month.  The first version was washed out.  I like how the roses POP!  

May, February, June, from left to right 

I have always loved pink and white flowers.  Throw a bit of yellow in there and I am really starting to want to plant a garden.  I do not have a green thumb.  

October, November, December, again left to right 

I know that most people think summer when they see Hydrangeas, but I happen to think fall.  I have a beautiful friend that gave me the most gorgeous hydrangea bush, every October before we have our first freeze, I go out and cut a bunch of the big heads and bring them inside to dry.  I always think of her and my mother, who also loved hydrangeas.  I think that is what flowers are about.  

Here it is February 2017 and my dried Hydrangea is still beautiful.  I think golden colors in November, hence the Sunflower.  Forgive me, but I just didn't have it in me to paint a pumpkin blossom.  

July, August, September 

I love blue, too, and guess what?  I love red as well.  When you are an artist, you love all the colors of the rainbow! 

The floor has some Spicher and Co Vintage Vinyl! 

I think these are truly refreshing.  They are totally original and I am excited to pick out a frame for them.  They will be available for purchase as prints sometime in April 2017 in time for the High Point Furniture Market!  

Stay tuned for more! 

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Rufus Porter Style Wall Panel - Post 3 by Kolene Spicher

Getting Closer to Completion 

What  a journey this has been from the first day onward.  Each day, I have worked a little on this piece and am nearing the stage where I will start graining the edges (see post 2). 

Ships and birds and flowers and leaves--one stroke at a time.  I am really loving this.  I think that I will be adding a little more of this red shade.  I love love love it because it brings this piece into the 21st century. 

Also, I love the gate.  I intend to add more ships...maybe tomorrow or the next, I will have a whole fleet of them. 

I also added the bird.  I am going to paint in some more, however, I am just not quite ready for that step.  I needed to add a few more balls of leaves to this tree in the center.  

Let me know, if you ever see a tree like this, please. 

My studio has the heat turned very low...  When the heat is normal, the paint dries too fast for my liking.  Right now I am on a ladder taking this picture, praying that I don't fall off. 

I love the ripples of the water, front and center. 

The painting is not entirely symmetrical yet it is balanced.  

I have had a good bit of interest in this piece.  I am willing to ship it.  It is not heavy.  I would pay for the shipping...I think.  If you live in Alaska, maybe not.  

Many people love the period look and find it hard to find the correct home decor objects.  While we at Spicher and Co. do not do this look exclusively, there are many items that we do sell that fall into this "reproduction" category.  

www.SpicherandCo.com

Check out the Vintage Vinyl that we offer, too.  You can see a piece of this on the floor of my studio.  We have that "look" that will create a period home.  

Thanks for looking at my ONE OF A KIND mural today. 

Enjoy. 

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Everything is Coming up Blue

Blue designs for 2015

The flower! 

 

I love to experiment with different papers.  This old wrinkled looking paper was fun and interesting to paint on.  I am not certain how these will reproduce (They will hate me at work),  but you don't know until you try.  That's my motto! 

Some of the current designs that have already been to trade show are included below!  Below is a small section of our Spicher and Co. High Point, NC showroom! 

LOVE, love, love the floorcloth.  

Simply stated and elegant! 

In this grouping you can see how they all flow and hang well together.  This wall is fresh and there's nothing quite like it at market, that is my goal, by the way! 

Love the birds, black and white flowers, and the cool numbers!  We are into blue!!!


Here at Spicher and Co., we are really interested in the overall look of our products.  There is a deliberate effort that is made each market to coordinate the colors and the designs.  Not only is it pleasing to the eye, but it helps our customers display the items that they purchase in their own store front.  We learn from them, too.  We LOVE it when people send pictures showing how they display our products.

Herbs.  I haven't done anything with these, yet.  I am thinking of selling
 the originals on ETSY KOLENE SPICHER. 

Thanks for looking!

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Ink blot botany flowers by Kolene Spicher for Spicher and Co.

Ink Blot Botany series for Spicher and Co. 

A while ago I wrote about these prints.  I painted them on old script paper that I found in an antique shop.  I chose a color that was a deep midnight blue and penciled in very lightly the right half side of each paper.  Working very fast, I then brushed in the color heavy  so that it would remain wet long enough to fold the paper in half duplicating the image on the other side.  

If you look carefully, you can see how the left side mirrors the right.  Even my signature is backward.  This was a pretty neat excercise for me to do because the image is not as tight as I normally like to paint.  This turned out very organic and natural feeling.  

Take a look at this picture below.  These are my favorite five prints.  Spicher and Co. won an award with this photograph for the flooring. The Floorcloth look amazing.  This product, which we call VINTAGE VINYL,  was nationally recognized.  I think the colors really look amazing together.  If you are interested in the floor coverings or the ink blot images, call Spicher and Co., and we can connect you with a store in your area.  All images are our own and created by Spicher and Co. and printed and manufactured in America in Carlisle, Pa.  

Here are all the images that we have available.  You can look at them up and close by going to www.spicherandco.com. Like us on FB! Tell us what you like! 

Update - Here's a photograph that was taken of  No. 9 hanging in a farm house in Bucks  County, Pa. 

I love the simplicity of this! 

Thanks for looking!  

Enjoy!

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