AVA Community Art Center
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      • August 2022: MINI 5x5 Auction
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      • October 2022: Edie Reno & Anugraha Norstegaard
      • November 2022: Loved Ones
      • November 2022: Watercolor Group
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      • General Exhibit Entry Form
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      • 2021 Exhibitions >
        • January 2021: AVA's 19th Annual Art Matters Exhibition
        • February 2021: Still Life Exhibition
        • February 2021: From Pen to Pencil
        • March 2021: CCSD Elementary Student Show
        • April 2021: Photography Exhibition
        • May 2021: CCSD Senior Student Show
        • June 2021: Mixed Media
        • July 2021: Drawing & Painting Exhibit
        • July 2021: Three Loose Screws
        • August 2021: Chasing Light
        • October 2021: Symbiosis
        • November 2021: Cartoons
      • 2020 Exhibits >
        • April 2020: VAST: Spaces of the West
        • June 2020: Larger than Life
        • July 2020: Man's Best Friend
        • July 2020: Drawing & Painting
        • August 2020: Abstract Invitational
        • September 2020: Mark Wigner
        • September 2020: Watercolor Exhibition
        • October 2020: Haunted
  • Artisan Market
    • Ceramics
    • Handcrafted Goods
    • Jewelry
    • Original Paintings
    • Photography & Prints
    • Stationery
    • Mixed Media
    • Textiles
  • Events
    • AVA's 21st Annual Art Matters Fundraiser >
      • Buy Tickets
      • Meet the Artists >
        • Rede Ballard
        • Karen Barton
        • Robert Bell
        • Andrew Call
        • Carol Foerster
        • Blanche Guernsey
        • Sarah Hunyadi
        • Elizabeth Kayl
        • Michael Kolitsky
        • Barbara Lunger-Switzenberg
        • Brooke Mack
        • Ryan Mack
        • Hannah Mooney
        • Stephanie Mummert
        • Eileen Nistler
        • Mark Paxton
        • Michael Plourde
        • Paul Prosinski
        • Stephanie Rose
        • William Schneider
        • Chessney Sevier
        • Joan Siem
        • Joan Sowada
        • Morgan Sullivan
        • Lyudmila Tomova
        • Nathan Trampe
        • Hannah U
        • Kate Ulam
        • Ledin Vauthier
        • Cindy Wageman
        • Breanna Whitlock
        • Ed Whitmore
        • Gregory Wilhelmi
      • View the Art
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      • Become a Sponsor
      • Art Matters with the Superheroes: Edition #21
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    • Virtual Studio Tours
  • About Us
    • COVID-19 Response Plan
    • Annual Sponsors
    • Volunteer Applications
  • Donate
  • Home
  • Exhibitions
    • 2022 Exhibitions >
      • January 2022: AVA's 20th Annual Art Matters Exhibition
      • February 2022: Wyoming Textile Artists
      • February 2022: Inkteraction: Prints from BHSU
      • March 2022: CCSD Student Show
      • April 2022: Trees
      • May 2022: Behind Our Masks: A Featured Exhibition by Daniel Florin Tomiaga Lerwick
      • May 2022: Donated Art Pop Up-Show >
        • Donated Art Bid Sheet
      • June 2022: Mixed Media
      • June 2022: Embracing Imperfections by Irene Daly
      • June 2022: Propulsion by Rachael Anderson
      • July 2022: Drawing & Painting
      • August 2022: Less is More
      • August 2022: MINI 5x5 Auction
      • September 2022: Florence Alfano McEwin and Bart Fetz
      • October 2022: Edie Reno & Anugraha Norstegaard
      • November 2022: Loved Ones
      • November 2022: Watercolor Group
    • 2023 Calls for Art >
      • General Exhibit Entry Form
      • Community Call for Art: Project Intersect
    • Past Exhibitions >
      • 2021 Exhibitions >
        • January 2021: AVA's 19th Annual Art Matters Exhibition
        • February 2021: Still Life Exhibition
        • February 2021: From Pen to Pencil
        • March 2021: CCSD Elementary Student Show
        • April 2021: Photography Exhibition
        • May 2021: CCSD Senior Student Show
        • June 2021: Mixed Media
        • July 2021: Drawing & Painting Exhibit
        • July 2021: Three Loose Screws
        • August 2021: Chasing Light
        • October 2021: Symbiosis
        • November 2021: Cartoons
      • 2020 Exhibits >
        • April 2020: VAST: Spaces of the West
        • June 2020: Larger than Life
        • July 2020: Man's Best Friend
        • July 2020: Drawing & Painting
        • August 2020: Abstract Invitational
        • September 2020: Mark Wigner
        • September 2020: Watercolor Exhibition
        • October 2020: Haunted
  • Artisan Market
    • Ceramics
    • Handcrafted Goods
    • Jewelry
    • Original Paintings
    • Photography & Prints
    • Stationery
    • Mixed Media
    • Textiles
  • Events
    • AVA's 21st Annual Art Matters Fundraiser >
      • Buy Tickets
      • Meet the Artists >
        • Rede Ballard
        • Karen Barton
        • Robert Bell
        • Andrew Call
        • Carol Foerster
        • Blanche Guernsey
        • Sarah Hunyadi
        • Elizabeth Kayl
        • Michael Kolitsky
        • Barbara Lunger-Switzenberg
        • Brooke Mack
        • Ryan Mack
        • Hannah Mooney
        • Stephanie Mummert
        • Eileen Nistler
        • Mark Paxton
        • Michael Plourde
        • Paul Prosinski
        • Stephanie Rose
        • William Schneider
        • Chessney Sevier
        • Joan Siem
        • Joan Sowada
        • Morgan Sullivan
        • Lyudmila Tomova
        • Nathan Trampe
        • Hannah U
        • Kate Ulam
        • Ledin Vauthier
        • Cindy Wageman
        • Breanna Whitlock
        • Ed Whitmore
        • Gregory Wilhelmi
      • View the Art
      • Event Information >
        • Travel Packages
      • Become a Sponsor
      • Art Matters with the Superheroes: Edition #21
  • Workshops
    • Register for Workshops
    • Propose a Workshop
  • Members
    • Membership
    • Graduating CCSD Student Scholarship Information
    • Virtual Studio Tours
  • About Us
    • COVID-19 Response Plan
    • Annual Sponsors
    • Volunteer Applications
  • Donate
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YOUR CART

A Studio Tour with Joan Sowada
July 2020
www.joansowada.com

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​The studio is a mother-in-law apartment from the 1970’s. It has its own entrance but is part of the house, and there is a sound buffer door between our TV room and the studio, so I can work undisturbed.  There is no longer a stove or refrigerator, but I do have a sink, a very nice wide counter, and other horizontal surfaces, plenty of room for a ping pong table, and multiple dressers providing 21 drawers for storing creative supplies. Dismal carpeting has been removed, and the floor is concrete. The lighting is original and pretty poor, so I use an OttLite for supplemental lighting. I share one end of the studio with my husband, who uses it for his sprouting towers and soil sprouts. He uses the sink a lot, and has taken over some of the cupboard storage. There is a lot of cupboard space so it hasn’t been a problem. This is the view from one end of the room. Plenty messy.

Some of my fabric stash is commercial fabric that I have purchased. I usually get only 1/3 of a yard. I am given fabrics from friends, and I cut up old shirts from the second hand store. I also like to paint linen fabrics.  Most of these fabrics are rolled into bundles, which are stored in dresser drawers arranged by color.
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​The room has brown paneling that I did not like for display of artwork. So I have covered it with fabric, 
secured with small nails (every six inches) along the
Top of the wall.
 The nails are also used to hang artwork, which can easily be moved around. (I would like to someday change the wall fabric to something closer to white.)


​The wide kitchen counter is a perfect height for ironing. This photo shows a work in progress, a figurative piece that uses fusible web to ‘glue’ pattern fabrics to a muslin backing, using a hot iron. There is a tissue paper image guide that shows me the placement of all the parts, and the bean bags weigh this down, so that it does not shift during the many times it is lifted up and down. As you can see, the size of the counter has limitations. It’s about 38 X 58 inches. I seldom work larger than this, unless it is an abstract piece that I sew by hand, laying it on the ping pong table.
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The windows are south facing, which is both a good and bad thing.
It is nice to have the warmth of the sun in the winter,
but 
it can also be blinding! When I am sewing at this table,
I sometimes block a portion of the window.


To store my art pieces, I wrap two or more quilts around a swim noodle
(front of quilts are on the outside) and cover this with cloth and close the
ends with a rubber band. Each long package resembles a big tootsie roll.
It is very important to label each roll. Don’t forget this step! As quilts
come and go from shows, they will change their bed fellows, so the labels
change a lot with titles added and subtracted over time.

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​I have my large cutting mat, which I purchased for my 50th birthday in 2000, and also smaller ones. My thread is stored as shown below. Hanging sticks are stored on a shelf and reused. Each stick has multiple quilt names on it, indicating quilts it might be used with. Stick choice depends in part on the weight of the quilt. I have a small spot on the wall for notes. The paint swatches posted there right now include the wall color of the Wyoming assisted living center. I am currently making artwork for this space, using a Wyoming color palette. 
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​The last photos show the fusible web and fabric paint that I use, as well as my old school music corner. I listen to CD’s. Good grief.
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​As you can see, my studio is not fancy, and not very picked up right now! But it works, and I feel very blessed to have it.
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I have a cooking studio too. It is the upstairs kitchen. My recipe this month is Rhubarb Sauce. The time needed to make this delicious seasonal treat, including harvesting Rhubarb from the garden, washing, cutting and cooking, is just 20 minutes! Wash stems and dice into lengths about 1/2 inch each. Put 8 cups of diced Rhubarb and 1 cup of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 7 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of sugar. That’s really all there is to it! Yummy!

To read more about Joan's work and life, go to www.joansowada.com and subscribe to her blog posts!
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A look inside the studio of Dara Corkery
May 2020

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​Welcome to my studio. 

Before you enter my studio your will see a painting that I did at an AVA Community Art Center workshop of my daughter, Caitlin. The instructor was Jeannie Vodden from California. Her sister Sue Bentley lived here and we were delighted to have her instruct.
As you enter my studio you will see a number of tables that I placed plastic bed risers under the legs of to raise them up. This is easier on my back. I also have drop clothes on some table to hide storage underneath them. Along with that I have used an old French Easel as a table easel to paint my watercolor paintings with a large piece of plexiglass to support my watercolor paper.
I typically stand when I paint and place my arrangement across the room under a spot light. I have these wonderful lights on both sides of my work area. The lights are by Verilux and I love them as I can adjust the intensity along with the warmth or the coolness of the light.
In another room I sometimes carry out a Soho Urban Artist Drawing Board that I love. It is light and I carry it to a table and that I can be seated at. The table is small, but it works well for drawing and painting. It easily makes a kitchen table into a studio space.
Next is a photo is of my favorite palette by Holbein. I can set it flat, or hold it in one hand while standing. I have many other palettes, but I always come back to this one.
I like to use washable rayon towels that are made from bamboo. I use paper towels to blot my paint brushes with to take off excess water and I have found these very useful. You can hand wash them up to 100 times.
Most importantly, I want to share the fact that I have lots of art by local artist and some is in my studio to inspire me every day when I walk in.
Where ever you create, stay well and keep creating.
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AVA Community Art Center

509 W. 2nd St.
Gillette, WY 82716
​(307) 682-9133


Hours of Operation:
10 - 5  Tuesday - Friday
10 - 4  Saturday
Closed  Sunday - Monday
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