The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Mother & Daughter team
Local artists to exhibit at CCA
By Sheila Pursglove, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: January 31, 2008
Like mother, like daughter, as the saying goes - in this case, an artistic mother-daughter duo.
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Chelsea artist Karen K. Smith and her mother, Ethel Kobach, will team up for a joint exhibition, "Water & Sand," running Feb. 4-April 4 at the Chelsea Center for the Arts, 400 Congdon St., in Chelsea.
An Artist Reception is set for 5 to 8 p.m., Feb. 23.
Smith and Kobach will exhibit their own interpretations of nature and beauty in different mediums bringing together "Water & Sand."
Smith, who works in fused glass, teaches at the CCA where she works part-time as administrative assistant. Her classes are very popular, according to CCA Program Director Leslie Greeneisen
"Karen enthusiastically shares her wealth of knowledge and encourages creativity in students of all ages," Greeneisen says.
Smith also teaches classes at the Chelsea Senior Center, where her sessions are in great demand.
"Karen's sparkling personality, energy and zest for living make all of her classes dynamic and fun," says the center's Director, Tina Patterson. "Her creativity is boundless."
Working in her home studio, Smith creates functional work as well as whimsical items and is known for her fused glass dishes that feature "magical" dragonfly imprints.
Using both modern and traditional forms, her techniques expand into new realms of art interpretation.
Intricate wall hangings, garden chimes, glass sculptures, and jewelry often echo themes from nature.
That love of nature includes a passion for animals. Smith and her husband provide a home for rescued animals on 10 acres north of Chelsea. At "Rottweiler Camp" as Smith calls it, the pair has two rescued Rottweilers, a Russian Trakehner mare and Lil' Bit, a burro.
"With all the animals in need of homes, rescuing is the right thing to do," she says.
Smith's glasswork is available at West of the Moon Gallery where she has been an active member of the Cooperative since its inception in 2005. She honed her skills for eight years studying with local stained glass artist Bill Darwin before finding her own niche in glass art.
Her fused glass can be found in several places around Chelsea. Her glasswork forms the center of the Pathway to Renewal at Timbertown and also is part of the Hands of Time Quilt installed in the courtyard of the McKinley Clocktower complex that features memorabilia from Chelsea's past.
Since moving to Chelsea in 1982, Smith has been an active member of the art community. She has been a volunteer for Chelsea Summerfest for the last five years, coordinating Articipation, which brings together artists from Chelsea and surrounding local communities.
"Karen's enthusiastic and unique leadership style has helped grow the fine arts portion of Summerfest, to exceed our expectations," says Bob Pierce, executive director of the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce. "She has established a rapport with artists, merchants and the community at large.
"It makes the Articipation portion of Summerfest a pleasure for all."
Smith grew up with art. When she was a teen in high school, over 30 years ago, her mother began painting in oils, a natural progression for Kobach who found her artistic feet as young as six, when she began drawing at home and in school.
"I was an honor roll student so my teachers let me draw during history classes," she says. "It was a good way to get out of other classes. I drew during lectures I found boring."
After starting with oils, Kobach found a different passion.
"I switched to watercolors, because oil was a pain in the neck," Kobach says. "For the last 10 years I've used only watercolors."
She studied with John Peters, a member of the Ohio Water Color Society, at the Senior Center in Mentor, Ohio. Impressed with Kobach's sketches Peters encouraged her to learn different watercolor techniques.
Kobach paints for fun and enjoyment as a hobby, and her husband Carl builds the frames and mats her work. Some of her work is on exhibit in her nephew's dental office where his patients often purchase them.
Mother and daughter are excited about the CCA exhibit.
"I feel privileged and lucky to have an opportunity to show art with my mother," Smith says,
Sheila Pursglove is a freelance writer. She can be reached at bingley51@yahoo.com.
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