A couple of weeks ago I posted some photos of the Cactus Creek Store after we re-freshed for fall.  In one of the photos we were showing off new art that we are carrying from Artist James Ayers.  He is incredibly talented and we are lucky enough to have a little interview with him here on CCD.com today…

CACTUS: Have you always been an artist?

JAMES: My art career started around Christmas when I was in the third grade. My class was instructed to draw pictures of Santa Claus and when the teacher held up my work for the class to see, dozens of kids insisted that I draw Santa for them, too.

By my junior year of high school, I was convinced that art was my calling. I made the assumption that I had to have a “safe” job, so after high school, I attended the Rhode Island School of Design and majored in commercial illustration.

My professional illustration career was short-lived. After illustrating a cookbook and a restaurant menu mat, I knew the nine-to-five commercial world was not for me. I taught school for a year and then threw myself into fine art full-time. I’ve not looked back since.

CACTUS: How do you describe your art?

JAMES: Respectful.  Because I portray historic Native American cultures, it is essential to me that the peoples I paint are accurate and authentic.

CACTUS: In what ways has your art evolved the most over the years?

JAMES: My biggest evolution was about 10 years ago, when I really began to master the use of color. I had always had a good sense of composition and the use of darks and lights, but once I learned how to achieve more with the color I use, it made my works stronger.

CACTUS: What inspires you?

JAMES: Everything! But mainly the smell of oil paints, a blank canvas, and the beauty of people and nature.

MORE AFTER THE BREAK >>>>>>>>>

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Last fall at the Cactus Creek Store we began to carry American Cowboy Coffee and our customers have fallen in love with it!! Since we began to carry the coffee, American Cowboy Coffee has a new owner, Julie Niles-Fry. I have been wanting to visit with Julie for a while to find out about how she got involved with American Cowboy Coffee, and also the plans she has for the business going forward.

CACTUS: How did American Cowboy Coffee start??
JULIE: Alain J Roy, Entrepreneur and Cattle Rancher along with Clint Corey, PRCA Hall of Famer and 3-times World Champion Bareback Rider, started the company in 2008 with a mission: Support the American grower, the American economy and the American consumer by providing a product from America that represents only the best. That is Kona coffee, which is the TOP 1% of all coffee in the world.

Mr. Roy got the idea of launching American Cowboy Coffee after he realized that his good friend, a successful entrepreneur, had recently acquired the renowned Koa Plantation in Kona, Hawaii. He immediately contacted Clint Corey with a plan to introduce American Cowboy Coffee thru the rodeo and bull riding industry. Mr. Roy created the logos and the handsome cowboy who really tells the story.

CACTUS: How did you get started with the company??
JULIE: I was going to open a coffee drive through here in Rogue River, Oregon called Cowboy Joe. I had chosen my coffee, and I started to design my logo.

My logo was going to be a really handsome cowboy and I had an image in my mind of what he was going to look like. I started looking at cowboy pictures on the internet… and up popped MY handsome cowboy! I couldn’t believe it! MY cowboy was taken, by another coffee company no less!

I had some samples sent to me and much to my surprise American Cowboy Coffee was HANDS DOWN the best coffee.

Since my background is in sales and marketing, I got to thinking about this whole adventure… the mission of American Cowboy Coffee really resonated with me. I decided that what I really wanted to do was sell this line to promote the mission.
I called Alain and Clint and asked them if I could sell their coffee exclusively. They said, “SURE”, and here I am!

CACTUS: How did you come to own American Cowboy Coffee??
JULIE: Alain called me in December and told me that he wanted me to take the company to the next level; I said, “well, heck yeah”!

Alain and Clint are still integral to the company, however. Alain’s great art graces every bag and Clint is still working with me on some things. I was blessed to have met these gentlemen; they are truly awesome.

CACTUS: What was it about American Cowboy Coffee that made you want to take the leap into owning your own business??
JULIE: For me there weren’t any leaps, just exciting steps! It’s not too often you come across something that just happens to fit who you are and what you believe in.

American Cowboy Coffee had my loves and values all tied into one: I LOVE coffee, the western way of life and supporting the American grower, economy and consumer.

I also own another company called Custom Imprinting, which I started 12 years ago. I brand/logo merchandise for companies and organizations all over the country.  So, look for more great American Cowboy Coffee products this year!

CACTUS: What separates American Cowboy Coffee from other coffee companies??
JULIE: First, most companies get started and then write a mission statement. American Cowboy Coffee began AS a mission ~ we exclusively support the American Grower, the American economy and the American consumer.

Second, we use the Top 1% of coffee: Kona!

CACTUS: What are kona coffee beans??
JULIE: Kona coffee beans are Coffea Arabica beans that are cultivated in the exclusive Kona District on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Kona District is just one mile wide by 30 miles long.

100% pure Kona Coffee is distinguished from all other coffees by its unique island microclimate and extra care taken by generation after generation of coffee farmers.

The end result is an extraordinary coffee, delicate yet with a rich flavor and aroma. There is no comparison between hand picked Kona and other, mass produced coffee beans that are harvested by machine.

CACTUS: How is the cowboy spirit infused into your coffees??
JULIE: Well, it all began with real cowboys!

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Here at the Cactus Creek STORE we are super excited to be the newest home for Artist Cathy Kline.  Cathy is a native Kansas City resident who has been creating and teaching art for over 15 years.  We love Cathy’s aesthetic and are pleased to now have her original work here in the store… Here is more about Cathy in her own words, plus a few images of her fantastic work.

CACTUS: What path led you to become an artist?

CATHY: When I was a child, I picked up a pencil, and was forever changed as I watched it leave its mark. I knew as early as middle school that I would be a commercial artist someday. But even before that it was my mom. She was always making something out of . . . something else. And her creativity has always been an inspiration to me. For instance, what she saw in our ping-pong table. It was not how she hacked it into bits, per se, that was so creative. Instead, it was how each one of those newly worthless pieces of ping-pong table fit together so perfectly to form a quite beautiful, and very functional shelf/desk combination. She painted the shelf white, and added lavender and blue flowers to the desk. I was very happy to have it, even though I had to share it with my sister. Ping-pong was not missed.

There have been so many people and experiences that have shepherded me towards art that to identify all of them would be maddening, and to name them, life-consuming. But one in particular is too influential to leave out. Her name is Pat Lierly.

Pat Lierly was my Blue Bird and Camp Fire Leader. Her creativity nearly rivaled my mothers. Pat was incredibly gifted and will always be an inspiration to me. Her daughter, (and my best friend) Elaine Lierly Jones, is a local artist as well.

Selling an oil portrait in high school only confirmed what I had believed all my life; that I wanted to be an artist. But any type of artistic career, commercial or otherwise, had to come second to four boys. When my youngest entered high school, I finally had the time to get serious about a career. So I began pouring a foundation in hopes that by the time Mark graduated I would have something on which to build.

‘Robin’s Eggs’ original painting Now Available at the Cactus Creek Store ~ call 816.386.4013 for price & details

CACTUS: And you also teach art?

CATHY: At that time in my life, I had painted a float and done some graphic design for one of my son’s football teams. This led to a portrait here or there, and a mural every once in a while, all through word of mouth. This provided exposure, but it was not enough to build a career on. Had I not read the book, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brainby Betty Edwards and Jeremy P. Tarcher, I might still be lucking my way form portrait to portrait to sporadic mural, fifteen years later, with no source of consistent income whatsoever. That book helped me to wrangle a truth stuck deep within my soul, drag it through the forefront of my mind, and deposit it, almost gift-wrapped, on the tip of my tongue. When I put that book down, I discovered within myself the ability to teach. And not by photocopying the book’s pages or stealing its lessons, but by cultivating my newly found ability to articulate a truth of which I had long been simultaneously aware and ignorant. That book TAUGHT me what I already knew.

Even now, I am not what one might call super successful, and I do not expect to strike it rich as an artist. However, I have had my victories and to this point a surprisingly fulfilling career and it is doubtful that I would feel that way without the anchor that my weekly classes have become. I have had a class, in some form or another, for the last fifteen years, and I have no plans of stopping.

‘Cows’ original painting Now Available at the Cactus Creek Store ~ call 816.386.4013 for price & details

More from Cathy Kline after the break below…

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I just love the artwork of Michael Goettee.  The BIG colors and crisp lines of his landscapes accentuate God’s brilliant hand in nature.  The WHIMSY of his Western subjects makes me smile.  But what really sealed the deal for me and Michael was this statement on his website, I like it. A lot.

“I’ve spent more time avoiding what I fear than pursuing what I want.”
(But now I’m in my studio painting so PHHHT!)

CACTUS: Have you always been an artist?
As long as I can remember. I was handed the colored chalks in first grade to do holiday drawings on the blackboard.

CACTUS: What medium do you use for your art?
Acrylic. But I’ve been drawn to wood work and sculpture, especially for some of the elaborate frames I create. Some are inspired by the retablos, or altar panels, I saw in the churches in the Southwest.

CACTUS: What is the subject matter you are most drawn to for your art?
After my first trip to Santa Fe, I painted my first “cloudscape.” As a native Floridian from the coast, I thought I’d seen every amazing sky. Then I saw New Mexico. Since then the red rocks and skies out there have been most inspirational. How I use those subjects can be either grand and serious, or light-hearted.

CACTUS: How do you describe your art to somebody who is seeing it for the first time?
Western with a salted rim and a quirky twist of lime.

{quick note… um, see why I adore this guy?? that’s all, get back to reading click below for MORE…}

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I’ve been a fan of Lucky Star Gallery for a while now, their website is amazing, chock full of vintage Cowgirl goods that you’ll love. What really makes this mother-daughter team {Harriette & Missy Allison} so special is their authenticity and commitment to keeping the spirit of individuality, American pride and Wild West Fever ALIVE AND KICKIN’!! Here’s a little more about this dynamic duo…

CACTUS: Where is The Lucky Star Gallery located?

The Lucky Star Gallery is a web-based store. Our 3000 sq ft warehouse is located in Reno, NV and is chock full of our American antiques, western collectibles and our fabrication shop for our line of leather accessories/furnishings. We are open to the public by appointment, we work with decorators/designers and do prop rental, as well.

CACTUS: Have you always lived in Reno?

No. We (my mom and I) are from Bishop, CA. We are from a large Italian family base, there in the Owens Valley – cattle ranchers and cowboys! My mom has been in Reno for going on 20 years. I came to be near her after I graduated college in southern California in 1996, I left for San Francisco in 1998, moved to Hawaii in 2000, and have now been here in Reno again for almost 10 years. Reno is a convenient location for us, we are only 4 hours from our hometown and extended family.

CACTUS:  How does living in that region affect your style?

Four solid seasons makes for an extensive wardrobe! I think that our style has less to do with the region we live in and more to do with our passion for the west and for the past. We are inspired by vintage lifestyle, quality of craft and COLOR!

CACTUS: You own Lucky Star Gallery with your mom ~ how did you guys come upon the decision to open a business together?

My mom has always dabbled in antiques, as a collector. Following the death of my step-dad in 1996, she took a buying trip with some friends who were antique dealers. By the end of the trip my mom was officially on her way into the business. In 2001 I joined her on a cross-country buying trip and got hooked, myself. It was on that road trip that we conceptualized The Lucky Star Gallery.

CACTUS: What are the best and worst parts of working with your mom?

My mom and I enjoy lots of the same things, appreciate each others tastes and ideas, and have a good time! We created this business together and share a common vision for success… the challenges that come are sometimes difficult to navigate, our emotional attachment to the business and to each other makes it feel like we have more at stake.

CACTUS: What is the mission of Lucky Star Gallery?

The Lucky Star Gallery began as an American antiques business, and although we have diversified with our design work, our mission has stayed the same. We are dedicated to an active process of restore, reuse & recycle by utilizing American antiques. We believe in the handmade quality of products from yesterday, and in buying American made.

This philosophy continues through my mom’s designs. Her furniture designs all start with vintage pieces, rebuilt and restored she gives new life to those pieces and creates museum quality art furniture. Her handbag, wallet, belt & guitar strap lines all began as ways to use excess leather from her furniture making.

READ MORE After the Break >>>>>>>>>>>
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In a world of mass production, and furniture super stores, it is harder and harder to find a true furniture craftsman.  But that is exactly what Tim Lozier from How Kola Furniture is ~ a talented artist whose medium is wood, antlers, and rustic colors that, when combined, create a stellar collection of high quality, award winning furniture.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Tim and his wife Tiffany over the last couple of months… I think you’ll enjoy them too.

CACTUS: You currently live in Cody, Wyoming how did you come to live there and what is the best part of life in Cody??
TIM: I moved to Cody from Upper Mich. where I grew up. I have been here since 1989 and enjoyed the mountains and the pace of life so I stayed.

CACTUS: How did you begin making furniture and come to own your company, How Kola Furniture??
TIM: Due to medical issues my current job in the oil field was cancelled. Trying to find a new career I went back to my high school industrial arts background and started as a sander for Sweetwater Ranch. When they closed I went out on my own using what I had learned and added my own touches.

CACTUS: How did you come up with the name How Kola??
TIM: How Kola means “Welcome Friends” in Lakota Sioux.

CACTUS: How do you approach a new piece and infuse it with the ‘Elegant Rustic’ style you’re known for??
TIM: When I build I take into consideration the purpose of the piece and how it can bring life and elegance to the room. Each piece should be able to stand the test of time and be passed on for generations.

CACTUS:  Who are some other furniture makers that have affected your style??
TIM: As I’ve grown as a builder I’ve had many influences like Thomas Molseworth, and also artists like George Dabich who inspire me to push it to a higher level.

CACTUS: What is your process in creating a new piece of furniture??
TIM: I really have no process. It depends on the project or a great piece of wood that speaks to me. I will study the piece, for what seems like HOURS to my wife, before the inspiration hits.

CACTUS: Do have any particular music or time of day or other external factors that affect your creative process??
TIM: My process is continuous I’m always thinking of new pieces or different ways to enhance a old piece

CACTUS: What is your proudest achievement as a furniture maker??
TIM: I’ve been able to make dozens of beautiful pieces. My favorites are pieces are those that I can make for my family.  There is great gratification in giving someone you love a piece that was created just for them.

CACTUS: What percentage of your business is custom orders??
TIM: 90% of my work is custom. Be it changes in size or carving or adding a drawer, very rarely are any two pieces the same.

CACTUS: If somebody wants to purchase furniture from you how would they find your work??
TIM: Most days you can find me in the shop or by PHONE 307/250/0322. Thanks to the internet I can also be found at www.HowKola.com, on facebook at How Kola and onTwitter under HowKola. I’m also listed with Cactus Creek, Contemporary Western Design and Rustic West.

CACTUS: What shows do you attend??
TIM: Cody High Style Show and the Western Design Conference

CACTUS: What would be your advice to a young person who is interested in pursuing a career in making furniture??
TIM: As I have worked with my sons I have decided the best advice is safety, and trial and error. They have to learn to go with their own inspiration and gut feeling otherwise it isn’t your piece it’s someone else’s.

Great advice… BIG thanks to Tim & Tiffany!!  fancy

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Rustic * Western * Vintage Furniture

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I met Jenifer Jordan last Fall when she was signing her book, Horses & Homes, at Marburger Farm during Round Top Antique Week. Her passion for photography, and also for her horses, is so evident when you meet Jenifer and that sentiment is reflected perfectly in her beautiful book. I had the opportunity to visit with Jenifer last month and get to know her a little better…

 CACTUS: What is your career background?

Jenifer: As a graduate from The University Of Austin in Photo Journalism and Advertising, my career began as a photographer shooting in a commercial studio in Texas. After a few years in the studio, I soon found out I needed daylight!..A commercial studio is always dark; no ambient light…I started looking around and thought it would be interesting to shoot homes. I began shooting for “Dallas-Fort Worth Home & Garden”magazine. The magazine covered homes, food and lifestyle photography and I knew I had found my career photography “niche” as an interior/architectural photographer. National magazines keep abreast of regional magazines and I was contacted. It was a perfect segue, because my magazine became a crisis of the economy in the 80’s, like most of the magazines are going through now. Over 25 years later, I have shot for thousands of design magazines and many interior design books. I am honored to say, I have seven design books that I have exclusively photographed and Horses & Homes is my latest release that I not only photographed but also wrote.

CACTUS: What is your personal style in your own home?

Jenifer: My personal interior style can be seen in my book, Horses & Homes. I am not sure if this is a defined style, but it is “country chic with an equestrian influence”. This book was a work of my passion, because my home can be seen in several of the chapters in the book, for example pages 42, 100,106,111,165,170. As I traveled the country photographing people’s homes, I found there were many people like me. Many people decorate their homes with their passions and there were many homes with an equestrian influence.

CACTUS: Was seeing so many other homes influenced by horses what led to the book??

Jenifer: Yes, I proposed the idea to my publisher and he thought it would be a great book as well. A year in the making and a lifetime of loving horses, Horses & Homes is truly my passion.

CACTUS: Tell me how you began riding horses and how that passion has affected your spirit.

Jenifer: My father shared with me his love of horses; I had a horse as a child and you never lose that love. Life sort of happened and I was obsessed with my career in my twenties and thirties until one day I thought “I work too hard”. I remembered the fond memories and fun times I had with my horse as a child, so at thirty-eight I bought my first American Saddlebred, my personal favorite horse discipline. Pictured on page 17 in the book, me and my five-gaited saddlebred, My Secret Passion (Jack). The love of a horse shows no boundaries – not only for riders but also anyone who can appreciate nature’s true beauty . To me a horse means not just unconditional love and friendship, but a calm and peace in life – like coming home.

More after the break below…

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With a wild PASSION for the old West, road trips, vistas and pop art, Dave Newman has created a his own brand of art that is not only DISTINCTIVE, it’s also JOYFUL and MEMORABLE.

Based in his studio in Prescott, Arizona, Dave Newman first became interested in creating art 30 years ago, “We had a screen printing business in the 80’s and I became interested in the Pop artists of the 60’s, mainly Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. I began reading and visiting museums and galleries and started experimenting.”

The result is an impressive body of work that includes both collage work and acrylic paintings.  On Dave’s website he says this about his art, “My collage work is heavily influenced by life’s objects – signs, buildings, music, advertisements and nostalgia. Sometimes my art begins on the side of the road where I’ve found an interesting object…. When I’m not working on collages, I paint. My acrylic paintings on canvas and wood are spontaneous commentaries of Pop Culture, i.e., coffee cups, television, hearts, and the spaces we live in. They are created with a fun & whimsical feel because I tend to view life in that way.”

While the subject matter of Dave’s art is based on simple pleasures, his work offers many layers of texture, images and treasures that you will discover over time once you own his work. I asked Dave about his process for creating new pieces… “I don’t have a set process and my work is very spontaneous and I usually work on several pieces at a time.”

In addition to his collages and paintings that are based on inspiration, Dave has also done a bit of commission work.  “Some of my commission work comes from individuals who want personal pieces which include items they provide such as photos and personal mementos. Other commissions have been for corporate collections such as the recent piece I did for the new Spring Training facility in Arizona for the Cleveland Indians.”  I think that commissioning Dave Newman to create an original piece of art for a friend, or for a family looking to commemorate a special occasion, would be a great gift and an extraordinary treasure.

Dave had one the great honors of his career when he was included in the recently published ‘Painters of Utah’s Canyons and Deserts’ coffee table book {ABOVE}.  He also has the distinguished pleasure of creating the artwork for some of the custom art guitars and amps sold by the Fender Custom Shop, a division of Fender USA® {BELOW}. Dave approaches each guitar, case or amp as an individual piece of art, creating a one of a kind work of musical art that plays and performs like the incredible instruments that Fender® is known for.

Finally I asked Dave what his ULITMATE DAY OF INSPIRATION WOULD INCLUDE. “A visit to a great museum, a road trip to Round Top to “hunt for junk”, a visit to Santa Fe to see art and eat good food or just knowing I can roll out of bed and start working in my studio at home.” How can you not love this guy??
 
So here is the VERY BEST PART!!
This 2nd Saturday, June 13th, you will have the opportunity to purchase an original piece of art from Dave Newman at the Cactus Creek STORE. In fact Dave’s art will be displayed through July so come by anytime {Call first to make sure I’m there: 816.386.4013} ~ or visit us on one of our 2nd Saturday Sales:
June 13th & July 11th from 10am ~ 8pm.
** Click HERE for MORE INFO **
about the Cactus Creek STORE!!

BIG thanks to Dave and his wife, Donna… can’t wait to see y’all again soon!! xo,fancy

** Click HERE for more ARTISTS you’ll LOVE!! **

** Click HERE for more BOOKS **
you should have in your COLLECTION

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