Three residents of Coal Creek Canyon and one in Rollinsville participated in the Artist Studio Tours organized by The Mountain-Ear during the weekend of Friday, September 23, 2023, to Sunday, September 24.
Julie Ikler has a studio off South Beaver Creek Road at 805 Mountain Meadows. She has long been drawn to mixed media mosaics, often utilizing the style of Pique Assiette, or “broken plates.” She uses “found objects that might otherwise end up in the landfill, satisfying a desire to reuse and repurpose.”
Every piece Ikler creates requires a “certain energy in the room at different times during the process.” Ikler often listens to music, audiobooks, or a podcast while she creates. She also says, “If I am making a piece for a particular person, I bring that person to mind during the process.”
She does her mosaics in her spare time and also is a teacher at New Vista High School in Boulder.
Ikler can be reached at Julie.ikler@ gmail or by phone 303-815-4643.
Martina Pernicano lives off of Twin Spruce Road in Coal Creek Canyon. Pernicano creates pottery “designed for everyday use in the kitchen, including espresso cups, latte/cappuccino cups, coffee/tea mugs, breakfast bowls, plates, platters, and vases,”she says.
“My studio is a high-volume production of pottery. All pieces are made by hand, glazed, and fired in my studio. I thrive to make all pieces as identical as possible and provide consistency in appearance yet leave room for a footprint of the handmade process, my heart and soul in each piece.” She can be reached at 303-668-6997.
Kathy Bremers lives off Camp Eden Road in Coal Creek Canyon. She has lived along the Peak to Peak since 1979, providing her with “endless inspiration from the beauty surrounding us.” She feels fortunate to have support from her family and her “wonderful mountain community.”
Bremers is inspired by “the abundant beauty here in Colorado and the desire to help others connect to our natural world; to foster a deeper responsibility within all of us to take care of our home with love and respect.” Subjects in her watercolor art include “mountains, blue skies, clouds, flowers, birds, large and small mammals, glorious golden aspen trees, looming pine trees, snow play, rocks, and water.” She can be reached at klbremmers@gmail.com and 303-815-3255.
Gabrielle Gewirtz has functional and decorative ceramics. She lives off of Old Stage Road in Rollinsville. “I make one-of-a-kind, highly decorative, artistic, functional ceramics, wheel-thrown, hand-built, or a combination of both. I use different techniques for surface decoration to create what I have going in my head.”
Gewirtz plays with mandalas, topo maps, sea textures including coral, barnacles, and more, and spontaneous textures. She also makes mosaics that combine hand-carved sculptural tiles or sculptures with broken glass. She can be reached at www.gabart.co, gabartceramics@gmail.com, or phone 917-705-5659.
Art has redefined the meaning of expression, as proven by artists like Jen Molochnick. For seven years, she has been expressing herself through clay. Art is not only a way Molochnick shares her story. It’s also something she likes teaching others.
“I enjoy teaching beginners how to throw on a pottery wheel and spend much of my time in the studio sharing what I’ve learned with others.” Molochnick creates “functional and fun ceramic pieces to be used in daily life.”
Jen Molochnick’s home studio is located in Black Hawk. You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JenMoloPottery80422 or you can give her a call at 720-412-9255.
