- Welcome to Kalamazoo Lively Arts.

The show that takes you inside Kalamazoo's vibrant creative community and explores the people who breathe life into the arts.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Support for Kalamazoo Lively Arts is provided by the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation.

Helping to build and enrich the cultural life of greater Kalamazoo.

- I'm Jennifer Moss here at Miller Auditorium.

On today's show, we stop by the Epic Center for the May Art Hop and meet a variety of artists who all have their own unique way of expressing themselves through art.

- Hi Christina Highfield.

You are a talented artist in many different ways.

So welcome to, what, your first Art Hop?

- Yeah, my very first one.

- Yeah.

Tell us about you.

- My name is Christina.

I currently run BookField.

It's a vintage bookstore, and I also have art made from damaged books there.

I've been doing it for about three years now, and this is actually my very first Art Hop.

- What is a damaged book?

- Anything that is falling apart, past the point of no return.

Sometimes they're missing covers.

Sometimes there's missing pages.

Anything that's really not fixable.

If I can't rebind it, I try to find a new way to give it a new life.

- Staying with that topic, how did you get into that niche?

- It really kinda just started with me being crafty.

I started with bookmarks because it made the most sense to make bookmarks to go with my books.

And from there it kind of expanded.

And I tried to find different ways that I could use every part of the books, so nothing's getting thrown out.

- And as I look around, much of this has to do with books.

Were you a book reader as a little Christina?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

I used to walk down the hallways and read between classes and spend every day reading because it was a way to escape and you get to go on all these different adventures that you can't just do on your own life.

- Let's take a look at many of your wears here and let's start with the book, the bunny, what's all this about?.

- Yeah.

So this used to be a children's book.

Children's books tend to fall apart easier because kids are playing with them, the pages get drawn on and the binding was falling apart, but the cover itself was still in good condition.

And I decided to turn them into journals, so that way people can either write in them or draw on them, which is kind of fun.

And I hand stitch every single one of them.

- That's gracious.

And then you have bookmarks to go with your books, such as... - Yes.

So I have, - [Interviewer] Tell me about this.

- Yeah.

So these are old library checkout cards.

Younger generation might not be familiar with them 'cause everything's done digitally now.

But back in the day you would find these inside your book and that's how you would check out your books.

And I found them inside a lot of my vintage books that I sold and it didn't make sense to kind of keep them in there anymore.

And so now I turn them into bookmarks.

So you kind of get that little piece of history as you're reading, kind of takes you back in time.

- Yes.

And more bookmarks with maps and other type of artistry on it.

- Yeah.

I've always kind of, I love bookmarks myself.

I collect them at home and I'm always trying to find a different way to put pages into them.

So I use vintage maps for some of them, that's kind of where I started.

Then I moved into making ones with coffee.

So these are made out of coffee and wine.

- Coffee?

Stains?

- And tea, yeah.

Stains.

Yeah.

I wanted something different than just traditional watercolor and coffee and books kind of pair well together.

So why not make a bookmark that symbolizes that?

And then I just kind of moved around.

So I do, these are vintage highlights magazines from the 1970s.

- [Interviewer] Yes.

- [Christina] And they have this really cool yellow color and I thought they were fun for Halloween and everything's kind of new and different.

And if I can try it, I do.

- That's good that you do.

How about the jewelry side of you?

- I actually just started my jewelry line this year.

I had a bunch of vintage illustrations laying around because when books fall apart, sometimes there's illustrations on the inside.

I was kind of saving them up for one day an art project and I decided, why not try necklaces?

And I created a bunch of different ones.

My favorite ones are the ones with the insects, or the little bugs cause it's different.

And you don't really see that often.

- [Interviewer] Is there one to be shown?

- [Christina] Yes, I actually.. - Let'’s peak at that.

- So this one has a grass chopper on it.

And it has stripes on it, which is fun.

And I love all the different details that insects will have and it's kind of fits the niche of vintagey, aesthetic, Edwardian, Victorian kind of style, so, - So obviously part of your style.

- [Christina] Yeah.

- Christina, what are these?

- So this is actually a new product I just created literally this week.

It's my first prototype.

It's clay made out of paper.

So it was kind of a different way for me to use my pages that were just stockpiling because I didn't have enough uses for them.

And I figured why not try to create something completely different that would blow someone's mind, 'cause you don't really think of clay being made from paper.

It's not a traditional substance.

And usually when people think of paper being made it's something it's paper mache.

So it's kind of a twist on paper mache, but it's a little bit more molding and you can do different things with it, which is fun.

- How do you develop your creativity as an artist?

- I'm usually just always looking to nature, trying to bring in what I love.

One of my favorite things to work with is dried flowers.

I like using it in my necklaces, I put them inside ornaments and my little vials for decorations.

I started doing the bookmarks with the flowers this last year.

Just anything that can kind of bring nature back and tied into books because books came from trees and it's kind of nice to give back.

- And these are books of their own, right?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

When I make my journals, I end up with leftover paper when I cut the pages and I couldn't bear throwing out the paper because my whole point of it is to keep books out of the landfill and I don't wanna create more waste than I need to.

So I started creating little journals left over with all the scraps.

Some of them are made with full leather.

Some of them are actually made with paper that I created here at the Kalamazoo Book Art Center downtown, which is really fun to make paper of your own and have that process to go from pulp to an actual product.

And I think it's a nice little touch to bring my creativity and myself into my products.

- [Interviewer] So your creativity kind of has a message to it.

- [Christina] Yeah.

- [Interviewer] Whether it's sustainability or protecting the environment.

- Yeah, I'm super, I really started my book business because I noticed that people were throwing books out and it broke my heart and I was like, why are we throwing books out?

That makes no sense.

You're throwing out knowledge.

And so I started collecting them and saving them and it just kind of turned into this thing of trying to keep books out of the landfill.

And that's why I started doing the art because it was a way for me to use those damaged books instead of throwing them back out.

And that's definitely not what I wanted.

And I have slowly been trying to get back in touch with the earth and every quarter I make donations and plant trees because it's super important to me to help get our earth back to where it's supposed to be.

- Which item do you anticipate being your best seller?

- Usually the journals do really well with my last couple markets.

It's something different that not a lot of people see.

And I know other people like me hoard journals at home and they're always fun to kind of dot little notes down in or draw in.

And so those are always usually my best sellers.

They're different.

- Well, may you go home with nothing less.

- Yeah.

That's what I hope for.

- Christina, thank you for your time.

- Thank you.

- Ashley McGeachy an Art Hop artist.

Are you having fun?

You've shared off your wares.

- Yeah.

I'm having a good time so far.

- When did you start this?

Was there an experience that you had?

- Well, I had a night where I hallucinated a streetlight that literally wasn't there, when I just had this feeling like I just had to paint.

And I sat down and I painted that night and it just clicked in my head, this is what I've always wanted to do since I was a little girl.

And everybody just told you that's not realistic, Ashley.

And turns out it actually is.

- [Interviewer] What's your medium?

- [Ashley] Acrylic paint.

- Does your art have a message in each piece?

- Yeah, I would say each piece has a very distinct resonance and message and even feel to it.

It's almost like sometimes it feels like I'm pulling them from different realms or different stations almost.

- How do you determine, let's just say your colors?

Cause sometimes blue is soothing.

Sometimes black maybe not.

What's your choice pattern here?

- I usually ask, I just sit and I ask what color comes next?

What line comes next?

What are we doing?

Which direction are we going?

How do I feel?

And, boom.

- Yeah, take me through a session.

You have a vision, you have a canvas in front of you, take me to your place.

(Ashley laughs) Are you in your own studio?

- It depends.

I've spent a lot of my art career traveling and living outta my van.

I now do live in a home.

And so yeah, I'm usually in my own space.

I like to create in nature a lot as well.

And each one comes through in a different way.

Sometimes it's like you sit down and it's like, it's all there immediately.

And you're like, oh, there's the painting.

Sometimes it comes in little bits.

And sometimes I feel like you have to have a certain experience before you get the next layer of the painting almost.

So here we are.

I'm gonna ask you to describe your works up close and personal.

- [Ashley] Okay.

- What's this all about?

- So this one is the middle is a depicting the oneness that we are all one and around here we have the ouroboros, which is a dragon eating its own tail.

It is a symbol of the cycles of death and rebirth and the continual nature of life.

And then surrounding the edges we have, you know, all the matter changing throughout different forms.

It's from the tree, to the birds, to the clouds, through like stars and a little arrow in there.

And yeah.

- One painting that's a self-portrait.

- [Ashley] Oh yeah.

- It's you.

- They're all self-portraits truly, when you really wanna get down to it.

- Yeah.

Tell me more about that.

- [Ashley] They're all expressions of me in different facets and avenue.

Like it all came through my being.

So in a way they all represent pieces of myself that I needed to look at or I needed to sit with or I needed to remember in a way.

And I think in that sense, the authenticity of that, it speaks to other people as well.

'Cause you know, we're all the same inside.

- Do you draw this first and then, or are you actually, I mean, does this emerge as you work?

- This one emerged as I was working, yeah.

Most of them do come through that way sometimes with specific ones, like the geometric parts in here, you know, you see it, but then I wanna make sure it's gonna look right.

So I'll sketch it on there first before I just go in there usually.

Yeah.

- And how do you determine your colors?

Again, is this predetermined or it is a work in progress.

- It's a work in progress while doing it.

You know, you kind of get, the process that I use actually is called mische technique and it is a layering process where you use thin layers of different colors of paints, which kind of achieve this iridescent, multidimensional colored effect.

And, yeah.

So it goes through many layers of like, it'll be all blue and then all of a sudden there's yellow in there and then we have a glaze of red.

So yeah, it definitely goes on a journey.

- Yeah.

And yet you've used the somewhat of a similar color pattern with this piece of art.

- Yeah.

I like those colors.

They feel really peaceful to me.

- [Interviewer] Nice.

Tell me what's happening here.

- This one is depicting a ceremony of a group of women gathering together to bless the sacred waters of the womb of this woman in the center here.

So it's kind of a sacred sisterhood painting and the beauty of women coming together in community.

- Yes.

And the significance of the bird.

- You know, I think I just like birds, honestly.

I depicted the hummingbirds here because I actually painted this when I was in New Mexico and I was staying in a hummingbird, what do you call it?

- Sanctuary?

- Casita.

- That too.

- Yeah.

Sorry.

(both laughing) It was a hummingbird Casita.

So there was hummingbird imagery everywhere.

And I wanted to depict them drinking the nectar of the sun, like drinking sunlight.

- And it just sounds like your art has its own experience.

Costa Rica, New Mexico, your outs and about, doing your craft.

- Yeah.

I feel every place in the world has a different energy or resonance or vibe you might say.

And I like to go to different places and pick up on the energy of that place and really let it inspire me.

- Yes.

And there are two birds.

- Yeah.

We like symmetry here.

You gotta keep it balanced.

- [Interviewer] Yeah.

You do good work.

- [Ashley] Thank you.

- What piece are you working on right now?

- Oh, right now I'm working on a commission piece for a dear friend that I just met in Costa Rica.

And he wants me to paint him in a forest, surrounded by angels.

So I'm really touched that he honored me with that.

- Did he get to go to Costa Rica, back to Costa Rica to do that?

- No, he's actually from Columbus.

(laughs) - It's okay.

- Yeah.

- Nice work.

Congratulations.

- Thank you.

- [Interviewer] Austin rounds, hello to you.

- [Austin] Hello.

- Joe Rounds, hello to you.

- Hi.

- On the floor, wonderful arts we have on behalf of Austin, but I'm gonna have your dad talk about you first.

Brag on Austin.

(both laughing) What what's he all about?

- Yeah.

It's easy to brag about him.

He's such a wonderful kid.

And aside from that, just being a fantastic artist.

And he got started when he was very young.

He started sketching when he was about three, four years old and I don't think he ever put a pencil or pen down.

He was constantly carrying around with him.

We went through probably thousands of notepads and art pads.

And you know, he's kind of transitioned between different forms, you know, sometimes he's got him painting a little bit.

He really stuck with sketching and drawing.

And this was his first attempt at digital art.

Yeah.

The scarecrow over there was like the first one I think.

- So in general, Austin, is this digital work?

Are you a digital artist?

- I like to consider myself as both, like I guess traditional and digital, tradigital.

Okay.

So the thing is, it starts off with like a hand drawn sketch on piece of paper.

And then from there I would kind of outline it with like a, I guess sort of like a fine ink pen or something just, I guess one of the kinds you could find at like Michael's.

I would go from there to take a photo of it with my iPad or phone and using my iPad as stylist too.

I'm able to, I guess, put it on this one sort of digital sketch app and give it all the colors, the materials.

- One of the things about his piece or all his pieces, they're all a hundred percent original.

- And some of these, I don't wanna say they're dark, but there's this spooky house, there's kind of a spooky scarecrow.

Is that part of your theme?

- Yeah.

It is kind of part of my theme.

I mean, growing up, I was always fascinated by everything that was, has sort of a creepy dark whimsical.

I'm kind of inspired by people like Tim Burton and some other cartoon shows I grew up watching.

- So in Austin, he can work in a variety of styles.

So the book that he's working on right now just happens to be a Halloween based series of short stories.

And so that's what... - It's the tip of the iceberg.

- So that's what this project is.

So it's more Halloween theme.

It's a little bit darker, but he's also, once he finishes up this project, gonna start working on poetry book.

So it'll be more whimsical, the more lighthearted, but he's able to really transition between a lot of different styles.

- And as a parent, you coached this, you pushed Austin to do what he does well.

- Yeah.

So Austin was diagnosed with autism when he was in the first grade.

And so there was a lot of challenges that Austin and me and us as a family had to work through and make life comfortable for him and give him the support and the advocacy that he needed in school and at home and in public.

And you know, that being said, it's not a point for sympathy.

Austin is, for the most part, fairly independent.

He still lives at home with us, but you know, pretty much anything else he needs to do day to day, he takes care of himself, but the challenges that autism kind of presented with him or presented to him, it also opened up this reservoir of creativity and just a different way of looking at the world and a different way of expressing himself and, - A different way of thinking, I guess.

Yeah.

- Does this make you proud, Joe?

- Yeah, absolutely.

- The art.

- Well, everything, everything that you've been through and everything you've kinda accomplished, you know, the Art Hop really gave us a great platform.

The book is nice.

It's a vehicle for Austin to kind of express himself.

So the author will send us a snippet of a story that he hasn't even written yet.

He'll just say, this is about a scary scarecrow for instance, that guy, and then Austin will develop this story and come up with an idea.

So the book was a nice vehicle for Austin to start working on something directly outta high school that would keep him productive and happy.

And the Art Hop gave us a platform to show off his work.

- Austin, is this your favorite piece?

- [Austin] Yeah, I think, yeah, it is.

- [Interviewer] Yeah, why?

- [Austin] There are like, I guess a lot of things that make it more personal.

- [Joe] The difference between this and the rest of the, this is the one piece that's not in the book.

This is not in the book.

This is not an illustration.

- I see an owl in here.

- Oh yeah.

I could walk you through it if you want.

- Yes, please.

- Okay.

So I guess, imagine if you were all alone in the woods and you see, I guess this one sort of abandoned building or church or whatever it is, and you see a little bit of light inside.

And so when you do step in, the thing is you also have your camera on you or phone or whatever.

- Yes.

We know you would.

- Yeah.

Okay.

So you would go in, but then you see there's all these strange sort of creatures and all these monsters are mad.

You (indistinct) trip on something and it's a loud noise and it's like, you get up and dust yourself off, you look, and it's like they're all staring at you.

Like they noticed you.

- [Interviewer] What inspires you?

- What inspires me to make, I guess, this sort of art that originally derives from all my, I guess, pent up anger and depression when I was in my high school days, because back in those days, I was just really unhappy.

- What also was diagnosed in the first grade, like I said, with autism, it was was a struggle for him.

So it was a lot of years where it was a lot of growing pains.

I was trying to find the right medications, was trying to find the right therapies, trying to get the right support.

You know, a period of time in high school in it was having a lot of difficulties.

- Was art part your life then?

- Part of the, you know, - Wonderful.

- Express himself, if there was moments where he was angry about a situation, or he was frustrated with something, he would go to his room and start sketching these characters out.

- [Interviewer] You keep making art.

- [Austin] Thank you, I will.

- Thank you, Austin, Joe, thank you for your time.

- You're welcome.

- Thank you for joining us on this week's episode of Kalamazoo Lively Arts.

Check out today's show and other content at wgvu.org.

We leave you tonight with a another great performance.

I'm Jennifer Moss, have a great night.

♪ Take a picture ♪ ♪ Try to capture ♪ ♪ To ensure this moment last ♪ ♪ We're still in it ♪ ♪ But in a minute ♪ ♪ That's the limit and the present will be passing ♪ ♪ So here we are ♪ ♪ Where the world has come together.

♪ ♪ But here she'll be ♪ ♪ In this picture forever.

♪ - Look at this, 540 million years ago, the continents of the world crashed together right here.

And 200 million years ago, where they separated again, moving apart from each other.

- Huh.

- But a little part of them was left behind.

I should move.

You're (indistinct).

- Oh no, no, no, no.

Stay where you are.

- Really.

- Really, it's perfect.

♪ Stop the world seize the moment ♪ ♪ But the minute he goes you're alone ♪ ♪ Pinch yourself ♪ ♪ Tell yourself ♪ ♪ You're (indistinct) ♪ ♪ He'll forget about you ♪ ♪ But here we are ♪ ♪ Where the continents ♪ ♪ Once crashed together ♪ ♪ Before they were there ♪ ♪ Separate ways forever.

♪ ♪ So stop the world ♪ ♪ Stop the world ♪ ♪ Stop the world.

♪ ♪ Stop the world.

♪ ♪ Stop the world ♪ ♪ From spinning round ♪ ♪ I'm on a lookout ♪ ♪ Overlooking something we're taking the time ♪ ♪ Stop flying by ♪ ♪ And look down ♪ ♪ Stop being scared ♪ ♪ And look proud ♪ ♪ Just tell her now ♪ ♪ And look proud ♪ ♪ Take a picture of the scenery ♪ ♪ Of a lookout of a moment ♪ ♪ Which is over of the ocean ♪ ♪ Of the river of the tree ♪ ♪ Stop the world.

♪ ♪ Please.

♪ (audience clapping) ♪ Can you whisper?

♪ ♪ Can you whisper?

♪ ♪ Can you whisper?

♪ ♪ The bittersweet between my teeth ♪ ♪Trying to find the in-between♪ ♪But I can love, eventually♪ ♪Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah♪ ♪ Can you whisper?

♪ ♪ The bittersweet between my teeth ♪ ♪ Can you whisper?

♪ ♪Trying to find the in-between♪ ♪ Can you whisper?

♪ ♪But I can love, eventually♪ ♪ Can you whisper?

♪ ♪Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah♪