FAITH draws myriad artists

The Fine Arts in the Hills (FAITH) Show and Sale featured artists of various media this year. According to Hill City Arts Council board president Sherry Liddell, because of the different media it was not a judged show as in years past.
The new format,  however, allowed for different artists, including first-time show attendee Stacey Brown from Rapid City.
Brown works with fused glass to create landscapes. The glass is fired three to four times in a kiln fired at 1450 degrees. She creates her artwork with layered glass either powdered or frit (chopped up).
This was her very first art show. She has been working with this medium for one and a half years. She learned about the show through a friend who is a  Hill City Arts Council board member.
“I thought what the heck, I’ll see if it’s any fun,” she said.
Also new to the Fine Arts in the Hills Show and Sale was Deborah Mitchell from the South Dakota School of Mines. Mitchell is the artist in residence for a new art and engineering program. The program is being funded by a National Science Foundation Grant.
 Mitchell was trained as a printmaker and is excited to allow other artists to come see what the program is all about. Students like Jenna Sayler, who is a metallurgical and materials science major, can see an art product from start to finish. For example, they can analyze local clay’s material properties then work with that clay to create an artistic piece.
For Sayler the program has meant a lot of different opportunities that she would not have otherwise.
“I’m really excited by the grant, says Sayler. “It pushed the department to get access to stuff I would never otherwise have.”
The Fine Arts in the Hills Show and Sale  also had several returning artists, such as Karen and Stuart Hurd. The couple out of Idaho have different artistic talents. Karen is a leather table runner specialist. She uses five different cow hides with a variety of textures from soft to coarse to curly to create stunning one-of-a-kind pieces. Hurd says the pieces work well on dining tables, hutches or coffee tables. She wanted to make something no one else was making. She gets the hides from leather stores.
“I was into it for $3,500 when my husband said ‘I hope you can do this.’ I  said, ‘I do too,’” she said with a laugh.
She recently did the Stock Show in Rapid City where she practically sold out of her art pieces. It takes her 12 hours to make just one runner and she spent three months getting ready for this particular show.
Her husband Stuart is a metal sculptor expert. One of his most unique pieces is an elaborate  barn. It starts out as a flat piece of steel  that he measures  and assembles with a spot welder. One barn takes about a month for him to complete. Hurd drew his inspiration from farms he saw growing up in  central South Dakota.
Steve Barba from Sturgis is an assemblage and color pencil artist. His work is extremely unique and intricate. His color pencil pieces are inspired from his work as  a former mechanic on B-52s.
“Airplanes are in my DNA,” he said.
Each assemblage piece offers a different aspect.
He gets most of the pieces to create his art from going around to second hand stores.
“I’ve been in the area for 40 years and they know I collect this crap,” he said.
He used to do models for a living.
“It’s blasphemy to tear up the rules,” he said with a smile. “We don’t care anymore.”
Barba has wanted to come to the Hill City Arts Council show for many years but this was his first opportunity due in large part to the new format  displaying various media versus strictly sculptures. The new format not only allows a broader collection of art to be displayed and sold, it also adds to a wider price point for art buyers.
The free show and sale also featured two sessions for children to try their hands at leather making and sculpting.