Kim Baney and Teresa Carrano. Photo by Robert A. Hudson

By DARLA MCCAMMON

Lakeland Arts Association

WARSAW — Three different artists have joined forces to create a crisp new exhibit available for viewing now at the Lakeland Art Association gallery.  Explaining her “Not Quite Quilted” exhibit, Teresa Carrano generously shares. “I learned to sew garments sitting on my grandmother’s lap at the sewing machine because my legs were too short to reach the foot pedal on the floor to power the machine.”

Her offerings include acrylic paintings, embellished clothing, quilted and embroidered table sets and a block-of-the-month display.  Carrano is also talented in Zentangle, intricate designs that boggle the eye.  Natalie Chanin has been a big influence for Carrano who says she loves to do hand-sewn work.  About a year ago, Carrano began experimenting with quilting but found it was not as easy as she had imagined.

“How hard could cutting fabric into squares and sewing them together be?  Well, I’ve yet to make the perfect quilt and I probably never will.  It’s a lot of sewing, though, and I’ve discovered that as long as I’m sewing something, I’m happy.” Carrano invites visitors to “touch everything, try on clothing, look at the back of the quilted items, rearrange the magnet sets and guess the names of the blocks of the month!”

Carrano is a career journalist and says she is “one of those lucky people who get to start with a blank page every day.”  She currently is the editor of the Tribune-News, based in South Whitley, and a staff writer for the Times-Union.  About the exhibit she smiles, “Just come on in and make yourself at home.”

Kim Baney joins the exhibit with her beautiful graphite and colored pencil drawings on view.  She loved drawing as a child but had music rather than art training in her youth.  About eleven years ago, her mentor, Robert A. Hudson, one of our areas most talented artists, began encouraging her and she began enthusiastically learning from him to “understand what you cannot see, to better draw what you can see.”

She works full-time at Zimmer-Biomet and like most creative people, has other talents as she plays trumpet in the Grace Wind Ensemble and prior to that, years with the Symphony of the Lakes.  Baney enjoys sailing catamarans, traveling and driving off-road jeep trails.

Baney says she loves to draw things about which she has a passion.  “I especially love big cats, people, meaningful places, and most recently I have combined two of my favorite passions, racing and artwork, to start a series of 4 Women in Motorsports pieces.”  The first two have been completed including Pippa, the Indy Car Driver, Pippa Mann, and Spirit of the American Woman, featuring 1992 Indy 500 Rookie of the year, Lyn St. James.

The third artist in the trio is Wayne Harshberger an ingenious and creative sculptor. Usually dealing in alabaster stone and marble, Harshberger can transform a mundane looking piece of stone until the most amazingly delicate piece of art sculpture emerges and captures our attention.  From almost liquid looking human forms to animals, to abstract pieces that intrigue the eye, our part of the United States is so very fortunate to have this talented man giving of his time to not only teach us, but leaving a legacy that will last a very long time.

Upcoming and Current Events: 

• Exhibit by Teresa Carrano, Kim Baney and Wayne Harshberger all this month at LAA Gallery, 302 E. Winona Avenue, Warsaw. Open 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Free is admission
• Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery is featuring work by Darla McCammon. Admission is free; open 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Honeywell themed competition open in Wabash, June 8 through July 24.  This prestigious event always has wonderful entries. All work entered revolves around a water theme.
• Lakeland Arts Association Art Fair will be at the Kosciusko Fairgrounds August 26-27.

Website with some older columns you may have missed is www.darlamc.com.  Email Darla at [email protected], or call (574) 527-4044.