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Francisco's Farm Arts Festival Newsletter
May 2008 Issue No. 8
Meet Erica Kirchner - Metal Sculptor

"Erica Kirchner's home and art studio are infested with insects and small animals, but she's never given any thought to an exterminator - unless you count the Smithsonian."
 
So began an Alys Willman article on Erica in the Louisville Magazine over ten years ago, when the Smithsonian Institute was setting up its Southern Craft Market for the Olympics in Atlanta. Their curators had selected dozens of her copper garden sculptures for the event.Woodturner Mark Paulley enjoys experimenting with shapes
 
Following graduation from the Ringling School of Art in 1977, Erica received her BFA from the University of Louisville the next year and began her art career, exhibiting her paintings, drawings, and sculpture in Kentucky galleries.  Fourteen years ago she began sculpting in metal with the intention of creating copper human figures for garden display. When a friend asked her to create a grasshopper, she became hooked on critters instead, and founded Creature Comforts by Erica.

Wooden Hat turned by Mark Paulley



At her first exhibit with Kentucky Crafted: The Market in 1995, she received orders from all over the country for her grasshoppers, bumblebees, crabs, and frogs.  She's exhibited at the annual market every year since then. Her work has been purchased by the gift shops at The Museum of Folk Art in NY, The Whitney Museum, and The Smithsonian, along with hundreds of other gift stores, garden shops, and museums from Alaska to Texas.
 
Erica's designs are all original and contemporary.  Working in solid copper and brass, she hand-cuts, hammers, forms and solders each piece. Her finishes vary from a torch patina to a natural verdigris patina, and in recent years she's expanded to include painted surfaces.

 

Ornaments turned from pipe bowls by Mark Paulley
Many of her sculptures were quite large - 2 to 3 feet long. Several years ago, at the request of a gallery owner, Erica began designing a line of tiny dogs and developed her "Blue Dogs" series - just about every breed of dog in sizes from 1" to 4" tall, with a verdigris finish. 



As the series gained in popularity, she created a second line - tiny dogs and cats, along with other species, painted in bright, fun colors.


 

You can meet Erica in person at Francisco's Farm Arts Festival on June 21st and 22nd. You'll find her, and all of her critters, in Booth #35. Her booth design looks like a backyard garden, complete with weathered fencing where you'll find some of her delightful copper women "just hanging around".

Thanks for reading! Watch for next week's newsletter and get acquainted with another fine artist.

Marcie Christensen
Event Coordinator / Imagineer

PS - We hope you will join us in thanking our generous sponsors. Let them know you appreciate their support of the Arts and this festival ~

  • National City, our Lead Sponsor
  • Woodford Reserve by Brown-Forman, sponsoring  Francisco's Gallery
  • United Bank & Trust, sponsoring our Music Stage
  • Nancy Barron & Associates, sponsoring our Art Totes (wait till you see these!)

  • Anne E. Bolton & Citi Smith Barney, sponsoring our Artist Awards
  • Chase Bank, sponsoring the UK Student Art Exhibition

and our fabulous Media Partners

WLEX-TV Channel 18 and WUKY-FM 91.3

Watch for our television commercials, beginning on WLEX-TV next week!
We'll be appearing on Nakada Jennings' noon show on June 10th, and
on Friday, June 20th be sure to rise early to watch Lee Cruse Live at Sunrise
Lee's show will be broadcast live from Francisco's Gallery

Tune in to Nick Lawrence's show, Curtains at 8, on WUKY-FM 91.3 every week,
and especially on Wednesday, June 18th when Nick hosts a crew from the Festival.
Contact Us

PO Box 4354
Midway, Kentucky 40347
859-846-4049
send us an email
Mark Your Calendar

June 27 & 28, 2009
franciscosfarm.org
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