A lifelong Kansan, I balanced careers as an artisan and art educator until 2006, when I left teaching to devote full time to the creation of wood art. I have formal degrees in Craft Design and Education, but my technical woodworking skills are self-taught. I began selling work at art fairs while still a student in the ’70′s, and have traveled to art fairs from coast to coast. Currently, my work can be seen at 12 to 15 art fairs each year. My current schedule can be found on my Schedule page.
RECENT AWARDS
- 2022 Best of Show – Marth Rhea Award of Merit – Smokey Hill River Festiva
- 2021 Best of Crafts – Walnut Valley Festival
- 2019 Juror Award – Main Street Art Festival – Fort Worth
- 2016 Honorable Mention – Lakefront Festival of Art – Milwaukee
- 2016 Second Place Award in Wood – Cincinnati Summerfair
- 2015 Best of Crafts – Walnut Valley Festival
- 2015 Award of Excellence – Webster Art Fair, Webster Groves, Mo.
- 2015 Best of Show/1st Place in Wood – Cincinnati Summerfair
- 2015 Best in Show – Main Street Fort Worth Art Fair
- 2014 Best in Wood – Brookside Art Annual
- 2014 Best in Show – Lenexa Art Festival
- 2014 Best in Wood – Summerfair Cincinnati
- 2013 Award of Excellence – Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
- 2012 1st Place in Wood – Naperville Riverwalk Art Fair (Naperville, Illinois
- 2012 Best of Show/1st Place in Wood – Cincinnati Summerfair
- 2011 1st Place Award – St. Louis Art Fair
- 2010 Best of Show – Salem Art Festival (Salem, Oregon)
- 2010 Best in Wood – Sun Valley Art Festival (Sun Valley, Idaho)
- 2010 Best in Wood – Brookside Art Annual(kansas City, Missouri)
- 2010 3rd Place (overall) – Old Capitol Art Fair (Springfield, Illinois)
- 2009 2nd Place Award – St. Louis Art Fair
- 2009 Carol Duke Award – Bellevue Art Museum Fair
- 2008 Gold Award – Plaza Art Fair (Kansas City)
- 2007 Best of Show – West Palm Beach Fine Craft Show
- 2007 Best of Show – St. James Court Art Fair (Louisville, Kentucky)
INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION
- 2015 Audacious: Montalto Bohlen Collection – Peabody & Essex Museum – Salem, Ma.
- 2014 FifTea – Anniversary Teapot Exhibition – Craft Alliance – St. Louis
- 2010 Teapot Exhibition – Stohl Art Center – Chautauqua, New York
- 2010 “teapots!” – Morgan Gallery – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 2009 Hot Tea! 2009 – Del Mano Gallery
- 2008 National Teapot Show X – Cedar Creek Gallery – Creedmoor, North Carolina
- 2006-08 Nature Transformed: Wood Art from the Bohlen Collection, touring:
University of Michigan Museum of Art
Mobile Museum of Art
Museum of Arts and Design, New York
- 2004 Out of the Woods, Lawrence Art Center, Lawrence, Kansas
- 2001 Celebrating Boxes, Tullie House Museum, Carlisle, United Kingdom
- 2000 The Fine Art of Wood: the Bohlen Collection, Detroit Institute of Art
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- 2015 Audacious: The Fine Art of Wood from the Montalto Bohlen Collection
- 2008 American Style Magazine. February, Issue #59
- 2006 The New York Times. Friday, June 2. Pp B26. “Turning the Rhythmic Waves of Cocobolo, Ebony, and Jarrah Burl.” Glueck, Grace
- 2004 Nature Transformed: Wood Art from the Bohlen Collection. Ulmer, Sean. Hudson Hills Press, Manchester VT.
- 2004 Turning Points Magazine. Volume 16, No. 4.
- 2004 400 Wood Boxes: The Fine Art of Containment and Concealment. Gunter, Veronika. Lark Books, Sterling Publications, New York, NY.
- 2002 Celebrating Boxes. Crawford, Andrew & Lloyd, Peter. Linden Publishing, Fresno, CA.
- 2002 Making Heirloom Boxes. Lloyd, Peter. Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd, East Sussex, UK.
- 2000 The Fine Art of Wood: The Bohlen Collection. Fike, Bonita. Abbeville Press, New York, NY.
- 1998 The Art of Making Fine Wood Jewelry. Lydgate, Tony. Sterling Publications, New York, NY.
- 1990 Fine Woodworking Design Book Five. Taunton Press, Newtown, CT.
- 1983 Fine Woodworking Design Book Three. Taunton Press, Newtown, CT.
- 1979 Fine Woodworking Design Book Two. Taunton Press, Newtown, CT.
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
- Kamm Teapot Foundation
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Detroit Institute of Arts Museum
- Mobile Museum of Art
- Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts
- Forest Heritage Center and Museum, Broken Bow, Oklahoma
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
- Robert M. and Lillian Montalto Bohlen
- Moreno Gabay
- Louise Cecil
- Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Novotny
- Nancy Maloney
- Sam Panice
- Peter Tillou
- Nanette Laitman
- Kimberly Oelze
- Bernard and Margaret Cohen Voss
- Ed Bass