Little Woods Blog

Tag: iowa artist

  • Backyard Botanicals by Little Woods’ owner Kristin M Roach

    Backyard Botanicals by Little Woods’ owner Kristin M Roach

    Our physical store is more than a tea shop, it’s a place to explore, to inspire curiosity in plants (tea in particular), and a place of calm wonder. The art that has become part of this environment is inspired by my passion for ecology, healing, and a deep love of plants.

    Bloody Dock, Gouache, 2021

    The current series of works on display are painting meditations in the form of botanical illustration. Uncertainty, overwhelm, and grief found me in the beginning of 2021 (unfortunately common combination for many of us these last two years). And it was in my backyard, spending sunrises with my local plant allies that I found myself and healed my heart.

    Un-Ripe Tart Cherries, Gouache, 2021
    Painting with age 19 Molly the day before we had to put her down.

    As an herbalist, it’s easy to think in terms of plants’ chemical components and how we can use them to support our bodies. We can lose sight of the healing power they hold by their simple existence in our ecosystem, the place nature holds as a sanctuary. The Backyard Botanical series is the pure reconnection to that place of plant sanctuary in my own life.

    As part of the series, I identified and researched each plant. On my portfolio, for those plant nerds out there, I’ve shared what I learned. Explore each plant in the series to learn more about what you might find in your own backyard, see process images, and purchase a print or the original.

    Solomon’s Seal, Gouache, 2021

    And the series continues. As the days are finally warming up, I’m back in the backyard painting more works that will someday find their way into the Little Woods space. While I’m not facing the same challenges I did last year, I continue the practice of spending time with the plants to replenish and restore.

    Yarrow, Gouache, 2021

    You can come visit the shop next time you’re in town to see the works in person and select a fine art print to enjoy in your own space.

    ArtWalk Studio Open House + Local Artist Carmen Cerra

    If you happen to be in town during the Annual Downtown Ames Art Walk (June 2nd 5 – 8pm this year), you can come chat with me in my studio above Little Woods or visit with local artist Carmen Cerra (he created our woodland animal tea party greeting cards) in the shop.

    If you’d learn more about what I’m up to in the studio on a regular basis, join my newsletter list to get a monthly-ish letter from me to you.

    Until next time…

    Kristin M Roach

  • Cloth Cartographies: Catherine Reinhart

    Cloth Cartographies: Catherine Reinhart

    Little Woods Gallery is pleased to present Cloth Cartographies, a new exhibition by Iowa artist Catherine Reinhart. On display during August and September 2019. Cloth Cartographies is a series of drawings and collages combining maps, quilt block patterns and weave drafts. Imagined elevations are alluded to in a transparent grid of paper piecing and graphite. These landscapes explore the internal spaces and how humanity maps place.

    Cloth Cartographies: Catherine Reinhart

    Little Woods Gallery | 136 Main Street, Ames, Iowa 50010
    Monday – Saturday 9am – 7pm, Sunday 12 – 5pm
    July 30 – September 22
    Closing Reception: Sunday, August 22 | 1-3pm
    Meet the artist, purchase originals and prints

     

    From the Artist

    “My artistic voice is one of second chances. I make fiber art, works on paper and interactive installations with discarded textiles and found papers. I am a pessimist compelled to create optimistic works dealing with the themes of redemption, connection and care. 

    “Through the use of found textiles I communicate the power of economies of care. Economies of care run on small, simple, and repetitive acts which provide comfort, ease suffering, and connect us with each other. Similarly, I am drawn to the ritual actions inherent in many textile processes – stacking, sorting, washing, pilling. 

    “My artistic process is iterative, and I work of several bodies of work at once. I dissemble, reconfigure, and react to discarded polyester quilts. I layer topographical maps, weaving drafts, and recorded data discovering the connections between disparate places. 

    “Recently, my socially-engaged works rely on the communal actions of mending together. These shared experiences create unexpected ties and are powerful antidotes to an increasingly divided and alarmist culture. I am interested in a radical hospitality and a generous art practice which redeems the overlooked, cares for the forgotten, and honors the undervalued.” 

    About Catherine Reinhart

    Catherine Reinhart is an artist living and creating in Ames, IA. She received her BFA in Integrated Studio Arts – Printmaking and Fiber in 2008 from Iowa State University. In 2012, she completed her MFA in Textiles from the University of Kansas. 

    Reinhart exhibits her work locally and nationally and has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards. These include a 2015 Personal Development Grant from the Surface Design Association, and Art Project grants from the Iowa Arts Council in 2016 & 2020.  Her work is included in the Southern Graphics Council Print Collection and Archives at the University of Mississippi at Oxford, Mississippi and the Print Department Permanent Collection at Kyoto Seika University in Kyoto, Japan. 

    Catherine has served as a selected panelist on “Visualizing Place: A Conversation with Visiting Artists Featured in the Power of Place” Power of Place: KU Alumni Exhibition at the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, KS and the upcoming “Figuring it Out: Truths of being successful”  held In conjunction with the Surface Design Association’s 2019 Conference & Future Tense 2019 exhibition in St. Louis, MO.  Her work has also been included in the 2015 Surface Design Journal and has attended several invitational artist residencies including the 2018 Pentaculum at the Arrowmont School for Arts & Crafts.