Here we are Folks. We’re at the final Artist for this series on local Artists from the Recycled Art Show at Campbell Pottery.
Meet Tami Hritzay.
Tami and I talked for a long time. We were talking long after everyone else left and the employees were cleaning up the punch and snacks. We talked a lot about local Art education and opportunities. I’ll try to just give you a glimpse into our conversation.
Tami is a survivor. Her life history includes bone cancer and a brain injury, when she was young, that left her in a coma for a week. Even though the coma was a result from a fall off a horse, she is very thankful that her parents didn’t make her sell her horse.
Her love of horses is evident in her story telling and in her piece from the show. Lets take a look…
Tami lives in her Uncle’s old house and he loved to collect stuff. This frame spoke to her because of its intricately carved twists and its mystery. She doesn’t know what it was ever used for but isn’t it interesting. I have no clue either. If anyone knows I would love to hear it.
The side twists are carved from a single piece of wood. There are holes going across the middle to indicate there were more of those long rods going across the large expanse. From the horizontal center piece there is one knob/rod piece coming straight out and a hole where another had been. Each of the bottom short rods also has a hole where it looks like a peg used to be but these holes alternate from the top to the bottom. Tami covered them with glass stones.
As I said, I just can’t think of what this was used for. Although Tami thought about removing the center vertical rod, she opted to offset her design and keep it as it was found.
How about a close up of the horse?
Tami used wood burning tools to create the detailed horse drawing on leather. She also added a backing to keep the leather from curling.
Tami’s mother and family roots lead to the Celtic knot you see in the horse’s mane and in the circular border. I asked her about her unusual last name as well and learned that her Dad was Ukrainian.
Tami’s got her foot in so many different avenues including clay, Ukrainian eggs, and calligraphy. She teaches in many different places as well including the Chautauqua Institution.
You will also find her on Amazon. She’s an author with the first book of the series out and the next coming very soon. Here’s a link to her children’s book, The Hole in the Wall: JB and the Pirates.
Thanks for sticking with me for this series. If you missed any of them, here are all the links for this series.
Virtual Field Trip- Stonewall Gallery
I really enjoyed visiting a local gallery and speaking with some of the Artists. I will definitely be doing this again.
Do you visit your local galleries or ever get a chance to speak to local Artists?
