The Artisans
BJ Keith
"Line, implied movement, rhythm and balance of elements are the foundation of my art." says longtime Artisan House sculptor BJ Keith. For more than 28 years she has been creating designs for Artisan House and credits company co-founder Jerry Fels as her mentor and a longtime friend. BJ began with Artisan House in 1980 while still a student completing her studio art degree at California State University and now has four daughters and five granddaughters. She works out of her home studio in Altadena, California, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.
While she has worked successfully in a representational style, her primary genre is non-objective and contemporary. "I find it gratifying to see the many different ways my art is interpreted, for it has no meaning other than the perception of the one viewing it. If it intrigues, brings joy or makes you smile then I have been successful in my efforts."
Shawn Coffey
Shawn Coffey first experienced the art world through a can of spray paint. Beginning in his early teens, Coffey came to be one of Dallas better known graffiti artists (under the moniker "Sli"). Many of his large murals still remain on buildings in the Deep Ellum district. Upon moving back to his native New Mexico, Coffey began dabbling in metal and has developed a signature style that employs bright and lively hues placed boldly against earthy, spare backgrounds. Coffey remains a completely self-taught artist. His work utilizes a variety of paint applications, intriguing patina treatments and the use of ceramics and Plexiglas. He has been featured in numerous art galleries and shows throughout the Southwest including Weems Gallery and Art Is OK in Albuquerque and Occasions and Artistic Expressions in Scottsdale.
Cindy & Joe McDonnell
Cindy and Joe McDonnell's unique partnership of ideas and execution produces a remarkable array of contemporary metal sculpture. Cindy's background includes advertising, printing and graphic design, with many years spent managing her own successful business. Welding and fabrication classes sparked her interest in designing and constructing her own artistic creations. Joe is a talented and accomplished fine artist and graphic designer with years of experience. He studied drawing and painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and apprenticed in the studio of well-known fine artists Siegfried Hahn and Howard Wexler. Their collaboration is synergistic, resulting in far more than the merging of two imaginations. Together, they have created an inspired, dynamic, and sometimes whimsical collection of innovative and collectible metal art. "It's exciting to discover what's hidden in the raw sheet of steel. We're taking the mundane and turning it into something extraordinary. "
Karin Swildens
Karin Swildens was born in Holland, raised in Morocco where she learned French, and studied at "Les Arts Decoratifs" in Paris. After her studies, she worked on restorations of "Le Louvre Museum" paintings, illustrated children's magazines and was the author and illustrator of a children's book, "Poutou et Pitchoun" published by Dessain et Torla, Paris, France. She also designed several scarves for "Hermes", one of the top fashion and accessory design companies in Paris.
Stories, experiences, imagination and mythology are the basis of her inspirations. She uses archetypal and personal symbols to convey a message of respect for "Joy and Humor in Life".
In 1980, shortly after coming to the United States she began to create wood sculptures as a way to see and touch the "other side" of her paintings. By 1982 she focused her energy on clay and has loved it with a passion ever since. Karin's current ceramic works feature "Horses" and "Women" and the two combined, "Symbolic Portraits", "Doors" as experiences of life, "Talismans" and much more that you will discover on these pages. Karin Swildens' artwork is shown in many southern California art galleries.