Artist Spotlight: Sandy Kolde

Article and Photos by Kim Carr
Artist Interview – Sandy Kolde

 

Taking life seriously is not high on Sandy Kolde’s list of priorities. She prefers to enjoy life living in the moment. This relaxed, fun-loving attitude is reflected in her work which can best be described as figurative sculpture. Currently Sandy is engrossed in sculpting small human busts of different eras or time periods. Starting each sculpture with a vision, she then allows the clay to speak to her and goes wherever it leads her. It’s fair to say that each character she creates has an abstract element with hints of reality.

On the day that I visited Sandy in her home studio, it didn’t take long to realize that this lady is having fun. Though many of her human character sculptures are stone faced (no pun intended), Sandy loves to sculpt faces full of emotion. Each character is brought to life with his or her own unique hairstyle and clothing, all of which Sandy sculpts by hand. Always interested in fashion, Sandy gets a kick out of giving her characters a funky hairstyle or costume. Lots of humor goes into each piece she creates. Once you get to know Sandy, it’s clear her artwork is therapeutic and an extension of herself.

As a child, Sandy was pushed into the performing arts by her parents. She started dance at the age of two, but this was not the path that she was to follow. Spending a good portion of her adult life as Chief Operating Officer for a hospital, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that Sandy found herself truly drawn to creating art. Working 60 – 70 hours a week, she made time to take a ceramics class. That was all it took; her creative switch had been flipped. Though she doesn’t consider herself artsy, a look around her home and studio would suggest otherwise.

Over the past 20 years or so, Sandy has studied art in San Francisco, Chicago and Annapolis. She takes advantage of classes offered through Craft Alliance and the St. Louis Artists’ Guild. Initially, her favorite things to work on were functional, funky teapots. Through the years her work has gone through different stages – hand building to utilizing a throwing wheel to sculpture and now to what she describes as figurative sculpture.

Sandy has an additional new-found love, felting, which she took up about two years ago. Sandy has created wall hangings but leans toward more functional felted pieces such as large bowls. Her handiwork can be found at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild craft shop. Her goal is to combine her two loves…wool and clay. Sandy stated that she is attracted to working with these because they are both earth elements. Since she has been drawn toward fashion most of her life, her goal is to sculpt her human busts and utilize her felting work to fashion clothing for each character. When we chatted, Sandy stated that she will keep working and creating as it’s a never-ending journey. She looks at art as soul food that makes everyone richer.

I asked Sandy if there was another artist that she drew inspiration from, and she said she loved the work of both Margaret Keelen, Ceramic Sculpture http://margaretkeelan.com/ and Susan Bostwick, Ceramic Artist http://susanbostwickceramics.net/. She finds herself always having ideas, a vision and the need to create. It’s just something inside that she needs to do.

Having grown up in St. Louis, it seems fitting that she returned here to care for her mom and has now settled into a 1910, two-story home with separate living quarters upstairs where her daughter and son-in-law live. When I first turned onto Sandy’s street, I was inspired by the beauty and character of the old Tower Grove neighborhood. Her home and studio only added to my experience. The architecture itself lends to a creative mood, so it’s no wonder Sandy works in her studio most every day. Her daughter Bev is also a clay artist and the two share studio space in the basement. I found her home and studio to be inviting and lively. In addition, her two dogs made sure I gave as much attention to them as to Sandy’s work.

When asked for words of wisdom that she could share with new artists, Sandy stated, “Work at what you love, stay true to yourself and your vision.” She also said, “It’s hard to get started sometimes; but as an artist, it’s heartbreaking to stop.”

Sandy has been a member of The Best of Missouri Hands for about three years and serves on the Board of Directors. Her latest project on the Board has been to revamp and update the website to better serve all our members.

You may have recently seen Sandy’s work at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild. She had a piece titled “Oh to be happy again” juried into “A Dream or a Memory” exhibit which ended March 2. Prior to this show, she had another piece juried into the “Clearly Human” exhibit at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild. I would expect to see more of Sandy’s work in future shows and exhibits. She is working hard to place her art in the public eye with hope of gaining recognition. For more information about exhibits and events at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, please visit: http://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/new/

I remember the first time I saw one of Sandy’s pieces. It was a Bas Relief of Waldon, a rescued dog, that was on display in the Urban Wanderers Exhibit held for Stray Rescue. This special heart-tugging show calls upon local animal-loving artists to create works of art depicting a stray animal that the organization has attempted to assist. The donated pieces are then auctioned off to help raise funds for Stray Rescue. This show is sure to touch the heart of not only the selected artists but of all those who attend. Learn more about Stray Rescue and the animals they help at: http://strayrescue.org/adopt. For an article on the show in which Sandy exhibited, you can visit https://www.ourhenhouse.org/2012/08/urban-wanderers-art-exhibit-and-online-silent-auction-benefits-homeless-dogs-and-cats/

Along with special shows and exhibits, Sandy markets her art work through her website: http://www.tgsartstudio.com/ and on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TowerGroveSouthArtStudio

Sandy’s art work will remind you to always take time for a good laugh and never take life too seriously.