Arts In Focus on PBS Fort Wayne is funded in part by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.

Coming up, we'll talk with Lisa Vetter and Paul Siefert from The Art Farm and painter Angelina Dolores.

It's all next on Arts In Focus.

Welcome to Arts In Focus.

I'm Emily Henry.

The Art Farm is the private home and studio of the husband and wife creative team of Lisa Vetter and Paul Siefert.

They are best known for their found object, functional art and jewelry.

Their work is inspired by the natural world and is in response to our throwaway society.

Americans dispose of more usable items than some countries produce.

By creatively upcycling these objects Lisa and Paul not only offer a new story to an old item, they also challenge the viewer to observe these everyday objects in a completely different way.

Lisa Paul, thank you so much for having me to Art Farm my ADD is going a little nuts because there's so much to see and and you guys are so interesting.

So we've been chatting.

It's been amazing.

Let's talk about your artistic journey.

Have you always known you were artists?

I guess on some level, yeah.

I didn't think, Oh, I'm going to be an artist for a living.

It just sort of evolved, I guess.

I had this collection of old vintage soda bottles that I loved, you know?

But they just sat around and we're like, what we do with these?

And I and I worked a lot with Wire and we were like, or what have you like but you know, did like a wire thing around there, you hanging on the wall and then it's functional and you know, and that just kind of kicked off this whole crazy thing.

So the mission was born.

Right.

And then it evolved.

It just evolved over, yeah, 25 years now as an independent artist.

Unreal.

Okay, so you guys take found objects and you make them into art, but not just art.

Functional art.

Yeah.

Mostly functional.

Yeah.

Okay.

Where where do you source all of these again?

I like where do I look?

Where you're I can't land because it's just so it's like an antique store, but but so much cooler.

I can't.

So where do you source it.

Well, we've been we've been sourcing it for a long time even even before we made found object art we just like buying cool stuff at garage sales and and it was getting full up here.

We're like, we've got to start getting rid of this stuff.

Stop collecting or.

And then it came into our artwork.

Yeah.

So, you know, like, yeah, estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores, you know, antique shops, the good ol flea markets when they were good back in the day when there was cool stuff.

Now when you go to these estate sales, flea markets, etc., do you do you see an object and like immediately have an idea for what it's going to become?

Or do you just go, Oh, that's cool, I'll take that.

Both.

Okay.

Yeah.

Sometimes it's like, Oh, that would make a perfect this, yeah or this weird thing is really cool.

I have no idea what's going to happen with it.

I have to take it home.

Yeah.

And we'll, we'll know when we get there.

And she came up with the term we're detail thrifters because we were buying everything and then were like, no, we can't just keep buying everything.

We've got to have a purpose.

Yeah.

So that's, now do you have to, do you each find a purpose for your particular things or are you in it together looking for those things?

I'm so interested in how you work independently and as a team.

Yeah, it's I'd say it's a little bit of both.

I mean, a lot of times, you know, like we have a commission for something he being the engineer is really good at figuring out like the connections and things and how things kind of need to start like a base.

Yeah.

And then I have the spatial color visual component of, okay, well we need something blue here or we need, you know, this shape to happen here.

We have a balance and a lot of things the set around like the pieces all over the studio they'll be half built and she may come out, take them apart and put it back together.

And so yeah, each piece kind of just evolves to a point where like, Oh, it's done.

And then and you have that moment because a lot of artists I talked to say, I just don't know, especially painters, I just don't know when to stop.

I don't know.

Enough is enough.

Oh, yeah.

But you guys know.

Well, I'm a I'm a total detail.

Yeah, I'm a detail freak, so I will.

It's got to be going somewhere.

Oh, yeah.

At some point it has to be done.

But yeah, I'll get to a point there and I'm just like, okay, you need to stop because now you're just no, no one's, now your pay rate is going down, right.

You're like, you're not going to get paid.

Sure.

What do you each love to make the most or does that change?

I imagine it changes.

That evolves.

Yeah, it does.

the found object sculptures are super fun of any shape and size.

Yeah, the sculptures are really fun.

You're taking all these bits and pieces and you're creating kind of a little like being.

Yeah, sort of, you know, you bringing it to life like you're adding legs and arms and, you know, some weird thing for a head and but it becomes animated.

Yeah.

And all the things that we work with because they're all coming from a previous life.

They all have an energy already, you know, they have their own story.

And so we are then putting a new story on it, combining all these things, and you're working with it and you're like, They've been in someone's home, they've been used for, you know, who knows how many things, like, you know, the old hammered aluminum serving trays that were like the popular wedding gift of the fifties.

I love them.

Somebody, somebody hand tooled that and made that pattern and then sometimes it'll have a little sticker on the back with the name of the person, you know, cause you took it to the party.

Sure.

And I just everything has an energy when it comes to our studio already.

So when you combine all those things, everything has like a new energy and a new story to it.

And I just I love it.

Like this thing, it's not quite done yet, you know, but it'll sit on the shelf for show after show after show, and then all of a sudden somebody will see it and you can see it in their eyes It's like, God, I love this.

And then they'll come back and they'll buy it.

You know, they buy our goofy little sculpture, but they're so happy.

And then sometimes we get a picture like that same day, here's where it goes.

And they put it in this perfect place.

And so it finds the right home, right.

And we feel really good about it when it finds the right home.

Yeah.

To sell your, because our energy is in there too.

Of course to sell for something that's like why is it so expensive.

Yeah.

Blah blah blah It's like, we don't want you to have it.

Yeah.

I want you to take it home happily.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's part of the struggle I think with working with found objects is people come into the booth and they see all these familiar things that they have at home and they think, Oh, what great ideas, oh, I'm going to do that.

And, you know, good luck to you.

Yeah, I tell people, here's my card.

Send me a photo when it's done, because I think if we make it look easy, then we're obviously doing it well.

Right.

And so that's part of the struggle.

So it's always a joy when somebody truly understands what went into making that, you know, finding the parts, coming up with the idea, attaching it all, making it, making that end sculpture.

And it's very exciting when people understand, yeah, and they pay for your work Do you have like a moment of, Oh, God, it's this beautiful tray and it had this life and you almost hesitate to give it a new life.

Oh, gosh.

All the time.

Yeah.

As you're talking about the tray I'm like, no but don't you don't know how many things sit around here because they're so cool.

Yeah, I'll quick drill a hole in it.

When she's not looking deconstruct it like there's just so many things that that you know because I cut up old tins to make jewelry I mean yes.

You know evidence of that.

Yes.

And I'm oh, my gosh, some of them are really beautiful.

They have really beautiful patterns.

And I think I just I can't cut it.

But finally the first cuts the hardest.

Yes, but then I'm good to go.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Do you have certain materials or certain found objects specifically that are easiest to work with?

Is it the metal?

Is it do you find I see down here a bunch of bowling balls, which I can't imagine are easy to work with.

But is there something that you go, oh, yes.

That's that's what I love to work with because of the ease of it.

Yeah.

I mean because everything is cold connected so it's drilled through and it's bolted or screwed or riveted in some way.

So wood obviously easy is easy to drill through.

Metal is a little tougher when you get into brass.

Brass is hard to drill through, especially if it's very thick.

He's figured out how to drill through the bowling balls, but it's not it's not an easy thing to do, but he's got to figure it out.

It's a little tricky.

But yeah, but you know, a lot of our staples like croquet sets and billiard balls seem to always end up and the bowling balls, they just work so perfect in the stack.

And sure, they look precarious because you got the small ball, they're solid.

But yeah, we did some commissions like during the pandemic was a great time for us to do commission work because usually we're really busy with art fairs.

Yeah, a lot of our clients came out and supported us with commissions.

How amazing.

Yeah, it was great.

Yeah, we did lamps.

The first one was a lamp from a bassoon and then she had us do one with an oboe.

She's a retired oboe player with the Philharmonic, and then someone else with the Phil saw that and said, well can you do one with a cello.

So he brought us a three quarter cello.

Yeah, right.

I was like, That's a challenge.

It was a challenge.

So he, Mr.

Engineer, got it all.

Yeah, figured out.

You can still playing the cello and it's a three quarter cello, so it's a floor lamp, but you can still play it and it spins around because, you know, I couldn't put the cello in compression.

Right.

The cello had to kinda float.

It's pretty cool.

So there's a lot of Yeah, there's a lot of engineering.

I mean, the arts may be, you know, down here in the schools.

But let me tell you.

Yes, you use all of these things.

Yeah.

You know, math and science and all these things to figure it out.

Yeah.

To put it all together, STEAM all the way.

Yeah.

Advocate for that.

Yeah.

Okay, so tell me, when you look at a piece like your given three quarter cello.

Yeah.

Is it is it daunting to to try to figure out how to make that into art or.

Oh, yeah, the cello was the cell sat on that table there for a long time.

I just think about me like, how am I going to do this?

Because once I drill that first hole.

Exactly.

I hope it doesn't split or fall apart or I don't know what's inside of it.

I mean, I know what's inside.

a cello.

You're commited.

Yeah, exactly.

And then you just go for at one point, you just like you got to do it.

Yeah.

And then, wow.

It's worked out most of the time.

So are you ever amazed that you found each other?

Yeah, like I look at you two And I'm like, this is the perfect pair.

And and when you look around, like, the life that you've built is so cool.

Yeah.

And, and it could only happen if the two of you came together yeah i think we're pretty lucky And the funny thing is, is we grew up in Waynedale with Maplewood School in between us, but she's five years older than me, so we didn't know each other, but we grew up like less than a half mile from each other and met when I was late twenties and early thirties.

So, its not ike we knew each other as children, but we met, but we grew up in the same neighborhood.

Yeah, yeah.

That was kind of that.

So yeah, that's pretty interesting that and I went to different schools, so we didn't.

There was no crossover.

Yeah, no, yeah.

Yeah.

But it's funny when you said about making a life because when people ask us, you know You, you make a living, you earn a living doing this.

And I said, No, we make a life.

That's exactly what I say.

Because like, well, yeah, we pay the bills, you know?

Yeah, we're, we're rich in quality of life, you know, to do something that you love and get paid for it, it's the best.

Like, we're super lucky and we know it.

Yeah, well, we worked very, very hard to get here, too.

I mean, it doesn't happen in a vacuum.

Of course, you guys, I think that your your art, your relationship, your life is hashtag goals, as the kids say.

Thank you so much.

I mean, it just the the energy of the you mentioned is so good here.

So I hope you invite me back sometime.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Thank you for all that you do for creating such beauty with things that already exist.

It's.

You are gifted, so thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thanks for your interest and for coming out.

For more information, visit Art Farm Indiana dot com.

I'm joined now by artist Angelina Dolores.

Angelina, thank you so much for being here.

I've known you for, you know, what, 45 seconds.

And I can already see so much of your personality in your work, which is really cool.

Tell me, when you fell in love with art.

It started from when I was young.

I mean, my parents raised me with beautiful art everywhere in the house.

I grew up dancing ay the Fort Wayne Ballet, actually.

Oh, wow.

Yeah.

So, like, I've been surrounded by art literally my whole life.

And I mean, everything.

Furniture, everything is art.

Yeah.

So.

Yeah.

But that's awesome that my personality comes through that.

You see that?

Yeah.

Okay.

So that makes me wonder when you see when the whole world is art to you.

Yeah.

How do you kind of hone your esthetic?

How did you decide?

Because I feel like when I look at your pieces, I go, Oh, yeah, okay, that's Angelina.

So how did you come on that?

Oh, my gosh.

I have no idea.

I started because I was dancing in Chicago and doing the whole thing.

And then COVID happened, and I came home and I was like, Oh, my gosh, what am I going to do?

You know?

Yeah.

Like any dancer at that point.

Yeah.

And so I started doing art, and I kind of I started with little people.

Little.

I call them my village.

My little people.

Village.

Yeah.

And I started doing that.

And each individual character is different.

And that's really what I strive for, I guess, is just I don't know, I don't think about it.

And that's maybe what comes through.

I can tell it because this is yeah, it's like there aren't words, it's just yes, okay.

But I have to go back.

So yeah, you didn't even start painting until a couple of years ago.

Yeah.

During COVID.

That's insane.

So your creative outlet for years and years was as a dancer.

And then what made you decide to to take up painting?

Was it just that you needed that outlet?

Yeah.

I mean, I wasn't moving my mom's an artist.

Okay, first of all, yeah, she's amazing.

And, yeah, I just had it just kind of came out of me, and it comes out of me every day.

Really.

I can't.

I can't stop it.

When it comes to choosing the shapes and the colors and.

Are are you thinking about it each step of the way, or is it just your body kind of takes over?

Yeah.

So when I'm doing it, I look at you know, the blank space and then like, I kind of just, like, have all my paint in front of me and pastels and all sorts of stuff and the board, whatever it is, whatever I draw on, literally, whatever I can like, cause, you know, but I just go and most of the time I end up like putting down the paint brushes and just using like my hands and stuff just because I like, I just don't think about it.

I just go, it's better that way because I mean, if you think about it, it's just freeer, you know, it's just let it just let it be whatever it wants to be.

And then I just do it and then I go, okay, it's done, or it's not done.

And I'll sit on a wall and I'll go is it done and I'll ask somebody to be like, What?

It was another like, I don't know.

And I'm like, I don't know either.

Okay.

So when you're choosing when you're choosing color, when you're choosing is there so there isn't a strategy behind it.

You are just it's just what's beautiful to you at that moment.

Yeah.

Can you tell when you look at different pieces, kind of what state of mind you were in is if you are in a crappy mood, is it a kind of a darker piece or, you know, can you see that reflected back?

Or is there is that kind of removed?

Are emotions removed?

That's interesting because like sometimes like if I am like if I do have like, you know, something in my head, I do sit down and whatever put it through.

And then other people look at it.

And I mean, it's like, whatever I made, is totally different to somebody else and it's like, you know, I don't really think about it.

Yeah, but it's really up to like the viewer.

I think.

Like, what do they feel?

Do you judge your pieces when you when you finish it?

Is there any sense of, oh, that's really good?

Or I don't love that one?

They're all kind of just the same, that's all me, you know?

So I can't yeah, I have no like, it's just me.

There really is no judgment.

There shouldn't be any judgment, really, in anything.

You know?

What is next?

Are you going to do you want to go back to dancing?

Are you are thrilled with with the with painting or how do you want to continue to express yourself?

Painting.

I mean, I teach dance.

And so you still do that?

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah, yeah.

I will never stop that.

And I dance every day, you know.

Yeah.

And yeah, I don't see myself stopping dancing or whatever, but I really, really, really, really love art and like creating, you know.

Yeah, putting my hands in paint and just like making something.

Because with dance, it's like your body is the work of art and like, you know, like you work so hard at, like, form and, like, you know, for, like, not for me.

How do you mean?

Yeah, but, like, making something, it's like I don't judge it because it is what it is, and it's.

It is me, but it's like it's not.

Its a different sort of creative outlet, you know what I mean?

It's, it's different.

So I really, really, really want to just dive into art, you know, and just keep going until.

Yeah, okay.

Do you see, because you keep describing painting like this, I'm like, is, is painting kind of a dance to you?

Oh, most definitely.

Most definitely.

It's it's one I wish I had a pad of paper or napkin or something.

so I can show you So it's just like I just go and I don't think about it.

And it's just one, one continuous line motion.

It's yeah.

So do you ever, does that ever come out of you and you just go, wow, okay.

I mean, come on you can tell me.

I mean, I think everything is beautiful.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, you're beautiful.

Everything is so just beautiful.

Yeah.

And so, I mean, yeah, I, I look at it and go, wow, it's beautiful.

Like, I feel like I didn't even make it, you know what I mean?

Like when I because I like, kind of black out, to be honest, like, yeah.

And I sit back and go like, whoa, you know, is it safe to say that you that because you think everything is beautiful, you just want to continue to contribute to that beauty?

Yeah.

Okay.

Tell me how long start to finish.

It generally takes for you to create a piece.

If it's a big thing like paint layers and layers and layers.

Like sometimes I have like really big pieces and I'll do like a layer and then I'll sit back and just like, let it be.

Yeah, you know what I mean?

And then I'll come back to it and add more.

And so like that takes, you know, hours.

Yeah, that's fine.

But do you.

I like to do it quick.

Do you ever start a piece and then kind of abandon it?

Because for whatever reason, you don't like it or or because it is sort of such a subconscious thing.

Do you let all of them come into the world?

Yeah.

So I'll like I'll make a piece and I'll go, I know it's not done.

I know it's not done, but I let it sit there and I'll go.

I'll come back to it when I like when I know you know what I mean?

Like I'll, I'll have paintings like sitting in a corner for like, months.

Really?

Yeah.

And then I'll be like, okay, it's time.

And then I'll go and like, just like finish it.

When you go back to a piece that you have set aside for a while, do you have an idea of what you want to add to it to to finish it?

Or do you just let it kind of come out like your other pieces generally do?

Yeah, that's a good question.

Sometimes it goes either way.

It goes like I just did this one with houses.

I had drawn all these houses on and then I like left it aside and I knew that I wanted to put just like houses on houses, on houses, on houses.

So sometimes I know.

Mm.

Sometimes I have no idea.

Why houses?

What was it about houses that you even decided to start there.

Was there was that a conscious decision.

Yes.

So I have lived in beautiful homes, beautiful architecture, beautiful art.

Yeah.

Just beauty.

Yeah.

Everywhere.

And now I live in a beautiful neighborhood where the houses are all so unique.

And so I wanted to one day I sat outside and I like drew the houses and I was like, that's pretty fun.

It's like, it's like line work more than like paint, right?

It's a because I don't draw it like exact.

Well, sure.

Yeah, obviously because I can do that, but I don't want to say I can't.

I've never tried.

Yeah, yeah, but I'd like to.

Do you have any desire to or are you, do you want to continue just being expressionist.

Who knows?

Who knows?

Dang.

You're interesting.

Oh, thanks.

I hope that you continue to bring your art into the world because it is so cool.

And I'm really interested to see how it evolves because, you know, as as we evolve, our idea of beauty changes.

And so that will be fascinating too.

So please come back.

Oh, yeah, I'd love to.

And in the meantime, thank you so much for sitting down with me.

Oh, thanks for having me.

Seriously, it's so cool.

I appreciate it.

For more information, visit Angelina Dolores dot com.

Our thanks to Lisa Vetter, Paul Siefert and Angelina Dolores.

Be sure to join us next week for Arts In Focus.

You can catch this and other episodes at PBS Fort Wayne dot org or through our app.

In the meantime, enjoy something beautiful.

Arts In Focus on PBS Fort Wayne is funded in part by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.