The artists featured will have artwork perfect for gifts.  While you are in the building, check out the studios of RED DOT Project artists, Michael Greenwald, Laurel Herbold and Susie Frazier.

W78th Street Studios is located at 1300 W78th Street, Cleveland.  The exhibition is part of Third Fridays running from 5 – 9.

“My observation of the natural world as a basis for making my art has led to my increasing concern for maintaining our planet,” says Nancy Richards-Davis, who makes abstract paintings using encaustic, a beeswax-based medium.

“I am very concerned with the problem of hive abandonment among bee populations,” she says. But the issue isn’t just that a dwindling bee population makes beeswax more expensive for her. It’s that thriving hives feed a healthy planet.

Richards-Davis is one of the 15 artists whose work has adorned the PNC SmartHome, a model home in University Circle that demonstrates sustainable building technologies. RED DOT Project and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History collaborated in finding Northeast Ohio artists whose methods, materials or subject matter echoed the theme of sensitivity to the environment.

Richards-Davis easily met the criteria.

“I spent two years working on a show in collaboration with artist/photographer Bradley Hart on a project titled ’1 Degree of Change. ‘ Part of my concept in that work was the metaphor of the fusing of encaustic (in beeswax painting, each layer of wax must be heated and fused to the previous layer) to the warming of the planet.”

Hart, who is also a SmartHome artist, created six black and white photographs while  Richards-Davis did six encaustic works. Each addressed issues around climate change. “Bleaching,” featured at the SmartHome, explores the rising temperature of the seawater and its effects on the coral reefs. (Like other featured art and decor, it will be at the Smart Art Sale, which takes place from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.)

Being green is a local issue, too. In Richards-Davis’s studio, she uses rags rather than paper towels and weighs the benefits of using the more expensive but environmentally friendly soy wax to clean brushes. Her other option is paraffin, which is petroleum-based.

In the end, though, her work isn’t just about the right methods and materials. It’s about aesthetically beautiful abstraction and what it evokes.

“I think that in our superficial, fast-paced world, art asks us to slow down long enough to consider, ponder and reflect,” says the artist. “As for what it does for me, it allows me to play my one note in the symphony. ”

Artwork shown: Bleaching, Nancy Richards-Davis

For Nicole McGee, both questions lead to the same spot. McGee’s art business, Plenty Underfoot, owes its very existence to the artist’s response to her environment.

“I find creativity in the excess and scraps of other people’s work and lives,” says McGee. “I let the materials themselves inspire me.  I currently work a lot with vinyl flooring samples, plastic bottles, cereal boxes, telephone wire, and brown paper bags.”

McGee works in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. She’s one of 15 artists whose work has adorned the PNC SmartHome, an example of low-environmental-impact living that has been on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

The SmartHome can be toured throughout this week, and visitors will see, among other things, McGee’s flowers made out of vinyl floor covering she found at Cleveland’s ZeroLandfill, which recovers design materials and provides them for upcycling to artists and teachers. McGee’s other flowers  – shiny and brightly colored — are made of recycled 2-liter pop bottles.

“I look at the end products of what happens around me, and I think of it through a creative lens,” says McGee. “My husband likes to drink pop from 2-liters, for example.  I saved the bottles, knowing they could be reused in a creative way.  From that process of saving the leftover containers and considering them from a new angle, the bottom bottle flowers were born.  The challenge is not saving too much; we all have to throw some things away!”

McGee likes re-using materials in part because they have a story.  Yet her work itself tends not to have the patina of age, but to be cheery and bright. It’s the same energy you get from McGee herself, when she considers the importance of what she and other artists do.

“This is my art, it is what I see when I’m not trying to see anything at all,” she says. ”It’s what happens between my brain, my hands, and leftover materials of all sorts.  It’s an expression of what I care about in the world.    Art is important in the world because it’s what some people do when they’re being as true to themselves as they ever will be.  Who wouldn’t want more of that in the world?”

Nicole’s flower vases, along with works by other SmartHome artists and designers, will be part of the SmartSale from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday Oct. 9. The SmartHome sits adjacent to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in University Circle.

Photo Credit: Laura Watilo Blake

It’s an evocative nod to Zielski’s love of nature, done in metal etching — another love, which she discovered by accident when she was teaching high school art.

“I was researching non-toxic printmaking techniques that I might be able to safely bring into the classroom.  They ended up changing my schedule and I didn’t teach that particular class, but I fell in love with the process and have been working with it ever since.  I started Copper Leaf Studios a few years later, and now it’s where I work full time.”

Zielski makes copper maps and metal wall art from hand-cut etched copper and zinc, layering colors and textures.  In addition to natural imagery, she does science-inspired art, too.

“What holds them together are the delicate surfaces filled with rich texture and color,” she says.

Recently she’s been working with photo transfer on metal, using her own imagery and scientific drawings and diagrams from the 16th through 18th centuries. She also does commissions using favorite photographic images provided by others.

“While art can have various political or social purposes, I see my artwork more as comfort food for the soul,” she says.  ”I want it to be interesting and intriguing, but mostly I hope it helps create a warm, comfortable space. My copper maps are often commissioned by people who want to honor a particular moment in their lives. I love that my work gets to play such an important role. ”

Large Copper Branch, along with works by other SmartHome artists and designers, will be part of the SmartSale from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday Oct. 9. The SmartHome sits adjacent to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in University Circle.

“According to Greenopolis.com, of the 300 million cases of wine sold each year in the United States, almost none of the bottles are reused and 70 percent end up in landfills,” she says.

We’re accustomed to seeing every new plastic water bottle as a blight on the planet, but it’s a little head-spinning to think of wine bottles in the same way. They’re so attractively made and beautifully labeled. Some of us have bought wine of uncertain quality based solely on the beauty of the packaging!

Well, Tucker understands — and she’s doing her part to preserve that beauty.

By day, she does marketing and promotion for independent artists and arts organizations. By the other part of her day, she operates wine2wick, selling upcycled wine and liquor bottles that she cuts by hand and fills with soy candles. She sells them at several home-decorating stores locally. They’re also part of the decor at the PNC SmartHome, which is on display through this week in University Circle.

“I come from a long line of ecology-minded creative thinkers, and have always valued the principles of treating the earth with respect and re-using and recycling whenever possible,” Tucker says. “Creating something long-lasting, fun and functional from a bottle that has served its original purpose clicks with me – and with wine2wick patrons.”

The earth-friendly nature of the candles is obvious.

“I proudly leave friends’ homes toting empties and have worked with restaurants to collect their empties,” she says. “The soy-based wax I use is earth-friendlier than petroleum-based waxes and supports the farming industry. ”

Tucker also buys supplies locally whenever possible.

The candles, along with works by other SmartHome artists and designers, will be part of the SmartSale from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday Oct. 9. The SmartHome sits adjacent to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in University Circle.

The Nicaragua-born artist works out of Formworks Studio in Cleveland, creating objects for home interiors, such as chairs, door handles and sculptures that beg for interaction. He also shoots photographs that speak of the organic forms found in nature and the repeating patterns of the manmade world.  And he designs entire rooms, too.

The common denominator? Ina likes to reduce an object to its essence.

“What is needed to complete the project and no more has guided my inquiries and compositions from the beginning,” says Ina, who is one of 15 artists with work represented at the PNC SmartHome at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

The question of sustainability — the main theme of the SmartHome — can be answered in different ways.  Ina answers it with a careful choice of materials and by thinking about materialism in a larger sense.

“Design has to be about something,” he says. “Mass-production industries have been centered on one-offs and ‘unlike other’ designs to differentiate their products from their competition in the marketplace.  This has led to a product environment of obsolesce and wastefulness. I believe that designers have had a role in this outcome and can be mindful of their designs’ impact on the environment.”

Also at the SmartHome is “AV d + d,” a tabletop object that engages the viewer by inviting interaction. A block of wood is drilled with six pairs of holes into which one can arrange of set of rods, like stainless steel Pickup Sticks, that splay out in different ways depending on which holes they’re placed in. The holes themselves are drilled at different depths and diameters, causing the rods to lean in different ways.

Like most of Ina’s work, the piece walks a line between simplified elegance and playfulness. The forms are sleek and basic. Only through the presence of the viewer do they come fully to life. And only through play does the user experience the piece as something that can be endlessly changed.

It is this interactivity, Ina says, that “helps to build a narrative that will reinforce the usefulness of the pieces and lengthen their utility and life cycle.”

These pieces can be viewed at the SmartHome through Oct. 9, when they will be sold in anticipation of the closing of the exhibit. The SmartSale will take place from noon to 4 p.m.

Michel Ina is a 2011 Creative Workforce Fellow.

Here are the details

• The SmartSale will be held on Sunday, October 9, from noon to 4 pm.
• Artwork and selected furnishings will be available for sale to the public.
• Walk away with your purchase or pay to have it delivered.
• Check, cash, Visa, Mastercard and Discover will be accepted.
• A portion of the proceeds will support the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
• Pre-sales are welcome.
• Contact RED DOT Project for inquiries and purchases. Email: christy@reddotproject.org or (216) 664-9600.

First Floor

Artist: Tricia Lazuka Title: Random Thoughts 12, Random Thoughts 13 Medium: painting Size: 12” x 45” Price: $1100 each Location: A and B, entryTricia Lazuka’s paintings are created on cloth from the Carnegie Textile Mill, sourced through ZeroLandfill, mounted on wood panels. The circles were painted using stencils made from vinyl wall covering from ZeroLandfill.
Artist: Fred Gearhart Title: Fibonacci’s Spire Medium: Limestone, steel Size: 64″ x 10″ x 10″ Price: $700 Location: C, EntryMost of Fred Gearhart’s sculptures are of earth materials: stone and wood. The carving chips produced in their making yield good materials for mulch and garden paths. Fibonacci’s Spire spent one year outdoors so the wires could rust and patinate the stone. The spacing of the wires follows the Fibonacci sequence of numbers: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc.
Artist: Susie Frazier Title: Meander Medium: Ornamental Grass, Encaustic, and Salvaged Oak Frame Size: 25.5″ x 78.75″ x 2.75″ Price: $2800 Location: D, Living RoomDried grass, gathered from Westlake, Ohio, has been embedded in a mixture of natural beeswax and resin from the damar tree. This labor intensive process is known as “encaustic painting using found objects.”
Artist: Susie Frazier Title: Meditation Coffee Table, Console Table and Side Table Medium: Coated Metal, Reclaimed Gingko Wood, and River Rocks Size: Meditation Coffee Table – 20″ x 46″ x 28″ Meditation Console Table – 32″ x 48″ x 16″ Meditation Side Table – 24″ x 26″ x 22″ Price: $900 (coffee table), $800 (console table), $600 (side table) Location: E, F and G, Living RoomGingko trees were around when dinosaurs walked the earth, making it the sole remnant of a group of plants more primitive than conifers. Thriving in China, then exported to England and the U.S. in the late 1700′s, the gingko became a popular urban street tree. When this one was cut down by a local municipality, it was saved from being turned into mulch and transformed into this table top.
Artist: Gina DeSantis Title: Cherry Blossom Ceramics Medium: Ceramic Stoneware Price: $125 for each 4-piece place setting; 4 place settings available Location: H, KitchenWith quickly shifting seasons and temperatures and a balance of green space versus industrial landscapes I find my environment has greatly impacted my work. Cherry blossoms traditionally represent the transience of life and I feel this symbol is in direct relation to my surroundings. Other natural elements and floral motifs are slowly making their way into my work. This is coupled with the consideration of how a piece will function. Sustainable practices are maintained within my studio. In addition to all unfired clay being recycled and reclaimed for future use I also maintain a slurry bucket. This is where all glaze and clay tools are rinsed. This limits the chemicals and heavy metals being washed down the sink and into the water supply. This recycled slurry is used for future glaze tests. A mosaic artist in my studio recycles all damaged work. These practices help limit my impact on the environment.
Artist: Freddy Hill Title: L7 table Medium: Steel and bamboo plywood Size: Price: $1950 Location: 2, Dining RoomIt’s a real dichotomy to be a woodworker. Freddy Hill loves building in wood, but he hates to see trees come down. For that reason, he doesn’t use any commercially harvested hardwoods. Hill uses a sawyer who mills locally felled trees and dries them in a solar kiln. He’s also proud to use the urban harvested lumber from APOC.
Artist: Judy Brandon Title: Atlantis is Sinking Medium: Mixed Media Size: 54″ x 40″ Price: $4000 Location: J, KitchenEarthquakes, tornados, tidal waves, volcanoes: the Earth is teeming with what seems to be a new era of extreme weather. Is it true? Is the planet changing? Where do we all fit into these new environments? I have always felt a strong connection to the planet, and I am constantly evaluating these questions when I sit down to work. When I work I am having a dialogue with the planet and my tools. I think of myself as a sponge for the natural world, absorbing the drama, beauty and sadness, and reinterpreting it in ink and charcoal on paper. I portray an emotional connection in multiple layers of random washes, honed down into one narrative moment of nature.
Artist: Freddy Hill Title: Tansu Medium: Walnut and hickory wood from cutoffs from a molding mill Size: Price: $1950 Location: 3, Dining RoomIt’s a real dichotomy to be a woodworker. Freddy Hill loves building in wood, but he hates to see trees come down. For that reason, he doesn’t use any commercially harvested hardwoods. Hill uses a sawyer who mills locally felled trees and dries them in a solar kiln. He’s also proud to use the urban harvested lumber from APOC.
Artist: Nicole McGee Title: Pop Flowers Medium: Price: $49 SOLD Location: K, KitchenNicole McGee is the reuse artist behind Plenty Underfoot, her small business that brings together excess waste/materials, creativity, and community. Nicole reuses materials that are otherwise waste and builds them into flowers, jewelry, art and functional items. Reuse, the kid brother of Recycling, is Nicole’s passion and she feels lucky it has also become her full time work.
Artist: Michel Ina Title: Piece 68 m+s Medium: Black walnut wood Size: 11/16″ x 10 ¾” Price: $12 Location: L, KitchenA length of salvaged black walnut that is ergonomicall and functionally shaped for mixing and stirring.
Artist: Susie Frazier Title: Reveal, Aspire, Initiate Medium: Natural materials Size: 41” x 11” x 3” ea Price: $1100 ea Location: M, StairwellReveal: Driftwood, Encaustic, and Salvaged Oak Frame Various driftwood logs, gathered from Edgewater, Clifton and Huntington Beaches, have been cut into discs to expose the patterns on the inside. The collection was coated with a mixture of natural beeswax and resin from the damar tree, a medium known as encaustic. Aspire: Palm Paddles, Encaustic, and Salvaged Oak Frame All natural palm paddles have been coated with a mixture of natural beeswax and resin from the damar tree, a medium known as encaustic. Initiate: Salvaged Wood Blocks, Encaustic, and Salvaged Oak Frame Weathered wood scraps cut at varying depths have been assembled into a modern composition. Originally from deconstructed homes and salvage yards in Cleveland, each piece of wood has been coated with a mixture of natural beeswax and resin from the damar tree, a medium known as encaustic.
Second Floor
Artist: Rosalyn Gaier Title: Two Measures of Forte with Peculiarities Medium: Collagraph Print Size: 28″ x 38″ Price: $1020 Location: N, Top of StairsI keep my print process environment as “green” as possible by printing on acid free/pH neutral stock with a hand operated press, replacing traditional studio organic solvents with nonvolatile materials, and heating my studio with a wood pellet burning stove. In my work with collagraph prints, I collage mostly recycled fabric, papers, chipboard and other materials onto a rectangular or freeform shaped base. People interested in my art have given me much of this collage material, something I view as an earth-friendly effort that helps fulfill the need for beauty vital to us all.
Artist: Chris Zielski Title: Large Copper Branch Medium: Copper, Zinc Size: 9″ x 24″ Price: $385 Location: O, Hallway by Bedroom 2Copper Leaf Studios features copper art, custom maps, and etched metal wall art by Chris Zielski. Her piece “Copper Branch” was created using a non-acid etching technique and hand-cut recycled copper.
Artist: Nancy Richards-Davis Title: Bleaching – Part of the 1º of Change series Medium: Encaustic Size: 36″ x 24″ Price: $1700 Location: P, Home OfficeBleaching is a piece created for a series of six encaustic paintings on various aspects of Climate Change, in collaboration with artist/photographer, Bradley Hart. Using pigment and beeswax, along with collaged photographs, I explored the theme of the rising temperature of the sea water and its effects on the coral reefs.
Artist: Michel Ina Title: 52 Spin Medium: oak, glass, and s.s. elements Size: 17″ x 29″ Price: $795 Location: 4, Home OfficeThe table has three identical square oak legs, a glass top, and metal hardware. The support legs spin and unfold creating a stable and 3D construct. This allows a more efficient use of labor and material. A tapered pin fixes and secures the assembly.
Artist: Nicole McGee Title: flowers Medium: Vinyl floor base from ZeroLandfill Price: $17 Location: Q, Home OfficeNicole McGee is the reuse artist behind Plenty Underfoot, her small business that brings together excess waste/materials, creativity, and community. Nicole reuses materials that are otherwise waste and builds them into flowers, jewelry, art and functional items. Reuse, the kid brother of Recycling, is Nicole’s passion and she feels lucky it has also become her full time work.
Artist: Freddy Hill Title: Marin Desk Medium: Formaldehyde-free MDF, white oak veneer, lacquer Size: Price: $750 Location: 5, Home OfficeIt’s a real dichotomy to be a woodworker. Freddy Hill loves building in wood, but he hates to see trees come down. For that reason, he doesn’t use any commercially harvested hardwoods. Hill uses a sawyer who mills locally felled trees and dries them in a solar kiln. He’s also proud to use the urban harvested lumber from APOC.
Artist: Fred Gearhart Title: Wrapped Egg Medium: Marble, aluminum Size: 11″ x 5″ x 5″ Price: $175 Location: R, Home OfficeMost of Fred Gearhart’s sculptures are of earth materials: stone and wood. The carving chips produced in their making yield good materials for mulch and garden paths.
Artist: Bradley Hart Title: Lifelines – Part of the 1º of Change series Medium: Photography Size: 36″ x 24″ Price: $1700 Location: S, Home OfficeBradley Hart is a professional photographer and artist. In his travels across the country he has photographed the landscape and illustrated his perception of the beauty and power of nature, while documenting the subtle but irrevocable consequences of humanity’s dominion over the Earth. Part of the 1º of Change collaboration with Nancy Richards-Davis. The purpose of 1º of Change is to engage viewers and initiate reflection and dialogue about the vast consequences of incremental climate change taking place on our planet. Through the unique language of visual art, the artists hope to raise awareness of the sensitivity and delicate balance of our environment.
Artist: Fred Gearhart Title: Struttin’ Medium: Limestone Size: 27″ x 6″ x 4″ Price: $400 Location: T, Home OfficeMost of Fred Gearhart’s sculptures are of earth materials: stone and wood. The carving chips produced in their making yield good materials for mulch and garden paths. This sculpture is a collaboration with painter, Molly Zimmerman. The carved limestone surface has been polychromed with acrylic paints and sealed.
Artist: Michel Ina Title: AV d+d Medium: Black walnut wood, s.s. rod Size: 19″ x 3″ x 13 ¾” Price: $85 Location: U, Home OfficeThis absolute and variable study has a pair of 6 holes on its surface. One pair of holes has a fixed depth but varies in diameter. The second pair of holes is fixed in diameter but varies in depth. A relation is made between the depth and diameter of the holes and the effects incurred on the circular patterns of the s.s. rods when placed in the holes.
Artist: Liz Maugans Title: Take Me Home Medium: Mixed Media Size: 30″ x 15″ Price: $150 Location: V, Bedroom 2This work which I call Scrap Crap comes from ephemera that I picked up or found along the roadside or ends and pieces from other work I have created. I feel guilty purchasing wood anymore. This work was created during the Recession and I felt commented on the work begging for people to take it home and keep them company.
Artist: Fred Gearhart Title: Candlestone Medium: Granite Size: 3.5″ x 6.5″ 5.5″ ea Price: $35 Location: W, Master BathroomMost of Fred Gearhart’s sculptures are of earth materials: stone and wood. The carving chips produced in their making yield good materials for mulch and garden paths.
Artist: Susie Frazier Title: Root Swag Light Medium: Tree Root, Ceramic Fixture, Cathedral Chain Size: 4″ x 3′ x 3′ Price: $200 Location: 6, Master BedroomStraight from nature, this authentic tree root was collected from Cleveland’s west side, power washed, and rough sanded before being converted into a one-of-a kind light fixture. Takes 100 watt bulb or smaller.
Artist: Charlotte Lees Title: Falling Leaves Medium: Wood, paint, photo transfers Size: 33″ x 28″ x 3″ Price: $1100 Location: X, Master BedroomFalling Leaves is a reflection of Charlotte Lees’ immediate environment. Using basic materials, she recreates the feeling of walking through layers of woodland leaves.
Artist: Anita Tucker Title: wine2wick candles Medium: reclaimed bottles and soy-based wax candles Size: 7.5″ x 3″ Price: $18 each Location: Y, Master Bedroomwine2wick repurposes wine, beer & liquor bottles into handcrafted, clean-burning works of candle art, rescuing bottles from trash cans/landfills and using farm-supporting, earth-friendlier soy-based waxes. We proudly leave restaurants and friends’ homes toting empties and admit to buying wine based solely on the cool-factor of the label.
Artist: Johnny Coleman Title: A Landscape Medium: Mixed Media Size: 40.5″ x 34.5″ x 4.5″ Price: $1500 Location: Z, Master Bedroom”A Landscape” is a component of a larger installation composed as a prayer welcoming my newborn daughter, Nyima in 2000. The installation, “A Landscape Convinced” responded to Toni Morrison’s text, “Beloved,” focusing upon one passage drenched in sunlight among blueferns along the edge of the Ohio River. Materials include: recovered red oak, found wool blanket, sun flower from my garden, found infant’s shoes, sculpted back from found chair, beads, found tin flour scoop w/carved wooden handle.

We worked with the designers that are based in Austin, Texas for this project that is 4 blocks from our office, in our backyard.  The process was very smooth.  They clearly articulated the look, feel and desired intent for the space, providing floorplans and budget numbers at the onset with a focus on artists from Northeast Ohio.  Using digital presentations, we were able to precisely narrow down the selection to the artwork that is installed in the space.

The Community Center portion of the artwork has bright colors, sometimes whimsical, other times reflective of their place within our greater community.  Beth Ryan’s Spin It Gray and Spin It Pink complement the higher energy of the pool table area while Lee Heinen’s Minus One is on a stone wall that has a more contemplative feel.  Scott Goss (Cityscape at right) was commissioned to create a multi-panel fused glass series of urban imagery in the administrative area.  Take a look:

Spin It Pink and Spin it Grey, Beth Ryan

Release, Susan Danko

Cleveland Statements, Rita Montlack

Spill, James Massena March

V-8, Melinda Tousley

The artwork in the student lounges is a collection of Cleveland photography.  They selected a range of photographs that represented the community outside the walls of the university; black and whites and color, classic skyline and unusual vantage points.

Lorain Sentinel 3 and Lorain Sentinel 4, Lori Diemer

Nighttown, Robert Stockham

Enchanted Evening, Jay Patel

A special Thank You to Lori Diemer that documented this installation for us.  She did a beautiful job capturing the space.  If you are looking for artwork to complement your office or home, please contact us.

Inside the home are tables made of reclaimed ginko leaves, a painting that speaks of the unpredictability of weather, a wall-hanging assembled from tree-lawn treasures and a vase of brilliant flowers crafted from recycled 2-liter bottles.

RED DOT Project curator Christy Gray led the first of two tours July 20 inside the SmartHome, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s real-world exhibition of sustainable building techniques. In partnership with the museum, Gray selected 15 artists — members of RED DOT Project and ZeroLandfill Cleveland — whose work makes the house feel like a home.

Artists were chosen because they consider the environment in their processes, materials or subject matter. Anita Tucker reclaims wine bottles for her soy candles. Charlotte Lees built a wall sculpture from wood cut and painted to look like leaves, layering them in the way that nature does on the forest floor.

Tour visitors got a peek at these and other works, which will be sold at the SmartSale on Oct. 9. A second Smart Art tour will take place at 7 p.m. Aug. 17.

Liz Maugans‘ wall sculpture hangs in a children’s bedroom on the second floor. It’s built from a broken stool top and old shutters, and has the words “Take Me Home” painted in its center. Maugans, who also uses text in her fine-art prints, joined the July tour.  Her SmartHome piece was part of a series in which she builds work from scrapped objects.

She said she likes to “have the artwork talk to you and kind of give you some lip.”

Susie Frazier, who makes fine art and home furnishings that play off organic designs, also joined the tour. She has numerous pieces on view at the home. Her ginko wood tables contain little wells to hold river rocks or sand — natural objects that people can pull out and play with. The idea stemmed from noticing that her children always love to handle small objects. Frazier took it a step further by embedding a container in the table itself.

For her framed fine-art works, Frazier often selects gathered pods or dried stalks, arranging them in a way that highlights repeating patterns found in nature itself.

“The fine art is really meant to be mesmerizing,” she says.

The SmartHome bedroom features a light fixture made from a chunky and meandering old root swag that Frazier washed, sanded and drilled before wiring it. There’s no added adornment.

“I love when I can find something big and chunky like this and not overwork it,” she said. “If there’s any metaphor in my work, is that we can be comfortable in our own skin.”

For information on the August Smart Art tour, call Christy at RED DOT Project, 216-664-9600.

For more information about the artwork in the SmartHome, join us on August 17 at 7 pm for a special art tour of the SmartHome.  Come back on October 9 for the SmartSale.  Or contact RED DOT Project about artwork for your home or office.