Vinegar Graining Class

Come to beautiful McDaniel College in Westminster,MD for Traditions Week and learn the secrets of Early American vinegar graining. The class is every morning from 9 to noon from June 30th to July 4th. During the week, students will learn the mixing formulas for vinegar paint, wood preparation, texturing techniques and use of graining tools as well as proper finishing varnish. Each student will have created a small grained box and a faux marble mirror to take home and the knowledge they will need to create larger pieces.

Traditions Week is part of the wonderful Common Ground on the Hill program which is now in its 20th year. This is an amazing Chautauqua experience where you can take music, dance, and art classes as well as dabble in film and writing. Call (410) 857-2771 at Common Ground on the Hill to register.

Carolina Wren Chest

Carolina Wren Chest with vinegar grained panel

Spring really is just around the corner.  It is hard to imagine when we have a snow or ice storm every week right now.  But the first day of Spring is March 20th ,so there is hope.  I have even seen some hopeful Robins on the tree branches here in Baltimore City.  I have no idea how they stay warm or where they sleep at night when it is 4 degrees.

This little chest was inspired by the cheerful little wrens that always make me feel so happy.  Maybe it would make a nice gift for someone that you want to make happy.  It is 8 1/2" w  x  5" d  x  6 3/4"h and the perfect size to hold jewelry or those little items that clutter the desk around your computer.   Hand painted scene on top and vinegar grained panel on the front.  Each one is unique and painted by me.    $68.00   info@kristinhelberg.com

Alien Antelope

Alien Antelope

Who is this creature?  Is he indeed an Alien Antelope?  He is part of a series of sculptures that I have been creating secretly since 2004.  Although I enjoy this vacation from paintings and decorative boxes, some of my collectors find it an odd choice for me.

Using bones, acrylics and wood, I have been discovering some wonderful new images.  If you are interested in Alien Antelope you can contact me at info@kristinhelberg.com.

Bone Sculptures

I have been working on a series of  sculptures using bones, acrylic paint, and wood.    I began this series in 2004 and the style is very different than my painting style.  I am just now releasing images of the sculptures on my website and on the website of the Baker Artist Awards.

For more information about Ancestor, please contact me at info@kristinhelberg.com.

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow Box painted by Kristin Helberg

The perfect jewelry box for someone who is enchanted by the Sleepy Hollow story.   Or maybe it could sit on a desk next to your computer to hold little office supplies.    This sturdy wooden box measuring 8 1/2"  Wide x 5 1/4" Deep x  4 1/2"" High has a hand painted scene on the top and a smaller panel below that is vinegar- grained.   I paint each box individually so no two are exactly alike.

Contact me at info@kristinhelberg.com to order this box.   I would need your street address and zip code to calculate shipping and delivery date.   The box is $60.00 and if I ship to a Maryland address I have to add sales tax.  I sell through Paypal and the Square.

Owl Chest

Owl Chest, hand painted by Kristin Helberg

The perfect present for someone who just loves owls.  This little chest measures 11" wide x 6 1/2" deep x 6 1/4 " high.  It  would be perfect to use as a jewelry box or perhaps on a computer table to hold all the office things you might need.   The scene of the owl in the moonlight is hand painted with artist acrylic and then varnished.  The front panel has been vinegar grained in the Early American style and then varnished.

 This owl chest is $70.00.  Send me your address and zip code so I can calculate mailing charges.  If you are a Maryland resident I will have to charge you 6% tax.   This chest is one of a kind.  I can do others but they will be slightly different.  I always send out a photo of the exact chest you would be purchasing.     Send email to info@kristinhelberg.com

Visiting Artisan at Colonial Williamsburg

 

Since 2010, I have been a visiting artisan at Colonial Williamsburg.  I set up a table in the old kitchen of the St. George Tucker house and for two or three hours, I demonstrate the Early American techinique of Vinegar Graining.

This past Sunday, November 17th, I demonstrated graining on small frames and jewelry boxes, showing many of the color combinations for graining.

For more information about my fraktur and grained boxes, plesase visit my website at www.kristinhelberg.com

Chevy Chase Womens Club Show

Hand painted and grained boxes by Kristin Helberg

Please come and see me this Saturday, November 9th at the Artisan Show at the Chevy Chase Women's Club located at 7931 Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, MD 20815.   There is plenty of parking behind the club house.

Over 40 vendors will be there selling handmade arts, crafts and foods.  The show is from 10 to 5 pm.

I will have a wide variety of painted and vinegar grained boxes and small chests for sale as well as framed prints and mirrors.  Come and do your holiday shopping.   See you there.

 For more info call the club at (301) 652-8480. 

Waterford 2013

Kristin Helberg at the 2013 Waterford Fair

The town of Waterford, Virginia once again welcomed over 150 American artisans and thousands of visitors for the  70th annual Waterford Fair on October 4th, 5th and 6th.

For three days, the towns inhabitants, park their cars in nearby fields so that attendees can stroll through the town and imagine what life must have been like 200 years ago.  Hundreds of volunteers direct traffic, sell tickets, work in the town food booths and even provide lodging for some of the visiting artisans.

It is truly an honor to be part of such a lovely event.

Harriet Tubman

When I heard about the call for entries for Harriet Tubman tribute show at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum here in the Baltimore Inner Harbor, I decided that I wanted to create a portrait of Ms. Tubman. It is difficult to create an image of such an American Icon and make the person seem real.  I wanted to create a painting that would feel more emotional and personal.  I wanted to show her solitary life.  How she truly was alone as she led slaves north and had to depend on her wits, knowledge of the land and a spirit that would not bend.

As a child, visiting my grandmother in upstate New York, we would often go to Auburn, New York which was where  my grandmother was born and her father had a small dairy.    It is also where Harriet Tubman bought land and built a house and small farm for her parents as she led them north to freedom.  I recall seeing the little run down log cabin .  At that time there was no money to renovate the historical building.  But the image of her little farm and the stories my mother told me about her stayed with me.

Harriet Tubman retired to her farm with her second husband who was 20 years younger than she was and the teenaged girl she adopted.  She lived out her days there and died in Auburn in 1913,

My grandmother would have been 13 when Harriet Tubman died.  I wish I had asked her if she ever met her or saw her around the town of Auburn.

The Reginald Lewis Museum received so many portraits of Ms. Tubman that they chose another painting that I did called Safe House which depicts runaway slaves making their way through the snow on a winter's evening to a Quaker safe house . That show is up until March of 2014 and you can find out more about the museum by visiting their website at www.rflewismuseum.org .

To find out more about my  Harriet Tubman painting, you can contact me through my website at info@kristinhelberg.com

Go Down Moses c Kristin Helberg 2013

Nantucket Folk Art Show

I am packing the van and heading to Nantucket for the Folk Art and Artisans Show from July 19th through the 21st.  It is held at Bartlett's Farm on the beautiful island of Nantucket. Come up and take the ferry from Hyannis and see all the wonderful art and artisan work on display and help benefit the Small Friends School on Nantucket.   The show is open from 9:30 to 6 on Friday and Saturday and 9:30 to 3 on Sunday.  There is a special preview party on Thursday evening from 6 to 9 with more expensive tickets that benefit the school   For more about the show you can contact info@nantucketlooms.com

I have been painting plenty of whales and whaling paintings.  Come and join the fun.

Early American Folk Art boxes by Kristin Helberg

Common Ground On The Hill

Vinegar Grained box by Kristin Helberg

Come and take my class on vinegar graining at the 19th annual Common Ground on the Hill at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland.

I will be teaching during Week I from July 1st through the 5th.   My class is every morning from 9 to 11:45.  During the week you will learn formulas for the vinegar paint and technique.  By Friday you will have completed a small chest and a faux marble mirror to take home with you.  You will also be armed with the knowledge to take on a bigger piece of furntiure when you get back home.

I only take 8 students so that I can give you personal attention as you learn this skill. Look for Vinegar Graining on Wooden Boxes in the first week of classes.

Common Ground is a Chataqua experience where you can take music, dance and art classes and attend talks and lectures as well.   Great for the entire family with classes avaiilable for children.  Come live on campus for a week and learn some new skills this summer.

www.CommonGroundOnTheHill.org  to register online or have them mail you a catalogue.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2013

Kristin Helberg and her American Folk Art

I was lucky enough to be juried into the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and I was on a waiting list for a booth.   I just found out that there was a cancellation and I am in the show this year.  I am thrilled to be included in this wonderful event. It is being held May 4th and May 5th at the Howard County Fair Grounds.

If you have never attended  the festival, you are in for a real treat.  Hundreds of vendors are selling hand dyed and woven items, yarn and high quality arts and crafts.  Live music, food venders and sheep dog trials add to the great experience.

Please come and find me in the Main Exhibit Building in section B32.  Go to their website for full information.  You can find out directions and a listing of all the events and vendors at the festival.  I hope to see you all there.   www.sheepandwool.org

Standing With Hope in Ghana

Kraig Helberg, an American prosthetist, with patient in Ghana  

My brother, Kraig Helberg, is a prosthetist, making arms and legs for folks who have lost theirs.   Kraig donates his vacation time and travels with Standing With Hope to Ghana where they have been establishing a clinic.

Kraig not only fits patients with high quality limbs but he trains local prosthetist technicians who live in Ghana so that they can learn new techniques and procedures.  He also helps with the donation of artificial limbs and materials here in the United States for use in Ghana.

On May 5, 2013, Standing With Hope will return to Ghana where Kraig will once again be working with patients and helping to establish a telemedicine clinic with the aid of the Ghana Health Services.

Their goal is to create a prosthetic infrastructure that will be sustainable in Ghana.  Once this is completed, Kraig and other volunteers will be able to provide ongoing training and patient evaluation for the Ghana staff on a daily basis.

I am inviting you to visit www.standingwithhope.com  and read more about their wonderful projects.  Standing With Hope is asking for cash donations as well as the donation of artificial limbs that are no longer being used.   All donations are 100% tax deductible .   Thank your for your help.

Ndebele Mural Project at Harlem Park School

Ndebele Village Mural created by Harlem Park Students

I spent the month of February at Harlem Park Elementary and Middle school in Baltimore, Maryland working with the 6th, 7th and 8th grade students creating a mural that depicts a village in South Africa where the men build the houses and the women paint them.

For ten years I have joined the wonderful Harlem Park art teacher Morag Bradford, working with her older students on a mural and creating projects for the younger grades that correspond to the world culture that we are studying.  The first grade created collar necklaces of colored paper using Ndebele designs and we staged a fashion show to South African music so the students could display their creations.

Collar Necklaces using Ndebele Designs

We created paper models of the Ndebele houses, working with the fourth grade students.

Paper model of an Ndebele house by 4th grade student

After reading Maya Angelou's book, My Painted House and my Favorite Chicken, which tells the story of an Ndebele village, the third grade created their own favorite chickens from colorful construction paper.

My Favorite Chicken portrait by 3rd grade student

The projecct was funded jointly by Harlem Park School and the Maryland State Arts Council as a project with their artist in residence program.

CHEVY CHASE WOMEN'S CLUB ARTISAN SHOW

Vinegar-grained boxes and Fraktur paintings by Kristin Helberg

The  Women's Club of Chevy Chase, Maryland will be hosing an Artisan Show featuring hand crafted items and specialty foods on Saturday, March 2 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

The Club is located at 7931 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland directly across from the Chevy Chase Country Club.  There is plenty of free parking behind the Women's Club building.

I will be showing a large assortment of painted and vinegar- grained boxes and some small painted furniture and chests.   Come and join us.

For more information call the club at (310) 652-8480.

Lincoln

Lincoln c Kristin Helberg 2012 Lincoln portrait with Early American Vinegar Grained frame by Kristin Helberg

When I was a little girl growing up in Pennsylvania, my father attended a special ball in Gettysburg dressed as Abraham Lincoln.  My mother attended as his wife Mary Todd.  The year was 1965 and it was a Centenial Ball of the Civil war.

Since my father was 6'5" with dark hair and eyes and often mistaken for the actor Gregory Peck, it was an easy transition for him to add a theatrical beard and a dark suit and top hat.  Photos were posted in  all the local papers of my parents in their Civil war finery dancing the night away.  We were so proud of them.

My parents made history come alive for us with reenactment celebrations in Gettysburg and many trips to the wonderful museums in Washington, DC.

My love of history has stayed with me in my artwork .   My early American vinegar grained boxes are featured in the gift shop of the National Archives Museum in Washington DC as well as the Lincoln portrait in archival giclee prints on canvas.

If only my parents were still alive to see what they inspired.

School Mural at Resurrection St. Paul in Ellicott City

The fourth grade paints characters from children's books

 For the last three weeks I have been working with the entire fourth grade at the Resurrection St. Paul School in Ellicott City, Maryland where we have been creating a three panel mural that will be installed outside the new library at the school.  The project has been jointly funded by the Maryland State Arts Council and the school.

The mural depicts a fantasy world that is peopled by characters from beloved children's books.  It is a joy to be creating a project at a school that understands the importance of art in the school curriculum.

Grandma Moses Painting on Kilimanjaro

Grandma Moses c Kristin Helberg 1996 National Portrait Gallery Smithsonian Institution, Washington,DC  

My friend Rick Sause reached the summit of Kilimanjaro at dawn on September 20, 2012.  He is shown here next to his guide who is holding a poster of my portrait of Grandma Moses.  He carried it all the way to the top in his backpack.

Rick's camera froze due to the temperatures, so a fellow trekker, Andy McCarron made the photo.  The painting was acuired by The National Portrait Gallery in 2011 and it has been on display for the last year in a show that will come down at the end of October.  If you want to see her in person, you will need to get to Washington, DC.  Who knows where she will go next?

Kristin Helberg at Waterford Festival

Grained boxes and fraktur by Kristin Helberg  

If you have never attended the Waterford Festival in Waterford Virginia, you are in for a wonderful surprize.   This year the Festival is celebrating the 69th year.   The entire town of Waterford is a historic landmark village and for the three days of the crafts exhibit and home tour on October 5,6 and 7th, the townspeople park all their cars out of the village and it is open to foot traffic only.

The 155 artisans who are selling their 18th and 19th century wares will be demonstrating their artform in period costume, while music and food vendors add to the ambience.

Come and visit my booth in the old Schoohouse builidng on the hill and learn something about Early American Vinegar Graining.  The festival is from 10 to 5 each day and there is an entrance fee.   www.waterfordfoundation.org