Applegater Winter 2013
13
Three Applegate artists take
their art in new directions
by DIANA COOGLe
When Applegate artist Barbara
Kostal retired from commercial and
commissioned work, she didn’t pack up
her easel and put up her feet. Instead,
inspired by Dhyani Ywahoo’s book Voices
of Our Ancestors, she took her art in a new
direction, delving deep inside her spiritual
self to see what emerged in a new series of
paintings called Wisdom of the Heart. But
it doesn’t take retirement for an artist to
turn in a new direction. Rick Faist, from
Williams, was once a painter, until a home-
school project with his son caused him to
put his brushes aside for the craftsman’s
art of making kalimbas. Likewise, Greeley
Wells, who lives on Carberry Creek, put
away his paintbrushes when he discovered
the joy of making movies. Now dust glints
in the sunlight in his studio, as Greeley
roams the outdoor world with his camera.
Barbara Kostal
Barbara Kostal’s studio, a wedding
gift from her husband, David Calahan,
has French doors that open onto a balcony
overlooking undulating fields, canopying
oaks, and layers of Applegate mountains.
Barbara often paints there, letting snow
and invites the artists of old to be with her
when she paints.
A third thread is the twining of her
two loves: caring for people and doing
art. Art is her “passion and bliss,” but
also a medium for healing. When a client
commissioned a painting representing
“restlessness,” for instance, Barbara painted
a horizontal line at the bottom of the
painting “to give restlessness a base.”
Barbara is retired from commercial
work and commissions (though she “might
play another season if for the right team”),
but you can see her art at 6th and F Streets
in Grants Pass. This mural, “The Road of
a Thousand Wonders,” was commissioned
in 1995 by the City of Grants Pass. They
paid for the design, but Barbara and her co-
painter, Ray Colton, donated their labor
as a gift to the city. They painted, in wool
hats and layers of long johns, throughout
the winter. Barbara will be refurbishing the
mural this spring.
Barbara’s current project is a series of
more than 60 paintings called “Wisdom
of the Heart,” which she calls “the great
spiritual journey of my life.” These
paintings often come so fast
that as one layer dries Barbara
starts another sketch. “I am the
energy. The energy is me,” she
says. She recognizes and wants
to convey that everything is in
relationship: life, death, heart-
soul. The series will culminate
in a book of paintings and
accompanying essays. (It is
one of the great honors of my
life that she invited me to write
those essays.)
Rick Faist
Ni n e t e e n y e a r s a g o
Applegate artist Rick Faist, a
painter, helped his son make
an African musical instrument
called a kalimba (thumb piano)
from homegrown gourds. With
leftover tines he made more
kalimbas, which he sold to
Artist Barbara Kostal at work out on her studio balcony at buy a drum set (he is also
her residence, which she calls a “woodsy paradise.” a musician). Soon, making
kalimbas became a sideline
fall on the painting called “Winter” and to painting and gradually took over the
the sun’s heat saturate “Summer.”
business. Now, under the name of Thumb
“I have freedom in this woodsy Fun Kalimbas, Rick makes approximately
paradise,” she says, “to express myself, to be 900 a year. Fifteen thousand or so are in
aware of my surroundings, to walk barefoot the hands of customers worldwide.
in the hills.”
Rick can make about three dozen
Nature is one of three threads in kalimbas in a week, although, he says, it
Barbara’s long career of murals, commercial takes all his time all the time. That’s not
ads, logos, fabric painting, artistic lamps, surprising, since making a kalimba the
and acrylic paintings. Just as nature is Rick Faist way involves more than 70
layered (weather, the leaves and flowers steps, from growing the gourds to grinding
of the seasons), so are her paintings: paint the keys to tuning the instrument. A true
over paint, paint over words, paint over craftsman, he does all the work on every
snow.
kalimba himself, though his wife, Louann,
Another thread is her sense of a weaver and landscape artist, helps with
belonging to “the ancient family of artists.” things like making keys, weeding the gourd
She uses their symbols in her paintings patch, and selling at crafts fairs. He enjoys
the varied work, he says: it makes painting
seem like such sedentary concentration!
Rick cuts sound holes in the hardwood
tops of his kalimbas in a variety of shapes:
falcon, elephant, salamander, dolphin, or
anything else the buyer wants. Though it
is not true that the animal shape influences
the sound, one boy thought the kalimba
with the rabbit-shaped hole played fast
and the one with the turtle-shaped hole
played slow.
The thumb piano
is a quiet instrument,
softly played and
pleasingly melodic,
like sunshine spilling
through trees. One
woman bought one to
play for her father while
he was dying. Another
customer bought one
for a friend in traction.
“When we set up a
booth at a crafts show,”
Rick says, “our booth
neighbors usually think
with dismay, ‘Oh, no! Top photo: Rick Faist at a crafts show with his kalimbas or thumb
Musical instruments!’
pianos. Bottom photo: A painter of note, Greeley Wells is now
making artistic movies of nature.
but then they realize
that the music isn’t
invasive and adds a pleasant atmosphere.” Greeley was walking through his woods on
Since the kalimba is played by Carberry Creek taking pictures with a new
the thumbs striking tines, it is a good iPhone, he thought, “Doesn’t this thing
instrument for today’s generations, who also make movies?” With that discovery,
have grown up texting. They feel right at his career changed paths. He is no longer
home with a kalimba.
a painter but a moviemaker.
Thumb Fun kalimbas are unique for
Unhampered now by the limitations
the wide range of tuning available: any of two-dimensional art, Greeley plays with
major or minor scale, pentatonic scales, time, sound, motion, and realism in the
East Indian tunings—anything requested. outdoor world.
Rick and Louann Faist sell kalimbas
The art, he says, is in allowing the
at crafts shows throughout the Pacific creek and the tree to catch his attention.
Northwest, locally at Cripple Creek in Then he tries to capture the layering of
Ashland and Great Northwest Music experience: the yellow leaves that (next
in Grants Pass, and online at www. layer) are moving and behind it the creek
thumbfunkalimbas.com.
(next layer) also moving (another layer)
Greeley Wells
and the sun making it sparkle (another
When Greeley Wells was in high layer) and through the leaves in the
school contemplating possible careers, he distance darker forms (another layer) and
considered what he had been doing all his if he is lucky, a red tree (another layer).
life (art), what he liked to do (art), and
Greeley’s movies are quiet. They are
what he was good at (art).
slow. The sun spreads over a hillside, leaves
So Greeley (his signature name) twinkle lazily to the ground, the wind
became what he was: an artist.
blows sparkles on the creek. Greeley wants
Greeley mostly painted the human us to see beyond the “first seeing,” which,
figure because, he says, “it is the prototype he says, is mere identification: “This is a
of exquisite form.” He explains that he maple.” He wants us to learn “real seeing,”
wanted his paintings to follow the flow of a deeper way of looking. “My movies calm
lines. (As he talked, his hand flowed like a you down, make you pay attention, watch
shadow across the form of his own body.) a little bit longer—and see,” he says.
He likes the play of light and dark,
Greeley does not miss painting.
the way shadows give a sense of undulating “Sitting down with paint doesn’t hold a
three-dimensional forms in his two- candle,” he says, to the animated nature
dimensional medium. Greeley frequently of his new art.
painted in shades of gray, which allowed
Go to www.greeley.me to see Greeley’s
more opportunity for the line to express paintings and to www.youtube.com/user/
form without the complication of color.
greeleywellsjr#g/r. to see his movies.
The past tense of “painted” is accurate
Diana Coogle
because, one day three years ago when
dcoogle@laughdogpress.com