Mentoring Girls in the Studio

You have been hearing it everywhere “When we support the growth and empowerment of women and girls, we raise the quality of life for everyone. “ A few years ago I started investigating what I can do in this arena.

As a female artist/sculptor for 25+ years, I have created a business from my passions which includes, welding, woodworking, carving and creating pieces that take men to lift.
Problem solving in a 1 woman studio has empowered me with confidence to FIGURE IT OUT!
Bestowing all that random knowledge and showing the possibilities to a young girl would have been hugely helpful in my own journey.

Aspen Middle School has a 6th grade mentor program and this year, I got Ela! She is smart, funny, asks questions, not afraid to get dusty, and had a plan. We meet until the end of the school year. Her project is a bedside table.
I show her how I work, things to think about, she will help out in the studio and thru her own project she is learning about scale, design, and possibilities.

And Another Mentee………

There is a fantastic mentor program at The Art Base in Basalt, CO, started by my wonderful friend Nancy Lovendahl, a fellow sculptor who works in stone. We bond over our choice of heavy equipment and dusty work environments. :) The program is named after her dear friend …. Carter. and is offered to High school Juniors, in the valley, to apply for 3 spots.

Each mentee creates work to feature on their own wall, for their own show at Art Base in May. Sarah, my Art Base, mentee, is an amazing artist that is combining her artistic skill with the laws of physics. Deciding if art is her career path and investigating what it takes to create work and concepts for a gallery show with deadlines. We meet once a week.

Just being with these 2 art-loving girls is awesome and no matter what career path they take, they will have an experience to carry with them and see other avenues to fulfill their passions.

Til Next Time,
“Live Creatively”
xx
Andrea

The story behind....... A sculptured wall installation

So……. I get a lovely call from a previous client, they have a traditional wall unit and is the last hold out of their remodel. She had no idea what she wanted, they love my work and thought I could come up with something unique…

Yay and fun fun fun..... a whole wall to create. The residence is in an urban environment, a loft, 2 floors including a huge rooftop deck with beautiful views of the Ft Worth, TX skyline. They have fantastic pieces in their collection, a mix of strong contemporary and African art, the textures and layers of their decor got me from hello!

As I was working on conceptual sketches, I was organizing my studio and out popped my collection of antique Indonesian printing wood blocks, and I knew what direction we would go... 
What draws me to these special blocks is the history , a functionality and its worn detailed carving. They have a soul of the hands that have touched, utilized and cared for the job they have done.

The clients loved this direction. After the sketching and balancing of the design, with specific display pieces in mind, the work  then becomes physical.  Finding the balance between too organic and too contemporary. Finished but not too finished. The decisions become an artists touch…

Somewhere around the 80 yard line in a commission…………………………………………..
layers of doubt, stress and 🤞🏼(fingers crossed) starts to creep in.
Especially when it is created in a studio, in this case over 900 miles away.. 24 shelves, attachments and supplies arrived in Ft Worth unscathed. 

The install went without a hitch…not counting the surprise metal studs… whew!!!!

Check out the video!!!

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to solve this design challenge and to create from my heart.

Til Next Time
”LIVE CREATIVELY”
xx
Andrea

Welding........A LOVE STORY

Was it David Smith’s drawings in space?
Was it the act and power behind it?
  Maybe just playing with fire. A dangerous partner to slay.
The attraction  had been  gnawing at me …and as an impetuous girl in my 20s.
I was hooked. A tech school was the answer.
Night classes with men learning refrigeration was anticipated with sweaty palms.
Then there was our instructor who cut 1/2” steel plate that looked like a glass edge.
I swooned!

David Smith xoxoxoxoxoxo

His studio……. Be still my Heart!!!!!

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And that was the beginning.
Now many years have passed, but the feelings are still strong.
Always a bit of fear mixed with excitement.
As an artist, more tools in my pocket allows me to think
outside the box in creation and expression.

I have been playing with my bender
forming botanicals with steel bar.
Welding and grinding til each line feels
”sexy and feminine”.

What’s not to love?

Til next time,
Happy Valentines Day!
and
”LIVE CREATIVELY”
xx
Andrea

PS…. For ideas and inspiration
check out andi-le.com and
sign up for the andi-Le newsletter

Bar Stools in the Studio

It gets personal, It gets physical and it is dirty!
Four barstools will be carved out of one beautiful Aspen.
Hammer and Speer an amazing LA design firm
ordered these for a client in Jackson, WY.
~~~
But first… I needed a man and a John Deere.

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In the studio, they were stripped.
Then I cut them
closer to the required height.

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Here they are after the first sanding.
Next they will be shaped, sanded, standing straight, and cut to their exact height, ready for the design to be carved.
Let the dust fly!

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Yep!!!! Ya gotta love the process!
Til next time,
“Live Creatively”
xx
Andrea

Africa Inspired

My obsession with Africa started WAY before I had the chance to go.
Books were my escape to the dark continent.
Stories that romanticized it and images that made me swoon.
Indigenous cultures that create beauty and adornments
to honor and celebrate the passages of life.
The textures and simplicity of structure for
functional objects that have meaning and a soul.
These concepts had me from Hello!

Andi-Le furniture and accents take these inspirations
and staying true to the essence
while adding a contemporary edge. 

Now... having been a few times (and would be on a plane tomorrow)...
My passion for the people I have met there and breathing in
the vastness of the landscape is ten fold.   
My eye is drawn like a magnet to tribal design,
and I love adding another layer of detail
that speaks to this part of the world.

AND.......
because, while writing this I got so nostalgic,
I wanted to share a few images from my time working in Ghana. 

If you are searching for the perfect piece to elevate your interiors,
consider custom-made accent furniture from Andi-Le.
It will blend with the decor and stand alone as art.

Til Next Time,
"LIVE CREATIVELY"
xx
Andrea