DECEMBER 14, 2024 CHEAP LAUGH'S FEATURED ARTISTS

Kristen  Law Lewis was bitten by the bookbinding-bug in the last semester of her  undergrad Studio Art studies at University of Colorado. She’s made all  kinds of books since - founding Papercuts Press in 2005. She later  pursued artifact conservation, a second love, and earned a degree in  Museum Studies. Kristen mixes her time between bookbinding, teaching  bookbinding, and caring for museum collections.  "My work is largely driven by materials and process. I love the  challenge of physically incorporating something special into what I  make. Upcycling, repurposing, and reducing waste are key interests in my  studio practice. I think a lot about where things come from, and where  they are going. I'm enamored with material objects - modifying their  past significance to construct a relevance for them today."   

https://papercuts-press.square.site/

Instagram Handle | @papercutspress

Erin Doubenmier is a Lafayette-based illustrator and cartoonist. Her medium of choice is India ink, but she also enjoys using watercolor crayon and acrylic paint. Showcasing a vibrant leaning with bold contrasts and process-minded line work, dozens of layered color applications are methodically blended and then finalized with a subtle capstone hue. Although some of the work requires an objective reference, the majority of the renderings are drawn directly from her mind. Her work’s subject matter borders on social commentary, drawing inspiration from animals, childhood, and ever-evolving interpersonal dynamics. 

Instagram Handle | @erindoub

 Lisa Chinn Clay creates functional ceramics for the home. All of her pottery is handmade in small batches with a focus on wheel thrown work. She loves to incorporate graphic images, mostly botanical. She imagines her work in your hands as she creates. 

https://www.lisachinnclay.com 

Instagram Handle | @LisaChinnClay 

Cynthia creates collage figures from old postage stamps. Creations of color, light and shadow, when viewed up close, become a study in philosophy, religion, geography, history and literature. Every stamp tells a story.  Her current project is to create the images of the Major Arcana of the Tarot, like The Fool and The High Priestess.

https://stampartworks.com/

I'm a painter based in north Boulder where I live with my husband, Michael and cat Vincent (van Gogh). I primarily work in oils, but enjoy watercolors and other media as well. I’m inspired by how beauty presents itself in different ways – mountains, forests, fields, oceans – each environment, though unique, evokes the same sensation of total freedom I aim to tap into in my work. I gravitate towards landscapes because I feel happiest, most connected and at peace when I’m in nature. Through my work, I hope to share that feeling with others. 

 DianaWrightArt - Etsy 

Instagram Handle | @dianawright_art 

All forms of art fascinate Cecil. He began his journey as an artist carving wood and soon realized that it would be difficult to produce enough pieces to make a living. Cecil then decided to experiment with clay. For the next forty years he created functional and art pieces which were sold at galleries and art shows throughout the Midwest. Now that Cecil is retired, he enjoys designing pieces that are quirky and unique. 

 cecild@centurylink.net

Sista Luna is a Colorado artist, currently living in Lafayette. She plays with a variety of mediums in her work, recently focusing on fine-line, black and white ink drawings with an occasional pop of color. She incorporates natural flora and fauna subjects that speak to death/rebirth cycles while often including references to collective stories and myths. 

https://www.sistalunamakes.com/ 

Instagram Handle | @sista.luna.makes

We are a community oriented studio in the heart of Old Town. Here we  offer classes for adults and kids, offer space for local artists to  create and show work from artists in our studio or CO local artists. Our  style and artwork is truly honest, eclectic and unique.

https://cannonstceramics.com/ 

 Instagram Handle | @cannonstceramic200

Rouxan Marlowe Terrariums came to be after the unfortunate loss of his home in the Marshall Fire. From something awful though, came this new beautiful hobby filled with life and opportunity. Rouxan (they/he) began building terrariums first, to avoid cats from eating their new houseplants and second, to bring the outdoors inside. The process of building miniature self-sustaining biomes is both a therapeutic process and a beautiful way to decorate the home with living art. Rouxan now builds terrariums to share with their community for the green thumbs and plant-adverse alike. He also offers terrarium parties for those ready to explore the world of living art themselves!  

Instagram Handle | @rouxanmarloweterrariums 

Twenty years ago, when I was an elementary teacher in the Boulder/Denver metro area, I started turning bowls on the lathe over the weekends, primarily as gifts for friends and family. Over the years that turned into me being commissioned to create more and more pieces, which began to include charcuterie and cutting boards. More recently I’ve started creating unique small wood & resin hearts and angels that can be hung on the wall, in windows, or as ornaments. 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JayEllweinDesign

Instagram | @jayellweindesign    

Laurie Algar, Fantasia Mosaics and Cards Laurie is a local artist who grew up in North Hollywood CA and currently lives in Colorado. She specializes in mixed media mosaics and hand-crafted art greeting cards. She is the daughter of Disney Legend recipient James Algar, a Walt Disney Director, Producer, Writer and Animator. Laurie grew up immersed in bold color, whimsy, animals, fantasy, and magical story telling which is reflected in her unique art and the name of her business, Fantasia Mosaics, as her father was the Director of the iconic Sorcerer’s Apprentice in the Disney classic, Fantasia.  

 www.fantasiamosaics.com 

Little Wren Creative Studio is a boutique studio for clay and other arts near Boulder, Colorado and is where artist Aprylisa lovingly makes unique designs for your good use, happy nesting, and joy. She has done installations and tile murals for private commissions and pubic artwork for corporations and city governments.

 https://www.facebook.com/LittleWrenCS 

Anna Meehan is a mental health therapist who uses art and creativity as her self care outlet away from work. Her jewelry consists of various metals and gemstones, and her wool blend hats are styled with recycled silk, leather, ethically sourced feathers, and dried flowers.  

Instagram Handle | @shopsoleilcollection 

I am a visual artist working in Boulder, Colorado. I paint romance, memories, and mountains. My work is about the relationships we have with ourselves, our world, and each other - involving explorations of the roles of belief, memory, and our understandings of reality and fantasy.  

https://beckyjewellart.com/about-ba

Instagram Handle | @beckyjewell 

Misfits Work you say? I don’t think so. Seems to me they do an awful lot of standing around. These Stick-in-the-Mud totems are one of my favorite ta-das. Whether they are peeking out behind a mound of flowers or bringing guffaw to a dreary old winter day, these crazy characters add a little mischief and hilarity to every garden. Is this all you can expect? Heck no. Misfits pop up in all shapes, sizes, locations, and roles. Do you appreciate tomfoolery, hoopla, hooey, buffoonery, poppycock, absurdity, mumbo jumbo rubbish? If so, I might have the schtick you are looking to find. I am the sculptress of nonsense and the whimsy of wildlife. It’s a site to see .

https://www.misfitswork.com/

Instagram Handle | @marleenendicott

Rebecca Martin is a local Lafayette artist. She paints in oils and offers paintings from tiny to large. She loves to paint florals, landscapes, animals , birds and so much more! You can view her art at Local Goods and Otis Coffee in Lafayette, Village Coffee Shop in Boulder, and Creative Framing in Louisville.  

https://www.rebeccamartinfineart.com/

Instagram Handle |  @rebeccamartinart 

I am an abstract artist working with mainly acrylics and a fine liner. I always had an interest in art but haven’t followed my desire to paint till 2017. It all started as therapy where I got lost in the acrylic pour technic which quickly developed into a much more expressive painting style. I use layers of paint mixed with water (sometimes a medium or sand) directly on the canvas to leave an organic mark. The later added lines are often just to add more texture and depth. My paintings give the viewer just enough detail to make up their own story in the painting. Which is also, why most of my paintings can be hung in any direction. Some say my art reminds them of topological maps while others see landscapes, rock formations, a universe or sea creatures. The list here goes quite long and I love hearing all the stories the viewer get out of them.  

https://www.esrasstudio.com/ 

Instagram Handle |  @ esrakellermanns

I create elaborately hand beaded jewelry , bead mosaic jewelry and wirework jewelry. I often use natural images in my jewelry such as birds insects, trees and mountain landscapes.  

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Whendragonsflydesign

Deb is a self-taught artist here in Lafayette. She finds inspiration from Colorado's amazing beauty, whether taking walks around town or romping in the mountains and simply watching the sunrise & sunset explode the sky with color! This inspiration is reflected in her landscape paintings. Deb has fallen in love with the medium of watercolor - a journey of color and magic on paper. There is nothing else like it! Her heart sings with each stroke of the paintbrush. Every painting has a piece of her heart in it and shapes her into the artist she was meant to be. Her hope is that you feel the same joy when you take a piece of her art home with you.  

Karen Ziegler is a local artisan and musician, and loves the vibrancy and color of life around her! She tries to reflect that in her artistic creations - jewelry made with colorful beads, images of her photographs & paintings (alcohol ink), upcycled components and glass & china (in her mosaic pendants). She loves to dabble in other mediums as well and especially enjoys paper-cutting by hand with a nod towards the old folk traditions. Karen enjoys coming up with other ways to showcase her art and creates small gift items such as keychains, cards, calendars, and ornaments. She enjoys being eclectic with her creativity and hopes that her creations bring a bit of joy to people’s lives.  

I co-create art to communicate the internal and ancient worlds. Through this interactive process of oxygenating these expressions, I find access to wisdom, clarity and intuition. I invite you to explore your relationship with the pieces in an inner landscape curiosity. Through my contemplative practices, I am able to bring forth ancient languages, images, objects and paintings mixed with the art of encaustic expression. I graduated from Naropa University with a BA in Contemplative Psychology. During this time, I was able to learn calligraphy, photography and pottery. I continued my artistic exploration through watercolor painting. I was later introduced to the deep and powerful expression of SoulCollage. This is an art form of creating psychological cards that speak from your imagination and intuition. This practice supported accessing the deeper aspects of myself that wanted to be expressed. I later completed my degree in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Psychology. I learned that one of the most powerful ways to integrate my own healing was to continue to do my art. I began oil painting and was unexpectedly discovered by the ancient Egyptian art form of encaustic painting. I find that the encaustic medium supports my current and prior artistic explorations. It allows for a synthesis of artistic expression that includes the co-creation of several mediums brought together. I am in love with the mysterious element of the wax. I find that every piece has an unexpected element that continues to teach me, as I listen. 

I am an acrylic painter and figurative sculptor based in Longmont, Colorado. My art focuses on capturing the natural beauty of the state through landscape, wildlife and birds. I blend traditional techniques with experimental abstract painting using alternative tools. I gather inspiration from outdoor excursions and use digital manipulation to create unique compositions on canvas, with the goal of seamlessly blending abstract backgrounds with realistic depictions of birds and animals. Additionally, I create hand-built clay slab sculptures that express personal experiences and emotions, with a focus on the human body and its ability to convey feelings and situations. I also hope to expand my studies to include depictions of animals and birds in my sculpture work. 

https://www.anabalzan.com/

Instagram Handle | @anabalzan67

Sharon Schatz is a fiber artist working with yarn, wool roving, and a variety of fabrics. Up-cycled and found materials are often included. Sharon’s designs feature botanical inspiration and often combine multiple techniques including, felting, embroidery, weaving and sewing. 

Instagram Handle |  @schatz639