The Artists' Alcove will feature Schroeder's paintings and fused glass pieces and Janet Crane's handcrafted jewelry. Schroeder's desire for balance and her continuing drive to innovate within her field brought her from a successful artistic career as a potter to creating large-scale fused glass pieces.
After spending 25 years as an established potter Schroeder said, “I had a great name as a potter and artist but I was stagnating... I had just gone dry on new, creative ideas. I was never going to be the type of potter who made a set of dishes or mugs.”
Inspiration struck when she was looking at pieces of glass one day and decided to learn to make fused glass sculptures. Initially Schroeder's intent was to incorporate glass into ceramic sculptures but found a new outlet for her expression through these fused glass pieces.
Schroeder's pottery had typically been architectural in nature, she was commissioned to create eight installation pieces for The Art in Public Buildings Project at The University of West Florida in Sarasota. She is comfortable with working on a large scale with architects and interior designers.
Recently, though, Schroeder has noticed that people don't typically envision her work in their homes because they think it is not suited to a domestic environment; she is working to change that perception and has created a new vein of works with that in mind now on display at the Gallery on 5th.
• Janet Crane, a two-year transplant to Florida moved to Eustis after traveling on a boat with her husband for seven years.
A consummate artist, Crane found self-expression through quilting on her trawler, but after meeting a fellow artist at the Sanford Farmers Market – whilst docked in the marina – she decided to make Central Florida her home. After having settled in, Crane became more interested in creating jewelry.
Crane takes her inspiration from her life. An avid quilter and fiber-artist, she has an inherent sense of color and light. When creating jewelry she said, “I study the piece. I want to frame it [the stone], not obscure it.”
Crane has an abiding respect for the stones or glass and works hard to let the light and shape be at the heart of the piece as opposed to her own wire-work.
Primarily making pendants, Crane also does some bracelets and earrings. Recently she collaborated with the potter Martin Cushman on a series of cabochons (a piece of jewelry dangled in a pendant or earring). She winds 14k gold or sterling silver wire around the piece; she likes to think of each work as a wearable piece of art.
Currently she has over 20 pieces on display at the Gallery on 5th but also is showing in The Vero Beach Gallery, The Orlando Museum of Art Gallery, and several other galleries along the eastern sea-board.
The Artisans on 5th is a cooperative gallery in downtown Mt. Dora located at 134 E. 5th Ave. Currently they feature about 26 artists/ members whose media range from wood to fiber sculpture, glass, and painting.
Janet Crane and Andree Shroeder are the featured artists of the month. The ladies art will be in the Artists’ Alcove section of the shop. The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To learn more about the gallery visit artistsonfifth.com.