Discover the Heart of Art  

Kim McCool interviews Althea Crome, contributing artist to the "Coraline" film. Althea has a unique talent - she designs and knits her creations in 1:12 scale, or as she calls it "bug knit scale". Now that's TINY!! Her work is at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale taking place in Korea from September until November. She is included in several books: the upcoming Ripleys Believe it or not published by Scholastic in 2010 and was in last years Ripleys Believe it or Not book called "Prepare to Be Shocked." Althea's work is also included in "The Culture of Knitting" by Joanne Turney-- which was released in October 2009; "Merge" which is being put out by Basheer Graphc Books (release date not set yet). Althea has also appeared on numerous radio and television shows: Martha Stewart Show, "The Yarn Show", March 23, 2009 and Knitty Gritty Knitsters on the DIY network in July, 2008, to name a few.

Join Kim McCool on October 26th as she talks with Beth Hall, an accomplished dressage freestyle designer. Beth Hall is music director and choreographer for Woodwind Studios, a full-service dressage freestyle design firm with clients in six countries and at every level to Grand Prix. She has more than a decade of experience in all aspects of musical freestyle production. Ms. Hall has a master’s degree in music and studied ballet. She is a graduate of the USDF “L” judge training program and was a featured speaker at the 2005 USDF convention. Additional information about Ms. Hall and her work can be found at http://www.woodwindstudios.com.

Kim McCool will be featuring Ballet Quad Cities Artistic Director, Courtney Lyon. Courtney Lyon has been with Ballet Quad Cities since 2000. She received her early training from Nathalie LeVine in St. Louis and earned her BFA with Honors in Dance from the University of Iowa. She received additional training from Arleen Sugano, the Joffrey Ballet School, and the Milwaukee Ballet School. Prior to joining Ballet Quad Cities, she performed with the Milwaukee Ballet and served as a demonstrator for Kenneth Laws and Arleen Sugano, co-authors of The Physics and the Art of Dance: Understanding Movement at the Performing Arts Medicine Association annual symposiums. Since retiring from performing in 2007, she has served as Assistant to the Project Manager in 2006, Ballet Mistress and Associate Director of Ballet Quad Cities, and Co-director of Ballet Quad Cities II. In these roles she has been an active coordinator and leader in all of the company’s educational outreach programs. Her choreography for Ballet Quad Cities includes three children’s ballets. She has restaged many works for Ballet Quad Cities. Recently, Ms. Lyon completed two intensive seminars given by John White, former dancer and Ballet Master of the National Ballet of Cuba. In the summer of 2009, Ms. Lyon participated in the Kennedy Center's Artists as Educators Seminar.

Barbara Stanton was born in Oakland, California and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all her life. She presently lives in Livermore, CA. Ms. Stanton specializes in miniature oil paintings and portraits (miniature and full size). Painting for more than thirty years, Ms. Stanton has mastered her technique and continues to seek new challenges. She is an IGMA Fellow (International Guild of Miniature Artisans). She is also an art instructor and is available for demonstrations and workshops. She has taught twice at the annual IGMA Guild School in Castine, Maine. She is also the Gallery Director for the Livermore Art Association Gallery and a member of IGMA, MASF, MPSGS, MAA, LAA & AIM.

Carol Andre has exhibited, taught, and judged competitions across the U.S. and Canada and has received many first place and Best of Show awards over the years, including the Ward World Championships and the Canadian Fish Carving Championships. She has been “Featured Artist” at shows in several states and Canada, the artist-in-residence at a resort for four years, and also one of the artist-instructors at John Campbell Folk School in N.C. Ms. Andre has exhibited at the Wild Wings Fall Festival, written articles for several magazines, and been featured in both magazine and newspaper articles. She is a signature member of Artists for Conservation, a lifetime member of International Wildfowl Carvers Association, Association of Miniature Artists, and Miniature Art Society of Florida.

Jim Smith began painting in 1968. Disabled twice by brain surgeries in 1976 and again in 1992, he continues to paint, compete and teach. An amazing artist, Smith currently exhibits at several galleries on the west coast and in the Portland area, as well as teaches art classes. His work can be seen on his website at http://jimsmith.wetpaint.com/.