Talking Art…

Have you always made things?

Yes, I am always making something…my mom taught me to knit when I was three. I also painted at that age and still have some of the paintings. When I was about five my parents gave me a sewing machine. I remember making doll clothes. Lots of them. My mom had a degree in fashion design and loved to sew, so she taught my sister and me how. When I was ten, I fell in love with clay and did quite a bit of clay work until I met some woodworkers many years later at North Country Studio Workshop which is held at Bennington College.

What is your earliest memory of making art?
I remember painting in the basement of the apartment building where we lived in Philadelphia. It was a nasty space, full of cobwebs and washing machines. I guess I got good at blocking out the nastiness by making the art. I don’t remember getting any praise for doing these paintings other than my mom keeping them for all these years.

What inspires you?
Nature. Being out in it and experiencing the breezes, the sun, the smell. Watching plants grow, blossom, and move in the air.

Who inspires you?
Artists whose paths I’ve gotten to cross in a variety of ways, like Dan Mack, Clifton Monteith, Patrick Dougherty, Wayne Hall, Gustav Klimt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, and Joshua Bell.

Tell me more about how these artists influenced you.

I met Dan Mack at the North Country Studio Workshop in  2001. I was taking a class in basket weaving, but the wood shop captured my heart and I spent more than half my class time there. They were learning how to construct small, rustic wood chairs and I fell in love with the process. Dan was very welcoming to me even though I was not really his student. In subsequent years I crossed paths with him at the Woodlanders Gathering in Pownal, ME, the Adirondack Museum’s Rustic Furniture Fair, and a show of rustic works in Philadelphia.

As a student of violin since the age of ten, listening to violin music always calms me and sets off creative thinking. I studied with Morris Shulick, a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, until I was 17 and then started again for another 10 years when my daughter Emily took lessons. I no longer take lessons but still think about this music and hope to play again someday. Joshua Bell seems to be the best at capturing the essence of the composer's intentions and that inspires me!

When I was in junior high school, I was given the assignment to write a paper on a person who inspired me. I chose Georgia O’Keeffe who was a successful female painter at a time when there weren’t many of those around (this was 1959). I loved her work which to me was very sensual. Since that time, I have visited Santa Fe many times as well as going to see her Ghost Ranch home and gallery and many museum shows.

You have worked in so many mediums: watercolors, clay, paint, wood, and the earth. If you could focus on something that you have never tried before, what would that be?
Welding.

What else?
Answering these questions encourages me to value my artwork. It inspires me to push myself to make more and try new things.  Thank you for your interest.

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Vicki Fox has had a broad career in the fields of graphics and design, as well as a passionate focus on rustic woodworking, clay-works, painting, drawing, and jewelry design. She has exhibited her works of art throughout the United States.

Her artistry extends to plants and gardens. In 1996 Vicki established a landscape design company, Green Team Gardeners. For a dozen years the company created, installed, renovated, and maintained numerous gardens throughout the Delaware Valley. She earned her Master Gardener Certification from University of Pennsylviania’s Morris Arboretum in 2003. Vicki was awarded the first-place prize at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s City-Gardens competition.

In 2008, Vicki sold her Philadelphia home and business and moved to Maine where she built a log home and studio. She continued her gardening business and started making rustic creations under the name of MaineStickChick.

In 2018, she retired from gardening and moved to Portland, ME where she concentrates on making her art.

Education & Businesses

Education

  • Master Gardener Certification, Morris Arboretum, University of Pennsylvania, 2003

  • Philadelphia College of Art, B.F.A. in Illustration, 1968

  • Syracuse University, Design Major, 1963–65

    Businesses

  • MaineStickChick, Hancock and Portland, ME, 2008-present

  • Green Team Gardeners, LLC

    • Philadelphia, PA 1996 - 2008

    • Maine, 2009 -2017

 
 

Workshops

  • The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA, 1975–2003

  • Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, multiple years

  • North Country Studio Workshop, Bennington College, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012

  • Woodlanders Gathering, Pownal, ME, 2001

  • Banff Centre For Arts and Creativity, Alberta, Canada-Independent Residency, 2003

  • Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, ME, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

  • Carving Studio & Sculpture Center, Rutland, VT, 2018

  • Penland School of Crafts, Ashville, NC, 2016

 

Galleries

  • Rita Redfield Gallery, Northeast Harbor, ME

  • Artemis Gallery, Northeast Harbor, ME

  • Maine Center for Craft, Gardiner, ME (currently showing)

  • Works of Hand, Winter Harbor, ME

  • Wendell Gilley Museum, Southwest Harbor, ME

Teaching

  • Young Women’s Hebrew Association, Philadelphia, PA, painting, Instructor

  • The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA, Clay Mobile, clay mobile, Instructor

  • University of Southern Maine - Olli Institute - watercolors, Instructor

  • Schoodic Arts Festival, Winter Harbor, ME - twig constructions & building birdhouses, Instructor