Donna Marie Del Vecchio Staude
Janet Vine—Ceramics Club
Susan Eastman
Janet Vine is an outstanding artist. All who see her work agree. What began as an early childhood inclination to doodle eventually evolved into an incredibly refined and detailed ability to capture the nuances of color and form that is seen in her work today.
While in college, private art lessons cultivated Janet’s natural talent. Her teacher chose still life as the genre she used to instruct Janet in composition and color on canvas. Using charcoal she began by placing the still life items on the canvas where desired. The charcoal was erased by the layers of paint applied later but provided the road map of composition. Next blocks of areas were numbered to assign colors that were to be used. Finally, the painting could begin. Janet still uses the discipline of this preliminary work in most of her ceramic pieces today.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Janet recalled her self-described “hippie girl” time when she rocked out at the Watkins Glen Summer Jam, in 1973. Marriage and a child quieted some of that and soon she and her family moved to Vail, Colo., in 1976.Two children later, Janet found her creative outlet by making crochet, needlepoint, and various craft items for sale at local fairs. It was after all the “Age of Aquarius.” This was a very productive time for her multiple talents.
As the children grew older, Janet worked at a wholesale nursery. She designed hanging baskets and large floral planters, the perfect outlet for her color and composition background. While living in Eagle,Colo., she became friends with a woman who had a ceramics studio. A group gathered weekly to paint and share friendship. Thus began her love of ceramics.
Some years later she and husband, Bob, realized Colorado no longer met their needs. Tired of cold and snow they looked to Texas and even Florida for warmer climes. Friends invited them to explore Arizona. They snowbirded for three years before deciding in 2020 to make the move.
But it was COVID-19 and even PebbleCreek had restrictions. To bide the time she painted rocks. Shortly she met a neighbor, Pam Kostakis, who was involved in ceramics. The Art Center had limited access by appointment only, so her time in the studio was infrequent. Things slowly reopened. Janet and many others were able to return to the ceramic studio without restriction.
Now Janet enjoys smaller projects with a lot of detail. She has modeled angular pieces with a Zentangle-like flair although takes occasional respite to do larger projects. Recently she completed Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus for the holidays.
Terry Lee Czechowski
Terry Lee Czechowski—Pottery
Gordon Cooper
Terry Lee Czechowski, originally from the northeast, moved to Colorado almost seven years ago and then to PebbleCreek last May. “I have always been into arts and crafts, as was my family growing up.” After raising four children in the Saratoga, N.Y., area with her husband, Joe, Terry went more deeply into art, developing an art ministry. With more than 10 years of creating murals and wall art for nonprofits, they then moved to Colorado Springs. There the ministry included creating stage scenery as well.
“I took a couple pottery classes, for fun, but did not get to really do much after the classes due to the distance from the studio and my schedule.” The move to PebbleCreek changed that. “I haven’t yet found a niche for my art ministry, but in the meantime I have been welcomed into the Pottery and Sculpture Club with open arms,” Terry says. “The community here is so friendly and helpful. I am enjoying getting to know the members and the medium. I don’t know what the future holds, but I am enjoying the here and now thanks to this community.”