Biography
I am a Kentucky native, currently living in beautiful Lexington. While I have been employed full-time my entire adult life (in a wide variety of professions), I won’t bother you with details about that, as I feel most defined by my creative pursuits, by the contributions of my own artistic family, and by my deep appreciation for the creative genius of others. Even as a child, I was drawn to the dizzying variety of art forms attributed to various cultures. Also, I knew I was fortunate to come from an artistic family, but until I reached my own adulthood,I thought that the “creative gene” had somehow bypassed me. It no longer seems odd that I felt so intimidated in regard to artistic exploration. Let me tell you a bit about my family, and I think you’ll understand why I felt the way I did:
My maternal grandmother , Grace Middleton (photo, below), was a flamboyant & wonderful lady . . .
in addition to being the head operating room nurse (obviously, I didn’t get her “iron stomach” . . . when I got certified as an EMT, I discovered that I am actually quite squeamish), she was an award-winning photographer, a painter in oil, watercolor, and china-painting media, and a world traveler. I always loved arriving at her house, looking at all the interesting things she had amassed from her world travels, and especially . . . smelling the arresting aroma of turpentine as she painted. To this day, the smell of turpentine brings forth an image of her, sitting bent over her painting table, and it always makes me smile. She was smart, savvy, interesting, and always on the go . . . She is missed, but certainly not forgotten.
My father, Ronald Guy, is a gifted wood and metal worker, was a model-maker and photographer by profession, and all-around creator of awesome things . . . everything from beautiful cabinets with stained glass detail, to beautiful dollhouses, and go-carts, mini cars & motorbikes for the kids and grand kids. When my brother & I got into doing dollhouse miniatures, he even made each one of us miniature table saws. I use mine constantly, and it is much finer than anything on the market. Some of my most cherished childhood memories are of times spent in his shop, being taught how to properly use tools. He offered each of us this beautiful gift in what he called “Shop Sundays” . . . we were welcome to partake if we wished, but he never forced it on us. As a teen, I was able (through his guidance) to make some serious spending money making looms, constructing some complicated electrical control panels, and even welding, . We were lucky kids, indeed! Also, a couple of his original tool designs were featured in Popular Mechanics. Other members of my father’s family were very artistic, as well. His grandmother spent her entire life doing such impressive seamstress work that the top stores vied for her work. As a child, I remember having beautiful rag dolls, bean bag frogs, and doll clothes that my paternal great grandmother ( “Mam”) made for me.
My mother, Rose Marie Guy, claims to lack the artistic gene . . . she is, of course, simply being modest. She was a very successful photographer by profession, and is an innovative & talented cook, seamstress, and paper arts enthusiast. One of my favorite gifts I received as a child was a snazzy skating costume that she sewed for me. I was an avid skater, and I felt particularly winsome in that outfit! More recently, her photography has been used in professionally distributed cards and cookbooks. She also makes the most beautiful greeting cards I have ever seen.
My elder sister, Maxine Guy-Davis, is an artist extraordinaire. (Photo, below . . . shown with banners she created for her church)
She started winning art contests from an early age, and is proficient in oils, charcoal, watercolor, jewelry design, and miniatures. Her amazing miniature oil paintings are featured in my “Casa Maria” and “Coppertop Cabin” dollhouses. The beautiful miniature potting shed that she made for me is featured in the “room boxes. dioramas and vignettes” section.
My one and only brother, Chester Guy, is just amazing. He is an avid adventurer, amazing photographer, woodworker, and (happily for me) miniaturist! He has built several fabulous miniature structures for me, and each one is filled with unique, one-of-a-kind design elements that he has devised. And did I mention he is self-taught? He also has a beautiful website (western-traveler.org – see my links) which is a joy to behold. All 3 of his sons display great artistic ability.
My younger sister, Leanne Hernandez, has been a professional Graphics Design Artist in the past and still enjoys dabbling in various artistic pursuits. She is, however, a legal professional and has very little time right now to devote to them. Her daughter, Caitlin seems to be taking up the slack and has received many artistic kudos during her educational journey. I am sure we will be seeing much more from her over time.
Well, that leaves me . . . despite the fact I spent my entire childhood “making things and even put together a “craft kit” that I took with me to all my babysitting jobs during my teens (to teach my temporary charges “ fun things”), I didn’t get serious about trying anything “real” until I was around 30. At that time, I developed an interest in creating my own jewelry. Much to my delight, and despite lack of training, I took to it and starting creating much original bead work and custom jewelry. Within a short time, I was selling my work through various Kentuckiana galleries, the most recent of which is Damselfly Gallery, in lovely, historic Midway, Kentucky. Over the course of the past several years, I have won various awards for my bead work, and had it featured in various beading magazines and websites. During this same time, I devoted myself to learning many interesting polymer clay techniques as well and I still enjoy that media very much. In fact, I often incorporate the two, as they are very compatible.
Perhaps my most burning interest lies in the realm of dollhouses and miniatures. I have a substantial collection of dollhouses, room boxes, and miniatures in general. I seem to always be working on “a few houses”. It is my sincere hope to bequeath my collection to a dollhouse museum so that future generations of budding miniaturists/artisans may be inspired. While I see merit in the current trend of injection-molded plastic dollhouses for children who are still in the “destructive” stages of their lives, I don’t want for that to be all they know. I also believe that by creating artisan pieces in miniature, we may leave a valuable legacy behind in showing what people today are like, what dramatic degrees of technology are taking place, and especially in showcasing the astounding degree of individuality there is among people.
Thanks for taking the time to get to know me. Now, since it’s my day off and time is precious, I’m off to “make something” . . . . .
Last modified on: March 3rd 2012.