The Back Roads of Brown County

The fall leaves are calling all IndyGoGirls to Brown County.
From the backseat of the car, get comfy and watch the scenery pass.
The potters and painters are opening their studios of bounty:
Clay sculptures, folk art, painted gourds and stained glass.

On the back roads we will go
Laughs will be shared as we carry out our mission.
What will happen is uncertain, but one thing we know:
Stopping for lunch is an IndyGoGirls tradition.

Logo used courtesy of Brown County Studio Tours, Inc.

When you plan an activity, you really have no idea how it will turn out. So often, I read about a destination and it sounds like it will be so much fun, it’ll be unique and interesting, and there will be too much to do once there. Then, you get there and think, “Is this all it is?” The disappointment almost keeps you from trying anything new without getting some kind of verification that it will be worth visiting.

I’m happy to say that today wasn’t one of those days. We took the 8th Annual Driving Tour of Artists’ and Craftsmen’s Studios, The Back Roads of Brown County. There were 16 artists participating in this year’s event. During the drive, while enjoying bagels from Einstein’s and coffee provided by one of The Girls, we looked through the Brown County Studio Tours, Inc.'s brochure to select the studios we wanted to visit. After overcoming some map reading challenges (We wouldn’t be us, if we didn’t get lost along the way on our adventures!), we arrived at the first destination—Sarah Noggle’s studio.

Sarah's weaving studio, on Clay Lick Road, has a spectacular view of a tree-filled ravine. You get the feeling that the view is only the beginning of the story as you look around the inside of Sarah's studio. Every nook and cranny is filled with interesting objects—that have either a functional or an inspirational meaning for her. Her great-great-great grandmother’s spinning wheel, piles of recycled materials to be broken down to its raw element for weaving, numerous looms and examples of the diversity of work such as her beautiful rugs, which can also be found at the Artist’s Colony Inn, her three-dimensional work—the puppets she has a hard time parting with and the playful sculptures—and her beautiful and functional purses and eyeglass cases.

Sarah showed us works in progress on two of her four looms. When asked how long something has taken to weave, Sarah will tell you it took, for example, two Books on Tape. Yes, Sarah measures the work she puts into her creations by the number of Books on Tape she listens to while she weaves!

We also learned that it takes far longer to set up the loom than it does to actually weave.

Read more about Sarah here:

http://www.browncountystudiotour.com/nogglefall.htm

Our second stop was at Anne Ryan Miller’s Glass Studio. While her studio is just minutes from downtown Nashville, it feels worlds away from town as it's tucked back in the hills reachable only by black-top roads. Once again, we were awed by the fall scenery all around us.

Anne's studio is divided into two parts. The first part has an enormous island where she works and the second part is set up as a gallery where she displays stunningly beautiful stained glass pieces.

Anne begins her work with a line drawing. She then uses metal overlay on some pieces which creates a depth to her work. This technique was developed by Anne. It’s not surprising, given her surroundings, that Anne Ryan Miller’s art is nature-themed. Here are some photos from her website:

Songbird Sing

Hummingbird & Morning Glories

Flower Petal Lamp

Anne says this about the medium she's chosen to work with: “There is a mystical quality to glass. It is a frozen liquid that acts like a solid. It transmits light. The mood of each piece changes as the sun and seasons change the natural light. Sometimes it is very active, at other times seemingly reflective and passive. You might never tire of a piece of glass hung in natural light. It will appear different each time you see it. It will change as the seasons change, constantly offering you a new view.”

Visit Anne Ryan Miller's website:

http://www.anneryanmillerglassstudio.com/index.html

Since we were so close to downtown Nashville, we stopped off at the Muddy Boots Café for lunch. The café is located on the main drag and is charming and homey inside. Sitting at a table that was reminiscent of grandma’s, we ordered the house specialties: “made from scratch foods, hand crafted from only the finest ingredients.”

Both of the artists we visited told us their work was displayed at the Ferrer Gallery. It was only natural that the gallery would be our next stop. We were so glad we did! We were fortunate enough to meet gallery owner, Dixie Ferrer. She’s a bundle of sparkling energy and must have been born to her vocation. I don’t think you’ll find a bigger promoter of the arts, and Brown County artists in particular, than Dixie.

The work of more than 40 artists is on display at the gallery. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the soul. The space was ideal and flowed naturally from one space to the next. There, straight back from the front door was Anne Ryan Miller’s stained glass creations hanging in sun-filled windows. Nearby was a hat-rack displaying the intricately-woven purses made by Sarah Noggle. We also enjoyed viewing Dixie’s multi-media collages and hearing about the classes, Dixie has termed “art therapy”, for the public.

(The photos below are from Dixie's website and are used with her generous permission.)

Dinner for One

Dinner by Candlelight

Sisterhood

Visit Ferrer Gallery online at:

http://www.ferrergallery.com/

Women in Hats

Laura L. Trevey

http://www.lauratrevey.blogspot.com/

All true artists, whether they know it or not,

create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.

Eckhart Tolle

Road Trip

We decided to take our first road trip on Wednesday, April 1st. We visited Traders Point Creamery in Zionsville. This family-owned, certified organic farm--the only one of its kind in Indiana--is a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Our visit began, of course, in the farm's restaurant, The Loft, where we each chose different meals for lunch.

The Grilled Pesto Chicken sandwich was superb! Each ingredient is a testament to the farm's reputation for quality and freshness. The boneless breast of the free-range chicken was topped with a melted slice of Swiss cheese which blended perfectly with the subtle flavor of the sundried tomato pesto slathered on the top and bottom of the sesame-seed roll. The rolls had just been delivered as we were being shown to our table. Along with my chicken sandwich, I had to have a tall glass of the creamery's chocolate milk. It is the smoothest, richest, thickest chocolate milk I've ever had! There is no going back to ordinary chocolate milk for me.

After lunch, we took a short, self-guided tour of the creamery grounds. The herd of grass-fed Brown Swiss cows are milked twice a day, at 6:00 am and 4:00 pm. If you're not fortunate enough to be there when this is going on, you can still peek into the milking barn and see the high-tech, computerized milking machines. Hey, they're an organic farm, not an old-fashioned, do-it-by-hand farm! You'll also see the bottling of the milk and yogurt just behind the big plate glass window. Standing at the highest point on the farm affords a spectacular view of the many pastures, where the cows can be seen grazing and the chickens and roosters seem to be busy socializing with each other.

Before piling into our car for the short ride home, we HAD to stop at the farm store to purchase some of Traders Point Creamery's aged, artisan cheese, Fleur de la Terre, our own bottles of that fabulous chocolate milk and a box of their beef patties which are from 100% grass-fed cows. One last look at the beautiful and serene farm, nestled in a valley near Eagle Creek, reminded us that we don't have to travel far from home to commune with nature and to connect with Hoosier roots. How fortunate we are to live in this place at this time. What a great day!

Visit Traders Point Creamery on-line at: http://www.tpforganics.com/.