Meet Your Neighbors: The Artists of Masthead’s Sea Star Drive

You’ve probably heard of the Broadripple and Carmel art districts, but how about the cultural district flourishing along Masthead’s Sea Star Drive?

This long drive cradled by Geist Reservoir is home to two outstanding fine artists and an award-wining interior design artist. Noted watercolor painter Thea Clarke and her glass-blowing neighbor, Jerry Thompson, live catty-corner on the cul-de-sac while JoAnn Barsten, owner of JoAnn’s Impressions, operates from her home near the front of the neighborhood.

It’s easy to see why this scenic street would draw and inspire artists. The fall color and serene views of the lake are awe-inspiring.

“I enjoy drawing water and trees and rocks and flowers,” said Clarke, whose landscapes and florals have earned her honors in several art shows, as well as a Cardinal Fellowship Award from the Watercolor Society of Indiana. Clarke also draws inspiration from her passion for gardening –an interest shared by Thompson, who spends time creating beauty outdoors during the summer months.

An avid traveler, Clarke often paints scenes from international destinations, including Italy, the Caribbean and her native South Africa. She and husband, Ron (August’s Meet Your Neighbor), moved from South Africa to England and eventually to Indianapolis in 1981. Thea, who was a speech therapist in South Africa, had small children at home and did not have the citizenship status to immediately work in the U.S., so she began taking art classes. Little did she know she was embarking on a new career.

Now her original framed paintings start at $280, and her work is featured in numerous exhibits each year. She most recently took first prize in the Nature Inspired Art Exhibit at Cool Creek Park in Westfield. Although she enjoys watercolor, Clarke has begun experimenting with mixed media and new techniques. She takes an art class at least once a year, just to keep things interesting. She’s currently enrolled in a “Wet and Wild” class offered through the Lawrence Schools’ community education program.

“It’s experimental and fun – throwing inks and paints,” she says, adding, “I am trying to get more abstract.”

As a board member of the CCA Gallery, Clarke was surprised a couple of years ago when another artists’ name came up for membership with the cooperative Zionsville gallery. She recognized Jerry Thompson as her neighbor of many years, but she had no idea he was a glass artist.

And a fine one, at that. Clarke says she’s amazed at Thompson’s skill, since he has only been blowing glass for little more than two years. Thompson took up the “hobby” after retiring from Eli Lilly in 2004.

“I’ve always liked glass,” Thompson said. “It’s pretty. You can’t help wanting to watch somebody blow glass.”

Indeed, it’s fascinating to watch Thompson heat a clump of glass in a 2,100-degree oven, constantly turning his blow pipe and gently blowing through the end of the pipe to create just the right shape.

“I rarely get burnt,” Thompson says, although he often comes back from the studio drenched with sweat and a little red in the face.

Shaping glass is a physically demanding art. The pipe is constantly turning, and it takes several trips back to the furnace before a piece is finished. Finally, the masterpiece is placed into a “cooling” box (kept at about 950 degrees), where it cools over a period of 12 hours. It’s a laborious process, with precarious points everywhere along the way, and it can be heart-”breaking” when a piece shatters unexpectedly.

Each of Thompson’s pieces is unique, with eye-catching shape and interesting patterns and colors. His work sells for $40 to $240 at CCA – a bargain, says Clarke, who recently purchased a vase for her entryway.

The artwork of their neighbor, JoAnn Barsten, also beautifies the interior of a few homes on Sea Star Drive.

“I do a lot of color consulting on this street,” jokes Barsten, who owns JoAnn’s Impressions. Her interior art murals and faux finishes are featured in many Geist homes and businesses, and her designs have taken top honors at several area home-a-ramas throughout the years.

Barsten says her team (which now includes five other designers/painters) enjoys the challenge and whimsy of painting murals, especially for children’s rooms, which often feature animals (an Impressions specialty).

“It’s just like painting a picture on a wall,” says Barsten, who’s been painting for 26 years and is a founding member of the SALI, a non-profit international group that promotes all forms of artistic embellishment for walls and furniture.

Her unique designs have included a New York cityscape in sepia tones, a goldfish pond painted on the cement floor of a wine cellar and a game room featuring a giant Scrabble board painted in metallic paint (to hold the magnetic playing pieces).

“Her true artistry comes into play with her creative use of different forms of material to create a unique ‘Lasting Impression’ in a home,” said Barsten’s husband, Dennis.

If you’re looking to liven up your walls, contact Barsten at 576-9888 or visit her website, www.impressionsdecorativepainting.com. If you’d like a painting for those walls, or a hand-blown glass piece from your Geist neighbor, visit the CCA Gallery at 27 E. Cedar Street in Zionsville. Hours are posted at www.ccagallery.com.

Geist Radio’s Holiday Lights Tour

Next Thursday night, December 20th, Geist Radio’s Tom Britt will be touring the Geist area with Santa Claus (aka Steve King) in a stretch limousine sponsored by Personal Service Limousines. We will be looking for Geist’s best holiday displays, interviewing residents and business owners, and hopefully dropping in on some holiday parties.Our special guests will be Jeff and Jeffrey Corey, the Crystal Pointe residents that tragically lost their wife and mom a few weeks ago. Jeffrey will be our official “Santa’s Helper” for the night that will include dinner at Bella Vita Ristorante.

If you would like to have Santa drop by, please fill out the form below or call 823-5060. We will be collecting donations for Shepherd Community Center’s Christmas party the next day.

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Crestview Student Leaders Bring Songs of the Season to Castleton Rehabilitation Patients

Student Leaders from Crestview Elementary School spent the afternoon of Monday, December 17 bringing holiday cheer to patients at the Castleton Rehabilitation Center. The eighteen students, along with six parents, sang Christmas carols and wished the patients a happy holiday season. The student leaders are sponsored by Sandy Bartenbach, a fifth grade teacher at Crestview. The group engages in leadership projects within the school and sponsors various community service projects throughout the school year.

photo by Sandy Bartenbach