Sunday, October 18, 2009

Kathy Obrenski update

News of Kathy Obrenski, IGMA Artisan (could have easily have made Fellow YEARS ago) is something I get asked about now and then. Recently, Linda C.asked me about her, and I had no real news to share. Well, this is WEIRD, because she called us at home today! For those who aren't aware, she suffered a major stroke a few years ago, and had to relearn how to do so many things (speech, writing, you name it). This was a woman whom I had admired for years....way before I picked up a lump of clay. Instinctively, my first thought was: what about her miniatures???? I used to see her work every week on ebay, and I'd sit there, scratching my head, thinking: how is this even possible??? Her cakes remain some of the most beautiful I have ever seen (which is no surprise...this woman was DEDICATED! She practically lived in her studio and pored over her massive collection of cookbooks and videos for hours on end, spending thousands of hours perfecting her craft). Over time, as I started making my own miniatures, she contacted me and asked: why are you not an igma artisan yet???  I said: uhh....Kathy, most of my stuff is too weird. Although our styles couldn't be MORE different, she has always encouraged me, and even sent me many materials and shared some of her secret techniques. Case in point which springs to my mind: Kiva, don't etch lines in your coconuts! Roll those suckers in real, shredded coconut husk! A few days later, a package of coconut husk was waiting for me at the post office. The list goes on....

She had a big following, and was well known for her amazing skill. This was all before the stroke...which threatened to erase all trace of who she was before. But, by sheer force of will, and I imagine, that unfailing innate talent, she has persevered. She has been making food again, and is very interested in branching out and making flowers. She's also going to be in the big Chicago show! Also, she is going to have some kind of voice activated machine hooked up to her computer, which will enable her to get online again. Her voice on the phone was SO excited, she was practically screaming! Yup, I think Kathy is coming back, full force ;-).

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for that Kiva...It's great to hear that Kathy is doing well. Like you I miss seeing her fabulous work & think about her often...life is so short & unpredictable that we just don't know what's waiting round the corner for us do we?! If you get to see her at Chicago...tell her "good vibes" are coming her way all the way across the Pond!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda, that is so sweet! And you are so right, you summed it up so swell. I WISH I were going to the show! Hell, any show at this point! The next time we talk to her, we'll definitely send her your warm wishes :-).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Me Alegra que Kathy, este bien y que haya superado algo tan terrible como un derrame cerebral, yo tambien me preguntaba por que su sitio web estaba siempre en construccion.
    Mis mejores deseos para ella.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Teresa! I pretty much got the gist of what you were saying, but just to make sure, I used Babel Fish ;-)!

    Ella volverá en el Internet a tiempo, yo no tiene ninguna duda. Ella tenía un movimiento muy importante, pero se está recuperando agradable, a pesar de el pronóstico calamitoso que los doctores la dieron. ¡Muy la animarán para aprender que hay gente que arraiga para ella!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Kiva, thanks for sharing this really moving story. I am always amazed how giving and generous you talented and dedicated artisans are. I will watch out for her work! By the way, wait no longer, pack your bags and just go to any show. Now! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you, Sans!! I WISH I could just pack and go- I would love it!! Maybe a mini tour of Japan and China? Aren't there miniatures shows there? I know there's a museum in Taiwan!

    ReplyDelete