Gallery 88

Like Mother, Like Son
January 23, 2012 - February 24, 2012
Reception: February 2, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Kathi Gordon and her son “Smokey” Joe Waitsman are each well known in Pensacola and beyond – Kathi for her beautiful, textural, jewelry and Smokey Joe for his hand carved bone adornments.

We invite you to enjoy the juxtaposition of the exceptional design and craftsmanship of mother and son. 

Most of the time, a similar artistic talent among family members comes from growing up with that art in their shared environment, but in this case, both mother and son found their creative ways individually and as adults.  Joe began drawing from the time he could hold a crayon.  When he was in his late 20’s and living on Pensacola Beach, he began carving small tikis from bone for his surfer friends. 

Self taught from the beginning, it was losing his home and job following Hurricane Ivan that allowed him the time to hone his craft to a higher level and create the sophisticated and detailed images that he carves today. It was at that time, he made the decision to become a full time working artist.

A trip to the Four Corners area in 1994 sparked Kathi’s interest in trade and collectible beads and she began strictly as a collector.  Also self taught, her transition into design began in 1996 and she quickly realized that after many years of dabbling in different media she had discovered her passion in beadwork jewelry. Ultimately she made the decision to end her career as an executive recruiter to become a full time working artist.

Today mother and son share creative thoughts, work art festivals together and make a number of collaborative pieces.  They both agree that finding the path to where they belonged was filled with forks in the road, but well worth the journey to arrive in the place where each knew they were meant to be.

A price list is available at the reception desk.  Anyone interested in purchasing works from the exhibit should contact Kathi at 850-438-7400 or by email at kathi@bluewaterarts.biz. Any pieces purchased must remain at Gallery 88 until the end of the exhibit.

Join us for a reception to meet the artists and speak with them about their work on Thursday, February 2nd, from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the WUWF Studios.

Questions and Comments
Lynne Marshall - 850 474-2787 or lynne@wuwf.org