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In Focus: Retired Wyoming Valley West teacher taught students much more than algebra

<p>Helen Kaucher grew up surrounded by art &#8212; both her parents are visual artists and her mother is a poet &#8212; so creativity was second nature to her.</p><p>She used to make greeting cards and send them to her grandparents before graduating to wax, ink, textbooks and old paper.</p><p>&#8220;It was always something I wanted to do since a kid &#8212; I wanted to be an artist,&#8221; Kaucher said. &#8220;I did Arts Alive in Scranton before my freshman year of high school (and) that was a turning point. Before I started that program, I was very meticulous with my stuff. The teacher that I had really brought me out of my shell. I was working with much larger pieces and being less meticulous of things. She brought me scope.&#8221;</p><p>Kaucher became more serious about her art and sees today&#8217;s Third Friday as a great opportunity to get to know the local art community. She&#8217;ll be showing &#8212; and selling &#8212; her art at downtown Wilkes-Barre record store, Musical Energi, during Third Friday.</p><p>Kaucher focuses on jewelry, recycled items, stamps and sewing projects.</p><p>&#8220;There will be bullet casing jewelry, earrings made out of CDs, sewn giraffes; I make little giraffes. I make whatever I feel like making and I always hope someone else will enjoy it,&#8221; Kaucher said. &#8220;I also make cards and I make stamps for people, (which is) something that I&#8217;ve been doing recently that&#8217;s pretty popular. I hand carve stamps.&#8221;</p><p>Kaucher said local residents, bands and businesses have approached her about making custom stamps for them after they see the stamps she has done for her own blossoming jewelry business, Hel&#8217;s Bells. She&#8217;ll have a book of stamp examples with her at Third Friday, along with earrings, necklaces, cards and giraffes.</p><p>Kaucher works with a large variety of mediums, like the edible ones she uses as an employee of Peculiar Culinary Company and will have them on display at Third Friday.</p><p>The event will feature a variety of other artists at 12 different locations throughout downtown Wilkes-Barre. Festivities will continue after the sun goes down at August&#8217;s featured Art After 8 location, Bart &amp; Urby&#8217;s.</p><p>Last month&#8217;s featured artist, Years of Madness, will perform.</p><p>Painters, authors and visual artists who work with a variety of mediums will show and talk about their work in downtown Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 21. Grab a travel card (get five artist signatures and return it for a chance at a $25 Fridays gift card), grab a friend and grab some art.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Helen Kaucher said that she was asked to make stamps for others after they saw the stamps she made for her own brand. She will be taking stamp commissions at Third Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Hels-Bells-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Helen Kaucher said that she was asked to make stamps for others after they saw the stamps she made for her own brand. She will be taking stamp commissions at Third Friday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photos </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Gene Axton</p><p>gaxton@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Gene Axton at 570-704-3943 or on Twitter @TLArts</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre’s Third Friday featured artist Helen Kaucher brings handmade jewelry, stamps and giraffes to downtown