Craftiness lands two women on HGTV

Gina Overshiner introduced herself to the television audience from the top of a firetruck. Melynda Lotven shook her gourds while doing the limbo.

That’s how viewers of HGTV’s “That’s Clever” will meet two Columbia women who were chosen to display their work, along with 16 St. Louis artists, beginning this week.

The episode featuring Lotven, who has painted gourds for 15 years, is scheduled to air Friday and again on Dec. 8. Overshiner, whose episode airs Dec. 12, has created rugs — she calls them floorcloths — for three years.

The two women met for the first time when HGTV came to Columbia to tape their episodes in July. “That’s Clever” highlights three artists in each episode and is taped in the artist’s home or studio.

Two members of the California-based show flew to St. Louis and hired a camera crew to tape for two weeks. Both Lotven and Overshiner’s segments were filmed the same day.

“It’s a lot of work,” Overshiner said, “You just don’t realize what goes into making things flow on TV.”

Lotven explained that during taping, she was asked to repeat her segment over and over again.

“I got to the point I was smiling so much I was twitching,” she said.

Each artist was taped for eight hours to produce a seven-minute segment. They battled with microphones and battery packs that kept falling from their hips. There was constant repetition of scenes, noisy street construction outside the taping site and a tired crew working without air conditioning in the middle of a heat wave. The crew did not allow air conditioning due to the noise.

Overshiner had to move her studio to her living room because her basement was too dark for the crew.

“It’s really hard not to talk to the person’s face and remember to look into the camera,” said Overshiner, adding that despite the work, “I had a lot of fun.”

Since the taping, the women have combined forces to publicize their television appearances. They are hosting an open house at The Market Place, 1100 Business Loop 70 W., from Dec. 2 to 4 to showcase their work.