42 minute read
Artist and Gallery Profiles
ARTIST PROFILES
BAYFIELD
ECKELS POTTERY & FINE CRAFT
ECKELSPOTTERY.COM DEMOS ON PAGES 20 & 32 (SEPT 10 & 17)
I turn the knob on the front door of Eckels pottery and pause to think, “How many times have I opened this door in my life? How are my pots doing today? ‘Too dry, or too wet to work, will I decorate today, or load a kiln? Will a friend stop by, or will I meet someone new?”
Eckels Pottery, started by my dad Bob, has been a touchstone to the arts in Bayfield for 62 years. Following his legacy, I began to operate the studio and business on my own. I bring to the public many local artists including, jewelers, wood carvers, potters, painters and more and continue to honor the quality Arts and Crafts movement that is at the pottery’s roots. In the same studio built in 1960, we throw, glaze, and fire our work. My husband Pete and I share our philosophy and skills and offer a place for you to experience how pottery is made.
Eckels Pottery is offering two weekends of open-to-thepublic events, that will inspire and move your spirit and show you something creatively new
–DEDE ECKELS
Saturday, September
10, John Thompson, will demonstrate how he makes his decorative trees.
About the trees: “Having spent my life growing trees, harvesting and regenerating this most environmentally friendly resource- if there is a single thing I know, it is the shape of a tree, so making trees to show the beauty of the wood seemed like a natural fit.
It really is all about the wood, and the beauty that is hidden until we find it inside there. The tree shapes are a comforting and familiar form to display that beauty.
I use a band saw to shape them, then sand (way too much) and finally give them 4-6 coats of clear matte varnish. Nothing is stained or colored. I use superglue to stabilize areas of soft wood, which is often the most interesting. (Don’t make my mistake and superglue your mustache down, as I did a few weeks ago.)
The unseen part of making my trees is in finding the woods. I use about 42 different woods, and I am constantly looking for interesting woods. The best pieces are often pretty shaggy looking.
I hope you enjoy my trees as much as I enjoyed making them.”
“My wife Patty and I live in Duluth, Minnesota, about 2 miles from Lake Superior. I came to Duluth in 1970. I quickly came to love the lakes and woods of our area and even took up ice fishing. I got into my chosen profession of Forestry, working for St. Louis County, MN, where I spent my career
I gravitated to woodworking in 7th grade shop class, and long before retirement I spent my free time in the shop. We also love to travel, and we spend a lot of our summers at our lake property in Iron River, Wisconsin. Much of the wood used here comes from our own trees.” –JOHN THOMPSON
Saturday, September 17,
ECKELS POTTERY will resume our annual public RAKU pottery firing. We invite you to participate and experience this exciting method of pottery making. Combining open fire, water and clay, guests can take home a finished pot. RAKU refers to a type of low-firing process that was inspired by traditional Japanese raku potters usually associated with the tea-ceremony. A bisque fired piece is available for purchase. With our instruction, the glaze is applied, then put through a raku firing. The firing cycle of raku is much faster than a typical pottery firing and can take as little as 15 - 20 minutes to fire.
You’ll take your raku pot out of the kiln when it’s red hot, so you won’t be able to see the result until the piece has cooled. Some of the interesting results you might see are crackled glaze surfaces, black smoked unglazed clay or even beautiful metallic effects.
Raku firing really is one of the most natural techniques that you can encounter in pottery. In raku firing, all of nature’s elements are used, earth, fire, air, and water. Join us for this fun family event, adults and children alike!
BAYFIELD ARTISTS GUILD
BAYFIELDARTISTSGUILD.COM DAILY OPEN HOUSE DURING ART ESCAPE
The Bayfield Artists Guild is a collective of 22 local artists who work in a wide range of mediums, including glass, painting, photography, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and bead-weaving
as well as handcrafted items such as wood carvings, cutting boards, quilts, candles, soaps, aromatherapy bath products, and more.
Each of our members creates unique pieces, inspired by Northern Wisconsin and Lake Superior.
• Bryan Johnson’s distinctive pieces display images of water, waves, beach, shoreline, rocks, and foliage. These designs develop both before and during the forming of each piece using different colored clay layers. • Jim and Sue Vojacek create unique handblown glass pieces from their studio in Oulu, Wisconsin. • Wei Lan Lorber incorporates various types of paper and fiber in her watercolor paintings to create interesting textures.
Wei Lan also creates beautiful hand painted pottery. • Tonja Sell works in many different mediums; including oil, acrylic, watercolor, ceramic, glass, felt, and more. Tonja has been represented by galleries across the country. • Stazia Sell’s unique mini sculptures and ornaments exhibit a love of animals and the outdoors. • Julie Zenner’s pottery reflects a range of firing techniques, from primitive pit-fired and Raku pieces to functional gasfired stoneware. • Patti Carlson creates unique jewelry pieces from repurposed antique silverware, serving trays and copper. • Photographer Lynn Frechette loves using different textures and processing techniques to give her pieces a distinct look.
She is inspired by local surroundings and strives to evoke an emotion when someone views her work. • Sandy Ogle’s hand sewn baby items are sure to please with her high attention to detail and workmanship. • Betty Sitbon’s colorful paintings and purses exhibit a carefree spirit and zest for life. • Zach Jurewicz’s handcrafted leather toddler shoes are stylish yet functional. • A Wisconsin native and avid sportsman, David Reimer specializes in carved fish and wildlife found in the Chequamegon Bay Area. • Dorine Damm’s hand-sculpted porcelain clay figurines have their roots in her creative play as a child. • Kristin Grant’s Nigerian Dwarf goat milk soap is hand-made with high-quality, sustainable ingredients. • Kaylee Hildreth creates unique baby and lap quilts, meant to be used and cherished for years to come. • Tanya Nelson’s beautiful beadwoven jewelry embraces and
expresses her Ojibwa culture. She beads on a loom or with needle and thread. • Natalia Woodhull works with oil and acrylic paint and various forms of printmaking including linoleum block printing, drypoint, and copper plate etching. She draws inspiration her indigenous heritage using plant life and animals to convey her message. • Evie Roguski’s hand-poured candles and aromatheraphy bath products are made with simple and clean ingredients. • Ceramic artist
Jonathan Walburg uses beach sand from the shores of
Lake Superior mixed into porcelain. • Vicki Magaw’s soap and candles come in a variety of colors and scents that are clean and good for extremely dry sensitive skin. • Candlemaker Olivia Haman enjoys incorporating sustainably sourced botanical elements into every item. • Woodworker Traci Meller crafts beautiful cutting boards, wall art and games out of various wood species.
POCA BASALT JEWELRY
DEMOS ON PAGES 21 & 33 (SEPT 10 & 17)
Growing up on the South shore of Lake Superior Poca’s interest in basalt and beach stones were a part of every summer. The designs of stones tossed onto the sandy beaches appeared as decorations or stone ornaments. Her first pieces were made with crocheted fiber or wire to hold stones in little “charm pouches”. Some larger basalt stones were decorated with sterling and copper wire. It was then her real objective became clear: Jewelry, basalt and beach stones are beautiful and deserved to be treated so. By the mid 1980’s, her jewelry started with copper earrings and small basalt stones wired
BAYFIELD.ORG/FESTIVALS-EVENTS/ART-ESCAPE 9
ARTIST PROFILES
on. Karlyn’s Gallery in Washburn was the place to be. She remembers when she asked Karlyn to see if she would be interested in her work. In true Karlyn fashion she looked at the pieces and said “Sure, but what are those stones?” Poca said “Basalt, you know beach stones.” Karlyn laughingly said, “I didn’t even know they had a name!”
Spending a summer season with a metalsmith helped her learn the fundamentals of tools. It then became apparent that a studio was needed to develop and grow a small jewelry business. Poca and her partner created a space on their property. By 1992 shop was completed, tools and supplies are ready. Poca Basalt Jewelry was in full swing. Over the following 30 years she was represented by 7 galleries and taught herself how to use lapidary equipment to create Lake Superior agate cabochons.
Recently Poca has decided to keep on making jewelry and metal art with a different focus. Exclusively working out of her studio she makes her pieces at an easier pace while taking time to try new ideas. Her love for jewelry is an enduring part of her life.
Personal ornaments were worn by the ancients to protect, cure illness and show social, political, and religious status. Poca feels in many ways this is still true. You can tell a lot about a person just by looking at the jewelry they wear. That’s jewelry as a language. I think that’s pretty amazing.
AUSTIN MILLER STUDIO & GALLERY
AUSTINMILLERSTUDIO.COM OPEN HOUSE AND DEMOS ON PAGES 22, 26, 30 & 34 (SEPT 11, 14, 16, 18)
The Austin Miller Studio & Gallery (established in 1988), overlooks Lake Superior near where I was born. The Lake’s immense and varied beauty clears your mind, putting you squarely in the moment. That’s heady stuff for a painter.
Watercolor’s fluid nature leads you gently down the creative path, while setting the imagination free. This journey brings forth a powerful element of who we are. Even during the most frustrating moments, I paint, because it nourishes my soul.
SILVERWAVES JEWELRY
SILVERWAVES.NET DEMOS ON PAGES 20, 22, 28, 30 & 32 (SEPT 10-11 & 15-17)
BAYFIELD FESTIVAL OF ARTS “BEST OF SHOW” winner (2014) Lissa Flemming opened Silverwaves Jewelry, her first art gallery & working studio in Spring 2016 and recently moved to a larger storefront just down the road a bit (November 2021). On display you will find her work, alongside a few select artists who are inspired by Lake Superior. A biologist turned metalsmith and 18 year resident of Baja, Mexico, Lissa has been living in Bayfield, WI for 24 years. Her unique perspective and travels, fuel organic jewelry designs which masterfully incorporate the majestic beauty of Lake Superior and the natural world.
“I finally figured out what I should be doing: hand forging art jewelry and instructing and empowering others in my brand new teaching studio, Workshop 46.8°N. It took a while, but every adventure, sorrow, joy, moonrise, cup of tea, workshop, etc has brought me to where I am right now and is reflected in my jewelry designs and life. I am inspired by Lake Superior and the Pacific Ocean; waves and ripples and the eddies crated around whales when they surface; the trees moving in the breeze and the pebbles along the shore. Setting native stones from around the Lake with organic sterling frames is my passion: Lake Superior Agate, Mohawkite, Thomsonite, Greenstone, Basalt, etc…and I also use stones from all over the globe including Larimar, Bumblebee Jasper and so many more.”
The gallery and my art has been evolving since I started my art adventure and it continues. All the workshops I’ve taken and taught; the places I’ve worked; the adventures I’ve taken; the tears I’ve shed; and the grieving I do led to the first gallery’s opening on May 7, 2016. That was Mother’s Day. I chose that day to honor my mom, who sadly never saw the gallery. I believe the gallery has been and continues to be part of my grieving for the unexpected death of my Mom. I know she is always around—she is the reason it is such a beautiful and inviting place. She taught me those traits and so many more. And oh how I wish she could
be here to see how I’ve grown as an artist, business woman and instructor. My mom lives on through me and will be at the Grand (Re) Opening for gallery #2 on June 24, 2022. I do what I do to honor her and she’ll be in my heart on that day and every day.
Be sure to check out the photo of Lissa’s mom, Lettie, hanging next to her bench. Lettie’s kindness, creativity and soul lives on through Lissa and her work.
LUCY TYRRELL
Architect of the Bayfield Poetry Trail Bayfield Festival of the Arts, Memorial Park
DEMOS AT THE BAYFIELD FESTIVAL OF ARTS
When Lucy Tyrrell left Alaska in 2016, she likes to say she traded a big mountain (Denali) for a big lake (Superior). During her 16 years in Alaska, she lived in a cabin without water and worked as an ecologist at Denali National Park and Preserve (keeping track of research projects and creating and editing documents, fact sheets, and web pages to share park resource information). One winter, she ran her small team of sled dogs 800 miles to Nome as part of a group expedition commemorating the 1925 Serum Run. For 10 summers, she walked the 90-mile Denali Park Road in stages, writing essays about the wildlife and adventure of each walk. And, as a member of Denali Quilters, Lucy spearheaded a project that coordinated 35 local quilters in the making of an enormous 12’ x 12’ quilt that portrays, in 13,800 pixels of colored cloth, a satellite image showing the 22 landcover types of Denali National Park and Preserve, surrounded by a border of blocks that depict these plant/animal communities close up.
She loved her years in Alaska, but was ready for a new chapter—with fewer days of minus 30 or 40, the chance to garden without permafrost, and no grizzlies to look out for when hiking. In her early “pages” in Bayfield, Lucy jumped into creative ventures like bringing the Wisconsin Poet Laureate to Bayfield (2017), organizing an art show based on three poems written by both the Bayfield and Wisconsin Poets Laureate (2017), and hosting a “peace” poetry reading to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day (2019). (On a personal note, for the 70th anniversary, Lucy traveled to Normandy and walked from Gold Beach to Arromanches, retracing her father’s route, as a British medic, after coming ashore on D-Day.)
In 2020, Lucy was appointed Bayfield Poet Laureate for 2020–2021. Despite the pandemic, she organized multiple creative projects engaging the greater Bayfield community. She arranged for 52 artists and poets and 15 researchers to participate in the creation of two books for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: A is for Apostle Islands (A-Z topics in art and poetry) and Island Intersections (art and poetry in response to 15 talks at the National Park Service’s Resource Stewardship Symposium). Included in the books are Lucy’s poems for N, X, and for the “Fire Ecology” talk; and her watercolor for Y and a mixed media art piece (including birch bark) to represent “Traditional Ecological Knowledge.” Copies of A is for Apostle Islands were given to area libraries (from Ashland to La Pointe). An exhibit of the art, poems, and science summaries of both books was held in June 2021 at the Washburn Cultural Center. It continues virtually at washburnculturalcenter.com/blog/2021/6/2/ apostle-islands. These book and exhibit projects were funded by an Arts Initiative Grant from the Chequamegon Bay Arts Council (CBAC), matched with money from Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Bayfield Carnegie Library, and Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets. Lucy seeks a publisher who will continue to print and distribute the ABC book.
As if that weren’t enough for the cause of poetry and artistic expression, Lucy came up with the idea and organized the 2021 Bayfield Poetry Trail working with the Bayfield Chamber. Twenty-two businesses shared a poem of their choosing in their shop windows for a month in late summer. Three winners drawn at random from the entries (writing down the names of 22 poems) received a copy of A is for Apostle Islands. Because of the trail’s success in 2021, Lucy’s involvement in the literary arts continues, having taken on the major organization of this year’s Bayfield Poetry Trail.
It should not surprise you that Lucy summarizes her passions as “Nature, Adventure, Creativity” and says, “My favorite verbs are experience and create.” She encourages all to enjoy the 2022 Bayfield Poetry Trail, as part of the Bayfield Festival of the Arts, and Art Escape!
WASHBURN
DAILY DEMOS DURING ART ESCAPE
If you’d enjoy meeting a circle of artists who are as enthusiastic about exploring the range of their chosen medium as they are about supporting one another and the local community, look no further than the Blue View Pastels Group of Washburn, Wisconsin.
Their mentor, artist Doug Thomas, hoped the legacy of his popular pastels classes, with their emphases on cooperative learning and artistic interaction, would go on after he passed
ARTIST PROFILES
in 2011. The devoted core group of Sandy Isely, Ann Christensen and Chris Lindsey, joined by Pat Gierczic, Suzanne Smiles, Elizabeth Lexau and later Elisa Voss, Joanne Meierhofer and Gretchen Burke, carried on Doug’s weekly open studio format at Karlynn Holman’s Gallery. More members were welcomed. In 2020, the group moved their Tuesday night studios to the Washburn Cultural Center.
Perhaps the Blue View’s most important inheritance from their time with Doug was the nurturing dynamic created by artists given freedom to explore their medium in their own ways within an atmosphere of cooperation, support and camaraderie. Yes, the members critique each other’s work at the end of the sessions, but proactively. Problems are posed, questions are asked, advice is given. But most importantly, individuality is respected and criticism is positive.
The members actively pursue continuing education on both individual and group levels. For instance, the Blue View has enjoyed a three-day workshop from Steve Hill of Washington state, a workshop from Lisa Stauffer of Duluth, Minnesota; another by master pastelist Richard McDaniel of California and an evening of portraiture from Brule, Wisconsin multi-medium artist Tonya Sell. Steve Hill also provided a plein air workshop and Collette Odya Smith taught painting abstraction from Nature during a two-and-a-half-day visit. Individual members have also attended master pastelist Doug Dawson’s and other artist’s workshops.
Members have exhibited in Washburn and Ashland both as a group and as individuals.
Come meet the members of our circle at Bayfield County’s Art Escape 2022. Our art exhibit and live demonstrations will take place from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm every day from Saturday, September 10 through Saturday, September 18 at The Club in downtown Washburn on Hwy 13. Look for our signs. Paintings are available for sale and new members are welcome! We’ll lure you in with refreshments but you’ll stay for the art and camaraderie.
EXPERIENCE WATERFALLS & WOODS DIFFERENTLY— A POETRY READING & PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW
PERFORMANCE ON PAGE 30 (SEPT 16)
Hear 24 poems from 13 regional poets. See 40 photographs of water & woods. Enjoy wine & light apps.
On September 16, 2022, from 5-7 p.m., the Washburn Cultural Center hosts a poetry reading within the setting of an exhibit of 40 photographs of water and woods in northern Wisconsin and Michigan, taken by Catherine Lange and Michael L. Ruth. Hear the 24 poems which are displayed in the exhibit, read by several poets. Enjoy wine and light appetizers.
Thirteen regional poets—from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Ontario—contributed their work to the exhibit called “Same Location, Multiple Perspectives.” Several are ekphrastic poems, written to photos in the show. The poets: Jan Hasselman Bosman, Eric Chandler, Jan Chronister, Naomi Cochran, Yvette Viets Flaten, Crystal Spring Gibbins, Carol Good, Catherine Lange, Howard Paap, Mary Louise Peters, Diana Randolph, Peggy Trojan, and Lucy Tyrrell. Paap and Tyrrell have each served in recent years as Bayfield Poet Laureate.
Alan Brew, Professor of English at Northland College in Ashland, Wisc., and the Executive Director of its Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, says Catherine Lange, Michael L. Ruth, “and their poet friends use photos and words to explore what it is that rivers, and experiences with water more generally, say to each of us. In doing so, they help to build bridges that
we desperately need in these tumultuous times. Bridges that connect us to the stability of rocks from the basement of time and to the lifeblood that courses through each of our veins. Bridges that close the gaps between us, helping us to understand and appreciate the diversity of our perspectives. And, perhaps most importantly, bridges that transport us into the essential beauty of moving water and flowing words.”
OPEN HOUSES ON PAGES 33 & 35 (SEPT 17-18) J. R. Lince-Hopkins
I grew up in many parts of the world and the United States. Over time, a great deal of inspiration resulted from incredible experiences and remarkable vistas, from the exotic to the beautifully ordinary. My love of landscape and sky was set by early memories, still vivid today, of far-off places like Norway, Germany and Japan. An oil painting of a lake and Mt. Fuji which I did at age 10 attests to the art these experiences stimulated in me from a young age. Public school art classes,
especially during my middle school and early high school years in Duluth, further encouraged me along an art path. The North Shore of Lake Superior was a constant source of influence and early art inspiration during that period of my life. However, as college became a reality, I pursued a major in zoology instead of art. I followed this with a graduate school emphasis in biology and ecology.
Art and science repeatedly intertwined throughout my subsequent professional life, as formal art training through a variety of workshops and coursework fit in whenever possible. Over the years, I have been influenced by the powerful skies, open spaces, and distant horizons of John Constable, J.M.W. Turner, Frederick Remington, Charles Russell, Winslow Homer, Frederic Church, Wilson Hurley, and Eric Sloane. It was, however, John P. O’Neill at LSU who brought art and science into sharp focus as a dual career path for me by helping me understand that many things in nature cannot be adequately photographed but only become known and part of the record because scientifically trained artists observe and paint nature, habitats, weather, wildlife, and fleeting natural phenomena.
Through the eyes of a teacher, biologist and artist, my painted canvases have been filled with images from Texas to Alaska and Georgia to Washington. After retirement, my wife, Susan, and I discovered the South Shore of Lake Superior where we now live and I paint the wideopen skies, lake views, trees, and wildlife of the Bayfield Peninsula. Skyscapes are timely subjects to paint as skies and increasing weather extremes at the onset of climate induced changes mean that many artists, like me, are documenting these events with “Time of the First Awareness” eyes.
We own and operate two art galleries in Washburn, Artists Squared Gallery and Artists on the Byway Gallery. It is the mission of the galleries to make a place for the Arts from both established and emerging artists to show or perform their work. The galleries welcome artists and viewers of all ages into a comfortable and inclusive setting. Special programs include guided interaction with art that stimulates reflection, memories, conversations, and stories.
Susan Lince
Growing up near New York City, I was drawn at an early age to the contemporary and modern art I saw at the Museum of Modern Art. As a young artist, I loved being experimental
ARTIST PROFILES
and was never discouraged by family, or critiqued by teachers imposing on me a formal, traditional, or “correct” way to do art. I pursued studio art and art history in college and received my BA degree in Fine Arts in the early sixties. It was a time when abstract expressionism was well understood and appreciated, and that influenced my natural inclination to freely explore how to use different materials to highlight elements of color, line, texture and shape in my work.
My own art has followed from that and has included painting, drawing, collage, batik, sewn and fabric art, photography, and now mixed media painting. Over the years I have probably been most influenced by the art of Paul Klee, Jean DuBuffet, Hans Hofmann, Mark Rothko, Morris Graves, and Andy Goldsworthy. In the last 10 years I have especially focused on making mixed media artwork that creates messages about the environment, climate change, and social/political issues. Since moving to the Bayfield Peninsula in 2018, I have discovered the joy and inspiration not only of living in this beautiful natural environment on Lake Superior, but that there are natural materials here to include in my art. My series of mixed media paintings in which stones are crying for the forest, the soil, the air, the water, and bees uses stones water-worn smooth and flat, found on Lake Superior beaches. I have also created many artworks that have bark or twigs added to the canvas, to honor the northwoods birches and other trees. In other works I have integrated the dried stems of roadside day lilies, or driftwood from the beaches. Since 2018 my husband (John Hopkins) and I have owned and directed galleries in Washburn, first at Artists Squared Gallery Washburn and then in 2021 at our second Washburn gallery, Artists on the Byway.
Now, as “his and hers” galleries, we are using each gallery to promote somewhat different strands of art. Artists Squared Gallery, which I direct and which displays my art and that of other local and regional artists, is a home for abstract and contemporary art, mixed media work, fiber arts, fine crafts, and other non-traditional art items. I enjoy being surrounded by unusual art that enriches the senses and stimulates thought and creativity. I believe that making art helps us understand our own thinking, values, and feelings, and interacting with art by viewing and talking about it can do the same.
As brand new owners at Karlyn Yellowbird Gallery, one of the most common questions we’ve heard this summer is “what’s with the name?”
From Karlyn Holman’s Pretty Good Pot Shop to her prolific career as a watercolor artist and teacher at Karlyn’s Gallery, there’s a history to this place that we’ll never fully understand. We’ve learned from countless stories the joy and fun Karlyn infused into the experience of creating art in this place.
When Ron Piercy bought the gallery in 2020, he brought with him the Yellowbird name and decades of experience launching multiple galleries throughout the country. His endless energy and passion for art evolved the gallery into a space that showcases the work of over 40 artists and provides ten working studios.
All of this has created one of the longest-running art spaces in the area and the Karlyn Yellowbird Gallery that stands here today.
So now onto the other most-asked questions: Who are we? What’s our plan now? And are we changing the name?
We’re Brie + Joe, Kelsey + Erik – four friends who jumped in with eight feet to keep the magic of this place going. That, simply, is our plan: offer a destination to take a pause from the daily grind and experience the joy and fun of art.
And we are having fun. With five ceramic artists in the pottery studio and five working studio spaces in the back of the gallery, this place is always buzzing. From locals stopping by for art supplies to tourists taking in the exceptional art we have in this region, there’s always something inspiring happening here.
In everything we do, our goal is to support the arts in a serious way while not taking ourselves too seriously. That’s why we’re doing something a bit unconventional for Art Escape. Studio Takeover on September 17 is all about the artists and makers. We’re stepping aside so artists can set up shop, showcase, and sell their work throughout the gallery.
And are we changing the name? Who knows! But what we do know is this space will continue to evolve just as it has from the very beginning. In the future, we hope to bring you some live music, offer art shows, build an outdoor patio space, and serve up some good old Wisconsin beer (arguably one of the most appreciated crafts in the state).
So stop on by and say hi! Take a pause, and let’s have some fun.
KARLYN YELLOWBIRD GALLERY
KARLYNYELLOWBIRDGALLERY.COM OPEN HOUSES AND ARTIST TAKEOVER ON PAGES 21, 23, 27, 29, 31, 32, 33 & 35 (SEPT 10-11 & 14-18)
DRUMMOND
DIANA RANDOLPH
DEMO ON PAGE 24 (SEPT 12)
Diana Randolph works primarily with pastels on paper and oils on canvas. She also has her pen & ink drawings made into note cards. Her works are inspired by Lake Superior, landscapes of Chequamegon/Nicolet National Forest, and inland lakes in southern Bayfield County.
“Lake Superior lures me to express its many moods,” said Diana. She often captures scenes of rivers that spill into Lake Superior along the north shore of Minnesota. Using her own photos, she enjoys working in series. “I focus on different elements of art to emphasize the focal point/center of interest. Sometimes it’s the rhythm of the composition. Other times I exaggerate color, texture, or space— creating the illusion of three-dimensional space.”
Diana (Tesoriere) Randolph, originally from New Jersey,
journeyed to Northland College in 1975 to be an environmental studies, feeling the lure of Lake Superior for the first time. During an acrylic/oil painting class in her sophomore year with instructor, Karlyn Holman, she became passionate about art again as she had in high school. She declared art as a major and in the art department she met her future husband, student Kelly Randolph.
Since graduating from college, Diana worked with Kelly managing a gallery in Bayfield, then was assistant manager of Karlyn’s Gallery in Washburn for several years. When Kelly obtained the art instructor position for the School District of Drummond, they moved to the Cable/Drummond area, renting various homes before purchasing land on Blue Moon Road. Kelly built their home with the help of family and good friends. There they raised their son and daughter.
At her Once in a Blue Moon Studio, Diana paints and writes. In 1999 Savage Press published a small chapbook of her poetry/ art; then in 2012, a full-length book of works, Beacons of the Earth and Sky. Diana is a member of Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, Pastel Society of America, and Wisconsin Visual Artists. Her poetry has appeared in many publications including Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar, Red Cedar, and Thunderbird Review. Her pastel painting was featured on the cover of the 2021 Bayfield County Visitor Guide. Creative Painting in Pastel by Carole Katchen includes her pastel paintings images. Her paintings are in many collections.
Diana has taught continuing education art classes through Cable Natural History Museum, Northwood Technical College (formerly WITC), and Northland College. Since the pandemic, she’s taught on-line live from her studio for Northwood Tech. She looks forward to teaching an outdoor sketching class on August 31 for Cable Natural History Museum.
For ten years Diana participated in the Blue Moon Art Tour with three other studios on her road. She then participated in several CHARAC (Cable Hayward Area Arts Council) Art Crawls and she’ll participate again this year, August 12 to 14.
She will open her studio at 47790 Blue Moon Road, Drummond, to visitors on Monday, September 12, 2022, noon to 5 p.m. during the Bayfield County Art Escape. Otherwise, her studio is open by appointment. There’s a link to her studio Facebook page at www.dianarandolph.com.
MADELINE ISLAND
CAROL WRIGHT of Woods Hall Gallery
EARTHKILNFIRE.COM WOODS HALL DAILY DEMOS DURING ART ESCAPE
In 1993, my daughter and I took a pottery class at Woods Hall on Madeline Island. We had no expectations. It was all about being together with others, all learning this new art. Music and art had always been a part of my life. After taking that class at Woods Hall, I felt a connection to the art of ceramics. After 14 years working full time, I returned to pottery, making wheelthrown vases, teapots, bowls, cups, plates and platters. During my bouts with health issues, I turned to hand building, making trays, bird houses, spoons, wall hangings, larger platters and vases. I split my professional time between my studio located at Midwest Clay Project in Madison, and at Woods Hall on Madeline Island. Today, I have a blank canvas. I sit at my wheel or table and simply create. Other than some commission work, I do not do production pottery. Thus, each piece is unique. The clay bodies vary, but all are stoneware. I use very dark brown clay, buff ochre, red iron, manganese, B-clay and porcelain. Each clay body moves and fires differently, as well as how it reacts to glazes. I have fired my pottery in a salt, gas, woodfired and electric kilns, all using different types of glazes. The results are beautiful and different. The fascinating element about making ceramics is you are free to create, to express oneself and to be completely open to possibilities. I continue to further my skill set by participating in workshops at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts on Deer Isle, Maine, various workshops in Wisconsin and attending NCECA conferences across the country.
ARTIST PROFILES
CRAIG CAMPBELL
CAMPBELLARTGLASS.COM DAILY OPEN HOUSE DURING ART ESCAPE
Shaping the searing-hot glass, doing the last bit of work before the fiery orange shape cools into a beautiful cobalt blue vase. Suddenly it cracks off the metal pipe holding it and smashes to the floor. Another life lesson at the hands of the master glass-blower from Mahtomedi.
“It happens when I’m distracted, or move too fast, or touch the glass in the wrong place,” he said. “ Regardless of experience, everyone has failures. They are your best teachers.”
Craig Campbell was going to be a veterinarian until he spent three years at the U of M. He went to St. Cloud and took a class in glassblowing, just for fun. He was hooked when he realized you can control a mass of molten glass that wants to fall on the floor with gravity.
“It is like magic—applying fire to sand that’s ground up like flour, making a ball of incredibly hot liquid glass, then shaping it into something beautiful.” he said.
Campbell makes his living blowing and molding glass, and teaching it to others. His work includes tableware, vases, communion sets, corporate awards and fglass sculptures, as well as large works for churches, hospitals, offices and Xcel Energy Center.
BELL STREET GALLERY & ARTBAR
BELLSTGALLERY.COM DAILY OPEN HOUSE DURING ART ESCAPE
A “Must See” Art destination featuring more than 40 local artists. Artwork inspired by Madeline Island and Lake Superior. Serving coffee, beer, and wine daily and live music and artist demos several days a week. See our website for more info: bellstgallery.com
The gallery consists of several open air galleries and patios, perfect to sip, shop, and relax. Our artists include potters, painters, sculptures, and jewelers that are both regional and local. Come on over.
CORNUCOPIA
KAREN MAKI
DEMO ON PAGE 29 (SEPT 15)
The inspiration for my artwork began with growing up in Ironwood, Ml. This was supplemented by new ideas resulting from living in Washburn, WI and Southern Minnesota. My work is an intuitive collection of these memories and experiences. Art, athletics, interior design and travel are my passions. Each day brings new ideas driven by the past and expanded by the present. Many of my recent paintings and collages are in bright primary colors. Some are done on watercolor paper while others are done with acrylics on shallow wooden boxes. The box also serves as a frame for hanging. My art education includes degrees from Central Michigan University and the University of WI-River Falls. In addition, I’ve had several classes at Columbia University in New York City, University of MN-Duluth, University of WI-Superior and many specialized workshops. My art background includes teaching, sketching, painting, sculpture, handmade paper, ceramics and journaling. The last fifteen years have included extensive travel with an emphasis on art. In summary, I am a lifelong artist utilizing an eclectic mix of resources, mediums and subject matter.
HESTEKIN POTTERY
HESTEKINPOTTERY.COM DEMO ON PAGES 20, 22, 32 & 34 (SEPT 10-11 & 17-18)
Hestekin Pottery has been a part of Cornucopia, WI since 2012. Positioned as close to Lake Superior as possible, natural inspiration is all around. The great lake has many moods throughout the year which affect the ebb and flow of the pottery studio. Clay from the area is used in some of the handmade glazes while sand from the lake shore is used during the kiln firing. Evan has been perfecting his clay body, glazes, and pottery forms for over twenty years. Each step is handcrafted: from splitting the wood for a firing to throwing pots on the treadle wheel he built to following his curated recipes for clay body and glaze. This attention to detail connects the artist and the art appreciator to centuries of prior ceramic work; learning from and following the traditions of many. Focusing on functional, utilitarian ware, his pots are microwave, oven, dishwasher, and food safe. They’re made to be loved and used, beautifying your space at the same time.
CORNUCOPIA ART CRAWL
VISITCORNUCOPIA.COM/EVENTS/CORNUCOPIA-ART-CRAWL SEPTEMBER 10& 11
The Cornucopia Art Crawl is on the second weekend of September. Local artists sharing their work in beautiful Cornucopia on the sunny south shore of Lake Superior.
Every year in Cornucopia we dedicate a day to promote the Arts from the area. Featuring Artists from the South Shore of Lake Superior. Walk around our picturesque harbor town and enjoy a day of Art and fun. Maps provided.
HERBSTER
HERBSTER STUDIO ART TOUR
DEMOS ON PAGES 22, 24, 25, 26, 29 & 33 (SEPT 11-15 & 17)
The Herbster Studio Art Tour (HSAT) has been a Herbster community event since 2009. Over those 13 years, the mission, as stated in the HSAT website https://www. herbsterstudioarttour.org, has been to: (1) Promote the creative arts within Herbster and (2) Encourage relationships within the artist community and between artists and the broader community. The studio tour has always been on the 3rd weekend in August. In 2022, those dates are August 20-21, but for the first time HSAT will include a follow up educational component during the week of September 10 to September 18, which will involve instruction from each of the artists. This September educational component is called Art Escape and has been organized by the Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau.
During the August tour, the community will visit the studios casually, view the art work in the studios, ask questions of the artists, and often purchase art work. The number of artists who participate in opening their art studio for the tour have ranged from 6 to 12. Each of the artists represent different visual art 2022 – Art Escape mediums, such as painting, quilting, jewelry, fiber sculpture, Jane Herrick weaving, wood turning, and printmaking. MIXED MEDIA
The spark behind the regular August studio tour is simply to raise the awareness of and appreciation for fine art in the south shore area. The goal of the educational component is to offer educational experiences for the local community and the broader community on the creative process behind the art work – the techniques and processes involved, the creative thought
ARTIST PROFILES
processes and concepts involved, and the fundamental reason art is created in the first place. In doing so, we hope to educate, share, explain and promote the artistic and creative qualities found on the south shore and across Bayfield County.
All of the 6 artists who open their studios in August for the regular open studio tour will participate in the September educational component to explain, demonstrate, and instruct the public about their particular art medium. These September events will be open for youth and adults. These 6 HSAT artists feel strongly about the fine arts and about encouraging quality and creativity in the arts, particularly as they are influenced by the natural beauty of Lake Superior and the surrounding environment. For example, Susan McDonald will teach a class on Botanical Watercolor. Sara Mustonen will teach a hands-on class on loom weaving. Scott Sample will offer demonstrations on the fundamentals of drawing. Diana O’Brien will offer a class on her techniques in wet on wet watercolor painting. Dale Paulson will conduct a lecture and provide a demo on his woodturning techniques and explain how a block of wood from an area tree evolves into a fine crafted art piece. Jane Herrick will lead a discussion about artistic abstraction across various mediums in the visual arts, and will explain how she uses abstraction in her work. She will also have participants experiment in an abstract drawing exercise.
PORT WING
HEATHER SZARKA PHOTOGRAPHY
SILVER SAGE FARM CLASS/DEMO ON PAGES 25 (SEPT 13)
I am a photographer and organic farmer and blend those two worlds in nature, landscape and personal brand photography specializing in organic and natural brands. When not working on the farm, you’ll find me out in nature hiking and photographing the beauty and wonder of the earth. My work focuses on how I see and feel nature and the joy found there, from a tiny bug to a Superior vista! I also enjoy cooking, food preservation, and crochet. I grew up in central Oklahoma and attended Oklahoma Baptist University for a Bachelors degree in Accounting and Finance. After working as an accountant for 4 years, I decided the desk life wasn’t for me and pursued a Masters in Anthropology focusing on Archeology. I worked as an archeologist for 16 years, 9 of those were as manager, then owner of a consulting firm. The last couple years of that career were difficult, and ended with closing the doors on my company, and closing the doors to my career. The camera has been part of my world since I was very young, and after the end of my career in archeology, became my main source of therapy. I joined a Photography Scavenger Hunt on Google+ in 2013 which changed the trajectory of my life significantly. The Hunt gives a list of 10 words to interpret any way you like through a photograph. In finding that group, I found my tribe. The Hunt led me to free mentorships hosted by photographers on the G+ platform which honed my skills. The camaraderie of the Scavengers (that’s what we call ourselves) gave me the confidence to put my art out there, first online, then in print. It was through one of the mentorships that I discovered WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), which is how I arrived in Port Wing. I left Oklahoma in May 2018 to WWOOF and travel around the eastern US, camping and photographing in our National and State Parks. I came to Wisconsin for the first time in fall 2018 to WWOOF at Silver Sage Farm, returning in fall 2019 and moving permanently, becoming the Farm Manager in March 2020. I’ve now sealed my fate and bought land in Port
Wing to begin my own organic farm. You can find my work on Authentic Superior, a non-profit organization helping South Shore artists, makerr. and farmers. I also attend the Cornucopia Market on Thursdays as both a farmer and artist. I will have a booth at the Cornucopia Art Crawl September 10 and 11 and a Garden and Landscape photography class as part of the Art Escape on Tuesday, September 13th.
Website: authenticsuperior.com/shop/heather-szarkaphotography
Class Registration: authenticsuperior.com/product/gardenand-landscpaephotography-with-Heather
OULU
TONJA VOJACEK SELL
OARTWORX.COM DAILY OPEN HOUSE DURING ART ESCAPE
Tonja Vojacek Sell is a Wisconsin native and daughter of blown & stained glass artisans Anton (Jim) & Sue Vojacek who operate the Oulu Glass Gallery. She attended the Milwaukee School of Art, where she studied fine arts, drawing, and illustration.
Tonja lives with family in the home, studio & teaching studio they built together in Oulu, Wi. She works in many different mediums; including oil, acrylic, watercolor, ceramic, glass, felt and more.
Tonja has been represented by galleries across the country, she has been a part of the prestigious Women Painting Women shows and her work is in multiple private collections in the US and Internationally. Locally, she has created murals for the Minnesota Discovery Center and the Carnegie Foundation at the Two Harbors Public Library.
Tonja teaches classes across the U.S. A, in her Studio in Oulu, WI and She and Matthew also lead International Art Tours to Spain, Italy & France, where students explore and create.
They are currently adding a new gallery space on their property next to the Oulu Glass Gallery. doartworx@gmail.com tonja_sell : Instagram
Tonja Sell - Artist Page : Facebook
fiction
“More than once, Thomas Peacock’s The Wolf’s Trail, an Ojibwe Story, Told by Wolves, brought warmth to my heart. It is a story of zaagi’idiwin, the story of love – the love of the wolves for each other and their family, the Anishinaabe people. A story of the love the Creator has for what has been created. Peacock says, “Zhi-shay’, the Uncle wolf, ‘wanted to simply talk story’. And talk story he does. In this book, there are teachings within the teachings. It is a story not just for the young but for the old in how to teach and be with the young, while the wolf, in one part of the story, is told to -‘Put his face in front of you, run towards your thoughts.’ This book is a reminder to us to put Ojibwe teachings in front of us and to run towards the teachings.” —Marcie Rendon, author of Girl Gone Missing
“At times moving, at others amusing, and always informative, Thomas Peacock’s The Wolf’s Trail shows us the depth of Ojibwe teachings and the hard truths of Ojibwe experience through the words of a wolf elder as he “talks story” with a set of wolf pups. Through story, he reveals how the pups ought to live in the world, while showing them why the Ojibwe live the way they do. Listen to our wolf brother and learn to live as the Creator intended!”
—Carter Meland, author of Stories for a Lost Child.
Thomas D. Peacock has authored or co-authored The Forever Story, Collected Wisdom, Ojibwe Waasa Inaabidaa: We Look in All Directions, The Good Path, The Seventh Generation, The Four Hills of Life, To Be Free, The Tao of Nookomis, Beginnings: The Homeward Journey of Donovan Manypenny, The Forever Sky, and The Dancers. Ojibwe and The Good Path were Minnesota Book Award winners. The Seventh Generation was multicultural children’s book of the year (American Association of Multicultural Education). He is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Anishinaabe Ojibwe and lives with his wife Betsy in Little Sand Bay, Red Cliff, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota. For more information about wolves, the Ojibwe, and the relationship of wolves and the Ojibwe, please visit www.thewolfstrail.com
$16.95 US Holy Cow! Press ISBN 978-1-5136-4562-9 Distributed by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution
OULU GLASS
OULUGLASSGALLERY1.COM DEMOS EVERY DAY OF ART ESCAPE
Located in the Northwoods of Wisconsin is a unique, eccentric and eclectic glass blowing studio owned by the Vojacek family of Finnish descent. This is not your “run of the mill” studio. The outside architecture of the buildings gives you the first clue. Then, entering the work room we were greeted by Jim who was teaching his Grandson some glass working techniques. Watching them was a treat-passing down to another generation such a special art. Entering the display area was “at your own risk”-crowded with shelves of glassware and a cat climbing the ornament covered Christmas tree!, it was hard to see everything. Open by appointment in mid winter. Classes in glass blowing and demonstrations also available throughout the year.
RED CLIFF
BLACK BEARS AND BLUEBERRIES PUBLISHING
BLACKBEARSANDBLUEBERRIES.COM BOOK SIGNING ON PAGE 30 (SEPT 16)
Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing is a Native owned company that publishes fiction and non-fiction paperback books and ebooks, many with reading levels K-6, on Native topics serving a regional audience, including the Dakotas, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. We hope to keep our focus small, publishing several titles a year.
