Artists Represented

Michael employs various intaglio printmaking techniques, including etching, aquatint, drypoint, and a la poupee as well as hand-coloring (watercolor). He performs all aspects of his work, from conceptual drawings to the final wiping and printing of each plate, Michael has been a full time printmaker for 25 years and continues to produce and show his work throughout the United States.

My work with clay focuses on developing both functional and decorative pieces in a simple manner that explores the nature of porcelain clay and incorporates a lighthearted graphic design. I like to make pieces that push the possibilities of clay and also meet the needs of people. My pieces are meant to become part of the celebrations and rituals of daily life in our culture.

The creations of artist Barbara Koppang express a connection to the spiritual aspects of life. Her favorite quote is from Leonard Cohen. “There is a crack in everything, that is how the light gets in”. Therefore, she loves making faces that have the “cracks” of everyday life sculpted into each one.But she also believes that the heart is where the light gets in, so each doll has a felt heart sewn into it. This serves as a reminder that the heart is the source of the light and a person’s true beauty.

Each face and set of hands is sculpted out of cold porcelain,which is an air dry clay primarily used for miniatures.

Since it is used unconventionally, it takes up to a week to dry. That requires the artist to continue to work on sculpting each little face until it is completely dry.

Each of the faces has semi precious gemstone eyes.

At the end of the processa patina of paint is applied to the face and hands and each is sealed to protect it.

The bodies of the Oddest Goddess Art Dolls are made with recycled wool.

Each body is hand stitched and needle sculpted.

The artist adds vintage trims, beads, stones and other unique embellishments.

They are stuffed with all the little bits and pieces of fabric, yarn and thread that Barbara has left over after making the bodies.

This insures that nothing is wasted!

Each doll is completed by sewing in a cloth tag on the bottom and a paper tag that is signed, numbered and dated by the artist.

Barbara’s dolls are known for their color combinations, details and whimsy!

And each is one of a kind!

Residing in St. Paul, MN. I have displayed my art nationally for the past 25 years. My unique technique involves the art of reverse painting on clear acrylic glass with enamel pigments. I enjoy painting in a sophisticated simple style as each piece expresses personal stories and family history. All paintings are created one at a time with the same concept evolving from one original to the next original.

The power of ‘thoughts made visible’ and the mystery of the word as a vehicle of communication leads me on a wonderful journey as I merge message and technique into a finished piece. Each piece brings exploration, inspiration and discovery — on a concrete level as I work with my tools and experience and on a spiritual level as I lean on God. My work is a celebration of life’s journey with God and with others.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Judy’s calligraphy work has been published by Northwestern Products in St. Paul; The Printery House in Conception, Mo; it takes two in Le Seuer, MN; Ardie and Friends in Minneapolis, MN. Her work is in The Encyclopedia of Calligraphy and Illuminated Letters, by Janet Mehigan and Mary Noble. Judy’s work is owned by individuals, businesses, universities and churches throughout the United States and abroad.

I have been making jewelry and selling it throughout the country at Art Shows since 1990. What inspires me to create is my longing to make people smile and tell a story with each whimsical design. Each piece is layered using Sterling, Niobium and Aluminum. Metals are cut, anodized, engraved, chased and riveted together.

I paint in two distinct styles, representational and abstract, which may at first appear irreconcilable, but are in fact two aspects of the same journey. For one, I venture out. For the other, I venture in. For both, the outcome is the same.

When painting in abstract, I travel inward, exploring and responding to progressions of thoughts and emotions deep within my mind. Free of visual constraints, these intangible introspective meditations take no recognizable form. Instead, they manifest themselves as successive, unfolding, and spontaneous adventures in color, texture, and composition.

No matter how or what I paint, whether the inspiration comes from within or without, the destination remains the same. I achieve relative moments of closure, of completeness, and of peace. Most importantly, my art affirms my belief in the oneness of body, mind, and the world in which we live. >

Wooden containers and vases created with domestic and exotic woods.

After many years of ‘success’ in Corporate America, I felt empty and unknown inside. I dropped out of the ‘success race’ and started on a mid-life journey to find myself. My journey has been many things so far – challenging, terrifying, rewarding – and along the way I’ve discovered my inner artist. My art bubbles up from a well deep within that makes me smile and enables my spirit to dance again. I hope you enjoy these results from my dance! ~ Diana Meier

I’ve always liked the idea of using things that are no longer useful and have been discarded. By taking familiar pieces and transforming them into something decorative or whimsical, I can make art while also drawing attention to the treasures that can be found in people’s trash. I find it very rewarding to see the glimmer of recognition in peoples faces when they identify the various elements used to create my work.

The shapes of every-day metal tools, bicycles and farm implements inspire me. I see animals or other forms in the pieces. They pick me and tell me what to make from them.

I consider myself an “improv” artist. I let the medium tell me what it wants to become. My favorite medium is polymer clay. I like making wearable abstract works of art. Polymer clay is an amazing material. It can imitate other materials such as metal, wood, and stone. By controlling the blending of colorful canes of clay I can make abstract designs that often look like watercolor paintings. My favorite raw material is the scraps of clay that other polymer clay artists don’t know what to do with. Each jewelry piece is unique and I am always trying to find new ways to use the clay. My jewelry making has taken many twists and turns in the eighteen years that I have been working with polymer clay.

Handmade fused glass plates using powdered glass enamel between two pieces of clear glass and fired to 1500 degrees. The plates are food and dishwasher safe.

Our woodcarvings are individually made by hand and are one of kind pieces of art that take hours or even days to create. Since they are handmade, no two carvings are identically alike and are not mass-produced. A carving is a special piece of art that can be treasured and passed down for generations.

Carvings are an affordable piece of art that can provide beauty, warmth, or whimsy because of the very nature of the material from which it was created, wood. Trees are living organisms that provide life-giving oxygen, cooling shade in hot summer, heat in winter, and many other wonderful things. It is fitting that they also provide us with a source of beauty inside our homes in the form of woodcarvings.

Carvings provide a measure of fun, as well. People have so much seriousness in their lives these days that providing a piece that will make them smile is a pleasure. Capturing a wry expression on a Santa’s face or a reverent air in an angel is one of Russell Scott’s specialties. Each year he grows and improves as a wood carver.

Artist’s Statement

I am fascinated by the interplay of light and color that I see in the beauty surrounding me and I work to capture the mood of those special moments in my paintings. I choose to paint with soft pastel for the incredible richness and intensity of the color possibilities I can be found painting en plein air all around town and far beyond.

Biography

Lisa Stauffer received her MA in Design from the University of Minnesota, Mpls., studied illustration at Parson’s School of Design, NYC, and continues to round out her education by taking workshops from nationally recognized artists including Albert Handell, Richard McKinley, Sally Strand, Elizabeth Mowry and Anita Louise West. Ms Stauffer taught art at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul schools and Community Education, and clay classes at Northern Clay Center where she had her studio from its inception in 1990 until she moved to Duluth. She displayed her pottery at art fairs around the region and completed many stained glass commissions including seventy windows installed in a restaurant in Austria. Since 2001 she has been painting primarily in soft pastel with a special focus on painting “en pleine aire” to indulge her fascination with light and color in the beautiful North Shore landscape. Her award winning work has been exhibited from Hawaii to Florida, concentrated in her home state of Minnesota. A member of the Lake Country Pastel Society, MidAmerica Pastel Society, Artists of Minnesota, and the Elk River Arts Alliance, Lisa now lives in Duluth, MN creating art and teaching classes at Waterfront Art Works and from her studio in Duluth’s Canal Park. She is represented by Lizzard’s Gallery, Waters Of Superior, and the Art Dock in Duluth.

Having a love and respect for Minnesota’s historic landmarks, popular establishments and events, she produced her main body of collage work in which depth and interest are created by layering and blending original photographs using digital techniques. She is currently working to include other locations outside of Minnesota.

As she grows as an artist, she is expanding upon the commercial look of the location collages and exploring her interests in mixed media and retro/vintage artwork and objects. In the new work she uses found images and items, stock and original photographs, handwriting and illustrations. She is currently employing mixed media techniques such as stamping, painting and other paper altering methods to add interest to some of the collages after they are printed.

I have always enjoyed being creative. I have enjoyed classes in making pottery and learning to work the potters wheel. There are a number of creative projects that I do such as sewing clothing and home items, making wedding albums. I have won ribbons on my albums. After much study and practice I have found my niche in making jewelry.

Many people are not able to wear silver, gold, or other metals so for them I started making earrings using titanium. My titanium is certified ASTM-67 surgical implant grade one. I also work with sterling silver, argentium sterling silver, gold filled, and niobium wires.

I love to work with freshwater pearls, gemstones,lampwork beads, and Swarovski crystal. There are many to choose from. It is always exciting to get a shipment to work with.

I have my work on two web sites and also in a store at the mall in my home town. I am very happy to have the chance to display my work at Celebrate Art.

Sue Swanson, MDiv, is a teacher and retreat leader from Woodbury, Minnesota who helps people find Sabbath time in their busy lives by teaching them how to practice spiritual patterns together. She calls her work Prayercraft, which is combining craftwork with different patterns of prayer. She is interested in how we can learn to use artistic creativity both individually and in a group to express our faith. Sue teaches classes and retreats exploring spiritual concepts such as: prayer, breath, simplicity, creativity and Sabbath. Her beadwork has been published by Beadwork Magazine and Bead and Button Magazine. Her company, Purple Apple Arts, provides opportunities to explore traditional crafts including textile arts, music, beadwork, and labyrinth walking.

Jewelry from The Island Collection is designed and created by Joan Teppen, an international school educator who has lived and worked overseas for many years. Most recently she was employed at Jakarta International School in Indonesia where she began exploring her passion for designing jewelry using fossil coral (now found in the mountains of Java where plate tectonics has pushed the coral from the ocean floor upwards over millions of years).

Her design and creations continued using other natural materials from Indonesia .....shell, coral, stone. She now also uses red coral, mother of pearl and abalone from the sea as well as semi-precious stones handpicked from Bangkok, Thailand. Her variety of designs and materials has grown to a collection of lovely pieces. All pendants and earrings from The Island Collection are made using 92.5 sterling silver and others feature shells that she and her son have collected from wild beaches on Java and Bali.