Michael Irleand , Donna Sands, Kathie Wheeler, and Pete Zaluzec
Artist Reception: Saturday, May 28th, 4-7 pm

Artist Demo: - Michael Ireland, Sunday, May 29th, 11-2pm

Exhibit runs May 6th - June 8th

Michael Ireland,

Watercolor artist, Michael Ireland, paints in a large scale format.  He enjoys the challenge of “reining in a huge wash,” and his goal with these large works is to create a piece that is “as interesting up close as it is simple and strong from afar. I’ve come to understand the true art of watercolor for me is within the painting process itself. My paintings are consistent in traditional transparent watercolor technique…working to achieve the balance of light and shadow through a transparent glazing wash.”

Oil painter Donna Sands says she simply paints “what she sees and feels,” and is especially inspired by the unlimited power of nature’s landscape. She prefers to paint unaltered, rugged terrain – and the ongoing search for those places allows her to transfer emotions onto canvas with blends of vibrant color and texture. Her use of imagination in color selection allows Sands to convey any mood while maintaining the harmony that still exists in nature.

Bronze sculptor Pete Zaluzec has been creating birds since 1980. His work represents highly detailed, life-sized birds with a focus on the personality and expression of each species.  Pete will be introducing a new body of work in bronze and stone. His new series focuses on wildlife including, moose, bison and polar bears.   

Kathie Wheeler’s desire to create art was nurtured early.  As a young child, she was drawn to Hudson River School of Artists and the American Impressionists, who took to the fields and the woods to paint and draw en plein air. Working with a rich oil palette, her paintings reflect the experience of her life in the valley in the way that only someone who has worked the land can. “I try to put the feeling or emotion I see in a place or person on the canvas,” she says. “I hope the viewer can take some of that away with them.”

EXHIBIT II

Martha Fieber, Scott Hartley, Jeanne Larson & Tracy Lynn Pristas  

Artist Reception: Saturday June 11, 4-7pm

Artist Demo: - Martha Fieber and Tracy Lynn Pristas, Sunday, June 12th, 11-2pm

Exhibit runs June 10th - July 11th

Self-taught and having worked with fiber since she was “old enough to handle a needle,” Martha Fieber’s freelance landscape embroidery is about texture, technique, pattern and detail. Each work includes layer upon layer of hand stitching to create shading and depth.  Fieber says that layers of silk, rayon, metallic, and hand-dyed cotton threads encourage the viewer to “contemplate the interconnectedness between all things.” Fieber credits her engineering education with her success in planning and executing her “landscapes in thread.”                                                                                   

Kansas-based glass artist Scott Hartley always knew he had art in his blood – and grew up experimenting with several different types of media. He later became a high school biology teacher, but art was missing – so Hartley quit his teaching job to pursue his love of art full-time. He says glass is “the perfect marriage of art and science,” and nothing gives him more peace of mind than the quiet roar of a glass furnace on a calm, clear day.

In addition to being an abstract landscape painter, Chicago-based artist Tracy Lynn Pristas is also a certified yoga instructor and Reiki practitioner – two influences that contribute significantly to the tranquility in her paintings. She doesn’t create preliminary sketches, instead trusting in the magic of the intuitive process. She does, however, plan her color palette and uses surface manipulation techniques with layers of colors to build rich textures which results in harmonious, whispering landscapes.

“It’s important to me that a painting have energy, vibrancy, and life,” says watercolor painter Jeanne Larson – and as a result, her usual methods of work emphasize design and “fluid, moving, juicy color.” Not surprisingly, Larson’s most profound inspiration is found in the beautiful rivers and lakes of the Northwoods of Minnesota or her home garden. In addition to her original “loosely realistic” style, Larson has been experimenting with abstraction, collage, and other water media.

EXHIBIT III

Pamela Murphy and Nathan Hatch

Artist Reception: Thursday, July 15th, 4-7pm

Exhibit runs July 14 - August 8th

Painting primarily in oils and encaustics, Pamela Murphy found inspiration for her paintings through old photographs she would find at garage sales. Not wanting these memories to be forgotten, Murphy began collecting these photos and using the figures as her “models,” disconnecting them from their original context and recreating them on her canvas.  “The figures in my paintings exist in situations in which I hope the viewer will find a little of themselves,” Murphy says.

Sculptor and furniture builder Nathan Hatch finds that his ultimate reward as an artist is when his work becomes part of someone’s daily life – especially when that person might not even realize it. Using wood, metal, and other raw materials, Hatch tends to place more importance on the structural integrity of a piece rather than trying to convey its emotion. He gravitates toward the creation of larger sculptures, saying they invite exploration among his viewers.

Exhibit IV

Jeff Hargreaves , Steven Main, Gail Macejkovic, and Alberta Marana

Artist Reception: Thursday, August 11th, 4-7pm

Exhibit runs August 11th - September 8th

As a representational painter, nothing is more enjoyable for Jeff Hargreaves than finishing a painting that is not only drawn and painted well but makes a connection to the viewer. Jeff likes to work in oil because of the richness, depth, and flexibility it affords. His paintings represent tangible items, shared experiences and simple common objects.

Artist Steven Main has been blowing glass since the mid 70’s.  His fascination with the intricate patterns of the natural world and his love of color are reflected in his work. Main works in a series format, which allows his ideas to evolve slowly as he explores the way the glass colors interact. Although a specific reference to nature is often intended, Main enjoys that fact that people seek their own interpretations with his work.

Oil painter Gail Macejkovic appreciates the beauty and bounty of Wisconsin’s landscape – and the desire to capture these places and spaces that draw her in. Macejkovic is on a constant search for “scenes that beckon” her into moments of refreshment and peace. Having put her art career on hold several years ago to raise a family – Macejkovic is back on the art scene and hopes that her viewers not only look at her paintings, but feel them as well.

Alberta Marana says pastels allow her the “mobility and ability” to interrupt her work and return to it at a later time. Marana finds peace and inspiration in being able to work on location, and also takes photographs of the magnificent landscapes she sees, which she uses to lend inspiration to her studio work. She is most attracted to the vibrant colors of the summer wildflowers, the dynamic red and gold leaves of autumn, and the moody blue skies of the evening.

TOWNLINE ART FAIR

Saturday, October 8 ^th & Sunday, October 9^th  - Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
A juried art fair exhibiting the work of more than 85 professional artists from across the Midwest exhibit during the two-day show held rain or shine. Glass, pottery, metal sculpture, paintings, photography, fiber art, and woodworking will be under tents for the 5,000 people that annually attend the show.