Friday, September 26, 2014

2014 Artisans Road Trip Exhibit at Arts on Grand in Spencer, Iowa!

Examples of work by 2014 A.R.T. Artists 
(Artwork is © the following artists - top row left to right - 
Danielle Clouse, Perry Polson, Marisa Sidles, middle row
left to right - Glenda Drennen, Sue Biederman, Mel Myers, 
bottom row left to right - Robert Ansorge, Mitch Eveleth and Bill Lieb)

The 2014 Artisans Road Trip is exhibiting at Arts on Grand in Spencer, Iowa - now through October 25th.
Get a nice preview of the works of those artists participating this year in A.R.T.!  

There will be an artist's reception for the exhibit at Arts on Grand on Tuesday October 14th from 5 PM - 7PM -
meet the artists and enjoy the Spencer gallery and what it has to offer!

Want to take in the Artisans Road Trip?  This is a great way to see a sampling of what each artist does, and visiting the Spencer exhibit beforehand can help you plan your A.R.T. weekend!
 
Remember - the 2014 Artisans Road Trip is the weekend of October 11 and 12th this year and will run from Saturday October 11 (9AM-5PM) and Sunday October 12 (Noon-5PM)!  Make plans for a road trip in NW Iowa this fall - visit artists where they work and/or exhibit and enjoy a nice autumn drive to top it off!
 
Hope to see you then!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

2014 Artisans Road Trip Artist Karen Ruddy - Working at the Grotto of the Redemption this Past Summer!



2014 Artisans Road Trip artist Karen Ruddy has been busy this summer! Karen finished a commission over at the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa, contracting for work on the restoration of mosaics throughout the Grotto. The grant was for five weeks of work but ten weeks were spent working on in-place and new mosaic panels on the East Wall of the Courtyard.
Karen completed half (14 - foot long -mosaics) on one side of the pool around the statue of Michael the Arc Angel, and four 3x1 foot panels that will be implanted in the East Wall of the Courtyard when the leaks that blew out the hundred  year old mosaic panels are found and repaired. 
Ruddy says If you have never visited the Grotto, you might consider a trip there. It is a truly holy place. Father Dobberstein, the German priest that was stationed there in the early years of the twentieth century built it over his lifetime. There is a statue of him on the grounds and his work is known worldwide through the SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists) conferences. In fact, the last one Karen attended, the first presenter was a woman from France who studied mosaics all over the world and the first frame shown on the big screen was The West Bend Grotto in the middle of the U.S.A.
The tours are well worth a person's time as you learn things about Father's talent and ingenuity. For example, he made stones by melting children's crayons and glass during the war years when he could not obtain rocks, minerals, or Smalti glass for his grotto walls. You will find some in the base of the stations,  along the way of the cross.
The Restoration Expert wanted Karen to harvest the old gold Smalti and use it instead of new. The artist had already started building the panels when he called from Wisconsin, so she finished the one with the new Smalti as an extra project and began grinding the cement off all sides of each small piece to prepare it for implanting into the newly restored substrait. The pool project was really difficult as Ruddy had to hammer and chisel each piece out of the original mosaic so that she could create an even surface for the new Smalti image. That was after she clambered over a three foot high metal fence, the only way to get to the work site.
The artist states that if she is still around next summer, she may get to complete the fourteen mosaics on the other side of the pool. 
To find out more about the artist Karen Ruddy, read more about her at the Artisans Road Trip web site - http://www.artisansroadtrip.com/Dr%20Karen%20Ruddy.htm  
And Remember - this year's Artisans Road Trip event will be held the second weekend of October on Saturday - October 11 from 9AM - 5PM and Sunday - October 12 from Noon - 5PM!  See you then!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

2014 A.R.T. Artist is September Exhibition Cove Artist at a Piece Of Work, INC.


"Breezy" - printed fabric, crocheted yarn, 24x 36"
© Tim Arand-McIlrath

Timothy J. Arand-McIlrath will be showing this summer's collection of new 2 D artwork and a small collection of recent 3D works. All of the 2D work uses recycled fabric from garments as backgrounds. The artist will be giving an artists talk at A Piece of Work about 6:10-6:15. Art on 16th (around the corner from A Piece of Work ) will also be featuring his work as well and  will be open until at least 7:30p.m.


Artwork © Tim Arand-McIlrath

Tim's artwork will be on display throughout the calendar month of September at A Piece of Work, Inc. in Spirit Lake, Iowa.  You can see more about Timothy J. Arand-McIlrath's work at the 2014 A.R.T. website at - http://www.artisansroadtrip.com/Timothy%20McIlrath.htm

 Remember the 2014 Artisans Road Trip is fast approaching - coming up this October 11 and 12 - enjoy the beautiful autumn in NW Iowa and the wonderful artwork of the 2014 A.R.T.!!!