This Is It!

 "Motherwell Reflection"

abstract painting by Mari Stewart

A group of hard working creative people spend all year planning and working toward a goal and then it comes to fruition...wow!  It does take a good deal of work and time but the 2010 Artisan Road Trip is about to happen and it'll be worth the effort!

One more A.R.T. traveling exhibit is in the making at Arts On Grand in Spencer, Iowa - perfect for an 2010 A.R.T. preview! There will be a reception held in conjunction with the Spencer Business After Hours, free to the public at Arts On Grand Tuesday evening, the 28th of September at 5 - 7p.m.

 "Free Spirit"

mobile from the "Edgy Metal Series" by Mari Stewart

Seven NW Iowa counties and 35 artists - visit their studios and galleries!  See where they work, how they work...what inspires them!  Artists like Mari Stewart of the Side Street Gallery in Arnolds Park!  Artists like like Wendel and Diane king at Peony Farm Studio south of Dickens...Barb McGee at McGee Gallery and Framing in downtown Peterson...Perry Polson at Wild Wood Gallery & Turning Lab in downtown Spencer. Other artists not yet featured in this A.R.T. blog - like Mitch Eveleth of Reflections In Ink from Estherville, Nicole Ayers at The Hayloft in Webb, Wendy Hopkins exhibiting in Laurens...and many more of us! 

Fall is upon us and what better way to enjoy the emerging colors and that cool autumn air?!  35 artists, working in more mediums than imaginable!

Enjoy the weekend - Friday - October 1st, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday - October 2nd, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday - October 3rd, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.!

Hope to see you then!

We'll keep the cider and treats on for ya!

A.R.T. Spot Light - Judy Hemphill

"Clean Sweep" Photography © Judy Hemphill

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This Artisans Road Trip installment spot lights photographer Judy Hemphill.  Here Judy introduces us to her art form and interests.

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"Family, animals, nature, and travel are major interests of mine. They capture my time, and I capture them with my lens. I enjoy chronicling family, school, and community activities and celebrations. Also, beauty is all around. Each day I strive to take notice, to discover it in new forms and places. Storytelling images which engage other senses are a special goal. Photography allows me to share my observations from ground-level to aerials, close-ups to panoramas, mostly in color.

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"Chuck Wagon Race" Photography © Judy Hemphill

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A vast array of image possibilities are on the grounds of the Clay County Fair which this year runs Sat., Sept. 11 - Sun., the 19th.  Maybe I'll see you there!

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I do hope you'll visit my new gallery space in downtown Spencer at 217 Grand Avenue, especially during the 2010 Artisans Road Trip! 

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Make it a point to drop in on Judy and many of the other artists during the 2010 Artisans Road Trip coming soon!!! 

A.R.T. 2010 Exhibit Onto The Sanford Museum

Summer Daze by Anita Coon

The Artisans Road Trip will be exhibiting a sampling of it's 2010 artist's artwork at the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa.

Of The Earth (brownstone clay)

by Beth Cathcart

The exhibit begins August 1st and runs through the month.  Come see examples of works by artists of the Artisans Road Trip if you get a chance!

Photograph by Judy Hemphill

The Sanford Museum is located at 17 East Willow Street in Cherokee, Iowa.  To learn more about their hours and this exhibit, call 712 225-3922.

See you on the A.R.T. exhibition tour!

Potter Mel Myers

This 2010 Artisans Road Trip blog highlights Potter Mel Myers from Spencer.

Local Potter Mel Myers has been busy showing at the Iowa City Art Show and the Spencer Alumni Art Show at Arts on Grand in Spencer, Iowa.  

Mel's ceramics are hand thrown, delicately carved, with original glaze formulas - thus making truly one of a kind pieces.  The result is both a decorative and functional piece of art.  His high fire pottery can be used in the oven, safely used for food, and nicely cleans up in the dish washer.

Mel's studio is practically always open for visitors at 717 11th Avenue East in Spencer, Iowa.  His studio, Clay County Clay, can be found by turning east at the Hy Vee/Walgreen's corner on Grand Avenue, and going east as far as one can (and still be in Spencer).  Feel free to stop in and see Mel's most recent work!

Check back again and see what's new on the 2010 Artisans Road Trip!

A.R.T. Spotlight - Dan Ruf

This Artisans Road Trip installment spot lights photographer Dan Ruf. Dan gives his take on "continuing education" as a fine arts photographer, and illustrates select images from a recent workshop in the South Dakota Badlands.

"For those of us that have reared children, the words continuing education have usually meant that school would be closed so that educators could take time to upgrade their knowledge or approach to the education of their charges. For artists, me in particular, continuing education takes on the same sort of meaning, but should be a more regular update of our mental file about the artistry involved in our journey in fine arts.
In my case as a fine art photographer, my daily continuing education takes many forms. This includes reading magazines concerning photography, or the digital darkroom, or making a daily effort to reconnect with websites, blogs or internet forums. I can get exposed to different sorts of photography concepts, approaches, software or equipment this way. Most days this may require an hour of time, but I am usually able to glean some tidbit of helpful or even inspirational ideas about the photographic process. One step above this daily process of continuing education is to become involved in a location workshop given by a mentor in an artists field. I recently returned from a workshop given by Tony Sweet, who I feel is an exceptional fine art photographer and, as I found out, gives an exhausting 5 day workshop which includes daily critique and class sessions as well as location shoots early in the morning and late afternoon. While the days are long the return on "investment" is huge and I find these types of events to be very productive. One thing to note, however, is that you get what you pay for and while there are many individuals that offer workshops in many fields of art, the quality of workshops are varied and in some cases disappointing. Location workshops are provided for many artistic inclinations, from pottery to glass blowing to painting and I would recommend that these types of continuing education are a must as a tool for all artists."

That's all for this spotlight on artisans from the 2010 A.R.T. Check back again for more on the artists of the Artisans Road Trip!