2016 Artisans Road Trip Artist Pam Harp at the Le Mars Art Center in August!

Artwork ©Pam Harp

Local watercolor artist, Pam Harp is excited to present her first solo exhibition, "The Earth Laughs in Flowers" A Collection of Floral Watercolors by Pam Harp. Her work will be on display at the Le Mars Art Center for the month of August. The public is invited to meet the artist at a gallery reception on Thursday, August 4 from six to eight p.m.

Pam is a Contemporary Realist fascinated by the intricate detail she observes in her floral subjects. From the lacy petals of a peony to the folds of a rose, her tightly rendered watercolors capture their exquisite beauty.

Pam's passion for flowers inspire her watercolors. "Have you ever stopped to really take in the amazing detail offered in a flower garden? It seems the closer you look, the more you see. It's my hope to capture that detail in a way that allows you the opportunity to enjoy that incredible array with me."

Pam Harp is an Alton based artist whose work is currently represented at the Le Mars Art Center as well as the Summerwind Gallery in Arnold's Park. Two pieces of her art have been juried into the 2016 Iowa State Fair in August, and she is among the artists selected for this year's Artisans Road Trip, an open studio tour of Northwest Iowa artists on October 8 and 9. 

Her work has also appeared at the Orange City Art's Regional Exhibition at the DeWitt Theatre Arts Center at Northwestern College, an  A.R.T. Group Exhibition at Witter Gallery in Storm Lake and The Denver Discovery at Highlands Ranch Mansion in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

For more information on the exhibition, contact Judy Marienau at 712-546-7476 at the Le Mars Art Center - www.lemarsarts.com.  Artisans Road Trip information can be found at www.artisansroadtrip.com.

 Our first artisan's spotlight of the 2012 season will be of Glenda Drennen, one of the Artisans Road Trip artists for 2012!

Glenda Drennen’s usual painting surface is watercolor paper, but this last year she added 6 -foot fiberglass ice cream cone sculptures to her repertoire. In a cooperative effort the LeMars Chamber of Commerce, LeMars Art Center, and City of LeMars Convention Center and Visitor Bureau planned and implemented a public art project to highlight the importance of the production of  ice cream by local industry, Well’s Blue Bunny.

Sponsoring business First National Bank, LeMars, chose Drennen, a resident of the “Ice Cream Capital of the World,” to apply her creative talents to one of the cone sculptures. The single dip ice cream cone now on display at the downtown bank entrance features 133 detailed coins. The coins, enlarged about 400%, cover the large dip of ice cream.  Many of the coins have special relevance to the region, such as coins commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition that camped in the area during the Corps of Discovery. State quarters for Iowa and all bordering states are also represented. A number of Lincoln pennies old and new are represented, as are two different versions of buffalo nickels.

One unusual coin features a portrait of Drennen herself among those of John F. Kennedy, Ben Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. “My first thought was to invent a coin with a likeness of the bank President,” Drennen said, “but during the time I’ve lived in LeMars there have been several people in that position, and I will always be the artist of this cone.”

 Glenda is currently painting a second sculpture to be installed in a LeMars park this spring. Parents who have lost children to disease donated funds for this cone as a memorial. The design committee wanted to stress parents’ wish to provide both roots and wings for their children, so one aspect of the design will be many butterflies and dragonflies against a sunset sky, symbolizing the gift of “wings” for their children.

Ultimately Drennen will paint five of the 41 painted sculptures projected.  Themes for the three remaining cones Drennen will be painting will be Noah’s Ark, the LeMars Rotary Club, and something dramatic for the Postal Playhouse Community Theater.

Be sure and come back soon for more from the 2012 Artisans Road Trip!!!

2011 Artisans Road Trip Artist - Glenda Drennen

Our Artisans Road Trip artist spot light this week is on Le Mars Watercolor artist Glenda Drennen.

The allure of watercolor captivated Glenda Drennen from the moment she first tried it nearly 30 years ago. A former public school music teacher, Glenda's love affair with this medium began when she married and left teaching. She is a seasoned artist who has earned signature memberships at both the state and national level in both the Iowa Watercolor Society and the Watercolor Honor Society, Springfield, MO and is a member of Iowa Artists.

"St. Joe's" - Watercolor

©Glenda Drennen

Earlier in her life as an artist, painting hundreds of commissions - usually house or business portraits - was a mainstay in her career. While she now accepts few orders, a recent commission painting, "Old St. Joes - Midnight Mass," was particularly successful. The painting featured a historic church that will soon be razed, and sold at auction at a Pheasants Forever fund raising event for $10,000.

"Too Many House Plants" - Watercolor

©Glenda Drennen 

Glenda uses the unpredictable nature of watercolor to advantage, and her energetic paintings often include surprises and reflect her sense of humor. She prefers to work from her vivid imagination, using little if any source material. Most paintings are started with little if any idea of a subject. Her work has evolved into a strong personal statement that is increasingly abstracted and subjective. While she honors and practices the time-honored tradition of transparent watercolor, she also embraces the use of other water soluble media and collage to broaden the creative possibilities. Her work is complex, rich with texture, and shows a maturity of creative expression.

"Tattered Veils of Fall" - Watercolor

©Glenda Drennen

 
"Tattered Veils of Fall" was one of two of Glenda's paintings recently published in an online  cyberbook, "Walk Into Abstracts 2 - How did they do that?" by Sue St. John. The book features images and single page descriptions of the working process for the work of 26 artists.

Ms. Drennen will be showing her work at A Piece of Work in downtown Spirit Lake during the Artisan Road Trip. Until then, some of her work and her blog (under "news") can be seen on her website www.glendadrennen.com

Be sure and check back again for more news from the 2011 Artisans Road Trip - thank you for visiting!

A.R.T. at the LeMars Art Center in May

"Prairie River Summer"
oil painting by Bruce Morrison
-one example of many works to be exhibited during the month of May

Artists of the Artisans Road Trip will be exhibiting their works at the Le Mars Art Center through the month of May!

Get a sneak peek at what the A.R.T. artists are up to and enjoy the best of art in NW Iowa!

The art Center is at 200 Central Avenue, for those who have not visited the center before. The exhibit will be running from May 1st through 30th, and you can call the art center at 712-546-7476 to inquire as to hours the center is open.