2014 A.R.T. Exhibit at the Witter!

Just a sampling of the artists exhibiting at the Witter in June!

(Artwork © the artists - upper left/clockwise - Bill Lieb, Glenda Drennen, 

Ron Netten, Robert Ansorge, Joleen Dentlinger, Ken Harskamp, 

Perry Polson and Dennis Dykema.)

The 2014 Artisans Road Trip is exhibiting at the Witter Gallery in Storm Lake, Iowa this month!  A.R.T. participates in exhibits as a group throughout the year.  This latest exhibit opened June 5th at the Witter Gallery and runs through June 27th.

 

There will be an artist's reception at the gallery on Wednesday evening from 5-6:15 p.m.  The exhibit at the Witter is being sponsored by Paxton's Jewelry of Storm Lake. 

 

Come and meet many of the artists involved in this year's Artisans Road Trip, and get a sampling of what this year's A.R.T. has in store for NW Iowa!

Perry Polson - 2012 Artisans Road Trip Artist!

See Perry's Work at the Witter Gallery in Storm Lake!

This week we are looking at Perry Polson, proprietor and wood turner at the "Wild Wood Gallery & Turning Lab" in downtown Spencer, Iowa!

Perry just boxed up the lab and transported his works to the Witter Gallery in Storm Lake for the month of March.  His works will be showing at the Witter from March 6th through the 30th.  You can see Perry's work in a gallery setting during the Witter's hours of Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday - 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m., Thursday - 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday - 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

"The Wild Woods of Iowa" is a real treat - literally walk around Perry's work for an amazing view!

The Witter is at 609 Cayuga Street in Storm Lake; call them at 712 732-3400 for more information.

Learn more about Perry through his Wild Wood Gallery & Turning Lab web site at http://wildwoodturning.com and be sure and stop by again for more of what's going on with artisans of the 2012 Artisans Road Trip!

2011 A.R.T. Artist Perry Polson

"Filled with Emerald Green"

art work © Perry Polson

This 2011 Artisans Road Trip spotlight is on Perry Polson, wood turning artist extraordinaire!  Here Perry brings us into his thought process and musings on recent work. -

"Turning many pieces over the course of the year - every one is a bit different. However my latest project landed me in a pile of maple burls that came from Okoboji and the Emerald Hills Golf course. As I shaved away layer after layer of time from the first large pieces, as they spun on the lathe in front of me, I couldn’t help but ponder whether this tree stood and shared the area with the natives who once lived in the lakes area many many years ago (or may have seen arrows whizzing by it - now to have golf balls flying by)! The mind goes where it will as you remove layer after layer of wood as its spinning inches in front you.  With every pass of the tool,  new patterns and figuring is exposed in the wood and sometimes surprises like wire, nails, rocks, one just never knows.   An arrow head stuck in a crotch that had been engulfed by the tree would have been cool!

Things making full circle as they do - a few of the pieces of that tree have found their way back and are on display in the club house at Emerald Hills till August."

Other works of varying styles, and some newer ones can be seen at Perry's shop - Wild Wood Gallery & Turning Lab, 121 Grand Avenue, Spencer, IA 51301

Stop by and visit!

And check back here again for more artists from the 2011 Artisans Road Trip!

September!

"Prairie Autumn Stream No.2"

(color pencil  © Bruce A. Morrison)
click on image to enlarge 

Wow!  It's September, summer is winding down, and the Artisans Road Trip is looming closer on the horizon!

What are we, as artists, doing in preparation for this?!  Well, in my case panicking!  Ha!  Just kidding!  Well, sorta anyway...there is still much to be done here at the Prairie Hill Farm Studio and I'm still out there chasing the light with both brush and camera.  And we've been working in the gallery to arrange new displays with new pieces and doing last minute framing work as well.

"Chasing the Green Flash"

(sculpture  © Bill Lieb)
click on image to enlarge 

But I'm no different from other A.R.T. artists, we're all working full speed ahead!  Sculptor Bill Lieb is preparing, not only for A.R.T. 2010, but also an exhibit at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in October.  The piece shown here is titled 'Chasing the Green Flash'. It refers to the pursuit of seeing a green flash the moment the sun sets on the ocean.....a favorite pastime while he and Jane sailed and lived on their sailboat for five years.

 Perry Polson at work in his lab
click on image to enlarge 

Perry Polson, at his Wild Wood Gallery & Turning Lab, has just come off a good August receiving an exhibit award of $500 for the Spencer Iowa Main Street Market.  He was also awarded the $100 people's exhibit award during the event as well!

All the other artists on the road trip are preparing their studios or sites for the autumn weekend too!  What a great time of year to get out and enjoy that fresh crisp air...a great change from the hot sticky summer weather we've all been contending with this year!

Be sure and put October 1st, 2nd and 3rd on your calendars for the Artisans Road Trip!

Perry Polson - Featured A.R.T. Artisan

Kristen's Ash by Perry Polson

Near the south end of Grand Avenue (north of the river) in Spencer Iowa, you'll find Perry Polson hard at it in his studio - Wild Wood Gallery & Turning Lab. Perry is an artist of wood...he takes wood and creates some amazing things with it in his turning lab!

Here is a short excerpt from Perry working on a project. Perry had run into a piece of elm that included some surprises and took some persistence...

barbed wire - who knew?!

2 fencing staple as well!

But finely finished - after the battle!

"After a bit of a head scratching its finely done and is a very dramatic piece and being Elm its hard as a dickens let alone the (STEEL REINFORCEMENT) Ha Ha ! And after all that the sale fell through due to some over sight of my own of course . But as they say live and learn so I'm not planning on letting that happen again any time soon. I only hope that someone else finds it to be a piece that they can't live without!

Looks pretty amazing to me, Perry!

Stop by again and meet the artists of the 2010 Artisans Road Trip!