Hank Hall in 6th International Texas Teapot Tournament

 Hank working on "Celebrating Line & Dots" teapot

Here's an update from A.R.T. participant Hank Hall…

Two of Hank’s signature teapots are currently showing in the 6^th International Texas Teapot Tournament presented by C.A.M.E.O. and 18 Hands Gallery in Houston, Texas. Celebrating Line & Dots and Squirt II are among 80 exhibited teapots from across the county, England and Singapore. The juror for the exhibit Piero Fenci is a distinguished ceramic artist and educator with an MFA in ceramics from Alfred University in Alfred, New York.  

"Celebrating Line & Dots"

© Hank Hall 

18 Hands Gallery is a premier ceramic arts gallery located in the Historic Heights District in Houston. CAMEO (Clay Arts Museum and Education Organization) of Houston sponsors exhibits of emerging artists, workshops and demonstrations in support of its core mission of supporting education and appreciation of clay as a form of art. The exhibit opened at 18 Hands Gallery with a reception on January 12 and runs through January 27.

"Squirt II "

© Hank Hall

Hall’s fascination with making teapots started when he studied under Bauhaus-trained Marguerite Wildenhain at Pond Farm Pottery in Guerneville, California during the summers of 1973 and 1974. His goal now is satisfying his own esthetic sense of what makes an entertaining, inventive, and personal teapot form. According to Hall, “Sometimes I entertain myself by searching store aisles for hardware gadgets, trinkets, wire, and other materials to fashion into a teapot lid or an embellishment. Recently I have been decorating my teapots with dots and lines to bring my interests in drawing and clay together.”

Hall is a full-time working artist in Olde Town Spirit Lake where he has renovated the late Joe Lieb’s wood-working shop into an art studio and gallery called Art on 16^th. The gallery features outstanding work by area fine artists - including Hall’s teapots, pottery, drawings, and paintings - and started the tradition of the area’s First Friday Art Trek in 2007. For more information go to www.hankhallarton16th.com or Facebook. 

A.R.T. Artist Karess Knudtson

 Artist Karess Knudtson

News from an Artist of the 2012 Artisans Road Trip Karess Knudtson: I am pleased to have a solo art exhibit and sale the month of January at the Noble County Art Center in Worthington, MN!  Exhibit opening will be held this Sunday, January, 6th from 2 - 4 pm.  Come out and enjoy refreshments at the Noble County Art Center located at 407 12th Street in downtown Worthington, MN.

"Prairie Winds"

© Karess Knudtson

Please see the article below from the Worthington Daily Globe newspaper. 

http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/61970/

 

Get Ready for A.R.T. in 2013!

2013 marks the 10th Anniversary for the Artisans Road Trip!  Yes its hard to believe, but so much has happened since the maiden voyage in 2004!  Many, many artists have participated, and from all over NW Iowa.

In the spirit of our 10th Anniversary, we're planning for another great year and want to be sure and get the word out to other artists out there who may be new to the region or having recently returned, that the 2013 A.R.T. artist's "Call-for-Entry" is out and available for artists wishing to participate in this great event during 2013!

The 2013 Artisans Road Trip "Call-for-Entry" is available online at the A.R.T. web site at -

http://www.artisansroadtrip.com/2013-Call-for-Entry-page1.htm

Just print out the entry form sections and mail to the address indicated!

Or you may contact any of the individuals listed on the organization's web site page for more information (phone numbers and e-mail addresses) at -

http://www.artisansroadtrip.com/ataglance.htm

If you, or someone you know, would like to be an active participant of the 2013 Artisans Road Trip, don't wait too long, the sign up period ends in mid January!

Get ready for another great year!!!

Christmas in the Gallery!

Works like these and much more can be found at

"Christmas in the Gallery" at Arts on Grand!

(artworks © the following artists - top left, clockwise -
Anita (Katie) Baedke-Plucker, Mel Myers, Danielle Clouse,

Holly Kellog, Dennis Dykema, Bruce Morrison, Judy Hemphill,

Barb McGee, and center - Timothy J. Arand-McIlrath)

Several Artisans Road Trip Artists are being showcased in the "Christmas in the Gallery" exhibit at Arts on Grand in Spencer, Iowa!

The Exhibit Gallery will be filled with art items from area artists for holiday gift buying.  More than 20 artists are participating, with work in many mediums, including: blown glass, ceramics, handpainted silk scarves, jewelry, note cards from original paintings and photographs, painted ornaments, paintings, photography, musical CDs, collages, textiles (scarves, hats, purses), fused glass, encaustics, wood turnings and more!

The exhibit runs from December 3, 2012 - January 5, 2013.

A.R.T Exhibiting in Clear Lake!

The Artisans Road Trip is having their final exhibit of 2012 at the Clear Lake Art Center in Clear Lake, Iowa form November 20 through January 5, 2013!

As mentioned in previous blogs, the Artisans Road Trip is not just about a weekend open studio tour the first weekend of October - its also about the best artists of NW Iowa and bringing their work to the public!

Many of the A.R.T. artists are busy exhibiting in other area shows and exhibitions throughout the holiday season as well.  Small Bussiness Saturday is a really big deal for area artists...they are small business people too!  You can find the A.R.T. artists on the A.R.T. website for their studio locations and contacts - http://www.artisansroadtrip.com/  The GALLERY link will take you right the the artist names and these link directly to each individual. Why not shop locally and support your local economy; bring home works created right here in NW Iowa!

Next year will celebrate the Artisans Road Trip's 10th year!  2012 has been a great year - 2013 promises to be even better!!!

Take in the final exhibit of the year in Clear Lake if you're able, and watch for more great things to come in 2013 - Thank you for your support of A.R.T. in Northwest Iowa!

2012 A.R.T. Mel Myers

Hand Carved Pottery © Mel Myers

Artists of the 2012 Artisans Road Trip are all gearing up for the holiday season!  This week we are highlighting Mel Meyers!

Mel is continually working on new glazes and forms of his hand thrown, hand carved pottery. His colors range from a nice, lively green (popular for the Christmas season), to warm earth tone glazes of browns and golds. He has had recent fun making flower frogs and vases that hold water for fresh cut flowers. His bowls and covered oven dishes have been popular for use at Thanksgiving meals as they keep the food nice and warm for the second helpings.
 
Mel has been working with pottery for over thirty years -- all in Spencer, so he is a home town, northwest Iowa artist whose work can be found in several galleries.

Mel welcomes people who stop by his studio, which is open for business daily at 717 11th Ave. East in Spencer. Be sure and stop in and see his most recent work!

For more information you can contact Mel at - 712-580-2529.

2012 A.R.T. Artist Tim Arand-McIlrath at the Wanda J Skogerboe Juried Exhibition

"Tributaries" and "Starryeyed"

© Tim Arand-McIlrath

Two of the two dimensional mixed media pieces that Tim Arand-McIlrath has been creating are currently being exhibited in the Wanda J  Skogerboe Juried Exhibition currently on view at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji,IA.

Detail from "Tributaries"

© Tim Arand-McIlrath

"Tributaries" and Starryeyed" were accepted into the juried exhibition.  "Tributaries" is a diptych consisting of two panels with layered acrylic paint and crocheted yarn. "Starryeyed" has an acrylic painted background with crocheted yarn and beads.

Detail from "Starryeyed"

© Tim Arand-McIlrath 

Founded in 1993, this biannual, juried exhibition is designed to further the art center’s mission by supporting and exhibiting contemporary art from the greater Midwest. This year the Wanda K. Skogerboe Juried Exhibition was judged by Barbara Walton, Associate Professor of Integrated Studio Arts at Iowa State University.

Thirty- five artists with 96 works entered the exhibit; twenty-two artists with 40 works have been selected to participate. 

Other A.R.T. artists included in the exhibition include Judy Thompson, Orange City; Dennis Dykema, Spirit Lake; Karess Knudtson, Milford; William Lieb, Spirit Lake; Hank Hall, Spirit Lake; and Glenda Drennen, LeMars.

The exhibition will be on display through December 31st, 2012

Tim's artwork can be seen online at https://www.facebook.com/ArtguyProductions and is available for purchase at Art on 16th Gallery in Spirit Lake.

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