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.

Anita Baedke-Plucker - "A Time to Create"

"One With Nature"
(watercolor)

This week's Artisans Road Trip featured artist is Anita (Katie) Baedke-Plucker from Terril, Iowa. Katie is speaking to a subject all artists struggle for and with - "a time to create".

Katie -
I hear so often of the frustration and disappointment of people, mostly women, who want to spend more time on/at their art. However, the reality and responsibilities of everyday life get in the way. I have and will probably continue to experience those same frustrations myself. I can only speak as to my experience: first, I remember saying to myself, “if I only had a day to paint.” I have realized that I can get a lot of watercolor painting done in 30 minutes! If that is the fragment of time you have, take it! Make the most of it. Stay connected with the piece. Last year I did not plan my annual 'Arts Adventure'; no workshops or classes, no exhibits; and no 'art-in-the-parks'. My goal was to sort through, organize, and clean 60 years of 'treasures' on the family farm, hoping that time, Mom and Dad would move to an assisted living villa. Most of my time was spent out on the farm. However, 2009 was probably one of my most productive years in producing art and releasing prints. I took advantage of those fragments of time. I knew that is all I had. Plus, I could not afford a negative attitude about all of this and making excuses. I found myself repeating over and over to myself in my mind, "I have plenty of time to get everything done." The mind is very powerful.

Second: If you have to get your art supplies out of the closet in order to paint, you probably won’t. And you will use up valuable limited time in the preparation and the putting-away. Find an area or a room where you can work and leave you supplies and
materials out, if it’s only a card table in a corner somewhere. When my sons were babies and toddlers, I was a stay-at-home mom plus took care of three other children, as well. I had a space in the corner of my kitchen (I will admit it was a very large kitchen.) and “while the macaroni was cooking” I was in the corner either analyzing work or painting a few strokes of watercolor. I had and have a terrific thirst, a need to create, and found a way, if only for a few minutes. Sooooooo get that space ready. I really believe this to be true, “If you want something bad enough, you will find a way; if not, you will find an excuse.” Become aware of the roadblocks we can throw up to prevent ourselves from getting what we desire.

"Land of Plenty"
(watercolor)

And...if you are working ‘large’, having small fragments of time here and there to complete a large piece alone can be frustrating and overwhelming and make you feel defeated. You may lose that initial energy and excitement which led you to begin the work. Perhaps work in a smaller format??? a smaller size??? I know many artists who would argue that idea with me. Very simply, do the math. I recently read of an artist who paints one painting per day and posts it on her website each day for sale. One painting every day! They are small, I think they were 6”x6”, but 365 per year and she was working, painting every day. That alone, must be fulfilling.

"Lakeside Laboratory - Shimek Lab"
(watercolor)

Also, I believe there is a “season” for the chapters in your life – caring and nurturing your children, employment to financially support the family, caring for an ill/disabled spouse, parent or child, etc. Often these chapters will require almost all of your time and commitment. And that is the way it is supposed to be. The season for your art will come. Knowing that and accepting that will lessen the frustration and deliver a certain amount of peace as you turn the pages of those chapters.

Another battle can be the idea that people do not take artists seriously. Our need to create is seen as a hobby, a fun way to spend time or a waste of time. If you have people around you who feel that way about your art, that can be a huge difficult obstacle. My heart goes out to you. My art is a real need. “I just gotta make me something.” And I am the happiest when I have taken any opportunity to create. I am reminded it is the process that is the most enjoyable part in creating. Robert Henri wrote, "Museums of art will not make a country an art country. But where there is the art spirit there will be precious works to fill museums. Better still, there will be the happiness that is in the making."

Remember to stop back from time to time for another glimpse at the artists from the Artisans Road Trip!

Faye Wilson - From the Road Trip!

With this new Artisans Road Trip blog we visit with Faye Wilson, Watercolor artist from rural Cherokee, Iowa. I don't know about you but I find it fun learning about all these artists in this year's Artisans Road Trip! Here's Faye -


"This is my studio/spare room. It's great to have a place to leave my art stuff out. In October last year my sister and I moved into an old square farmhouse with my cat Purl. Most of my days are spent working as a floral designer in Cherokee, but when I get a few spare minutes I come here to paint. My dad gave me a desk ,but I always seem to gravitate to the floor it just seems more comfortable and I can really spread out."

"Right now I'm working on a portrait of Purl. Her favorite activities include sleeping, eating flies and drinking my paint water if I'm not looking! In my job I get to use my creativity every day, but with my art work I only have to please me, not any particular customer."

"The last painting was painted while I was snowed in (one of the blessings of living in the country)! Just what you need on a cold winter's morning - coffee and a warm sticky cinnamon roll. Baking on a cold day (or any day) just seems like home and it brings me comfort after a long week at work."

Join us again in the near future and spend a snipit of time with an artist from A.R.T.!!!

Those Dreaded Comissions

"Hot Rodder"
(watercolor)

This Artisans Road Trip blog features Barb McGee, a painter whose studio is located in the Ridge and Tallgrass region of A.R.T. - in Peterson, Iowa. Barb's favored mediums are watercolor and oil, and her subject matter is generally western in theme, and (although not limited to) equine.

"Megan's Painting"

(watercolor)

Barb is speaking today on her views of commissioned works:

"There are two sides to every issue and the same is true of commissions. Almost every artist I know hates to do commissions and they growl the whole time they are doing them. Because of the type of work that I do, it seems that I am blessed with a number of them. I have devised a plan that sometimes works well for me and my client. If it is at all possible, I will go and take my own photographs of the subject. I will usually take twenty or thirty shots and then all we have to do is download to their computer and choose which one we want to use for the painting. This method gives both of us input into the painting but allows me to feel like it is my own creation.

Kathy's Folks
(watercolor)

On the other side of the coin are the commissions that drive us all wild AUGH !!! Here are three different pictures of my dad's dead horses can you do a painting of them??? Of course all of the snapshots are from 20 ft away and none are really what you would call attractive and one of them is turned in the opposite direction, what do you do then? PUNT, IMPROVISE, then I praise God that when it is done, they will come and get it and give me a check. It won't be collecting dust in the gallery for the rest of my natural life. Yeah for commissions?????"

"Alexis Foot"
(watercolor)

You can see more of Barb McGee's artwork on her art websites - McGee Gallery & Framing, and Horses by McGee.

Stop back on occasion and see what the artisans of A.R.T. are up to, their thought process, or typical day in the studio or in the field!

A.R.T. Artist Bill Lieb

"Charting A Fix"
wall sculpture by William Lieb

Today we'll meet William Lieb, one of the 35 artists taking part in the 2010 Artisans Road Trip! Bill's statement from the A.R.T. web site page describes his work as "Sculpture in metals, woods and plastics that engage and energize the human spirit".

"Whistling For Wind"
wall sculpture by William Lieb

Let's meet Bill Lieb and his work!

Bill - "I am preparing new work for my scheduled one-man exhibit at the Pearson's Lakes Art Center this October 14 through December 31, 2010. Most all of my past art pieces have been in the form of pedestal-displayed interior sculpture and large exterior public sculpture."

"Gathering Our Wits"
wall sculpture by William Lieb

"Recently I have been constructing large wall reliefs as part of a series I am calling my 'Cruising Series'...... inspired by a five-year sailboat adventure where Jane and I cruised in our small sailboat from San Diego, California to Ft. Meyer, Florida via the Panama Cannel. Generally the reliefs are each around 5' wide x 3'-8" high x 10" deep and weigh about four pounds. They are constructed of 1/8" thick Baltic birch plywood and are finished with acrylic paints."

Wow! Be sure and visit Bill's upcoming exhibit this year - as well as the Artisans Road Trip!!! You can also view Bill's work on the A.R.T. website or Bill Lieb's website!

Destination ART!

Autumn during A.R.T. is sublime!
(photo from the Ridge & Tallgrass region of the tour)

The Artisans Road Trip is a destination driven tour, and the fall is a beautiful time of the year to have destination choices this good!

The regions for A.R.T. are broken into 4 regions: Iowa Great Lakes, Prairie Wetlands, Ridge & Tallgrass Prairie (personal favorite :), and Beautiful View.

Iowa Great Lakes, of course, entails both East and West Okoboji and Spirit Lake and the immediate areas nearby. The Prairie Wetlands comprise a band of region south, east and west of the lakes with Spencer being the unofficial hub. The Ridge & Tallgrass Prairie region is that wonderful undulation of hills and valleys south and west of the wetlands. And the Beautiful View is the southern most region with Storm Lake as the hub.

For a wonderful outing, great art, and an awesome destination - put the Artisans Road Trip down for your trip itinerary next Autumn!

An A.R.T. Atist's Day

This year A.R.T. has 35 artists participating and they cover a wide diversity of mediums. Today we'll follow the Web/Blog creator for A.R.T. (Bruce Morrison) as he works in the studio/gallery on his snow "buried" acreage along the Waterman Creek valley in SW O'Brien County -

High Summer Skies - Oil on canvas
(private collection)

I'm a 'full-time' artist but freelance in related areas to pay the bills. I try, for my sanity sake, to keep work related somehow to my interests - those that also benefit my art work. I do natural history related websites for instance...contributing images from my photographic files to illustrate client's pages. One example of this would be my county's nature center (The Prairie Heritage Center), I also do museum display work and touch-screen computer kiosk work in this field as well.

One job that has helped contribute paintings, drawings and photography for my studio and gallery is a regional grant for Watchable Wildlife in NW Iowa. I was contracted to design a site and build pages that encompass various natural areas in NW Iowa...these pages have information on each site (given to me by the grant administrators) and I supply the images to illustrate that information, the google maps to locate the sites, and do short video productions to give a brief "feel" for most locations. These videos are embedded in the pages but can also be downloaded to i pods and such for travelers visiting the area. The site currently has about 35 locations but I have spent the past year visiting about 75 more places and photographing/videotaping and am spending this winter and spring putting these together to add to the current project.

How does this contribute to my artwork? The image near the blog's beginning is an example of a plein air painting from one of the locations along the Watchable Wildlife site; working at these locations give me great opportunities and ideas for landscape painting and photography!

September Dawn, Little Sioux River- Oil on canvas
(private collection)

Here's another location example (this time an event - a canoe race I video taped and photographed); I found more places to return to for working with the landscape.

Today I am working on the next 75 sites...I'll likely be throwing in slots of time for other paintings or drawings as work permits through the days and weeks ahead.

Many artists on A.R.T. also have websites, blogs and a presence on social networks, I am no exception as you may surmise. You can keep track of what artists are up to on a daily/weekly basis by following their blogs or face book page! All of this information is available on each A.R.T. artist's page on the Artisans Road Trip web site, just go to the "Gallery" link and select artists from there.

But be sure and subscribe to this Artisans Roadtrip Blog and learn more about the artists of A.R.T.!