Scandia, MN
2023 Booth #100A
© Nancy Potek
My art in is the dyeing and embellishing of fabrics. I am primarily interested in the effects of natural dyeing and eco- dyes. Eco-dyeing is the process of pressing and steaming leaves and plants on natural fabrics to release their pigments. I also use modern dyes and paint for additional effects.
© Lauren Oland
Lauren's handwoven work is unified through a mission to create special one-of-a-kind wearable items in her zero waste studio. She is inspired by color theory, musical patterns and the play between negative and positive space. Her items are created with remnants and locally sourced fibers such as light, wearable cotton and wool from regional farms. After weaving, Lauren uses every part of the cloth to create various items. This process brings a large variety of sizes and price points to this artisan-made collection. Favorite items include meditation shawls, fanny packs, mending kits, upcycled denim jackets, and handwoven kaftan tops. Because they are always sustainably hand-created and one-of-a-kind, her work inspires fun and a celebration of individuality and creative self expression.
© Cameron Williams
At the heart of it all my work revolves around nature and my ever changing connection with it. My digital photographs are subject to two main categories. First is my more traditional landscapes, consisting of places around the world, mostly our national parks, these are places that pull me closer to the natural world and help inspire me. Sometimes I have to hike days into the backcountry to reach these places, bringing several lenses and a tripod. My other work involves a deeper exploration into my relationship with nature. I use long exposure photography to create abstract photos of landscapes, where I move my camera like I'm painting on a canvas. I view these images as a collaboration with myself and the landscape itself, injecting my influence onto the scene. The result is a landscape that is neither entirely real nor entirely false. My work is printed on traditional photo papers and on canvas.
© Rosa Chavez
Like most contemporary artists, Rosa Chavez is inspired by multiple art styles and movements. Looking through her portfolios, collectors will find that she is influenced by a mixture of abstraction, minimalism and figurative painting styles. These sots of influences allow her to create the unique energy found in her work; from peaceful yet joyful marinas where boats are docked, to her energetic regattas where you feel the intensity of the race being portrayed by the long strokes of paint. She uses color, texture and basic shapes throughout her work to create the energy one feels while sailing out in the open water. Her color palette is mostly composed of blue hues, complemented by primary colors usually found on racing or docked boats. She uses these bright primary colors to bring in some joy in a canvas filled with blue hues, something that is commonly experienced while you ‘re out sailing in a large lake or ocean; where the water mass and the sky seem to be endless.
© Amanda Peterson
All designs were conceptualized and patterned by the artist. Each piece of leather is hand cut from top grain vachetta and black oil tan leathers. Cut edges are hand finished by sealing and burnishing - in the case of vachetta, or priming and dyeing - in the case of Black Oil Tan. Pieces are then stitched, using a combination of industrial machines for seaming, and hand stitching for applying embellishments and details.
© Steven Daniel
Photos of LIVE Red-Eyed tree frogs, photographed mostly in a studio setting, using miniature props, flowers and other items. Realistic-looking props are sometimes held in place with wires, and frogs are coaxed into position. Pictures are made with a camera, NOT a computer. These are live animals.
S Lenz Metal Sculptu
Arden Hills MN
2022 Booth #49
© Stuart Lenz
Mr. Lenz does a mixture of oxy/acetylene welding and blacksmithing to create his sculptures, usually from many small pieces. This is commonly called Direct Metal Sculpting. His art reflects natural themes, often with a minimalist look and feel.
© Kate Schneider
I hand paint onto (pre-hemmed/white) silk scarves, using a variety of resist techniques I have developed over the past 10+ years. I am easily bored, so there is quite a bit of variation between my scarves in terms of techniques used, personality and general appearance. They run the gambit from rather irreverent and edgy to just plain pretty!
Highland Woods Studio
St. Frances, MN
2022 Booth #47
© Donna Budzynski
I am a new emerging artist just starting to show my work. I have always done art, I have been published in magazines for my mixed media and sculpted work. I am now going back to my first medium, painting.
I consider myself to be on a creative journey. I have evolved over the years and I am ready to take this journey and see it soar.
I have been working with the explosion of vibrant colors on my palette and loving it. Wondering who or what will show up next on my canvas.
My hope is that the viewer enjoys the colors, emotions, and gives them a smile, thought, or sparks a memory.
© Wenwen Manfred
Wenwen learned to love painting from her father who was a local artist and teacher in her hometown of Zhuhai, China. She made art her passion when she went to study animation and film at the Central Academy of Beijing.
Eventually, this led her to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where she got her Master of Fine Arts in Experimental Animation.
© Wenwen Liao
Wenwen modernizes traditional ink and wash painting techniques. She loves the imagery it produces but wants to give a personal connection to the audience that is not present in traditional themes. Her art uses colors to create tranquil moments of childhood innocence. The paintings create warm and loving scenes that are full of positive energy which enrich the viewer. Her experience with animation allows her to give the characters a sense of movement that creates a story in the imagination.
© Kristin Schue
Krisitn Schue is known for her thoughtful incorporation of found ephemera and photographs in her mixed media work which evoke memories and familiar stories. Based in Minneapolis - St. Paul, Kristin has shown her work for two decades, developing several series of works utilizing materials from newspapers, and antique cabinet card photographs to View-Master reels. She finds her muse in anonymous discarded materials waiting to be rediscovered and take on a new life.
© Kristin Schue
My studio looks a bit like a cluttered antique store specializing in papers and photographs. I have always been drawn to these weathered items carrying stories we will never quite know. From these items I glimpse a hidden narrative, which I develop further by adding other materials to contribute to the story. I hope viewers find something strange yet familiar in my work that sparks their own memory, humor or sense of wonder.
© Mindy Sick
Growing up in rural Montana, I was drawn to the beauty of nature from a young age. For much of my life, I endeavored to capture nature’s beauty in pencil and paint.When I discovered ceramics after moving to Minnesota, I realized I had found the perfect canvas for my nature-inspired designs. After years of training as a student of ceramics at community art centers, I began sharing my work at local art fairs. I am now instructing a ceramics class at Ceramic Sow, a vibrant pottery studio in Hopkins.
I carve the natural life around me into my wheel-thrown orhand-built pots when they are leather hard, a technique called sgraffito. Some of my sgraffito work involves a process I call slip-carving, where I cover a piece entirely in black slip before carving out my designs. The result resembles a block print, which emphasizes the small details that give my birds and foxes personality and my sunflowers movement. I also use “reverse sgraffito” where I carve a slab that is fired to make a stamp. Iimprint fresh clay with my carved patterns to create unique textures and add dimension. I use all of these techniques and more to express my love of nature and design and give my pieces personality and heart.
I make both functional and decorative ceramic pieces that are handcrafted with much decorative detail. I throw many of my pieces on a potter's wheel, but I also enjoy hand-building, so I have a variety of wares. I also include some sculpted elements such as bird knobs or sculpted animals as totem pieces. I enjoy using many different decorating techniques in the pursuit of my artistic vision, which allows me to appeal to different buyers. However, almost all of my pots are hand-etched or carved, or incorporate hand-carved stamps which makes my work both cohesive and unique. I also have a wide range of prices so that anyone who enjoys my work can find something to buy and enjoy.
© Kristi Abbott
2022 Booth #86
Hand cut collage artworks made from layers of thousands of pieces of paper and hidden printed imagery
© Brenda Woods
My floor cloths start as heavy canvas, cut to size and hemmed. Acrylic paint is used on the front and back surfaces, completely filling the weave on the front. The design is sketched in and then painted in bright colors with acrylic art paint. The durable, high gloss finish is created by applying multiple layers of polyurethane varnish to all surfaces, producing functional art pieces. Sizes range from 2'x 3' mats to 6' x 9' room size rugs, in round, rectangular, square, and long runner shapes.
© Steph Kunze
My artistic practice mainly consists of graphite drawings done on paper. These drawings are characterized for their soft texture, which I create through detailed shading and cross hatching. For some of these drawings, I use a computer to digitally overlay them with color.
© Chad Stevenson
Our functional art is made with natural, live edge black walnut wood, and filled with vibrantly colored epoxy resin.
JotMardoKingJewelry
Minneapolis MN
© Jot King
2022 Booth #52
My designs are fabricated by me using semi-precious stones combined with gold, sterling silver and/or copper. Techniques include forging, soldering, doming, bending and etching. Each piece is either high polished or matte finished. Water is an important influence on my one of a kind gems.
© Toby Skov
A successful image sets a mood, and creates an emotional response. This is my goal. There is more to a moment than what you see with your eyes. There are your thoughts at the time, the sounds, smells, what you touch...and more. All of these are real and integral to my photography.
I use multiple in-camera methods to achieve my goal: using lens, homemade pinhole, and vintage 1950's cameras. All my images are captured in natural light.
Starting from sheets and balls of glass, I hand cut and shape the glass. I then layer it in different color combinations and styles, which are then fused in a kiln. Once they come out of the kiln, they are ready to either be coldworked and fused again or to be made into jewelry.
Taking copper or sterling silver wire of various gauges, I weave, wrap, and hammer the wire to create the jewelry, forming the wire around the glass cabochons. These pieces are then put in a liver of sulfur solution to add patina. They are then polished to create highlights and low-lights, bringing out the intricacy of the wirework.
© Lee Zimmerley
2023 Booth #59
The stoneware pottery I create is primarily wheel thrown, then hand decorated using additive techniques. My pieces, which are both decorative and functional, are influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement and its depictions of plants and animals, and I often use my own garden as inspiration!