Gail Gates, Photographer

Website: AgingSchmaging.com

Photos can be viewed at (online): https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/gail-gates

(In person at) Gustaf’s Up North Gallery  https://www.gustafsupnorthgallery.com

Despite what her brothers may say, Gail Gates was NOT dropped on her head as an infant. She simply sees life as stories and possibilities. Thus, her photography style, playfully called “app dancing,” reaches for something juuust a notch off of the familiar.

The most common question she gets is, “This is photography? What? Wow!” Followed by, “How did you DO that?”

Well, in a nutshell…

Her process starts by taking traditional photographs with her Nikon or iPhone.  She then layers those images within iPhone apps and other computer-assisted programs to create something painterly or textured, or impressionistic.

“Over the past six years, I have taken classes in this type of artistic expression from excellent teachers…Lynette Sheppard, Dewitt Jones, Jack Davis, Teri Lou Dantzler, and Dee Kotaska. As technology evolves, so does my work/play. I absolutely love it.”

During the Studio ArTour, you will find Gail and her art at Eureka Pots in Farmington, MN.

This turns into this…

This turns into this…

This turns into this…

Gail

People connect with one another through art.  The pictures I take, and later translate into prints or objects, say something to a viewer.  It might be “The natural world is beautiful,” or “mysterious.” Or the scene might elicit a feeling or evoke a memory.  My work starts with my personal interaction with what I see, and hopefully becomes a connection with someone else.

Joel Froehle is an artist and educator creating pottery and more recently, paintings on ceramic forms. His functional pottery is intended for daily use to accentuate the home.  He’s hard at work making new pots for the Studio Artour this Fall.  He’s been part of the Studio Artour for many years, but his studio will be a new stop on the tour this year.

In addition to pottery, Froehle also makes mixed-media paintings on ceramic “canvases”.  A series of these are currently part of a group show at the Northfield Arts Guild. The show, “Landscapes in the Abstract”, features four artists working across different media and is open now through 8/21 with an artists’ reception on 8/5 from 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Joelfroehle.com

Julie Fakler paints vibrant one of a kind domestic animal portraits. Over the years she has developed her own unique painting style by applying many thin layers of acrylic paint to build up a representational image of an animal.

Julie will share with you how she creates her portraits. She teaches Paint a Portrait of Your Pet locally at the Paradise Center for the Arts and at the Northfield Arts Guild.

In these photos you can see her process of adding thin layers of acrylic paint. Seven steps in total that get repeated until the painting is finished. Julie also takes on commissions and will paint a portrait of your pet.

For more information, please visit https://juliefakler.com/

Christie Clarke creates one of a kind slab built pottery and necklaces that evoke thoughts of ancient objects yet have an unmistakably contemporary sensibility.  Each piece is textured and colored with underglaze and glazes that create vivid colorscapes. Some vessels have additional touches of gold leaf. Her work has been exhibited in several group showings of the MN Women Ceramic Association  in the Twin Cities, the Northfield Fine Craft Collective, the Anderson Center for the Arts in Red Wing MN, the Minnesota State Fair Art Show, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport and is in the permanent collection of the Goldstein Museum of design at the University of Minnesota. Her work is sold at the Grand Hand Gallery in St. Paul, Fleur-de-lis gallery in Faribault and the Northfield Arts Guild in Northfield.

Michelle Ahlers creates her jewelry in her studio just outside Faribault on her flower farm, where she draws much of her inspiration. Collections reflect a balanced earth feel with such names as, ‘out of the blue, ‘golden harvest’, ‘from the sea’, & ’naturals’.
Michelle uses mixed metals, semi-precious stones, wood, glass, and other elements.
deMichellah Jewelry

Antique brass connects  4 Howlite Strands

Native Fringe. Versatile beaded fringe will be enhanced by copper mounts

Everyday wear, Leather meets Copper

‘Out of the blue’ collection

Kathy Anderson

Last January, images for the Weft Faced Weaving class offered by the Weaver’s Guild caught my eye. The colorful patterns reminded me of woven pieces from indigenous groups across the globe, from Scandinavian countries to the Americas to West Africa.

A Zoom weaving class?

“Why not!” I decided.

My approach to weaving is inspired by Saori, a contemporary Japanese style of weaving dedicated to free-form expression and pure improvisation from the heart, with no premeditated pattern in mind.  So this more structured approach would be a major departure for me.

I am so thankful I took the dive!  The teacher was great and made Zoom learning a breeze. It was inspiring to once again connect with fellow fiber enthusiasts and I also found that once I had the patterns under my belt there was lots of room to play with color and maintain my ability to design on the fly!

Samples of my weft face weaving from class:

Kathy Anderson Weft faced

Kathy Anderson Weft faced

Applications are now open online for the 17^th Annual Studio ARTour. This a self-guided tour of artists’ studios in the Farmington, Northfield and Faribault, MN area will be  held Oct 8-10 and we are looking for artists to participate. Registration now at StudioARTour.com

Artists are welcome whether or not they have their own studio because they can be a guest at another artist’s studio stop*. This year, in addition to our established and experienced creators, we are encouraging young artists, emerging artists and new-to-the-scene older artists who are making work as a second career to apply.

We will also be looking for artists interested in mentoring and hosting these emerging artists, if they need one. This will be reflected in our application which you can access here: https://2021southcentralmnstudioartour.artcall.org

The Studio ARTour is interested in fostering a wider range of artists in this, their 17^th annual celebration of regional art and artists. We are looking for makers who are just out of school, or getting started as well as creators who may be retired and starting on a new discipline as a second career. All are welcome to apply to the tour! Whether you are a long-time studio tour artist or brand new, it is a great way to showcase and sell your art. It’s very easy to apply and pay online.

*Each artist must apply individually.

The Studio ARTour is a co-operative event among a group of artists in the areas around Farmington, Northfield, and Faribault. We open our studios to the public on the second weekend in October and invite you to come out and see where and how we work!
In 2020, The ARTour featured 11 studios and 27 artists; many of the studios on the tour have several artists working in a variety of media. The artists are happy to answer questions and provide information about the art. In addition to having work for sale, some studios will have artist demonstrations.

On the Studio ARTour, you can experience a wide range of media. Some of the disciplines represented are: ceramics, glass, jewelry, metal work, painting, photography, textiles, and woodworking.

www.studioARTour.com
Facebook/Instagram: studioARTour

Michelle Ahlers creates her jewelry in her studio just outside of Faribault on her flower farm, where she draws much of her inspiration. Collections reflect a balanced earthy feel with such names as, ‘out of the blue’ , ‘golden Harvest’ , ‘from the sea’ ,& ‘Naturals’. Michelle uses mixed metals, semi-precious stones, wood, glass and other elements.
Demichellah Jewelry.