Collections by Carol/ summervp

Collections by Carol/ summervp
a/k/a Prints As Art

Monday, May 19, 2014

"En Plein Air" - Horicon Marsh - May 17th, 2014

Friends of Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center
WGFAU and fun, fun fun!
Five women of the Wild Goose Fine Arts United, artist's group, braved the rapidly changing weather this past Saturday to have the opportunity to create art while sitting at the top of the mound on the back patio of the Friends of Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center as a group of  "En Plein Air" artists!

View of Horicon Marsh from the Trail
I know I enjoyed the camaraderie of the other artists and was very inspired by the absolutely breathtaking views from the top of the mound.

Early in the morning, there was a bright beautiful clear view of the entire marsh but later in the day and as the day progressed, the clouds accumulated and we actually had a few drops of rain fall.  Not enough to dampen any of the participating artists though!

I wanted to make sure to introduce all of you to the other artists you in our very first attempt at an "all call" for artists of any kind, to come and share their art and their passions.
Laura Steinmetz, Mayville, Oil Painter

Mel Kolstad, Fond du Lac, Relief Print Artist
Carol  Jensen, Iron Ridge, Landscape Felter



The first artist to join me in mid-morning was Laura Steinmetz of Mayville, WI. Laura was attempting Plein Air Painting for only the second time in her life and said she loved it.  She paints mainly for individuals and by commission, she was creating several pieces for gifts and for people she knew would love them.  I almost asked her if I could get the first painting she created with a birdhouse in the middle of it....I had to remind myself over and over...small art only!

The next artist is one of my personal mentors, she is a blogger, a collage & multimedia artist,  and most recently has found a love for relief printing, meet Mel Kolstad from Fond du Lac.  She is a very involved art advocate for all NE Wisconsin Visual artists and art associations all along the Lake Michigan's shoreline.  Her credentials are astounding and you won't find a nicer, more down to earth and truly refreshing artist, who is willing to share information. Her efforts to help others is strongly displayed on her "Arts Altogether" Facebook page.
Carol Jensen is an artists that continues to grow and challenge herself, she sounds as though she has tried just about every medium and truly enjoys what she does.  Here she uses raw wool and a piece of felt and creates a beautiful miniature landscape.  I met her in a boutique in Fond du Lac and our friendship continues to grow. I am inspired by her work and I can't wait to visit her farm!

Sue Hoehnen,
And finally, Sue Hoehnen collage and multi-medium artist, creator and owner of Around the Wild Goose LLC Art, and current President/Director of WGFAU.  Seen here Sue displayed tile art and the differences tiles can make as backgrounds for printed art. Sue is full of nervous energy. And although she is extremely busy herself...she finds time for each artist and spends countless hours organizing events and selflessly encouraging and helping all of us get together to be able to create, show and sell our work.  She will be the face of WGFAU at The Art Market of Wild Goose Fine Arts United at the Mayville Farmers Market each Wednesday starting June 4th from 4-8pm at Kiwanis Park.

All in all it was a fabulous day "En Plein Air" with good friends and fellow artists.  We laughed, we shared our work with each other and with those who visited our displays.  We covered for each other to take walks for inspiration for our creations, we bonded and and we drank a lot of coffee!
Collections by Carol overlooking Horicon Marsh

Finally, just one shot of my display.  Note its turned to look out over the Marsh, I just couldn't waste a minute of the view.  What a perfect day!

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1 comment:

Mel Kolstad said...

What a great blog post, Carol! Thank you so much for your very kind words!! This was such a great day, wasn't it? :D