Come visit Wisconsin’s northwoods artists that working in their studios during the last day of the July Northwoods Art Tour. Watch them create and learn about their processes.At the Burger country art studio which is listed as number 9 we are working on many different mediums. We have birchbark baskets and treasure boxes in progress, encaustic painting, and Viking knit jewelry processes for you to learn about!
Come check us out at our 3rd annual Artists & More in the Bog Sale!
3 years ago, I had an inspiration to expand events in the Manitowish Waters area. The first Saturday of December, the Manitowish Waters Lioness have always hosted a fundraiser called The Holiday Home Tour. The Friday prior to the Home Tour is the celebration called Christmas for the Town. In conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, the Manitowish Waters Lioness and the downtown businesses we decided to have a sale showcasing all of the artists and a cranberry gift store in the cranberry bog area of Manitowish Waters. Come check out what we have been creating! We feature unique art and gifts!
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5 Reasons to Buy Local Art
There’s a big move to support local community businesses and community building is created by staying local. You can shop at your local stores, buy from your local farmers, and buy unique gifts for yourself or others by buying from local artists. There are numerous reasons to continue to buy from local artists. Number 1: you love us and we love you! Number 2: when you buy my art I take the money and go out to eat, I tip the bartender, I tip the waitress and I bring money to the Cook’s pocket and his family. Number 3: when you buy from local artists you develop a relationship that is very valuable. At the very last minute, before a celebration or a gift giving opportunity, we are here for you – who needs a last- minute, unique, interesting gift? Who wants to go to Minocqua on a busy Friday in the summer? Call me up, swing by my shop and I just have the perfect gift for you – – not sure what your loved one wants? I can create something for you! Number 4: many of the ideas that I have are from our beautiful forests and many of the items that I make come from our forest and obtained through sustainable harvesting. Therefore, your purchase of my work are local natural wonders! What a great souvenier! Number 5 your purchases allow me the time and freedom to continue creating more art. The extra time that I have allows me to volunteer in my community. Thanks for your support of local artists!
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Teaching Classes – Sharing The Love
Taa-daa!
Porcupine quill class is hard at work
The birth of a porcupine quill hummingbird
The zen like process of porcupine quill embroidery
For nearly 25 years (how can that be???) I have taught basic classes for community education in the arts. I have taught week long courses through the UW School of the Arts – Rhinelander, multi-session classes through the continuing education program at Nicolet College and single session classes throughout the country, through the North Lakeland Elementary Community Education Program and through my contact with others.
When I return to teaching after short lapses, due to scheduling, I am always pleasingly delighted to watch the many students grasp the basics and make the art their very own. It is an honor to share that time with the many different people that have taken my classes throughout the years. What I teach them is small compared to what they teach me!
Yesterday I had the honor of teaching a porcupine quill embroidery class at Fanatical Fish in Butternut, WI. Check them out at www.fanaticalfish.com! It was great to meet Kelly Meredith , the owner and mural painter, and to meet and inspire the students that attended! I look forward to teaching more classes at her studio! Check out my Upcoming events page to more about a free-form peyote stitch bracelet at the Fanatical Fish on September 9 from 9 – 12 and a class called Wire-wrapped Beach Glass, Stones and More on November 11 from 10 – 1.
Let me know what you want to learn – I love to teach – I always learn so much!
Leaving the Nest Mixed Media $235
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The Many Faces of My Art
I recently recovered from a year-long injury that greatly impacted my art. I had a ligament tear in my dominant hand’s thumb. Anyone who has dealt with a thumb injury knows full well why humans (and other opposable thumb bearing animals)really appreciate the thumb and all of its capabilities.
As a result of this injury, I started creating with my non-dominant left hand. I was not fully on board with this until my sweetheart pushed my “challenged, I’ll show you” button. Thank goodness he did this for me!
I started using a watercolor cake set because of its portability – I was determined to do one painting a day. This “forced” creating method benefitted me in many ways. I, through little control of my own, was able to create more abstractly, my painting really loosened up, I learned much more about watercolor so I didn’t dislike the media anymore, and I learned forgiveness for my art. During the year-long process I had a sudden revelation. I did not judge the results of each day’s exercise as harshly as I would have if I had done the same work with my “right” hand.
Sunrise in the Heartland – acrylic, intuitive painting process
Also, my sister-in-law and fellow artist Kathleen Kvern introduced me to intuitive painting processes. I could paint with my hands and I finally got the cool and warm color concept down pat.That concept may be a given to you but I had very little learning of color theory.
The long term impact has been a greater appreciation for my health and well-being and my ability to create, I have learned to listen to warning signs and take care in a more conscious manner and I am glad to have had the experience. Many shared similar stories with me – for one reason or another someone’s creative processes either had to change or the artist made the choice. So many valuable lessons were shared with me.
I also now have felt the sayings, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” and “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Prior to the injury I was growing in several creative directions at once, moving away from my master artist role of natural materials basketry and all things wild – birch bark, porcupine quills, roots and more. The injury made it very difficult to anything that required to hands so I was very grateful for my awkward left handed brush grip. During the last 2 months, I was getting stagnant in my painting – my mind wasn’t flooded with its usual creative ideas. I started working with natural materials again, and once I did, the creative flow became a flood.
Birch bark work, porcupine quill embroidery, pastel drawings, mono-printing, weaving, acrylic paintings, spray-paint paintings and more make up the body of my work.
I guess I’ll never be a “watercolor artist”, an “oil painter”, a “potter” or any of the other many creative venues. I am proud to say that I am creative though. No boxes for me means that the creative world is wide open to me! Experiment, try, try again and you will find your niche!
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Come One, Come All
I believe that the more that you give, the more that you get. I have often heard that many creative people in our area do not have a place to do art, that they like a class setting, that many are looking for social outlets to share their ideas or to get support and encouragement in their creative endeavors. I have heard this and have acted! A huge thank you goes out to our Town Chairman John Hanson and Clerk Dana Hilbert for their assistance in letting us use the wonderful Manitowish Waters Community Center.Share this:
Northwoods Art Tour
. I would like to thank all of the people that have visited The Border Country Art Studio, my working studio, and have helped support local artists by purchasing art during the tour. On Sunday I will be demonstrating the Ojibwe technique of porcupine quill work embroidered on birch bark. I will also be showing the use of Robert Burridge’s Goof-Proof color wheel. Come share in my creative journey!
Join other artists and creative folks on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Manitowish Waters Community Center from 10 – 3 for a local group called Create Art Manitowish Waters. Click here create-art-group for a four card page of 2016 meeting dates. Keep one, share the others with friends!
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The Color of Light
Lately I have really been aware of the color of light. The color of light touching the edges of trees, the color of light at dusk, the color of light peeking through the leaves of the forest. The color of light has been evrywhere – it just seems lately to be more pronounced. Monet was one of the first artists who noticed that light changes how things look and did many studies of objects throughout a day. If you have ever been to the desert and have seen it throughout the day you know how it changes because of the light that hits it. An especially telling piece of art called “The Calling of St. Matthew” really shows how light can impact a scene. As many other artist before me, I am continuing to learn how light and color interact. Using a painting method called intuitive painting, wherein you layer cool and warm colors, I have really learned to see the impact that contrast has. I’m also beginning to notice it and predict how colors will be impacted by the next layer of color I lay over it.
This painting was one of 32 of a series but I created for solo art show. The show was entitled “The Naked Truth – inside out”. The work was the study of the relation of perception and reality. This is my result of an exploration of opinions and beliefs – how these factors impact or are impacted by societal changes and opinions that impact personal belief systems and personal values and mores. The pictured piece was created using an intuitive painting technique.
The painting that is shown above is called “January Sunset. It started with a layer of purple, phtalo blue, Persian blue, hookers green and some deep turquoise.. The next layer was a combination of many shades of yellows, different shades of red, magenta, fluorescent pink, fluorescent yellow and lime green. The layering of cool and warm colors continued until the present image emerged. It very well Iillustrates how essential light is when creating a successful painting. This is something I continue to learn and I often forget some of the rules. I will continue to practice – my mantra should be dark next to light, light next to dark. I hope that you are creating In any way shape or form or enjoying art in any way, shape or form!
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The Show Must Go On
Tic-tac-toe- three of these paintings have sold! A huge thank you goes out to everyone who came to the opening of my art show called “The Naked Truth – Inside Out.” Viewers were struck by the images that I painted using an intuitive painting method. This show includes interactive and introspective elements. The show will be available for viewing through August. The show, held at the Vilas business incubator at 399 Highway 51 in Manitowish Waters will be open August 11 12 and 13, August 18th and 19th and August 25th, 26th and 27th. The hours are 11 to 5 daily. I am looking forward to seeing you there!
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The Naked Truth – Inside Out.
This is 1 of 28 pieces that it will be available for viewing and sale at my solo art show – “The Naked Truth – Inside Out”. The solo show opens at the Vilas County Business Incubator located on Highway 51 and Townline Road in Manitowish Waters on August 7th with a reception from 11 to 2 o clock. The show will be open for further viewing and sales on August 11th,12th and 13th, August 18th and 19th and August 25th, 26th and 27th.
Frances Whitfield Art 