The 8th annual Door County Festival of Fine Arts (DCFA) takes place on Saturday, August 13, from 10 am to 5 pm in the expanded Sister Bay Waterfront Park at the northern end of the beautiful Door peninsula.
Artist Marcia Nickols at Door County Festival of Fine Arts 2010
Artistic demonstrations at art festivals may be commonplace, yet few festivals require every artist to demonstrate their skills to the public as they agree to do in the invitational DCFA. Each artist that participates in the annual event shows off their talent not only with finished pieces of fine art at the Festival, but by demonstrating their artistic process to the public during at least two scheduled times in the day. This concept of demonstrations by each artist is unique to the DCFA and brings to the Waterfront Park in Sister Bay an air of participation and engagement from the public.
“By demonstrating our techniques, I work to open up the doors that have been opened for me,” says Sister Bay-based artist Tom Seagard. “I invite people in, to their level of expression and understanding, so they too can understand the artistic process.”
Whether they travel the world or remain in Wisconsin for their inspiration, the DCFA only features fine artists who call Door County their home or who use the Door peninsula as their base of operations. As a means of engaging creative minds at every artistic level, the DCFA hosts an Activities Tent, where art lovers of all ages can unleash their creativity through a variety of media.
“When you give children (and adults) an opportunity, they express themselves effortlessly. All you have to do is get out of their way,” Seagard says.
Seagard taught art at public schools and continues to teach classes around Door County.
Artists, like Egg Harbor-based watercolor painter Kari Anderson, have participated in DCFA for years, some since the Festival’s inception at the Hardy Gallery in 2003.
“The show has developed a strong reputation for high quality work,” Anderson explains. “It’s unique, because it’s an invitational show for Door County artists, which gives people from other cities an opportunity to see how artists make a living here on the peninsula.”
Also returning this year, is a free-entry drawing for pieces of fine artwork donated by participating DCFA artists. Anyone who attends the Festival is eligible to enter and receives a free raffle ticket! For more information, call 920.854.3230 or visit: www.cometosisterbay.com.
Participating Artist Roster for DCFA 2011
Arnold Alaniz: Trained in Madison, WI and got his MFA in the late 1960s. He opened his first gallery in Ephraim in 1981. In the mid-80s, Arnold was represented by 2,200 galleries worldwide, and has been the top-selling landscape artist in the U.S.
Kari Anderson: Has been painting in watercolor for a good 30 years. Her style is easy to recognize as a splashy, colorful watercolorist who captures so many glimpses of our beautiful Door County peninsula. She likes to paint outside the lines! Kari stays very busy with teaching watercolor as well as being involved in county government. In 1980 she married Paul Witalison, together they reside in a renovated old one-room schoolhouse near Jacksonport.
R.D. “Bob” Bentley: His familiar signature has been seen throughout the United States on hundreds of public portraits of congressmen and businessmen, and private paintings for individuals and families. Yale honors major and student at the Art institute of Chicago, Bob is known for his boldness with oil paint. While portraits have long been Bob’s life as an artist, he has progressed from portraiture to (and including) landscapes. Some of his most special paintings are “portscapes,” which allow the subject to be portrayed in a casual, informal setting.
Ernest Beutel: Most of Ernest’s imagery is based within the subconscious, although at the same time it is representational. His imagery reminds us that life is a balance between the grotesque and the playful, the real and the surreal. The process of painting is as important as the end result. Through examination of Ernest’s painting, one will notice the layers of acrylic paint and spray paint that recedes into space.
Kelly Bresnahan: says, “My style of turning wood is very traditional. I use native wood from northeast Wisconsin.”
George Burr: George Burr resurrected his high school art studies when he visited Door County at the age of 51. Picking up his pastels he discovered a talent within that had quietly matured over the years. Concentrating on pastel landscapes George’s brilliant use of color and texture captures and extends the vistas that surround us. The soft pastel pigment portrays nature with a soft beauty unique to the medium.
Gary Chaudoir: Gary has been a glass artist for many years working with the slump process and stained glass. While he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and studied
drawing and pottery elsewhere, Gary is self-taught in the art of glass, except for brief private tutoring with Green Bay glassworker Bob Kersching in 1978. Gary specializes in original stained arid fused glass art, custom glass designs, repairs and restorations, appraisals, etching, tempering, sandblasting and glass-hole drilling services.
Sue Donohoo: Contemporary, urban sophistication in a rustic, rural setting with just a touch of humor describes the work of resident fiber artist Sue Donohoo. She creates her one-of-a-kind, original designs to reflect the natural beauty of her surroundings. It has long been her philosophy to take what is right in front of her, respect its unique personality, and draw out the beauty from within.
Door County Art League: DCAL is a membership organization available to all persons interested in promoting and enjoying the creative arts in Door County. The League welcomes everyone interested in the arts, in making new friends, in associating with artists and supporting them, becoming inspired, gaining knowledge and trying their hands at new pursuits. Our members may be photographers, sculptors, potters, fiber artists, as well as watercolorists or painters working in oils, acrylics, pastels, mixed media and folk arts. Skills range from art lovers to novices to artists with national recognition.
Marcy Farber: Marcy is a self-taught decorative country folk painter. She’s been painting for 25 years. She paints on recycled items such as chairs, etc., and she also does wearable art. This past year she discovered needle felting and has been designing scarves, jewelry and other wearable items.
Kathy Glasnap: A peaceful serenity captures the mood and tone of many of the watercolors by Kathy Glasnap. From the intricate detail of architectural designs to the soft and gentle nature of her landscapes, the nostalgia of rural America is depicted with charm and sensitivity. Her unique style of painting combines a traditional form with an impressionistic flair. Kathy’s move to Door County (in 1995) now allows her to live amidst the natural beauty that has so influenced her work.
Marlene Hopfensperger: Marlene is from Appleton, WI and retired to Sturgeon Bay. She began painting seven years after retiring, while spending winters in Naples, FL. She had no previous interest or artistic ability, however art soon became her passion, and the rest is history. She is a member of the Door County Art League and the Naples Artcrafters.
Diane Kirkland: Finders Keepers was the name of my shop in Ephraim from 1983-1988, where I carried and always appreciated handmade jewelry and other art objects. Now that I’m retired from my job as Administrator/Clerk in Ephraim, I have time again to make jewelry and other items in leaded glass, wire, mokume gane and other techniques in polymer clay, and beads. I rarely duplicate a specific pattern or style.
Ken Klitzman: Ken’s work is aptly called, “Sand Art.” He uses glue and sand in creating trees, fish, and unique frames for his pen and ink drawings and Paint Etchings. The etchings are done on glass, wood fired copper, brass, and various tiles.
Pat Klitzman: Pat is a woodcarver who works with basswood and cypress in creating unique one-of-a-kind carvings. She specializes in Old World Santa’s and nautical carvings, many of which include Door County scenes.
Brigitte Kozma: Brigitte responds directly on canvas to the natural world around her. The color and strengths of the people and landscape she creates are linked in a very personal relationship between her work and the environment that she sees. The colors of Door County as well as the Caribbean, Key West, and South America fill her work with vivid reflected light.
Judy Barnewolt-Jones: Choosing watercolor over mediums, I started painting professionally in 1997. I use a color glazing process and application technique which lends an illusion of texture, movement and a mood evoking a sense of light to my paintings.
Win Jones: Win Jones’ watercolor artwork is surreal, but not disconcerting – peaceful, yet provocative, drawing the thoughts and feelings into fresh areas. He is a self taught watercolorist, influenced more by personal vision than by the styles of others. He resides on Washington Island, Wisconsin, in the summer and St. Augustine, Florida in the winter.
Erin Klein: Specializes in beaded jewelry using such materials as pearls, semi-precious stones, crystals, wire and glass. Most pieces are constructed on a flexible beading wire base with crimp beads galore, and then I may incorporate other embellishments with needle and thread or wirework, depending on what each design wants to be. Her jewelry is intentionally created to be worn with evening gowns and jeans alike. Each piece is a tiny, standalone world.
Liz Maltman: Liz Maltman has lived in Fish Creek since 1974, mostly working in the decorative arts and design fields and pursuing her love of the “silent” sports and the outdoors. In 2004 she discovered plein air painting, found it a perfect match, and has been dedicated ever since. Working primarily in pastel, Liz has won awards for both her landscapes and portraits, and is honored to have her work in private and corporate collections throughout the country.
Marcia Nickols: I am an Ephraim oil painter currently working on a series called the ‘Cana Island Prisms’. I also create paintings of Door County and the water scenes that are all around us. I love the effects of colors reflecting off the water surfaces.
Audrey M. Off: Door County native, Audrey Mae Off, works in various art forms to reflect a profound influence of water and nature. She operates her own gallery in Sturgeon Bay and is an expert custom framer, with more than 30 years experience.
Pat Olson: Pat creates fine art paintings and whimsical designs in pastels and acrylics, specializing in florals, landscapes, and whimsical Door County posters and prints.
Judy Ritter: I am an eclectic artist and enjoy knitting, crocheting, making fused glass pendants, fiber/bead necklaces, Raku and other jewelry pieces, as well as photo tiles made from contemporary and heirloom pictures. I enjoy taking the colors and textures of Door County and incorporating them into my art pieces.
Tom Seagard: Tom Seagard is a mixed media artist. His subjects vary from wildlife to Indian images but, all of his work goes beyond the surface in his capacity to portray the unique and individual character and strengths of the subjects he sees. His work also includes images from Door County, Wisconsin, the Caribbean, Key West, and South America.
Rolliana Scheckler: Creates handcrafted, one-of-a-kind, heirloom quality jewelry. She is a retired harpist, classical singer and harpsinger. She has designed and crafted two lines of jewelry, Antonía Pendants with dichroic glass or gemstones, hand wire-sculpted with 14kt rolled gold or anti-tarnishing sterling silver, and RollianaGlass without wire-sculpting and with beaded and dichroic glass.
Linda Shurla: Began making jewelry and learning on the job in the early eighties. I started my own business in 1985, making and selling my jewelry at art and craft fairs. The metals I work with are mainly gold filled, sterling silver and copper. Lately I have also added base metals in interesting colors.
Stacey Small-Rupp: Stacey has been painting with watercolors for the last 20 years since earning a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree from U.W. Stout in 1992. Her favorite landscapes are found around Door County, including shorelines, sailboats, barns and wildflowers. Words used to describe her work are serene, charming and fresh. As a native of the Door, she is inspired by its ever-changing beauty. Stacey is represented by the Cupola House in Egg Harbor and currently lives in New Franken, WI.
Kathryn Stanaszek: Kathryn has studied with numerous watercolor masters in her search for technical excellence. Her concern for the environment and her love of the natural world brought her to Door County, WI where she now paints and tends her garden in the woods.
Patsy Stierna: I started seriously working in clay 15 years ago at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts in Minnesota. When I moved to Door County four years ago, I participated in Community Clay at the Peninsula School or Art, and worked at Off the Wheel Pottery. I have exhibited at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts and the Peninsula School of Art. My studio is in Sturgeon Bay and my work can be viewed at the Door County Art League Gallery in Fish Creek.
Len Villano: Len is a Door County, Wisconsin-based photographer creating Fine Art, Commercial and Editorial photography specializing in capturing the spirit within all his subjects. As photographer, artist, musician, songwriter, producer and architect, Len finds plenty of inspiration in Door County. Specializing in Nature and Wildlife photography Len was a founding member of NANPA and ASMP, an APA member, and his work has been published in more than 30 different countries. Extensively featured in the Go Door County Go Guide, Door County Magazine and the Door County Vacation Guide, Len strives to capture the beauty that surrounds him.
Bonnie Warecki: From “early on”, art, fishing, and the call of open water have always been an integral part of Bonnie’s life. As a local Door County artist, Bonnie became well recognized for her exceptional ability to capture the essence of Wisconsin wildlife in her distinctive chainsaw creations now found through-out the Midwest. More recently, while “snow birding” in Florida, Bonnie was introduced to the ancient oriental art form known as Gyotaku, meaning “fish rubbing” in Japanese. While in Florida, Bonnie was afforded an unusual opportunity to learn different techniques from renowned artists and soon developed her own distinct styles. She says that she finds the new media “challenging and exciting” as she constantly strives to capture new perspectives and innovative techniques.
Lou Williams: Lou creates art from wood. Never knowing what the final piece will reveal, he loves uncovering the beauty within. He lives just outside Sturgeon Bay, and has been turning wood since 2004, following a successful career as a public relations practitioner in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
