Art – Valerie's Voice

Impromptu Purchase

I had a short time between appointments last week, so I decided to tuck into a gift shop in downtown Northfield. There were fall items on sale, but a large part of the store was already decked out for Christmas. I wasn’t planning to buy anything.

A 5″ x 6″ Wooden Plaque: Primitives by Kathy ~ Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

But, the moment I saw this painting on a wooden block, I knew I wanted it. It was a totally impromptu purchase, which I rarely do, but I loved the image and the joy it brought to me. Maybe it’s because I had been out to helping on the farm earlier this week; feeding two horses, two donkeys, two goats, two Nigerian Dwarf goats, two sheep (they’re new), eight chickens and four cats. I have grown fond of these beautiful creatures.

Most of the farm animals I work with are represented on this picture plaque. The horse, donkey, sheep, goats, and rooster are so familiar to me. The picture made me feel happy and joyful, and worshipful even. I loved to see the animals gathered around the manger, worshiping baby Jesus. Although it is a Christmas scene, I plan to keep it up all year long.

Later that same day I was driving to an art exhibit and passed a farm. “And on that farm” was a row of sheep that caught my attention. Several sheep were all lined up along a long wooden fence, with their heads hanging through the first horizontal rail. All their heads were lowered…they looked to be eating something off the ground. And then I noticed one, big brown (black?) sheep (or possibly a goat) facing the others – outside the fence. The whole scene made me smile and I turned the car around to go back and take a picture.

Artist: Julie Fakler – Pet Portraits in acrylic paint & clay.

I went to the art gallery to see one exhibit, and afterward was lured in to another studio with a special exhibit of animals painted on clay, and other mediums. Farm animals seemed to be the theme of my day, so I took more photos.

Artist: Jule Fakler – Pet Portraits in acrylic paint & clay.

Artist Julie Fakler offers a variety of pictures to choose from on her ‘Pet Portraits” business cards.
She is a local artist in Faribault, MN.

I do love animals. It was a good day.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, 
The Lord God made them all. 
		                                                            Stanza 1 by Cecil Frances Alexander

Minnesota Mosaics Guild

When I think of mosaics, Lakewood Cemetery Memorial Chapel is the first place that comes to my mind.

On of the mosaic angels in the Lakewood Cemetery Memorial Chapel.

Inside the chapel is a magnificent display of mosaics, made from 10 million tesserae (marble, stone and glass) tiles, creating angels and other beautiful figures on the walls and overhead on the domed ceiling. They are stunning.

And then, I think of Duluth MN, where there is a great mosaic panel along the Duluth Lakewalk.

The mosaic mural on the lake walk in Duluth, MN.

On of the scenes on the Duluth mural, depicting the quarter inch tiles used in the mosaic.

It is made of ceramic tiles and illustrates different Lake Superior scenes. It’s fun to see this amazing public art display.

The letters to create this sign was fun to see. Each letter is a mosaic.

So, when I noticed the Paradise Theatre in Faribault was hosting an exhibit by the Minnesota Mosaics Guild, I was excited to check it out. There were several pieces on display…all of them impressive and one-of-a-kind.

These are two mosaic letters, i and l, from the word Guild.

There were three pieces in particular, that stood out to me.

“A Sunday Afternoon” by multiple artists.

The first one was a mosaic made to capture the painting A Sunday Afternoon (on the Island of La Grande Jatte by George Seurat painted from 1884-1886). It was larger than the others on display, and the picture was divided into 18 equal sections, each section representing a portion of the painting.

Four sections from The Sunday Afternoon painting made into individual mosaics.

Each section was a mosaic created by a different artist and had its own form of medium to re-create a portion of the painting. Then it was assembled together, like a quilt, for a spectacular piece of artwork.

“Counting Sheep” was another a delightful mosaic that used glass, metal, paper, ceramic and shells. It was detailed and creative, with an old watch incorporated into the picture.

An old small pocket watch is a piece of the “Counting Sheep” mosaic.
Part of the back drop is made with pages from a Bible.

One of the mosaic’s sheep, up close…button nose, shell ears etc…

I would have liked to bring this “Counting Sheep” mosaic home with me.

“Bouquet for Mom” was bright and colorful, and stood out. It was made of stained glass and beads.

Other great works:

“The Blue Willow Bunny”, using dishes/china, glass, beads, by Lisa Van Wyn.

“Mane Avis Tessellis”, using stained glass and broken dishes, by Maureen Rath.

It was fun to read an open invitation from the Minnesota Mosaics Guild to anyone who is interested in this art form, to join the guild and create…whether you have any previous experience with mosaics or not.

“I want to ride my bicycle”, glass and slate, by Laura Lee

The exhibit was not large, but it packed a lot of creativity into one room.

“Madness is meaningless”, glass, slate, stone and shell, by Laura Lee.

Mosaics are a whimsical, and amazing art form.

Lakewood Memorial Chapel

It never ceases to amaze me…the chapel at Lakewood Cemetery, on Lake Bde Maka Ska (previously Lake Calhoun). My paternal grandparents, and a beloved aunt, are buried in this picturesque cemetery. That is how I discovered the chapel. I didn’t know about it before I went to the cemetery to see the family graves. Since my discovery, I do visit the chapel occasionally, and often bring friends or out-of-town guests there, if they have not seen the stunning chapel.

The cemetery itself seems like an extra special place. Two Hundred and Fifty acres of mature trees, lush grass, and rolling hills with magnificent tombstones and monuments. I learned on my last visit, the grounds of the cemetery are an accredited arboretum. I would assume my grandparents chose to lie in rest at this cemetery because of its beauty and proximity to a city lake. I know my grandmother loved the water, as do I. And as did Auntie Ag.

The Memorial Chapel was completed in 1910. It is the centerpiece of the cemetery. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is a work of art; an excellent example of Byzantine mosaic art. I’m not sure why more attention isn’t given to this edifice. It is said, if this chapel were in Europe, thousands would visit it.

“The dome is 40 feet high and ringed with 24 stained glass windows, set in copper and serves as a sundial. Twelve angels adorn the door, relating to the Old Testament’s 12 sons of Jacob, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 gates to the Holy City and the 12 disciples of Christ in the New Testament.” There is a lot of symbolism within the artwork, explained in the brochure.

A zoomed-in image of one of twelve angels in the dome…all small mosaic tiles.

The chapel at Lakewood Cemetery is open to the public daily, when not reserved for special events, such as weddings or funerals. When we were there with our son and his family recently, there was a sound check going on so it was closed to the public, however a woman came over to us and said if we kept silent, she would open the doors so we could peak into the chapel to see the magnificent dome, its amazing walls, and its beautiful mosaic.

From the brochure:

"In 1906, Lakewood’s trustees formed a committee to guide the chapel development and solicit design concepts from leading architects.

In 1908 the Lakewood Building committee hired Harry Wild Jones, a prominent Minneapolis architect.

In 1909 the Lakewood Board of Trustees commissioned New York interior designer Charles Lamb to design the interior. He suggested a Byzantine mosaic design based on the interior of the San Marco Cathedral in Venice.

Lamb traveled to Rome to enlist six of Italy’s most accomplished mosaic artists, who had just completed a project at the Vatican. In Venice they created more than 10 million mosaic pieces, from marble, stone and glass fused with gold and silver [for the Lakewood Memorial Chapel].

The tiles, no larger than a fingernail, were attached to gummed cloth and shipped to Minneapolis. The artist themselves arrived in the summer of 1909 and painstakingly assembled the masterpiece inside the chapel."

The chapel was completed in 1910.

“The alcove at the front of the chapel is lined with entwined mosaic olive trees, whose fruit is known for healing properties.”

Today the chapel stands virtually unchanged in appearance from the day it was completed.

One of four large mosaic figures that represent the virtues of Love, Hope, Memory and Faith. They adorn the side walls below the dome. This particular figure is “Hope”.

If I lived close to this impressive – dazzling – spectacular chapel, I’m confident I would find myself visiting more frequently, just sitting inside and being still.

Copper doors and mosaic tiles and lots of detail are in this architectural masterpiece.

Be still and know that I am God.  
Psalm 46:10

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

Recently on a road trip to Dubuque, my friend and I decided to begin our day in church. St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, built in 1896, is on the National Register of Historical Places for its architecture, its history in the region, and its Tiffany glass. We were interested in seeing the Tiffany glass.

Louis C. Tiffany (1848-1933) was a world renown artist. He created his own unique glass, which he used to make spectacular windows, lamps and more.

A classic Tiffany iris, as part of one window.

His windows are made of multi-layers of glass, with iridescence/opulence qualities and deep, rich colors.

“Tiffany believed that this new material (his new creation and technique) … enabled form to be defined by the glass itself rather than by painting onto the glass.” The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art

There is much to learn about this artist’s glass and his magnificent works. Click here for more information: Tiffany Glass.

To see this display of Tiffany windows in St. Luke’s was a treat. The church is open to the public for viewing the Tiffany windows during the week, and offers weekly church services on Sunday.

There was a short 11-minute video clip we watched as we sat surrounded by these beautiful glass windows.

The windows had been meticulously restored a few years ago at the cost of $40,000 per window.

This is one of the three Tiffany lamps in the church.

There were also three Tiffany glass chandeliers in the church. There were even Tiffany glass windows in the restrooms!

In the Midwest, there are only a few places that have Tiffany glass windows. We were grateful one of those places was Dubuque, Iowa.

My favorite window: *The Good Shepherd*.

As we left the sanctuary, we noticed a sign that read, “If you think our windows are beautiful…you should meet our people!”

What a pleasant way to start our day.

The National Quilt Museum

As I mentioned in my previous post, we stopped at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky on our way home from North Carolina. I had heard about this museum, and, since it was not too far off our route, we decided to stop and check it out.

This forest scene is probably my favorite quilt.

It did not disappoint, however I thought it would be larger and Gary thought it would be smaller, but it was just right.

This national museum displays, and collects, contemporary quilts…made within the last thirty years. There are no antique or restored quilts here.

In the main gallery there are several astonishing quilts to peruse. What craftsmanship…

What artistic ability…

What creativity…

We learned a few quilts are changed out every few weeks in the main gallery, so the exhibit is constantly changing.

There were various quilts on display. All lovely…

All intricate…

All interesting…

All spectacular…

All different…

There were temporary exhibits too, which were interesting and fun to see. One was an exhibit of quilts students K-12 had made, as their first attempt at quilting.

There was an exhibit of miniature quilts.

This is a miniature quilt. A miniature quilt has to be 24″x24″ or less. I think most were 12″x12″.

There were two temporary exhibits by two different textile artists.

Special exhibit: Valerie C. White “Roots and Refuge”

Another piece by Valerie C. White. I liked this one because we saw Guinea Fowl in Africa and I loved their polka dot feathers.

Quilts are truly works of art. We both enjoyed this stop. It was worth our time to stretch our legs, relax, and enjoy exquisite artistry of quilt making.

The Tunnels in Northfield

There was a major street renovation in our town recently. The intersection by the high school and middle school was transformed into a round-about, and four tunnels were added for pedestrians and bicyclists to use to avoid crossing the busy intersection. In the beginning, I wondered how much sense it made since it was costly. But now that it is completed, and working smoothly, I do like the results.

A future section of the Mill Towns State Trail will run through one of the tunnels.

To top it off, the city included monies for a public art display in the tunnels. There were bids for the job… muralists (artist’s self-identifier) had to submit their work and be chosen. For this public art display, Adam Tuman was the chosen artist.

We have seen his work before. Several years ago, our son hired Adam to paint a beautiful mural on the outside wall of his office building in Uptown, Minneapolis. The mural included scenes of the uptown area (where the office is located) and signs of technology (the business).

Mural of the Uptown area on our son’s office building, in Uptown.

Another section of the cityscape view on the office building.

I also saw an exhibit of Adam Turman’s artwork at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, MN.

Now, here he is in Northfield, painting beautiful, illustrated works to highlight our town and its surrounding area.

Bridge over the Cannon River in downtown Northfield.

The other day we went to see how the tunnels were progressing and Adam was working. We introduced ourselves and struck up a conversation with him. Adam was very friendly and engaging and we were so glad to meet him. Of course, he remembered doing the mural for our son. We are thrilled Adam was chosen to do this public art display in Northfield. He has almost completed his work on the four tunnels.

The colors are vibrant.

The themes so apropos to our area.

Hidden Falls in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.

The painting so artistically appealing.

You get a sense of being a part of something big as you walk through the tunnels.

This woodpecker scene is still a work in progress.

There will be 16 scenes representing four sections when he is through with this project: Cannon River, Nerstrand Big Woods, Prairie, and Oak Savannah.

Adam Turman does amazing work, and it is definitely worth a trip to see these tunnels in Northfield.

Literary Steps

It caught my attention while driving down Division Street in Northfield. Someone painted the steps leading up to the library. I stopped on the way back from my errand to take a closer look.

This caught my attention while driving past the library.

I stopped and immediately started photographing the steps while oohing and aahing over the fantastic idea and amazing artwork to a woman with a broom, tidying up the steps. I said I love this new paint exhibit and asked her if she knew who the artist was…she said, “Me!” She was a long-time children’s librarian in Northfield, and has since retired. She loves children’s books, as do I.

Kathy Ness, the artist, applied for a Main Street Artist’s Grant and was awarded monies for “Literary Steps”.

The art teacher from Spring Creek Elementary School (formerly Sibley Elementary) offered to help her and so the two of them painted this beautiful piece of art.

Kathy was putting the actual book near the step representing it. This is one of her favorite children’s books: *Stop That Pickle!*

She painted replicas of children’s book spines on the 16 steps going up (I counted more) to the Division Street side of the Northfield Public Library. She asked the community for suggestions for the book titles and chose 16 titles from the list.

Many of the books I have read, but I got a few new ideas to check out. One of my children’s favorites, “The Little Engine That Could” did not make the list.

I love this beautiful artwork on public display in downtown Northfield. It definitely adds to the unique and wonderful place we call home.

Sky Art

An unusual jet vapor trail, or a cloud? Either way…it was fun to watch.

My husband says it a jet vapor trail, I say it’s a cloud, but whatever it is, it made for beautiful sky art this morning over Lake Superior.

A sliver of the moon is visible too, but not captured on camera. Actually at 5 am I woke up and the yellow/orange sliver was shining brightly and reflecting on the waters of
Lake Superior.

The sunrise from our deck, on this Monday morning in March, at our cozy cabin on Lake Superior. A high of 48 degrees today.

LOVE

There is a new mural in town. LOVE.

A large, painted mural on 4th Street, in Northfield.

It is on 4^th street – painted on the outside wall of Domino’s Pizza, to the north.

The artist’s signature is Brett Whitacre. He’s from Illinois but I don’t know much about him, or the mural other, than “I like it.”

I like the black and white contrast to the colorful letters spelling LOVE.

It’s a beautiful and colorful addition to our charming downtown Northfield.

I’m grateful the Northfield city administrators and area residents appreciate these kinds of artistic endeavors.

Here is a link to my friend’s blog, Minnesota Prairie Roots. It has more information on the artist and the mural.

This mural is a creative reminder for us to love one another.

Nature’s Art

Nature’s art is everywhere…unique and beautiful!

This particular “tree stump art” took me by surprise. While riding my bike I rode past a friend’s house and she was out in her driveway so I stopped and we chatted for a few minutes (6’ apart). She told me to take a look at her tree stump in her backyard so I did. I asked her who created the design and she said “bugs”!

I thought a pattern was burned into the stump to create art…but bugs created the artwork all by themselves. It was striking.

Trails in the stump made by bugs. Photo by cb

That week we took a hike at Cannon Valley Wilderness Park near Faribault and saw the creative work of eagles. There in the treetops were two giant nests and an eagle was sitting in one of them.

Of course spring flowers are nature’s art…Wilderness Park was full of Spring Beauty, a tiny pink spring flower carpeting the ground in many places throughout the park. Unfortunately my photo didn’t turn out.

Nature’s art is in clouds…

and tulips…

and tree bark…

Our pair of resident cardinals eating at the bird feeder attached to our window. It looks like they are perching on the back of our chair!

and birds. It’s all around us. God’s handiwork.

Look and see that the Lord is good…the beauty of the Lord is all around us.

For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
Pleasures pure and undefiled,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.