Featured Artist: Joey Freund

Joey Freund was born into an artist family. Her parents, Will and Dorothy, are noted artists whose work is displayed in galleries and museums throughout the world. Joey grew up in an artist's studio environment and mastered the skills for crafting jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, and varied art forms. Joey has lived in both cultural and exotic places in the world. She has lived in London, South Africa, New Orleans, Texas, St. Louis, and now Minneapolis.

Featured Artist Gregory Rose

A Flower By The Window

“My new works, consisting of both drawings and paintings, are meant to be small intimate glimpses into “living”. I hope the works read as moment(s) on “pause” while still engaged in life, as if the world was at a stand still. Yet, movement is pertinent for growth because for me, “living” is moving, falling, and getting back up!”
- Gregory J. Rose

Domesticity

Birthday Cake

Bull Headed Green

Slowly Moving

Public Transportation

Rosemarie Bloch

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am fascinated by the grid that humans impose on the natural world. I abstract this in many of my paintings. I always have a reference to my feelings about the natural world in my mind. I also associate certain pieces of music with some paintings. I also like making accidental drips and then organizing them.

Other thoughts that I have expressed concern personal things. A solo show at Mt. St. Mary's university in Maryland was called "Dualities" and was mostly diptychs expressing the divided nature of my life at the time, between my day job and art, and between married and widowed.

Recently I have done some painterly realism, imaginary landscapes, and am exploring this more referential set of works dealing with the emotional power of light and dark color. The latest series is called "Spaced Out", and imagines other worlds out there, some in circular paintings. Color is a very important component of my paintings.

I continue to work in series of several paintings on a general theme to develop and explore all possibilities. One series, BLUES, dealt with my reaction to blues music. I have done several series relating to the seasons of the year. (See Winter Dreams, Spring Breaks, Summer Lies and Fall Fades in Recent Works.)

I work in many painting media, and sometimes cut the canvas and insert painted canvas scraps for a dimensional effect. I sometimes use texturing materials to vary the surface.

Artist of the week - Cheryl McClure

“I have always been influenced by nature and the land. Living on a ranch in northeastern Texas for a number of years has moved that influence up a notch. Here I am surrounded by trees, pasture lands, sky, pond and a meandering creek. Looking out my windows in the house or from a window in the studio is such a pleasure for me. Sunny, windy, gray or rainy, I can always find something I can relate to; take note of consciously or unconsciously. These observances are reflected in my work.”

“With all this said, I do not set out to paint what I actually see in nature. It just comes through as I work through my process. Whether in acrylic painting or the warm and sensual encaustic medium, I strive to let the painting speak to me. I make revisions when I see that is where the painting is going. I have a conversation with the paint and the process.Without a social or political message, surface quality, color relationships and formal design are what I am interested in when painting.”

Artist of the week - Kathryn Abernathy

Stillness

Kathryn Abernathy

Inner Guidance

 Pieces I

"I believe that creativity has the power to heal. Years of near-constant migraine headaches were the reason that I started painting. I am truly thankful to have gone through those years of pain and disability. Without them I would not have found this affinity for living a creative life. I've discovered that art can guide you to lead a fuller life; to live more in the moment; to have deeper connections to the world around you. Relating this message to others is important to me."

 Mandarin Dawn

"As a self-taught artist, I've come about my way of painting through experimentation and by being willing to relinquish control; to see what will happen; to risk ruining what I've worked on for days in an effort to create a more powerful piece. Layers of acrylic paint flow and spread into and over one another. Turn, watch, respond. Repeat until the painting itself tells me it is complete.
I am a most unlikely person to have a career as an artist. My past and present includes a degree in Mathematics, a career in computer programming, and being a wife and stay at home mom. The most contrary detail is that I had no previous exposure to the world of Art. Now, in mid-life, I completely rely on my art to distill meaning and understanding from life's joys and, more often, its challenges. I'm a true example of how its never too late to let Art steal your heart - and renew your soul."

 Her painting Effloresence on the cover of the February 2010 edition of At Home Tennessee magazine.

Artist of the Week - Ann Tristani

Setting Sun

Juicy Fruit

Fresh from the Garden

Harvest

"Becoming an oil painter is my response to a lifetime of appreciating the wonder of creation.  Although my paintings vary greatly in subject matter, they all exude a sense of comfort and hope, and often reflect the simplicity of days gone by.  I find loveliness in sometimes ordinary pieces of life and strive to capture that on canvas, drawing viewers to ponder a moment of beauty they might not otherwise take time to notice.

As an artist I have grown from being mostly self-taught to an artist who has over the last few years made it a priority to study with, paint with, observe and listen to many of the greatest Master Artists of our time. 

I believe that my life as an artist is a journey of growth and discovery that never ends.  Yet there is no shortcut to growing as an artist.  It takes hard work, diligence, and determination.  One must simply put the time in and paint.  Because I have done this I can clearly see how my skill as an oil painter has evolved over the years.  It is as if the light has been turned on in my paintings…now there is a glow of light radiating from my canvas. I really feel that I am at a crossroads and about to enter “the next level”.  

Currently, I am an instructor at the White Bear Center for the Arts (WBCA) in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, sharing my enthusiasm and experience with beginning oil painters who are taking the leap into the life-changing world of painting."

Artist of the Week - Leo Stans 1953-2011

Leo William Stans was born on April 12th, 1953, to parents Paul and Blanche Stans. He was raised in the small town of Victoria in Minnesota, where he and his friends spent long hours outdoors fishing, hunting, and building tree houses. He assisted his parents with their paint and wallpaper business in Excelsior and helped build the beautiful Dahlgreen Golf Course, which his relatives constructed on his grandfather's farm land almost entirely by hand. He attended the elementary school in Victoria, and graduated from Chaska High School.

Being an avid outdoorsman, he decided to pursue a degree in forestry at the University of Minnesota, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. After college he held various jobs, including selling insurance. As he had always had a talent for art, he became drawn to painting wildlife and landscapes, and in 1980 decided to become a professional artist.

He met a beautiful young woman named Janet Morgan in 1979, and on June 25 1983 they were married in the Catholic Church at St.Josephs in Hopkins Mn. They moved to Chaska and had a daughter, Lea, on May 2 1986. In 1991 Leo was commissioned to paint The National Park Series, which was sold as framed prints. These prints were wildly successful and 100,000s were sold throughout the U.S. and Canada.

His son Paul was born on November 23, 1992, and a year later Leo moved his family to a newly-built house in the countryside of Belle Plaine, situated along the lush Minnesota River valley. When not painting his free time was spent landscaping their yard and taking his family for hikes in the woods and on the river valley trails.

They took road trips to Arizona, one of Leo's favorite places, and to Las Vegas and Disney World. In 2002, seeking fresh artistic direction, Stans began to paint historical street scenes situated in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and to paint landscapes of the magnificent Southwest that he loved so well. In 2009 he had the honor of being chosen to be the official artist of the Minnesota State Fair. Leo passed away on March 22, 2011. He is survived by his wife Janet, daughter Lea, and son Paul, and by his mother Blanche, his older sister Carol Frey and brother-in-law Rich Frey, and his younger sister Terrie Brown and brother-in-law Dave Brown, as well as a large circle of relatives and friends.

Leo Stans was a man of great talent, integrity, and charisma, and had the rare gift of making friends wherever he went. He was sentimental and introspective, had a keen sense of humor, and his kids loved to make him laugh. He was a passionate and skilled hunter and fisherman, and had a deep appreciation for wildlife and natural areas. His great love of beauty was expressed through his many paintings, which were and will continue to be recognized for their rich colors and attention to fine detail. He had great faith in his own talents, and a drive to share those talents for the benefit of others. His family and friends are comforted by the fact that his legacy will continue on through his artwork.

Artist of the Week - Andrea Courchene

 I discovered the most charming artwork by a Florida artist, Andrea Courchene when I was looking for the perfect art for a pediatric clinic recently.  Just a little bit about the artist in her words:

"I grew up in England, but now I live in the Sunshine State. I have been playing cello for over 25 years! I started at age 3. I love music, art, crafting, diy, and vintage shopping.

In my free time, I love picnics, vegan donuts, taking road trips in my wagon and petting my cat Skittles.

My favorite animals are cats, sloths, foxes, deer, owl, narwhals and dogs."

Artist of the Week - Patty Evert

Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, my family always nurtured my passion for art and the desire to paint. After graduating with my B.F.A. in painting from Carnegie Mellon University, I moved to Colorado and eventually to California, where I have been painting for 20 years.  At my first big art opening in 1987, then Mayor Federico Pena presented my work in the atrium of the innovative Silver Square in downtown Denver where I sold three quarters of the show. I went on to sell my paintings through galleries, interior design showrooms, designers and architects throughout Colorado as well as Santa Fe, Los Angeles and San Diego.  In 1989, I moved to Los Angeles where I painted numerous private and commercial commissions while also working as a sales representative for an interior design showroom. The added-value of my interior experience led to other interior design work, including the renovation of The Georgian Hotel, a beautiful art deco boutique hotel overlooking the Santa Monica Bay. This project helped launch my career as an interior designer and project manager for hotels throughout the U.S. and Asia, where I traveled and consulted for several years. A fine artist for the past eight years, I have worked as both a fine art consultant and as an artist for the hospitality, corporate, healthcare and residential markets.  My painting skills, combined with the opportunity to express color and materials through interior design, have allowed me to create art for a living. Combining my personal work with practical experience has given me an understanding of the functional and creative needs of interior design projects. As the world becomes more complex, and the life of an artist becomes more of a business, I strive for continued opportunities to combine the best of both worlds.

Artist of the Week

Hazel Belvo is an artist, master teacher and mentor. 

She has exhibited nationally and internationally for 46 years and her work is in many public collections including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Bezalel Museum, the Dewitt Wallace Collection, MMM and General Mills. 

Hazel was a Radcliffe Institute Scholar and WARM Gallery member. She has retired as a Professor Emeritus at Minneapolis College of Art and Design after 34 years of teaching. 

She has taught and mentored at the Grand Marais Art Colony for 25 years. In appreciation of her long time commitment to the Art Colony her name was added to a plaque hung in the founder's studio in 2008.

Artist of the Week

American by birth, artist Richard Reynolds Ward, was raised in Melbourne, Australia. He later earned a B.A. degree from Knox College, Illinois, where he majored in Fine Arts. He also benefited from a year’s study in France at the Beaux-Arts located at the University of Besancon. Before moving to Wisconsin in 2002, Richard and his family spent three decades in Western Australia where he worked from a studio near the Indian Ocean in South Fremantle.  Richard has exhibited regularly and his works are in private and corporate collections in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Europe, Hong Kong, and Japan.
We have just rotated 4 new pieces by Richard into the gallery.  And we have a catalog of his giclees and a sample of a few of then in the gallery as well.  The original pictured here is a 20x24 and available at the gallery.  The scene is from Richard's childhood in Australia, how perfect is this!   Giclees are available in different sizes starting at just $90.

Artist of the Week

Mangrove in Moonlight

Copper Wall Fountain Ginkgo

Candice Simpson is Artful Decor's Artist of the Week after her presentation last Saturday at IMS in Minneapolis.  Candice always knew she wanted to be an artist.  As a child she would paint the rocks in her mother's garden and created her own gesso out of Elmer's glue before she knew what gesso was. 



She was known at a young age and all through school as one of those artsy people by her classmates.  No formal art training, she is self taught and continually takes workshops for ongoing learning and development. Candice continually develops her artistic gift.

Materials such as ground cork and hay are used by Candice to help create amazing trees in a nature scene painting.  Her 7 layer plasters made of no and low VOC components give a three dimensional quality to her motifs of hydrangea and ginkgo leaves.  Metallic paint on an original or giclee complete the look.

Many of Candice's pieces exude a peaceful calming effect, almost spa-like effect for any room.  The commissioned groupings of trees are amazing.  So, yes, Candice, we are honored to work with you and congratulations on being our "Artist of the Week and one of our favorite people.

 This Saturday morning Artful Decor is hosting our first art event since last August.  That's when we had our company's 10th Anniversary Gala hosted by inspired artist, Ann Tristani's in her beautiful garden.  It was stunningly beautiful and amazing.  Look for an announcement of the next annual event with her this summer!

Candice Simpson

"Meet the Artist and Learn how to be Socially Acceptable" is an event featuring artist Candice Simpson who is a beautiful talented faux painter and fine artist of textural artwork. Check out her website here. 

Michelle Drenkhahn is an interior designer who is also a social media guru who will share ideas on building and nurturing your client base through networking and social media.  Who can't use this help? 

I am inspired every time we get together to view and learn more about different styles of art and new ideas in grouping and displaying art.  And the interaction while learning is so much fun!

We will also be offering an opportunity to learn more about working with Artful Decor as an Art Consultant.  A fun way to have your own business sharing the joy of art while earning an additional income.  Do you see yourself  in art?  By the way, here is a great Women in Art Video.

Enjoy!  Oh, and if you want to join us Saturday, just send me an email.