I want to be an artist! It all started with string art, candle wax drip art and papier mache in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I remember a pair of my own hand embroidered bell bottoms which I wish I would have saved…for posterity, of course. As a young girl, I remember traipsing up to the nursing home after school where the nuns taught a small cadre of giggling girls how to knit while we waited to distribute supper trays to the residents…gotta be useful. I still have a bright green large needle blanket I made that I unearth for use in the winter. The bright yellow hair pin lace baby quilt I stored for years finally went to my oldest niece, Amanda, when she had her first baby several years ago. With all the other soft blankets she has I doubt she ever uses it but the thoughtful girl had it artfully displayed when I last visited. I obsessively moved on to pottery in my 20’s and remember once having such a long list of projects to complete that I broke into tears late in the night in the pottery shed. Every now and then I still come across one of those pieces. I then made a quick entry and exit into the world of stained glass before my career quickly overcame any focus on hobbies. Twenty years later, I picked up stained glass again and have been focused on that and mosaic work ever since. My masterpiece is a 450 piece aspen tree trunk triptych installed in a large window in my dining room in Flagstaff. I am also fond of a bird bath my mother and I did together one spring. Last fall, I was introduced to a Big Stone City resident that weaves rag rugs in her front porch. She took me on as a trainee last November until it turned cold and she shut down for the winter. While in Thailand early last year, I worked with a textile master for a month who taught me how to weave placemats and work with natural fabric dye. How cool was that!
Since “coming home” I have dabbled in furniture chalk painting, calligraphy wood signs, string art, rug weaving and some amateur painting. In the process, I have discovered an enthusiastic talented area art community; first through attendance at an art workshop at the Abbey last fall and then through artist shows and classes at The Smallest Art Gallery in Ortonville this summer. There is an active Big Stone Arts Council I am hankering to join and The Meander, on my bucket list for many years, is an exceptional showing of area talent. My husband, Paul, and I, visited 43 of the 45 artist studios last year. Oh, and I can’t forget the Milan Village Arts School brimming with opportunities to learn old/new crafts alike. Through all this I have discovered that area residents, including today’s farm wife and/or gentleman farmer, are quite creative and talented drawing inspiration from country life and the beauty of wide open spaces. I am enamored with paintings and photography of far reaching green fields and the shimmering prairie. Sisseton has an annual art studio event and Watertown an active arts community as well. Finally, there is the emerging arts scene in Milbank. The Chamber has taken an active role in revitalizing the Whetstone Valley Arts Council with their early projects including the Sculpture Walk and the Artist in Residence Program in the schools. In addition, VPD Art Studio is offering art classes for both kids and adults. Finally, there are all the ingenious upcycle/repurpose folks out there who I am slowly discovering.
So, with all this at my fingertips, the question becomes what to choose and how to prioritize? So far, I have found many kind and willing teachers in the area and have the greatest draw toward heightening my weaving skills. I have located an enthusiastic teacher in Clinton and signed up for the Milan rug weaving class this fall. Stay tuned for how my artistic “coming home” adventures unfold! 2017