Posts Tagged ‘art’

Over the next two weekends you’ll have a perfect opportunity to find a unique and truly special holiday gift here in central Wisconsin. This weekend (Dec 3-5) local artisans will be putting on the annual “Artisan Christmas” event at Papa Bear’s log cabin model home on highway 12 between Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells.  Then next weekend (December 10-11) more area artisans, authors & “purveyors of good things to eat” (according to the website.) will be holding the annual “Very Merry Holiday Fair” at 323 Water Street (Near Circus World Museum.) here in Baraboo.  Two weekends, two events, too many choices!

Here’s our spin.  Do both.  Each show has its own personality.  Although both shows are held in the Baraboo area, each has a different group of area artists.  You won’t see the same works at both shows.  The fact is, we know the organizers of both shows and know they put their hearts and souls into these events and the results are amazing, entertaining and a joy to attend.  Another point to make is that you will find some wonderful gift ideas that don’t cost a lot.   No one should feel they can’t afford to attend or even shop at art fairs.. I mean, let’s be real here.. these are artists.. They get it!  Lastly, we’ve learned to hold back a bit of our holiday shopping until after the Artisan Christmas & Very Merry Holiday Fair events.  Last year we found in-expensive hand-made toys that will last forever,  unique jewelry for under $30.00s and a few other little gems that we would have never found anywhere else.  Oh, and if you’re one of those folks who actually do buy your spouse a Lexus for Christmas.. there’s some choices for you as well.

• Artisan Christmas Website
• Our 2009 Artisan Christmas Gallery Slide show | or Flickr Gallery
• The Very Merry Holiday Fair Website
• Our 2009 Very Merry Holiday Fair Gallery Slide show | or Flickr Gallery

Picture: Jewelry by Jeff Hill of Hills Gallery & Gifts in Baraboo.

* Disclosure: As you can see both shows are advertisers on the Skillet Creek Journal.  But we’d be biased anyway. Promise! 

While attendance was reported as way down for the air show held at the Baraboo/Wisconsin Dells airport over the weekend, crowds did seem to show up for Spring Green’s annual arts and crafts fair.  On Saturday the streets of Spring Green were filled with amazing works by area artists while live music filled the air.  The only down side to the event was the rather un-scripted parking which could easily disorient first time attendees unfamiliar with the layout of the town or the event. All in all however, the show had a wonderfully festive summer spirit and was certainty a great way to spend a hot summer Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »

Join us in Baraboo this Saturday for the annual Faire on the Square festival.  The event begins at 9 am and runs until 4pm. This year’s event has been set up by new organizers who are shall we say, steeped in Baraboo’s circus traditions. What this means for the Faire on the Square is that we can expect entertainment such as jugglers and magicians in addition to the more standard live music, food vendors, pony rides & bouncy castles.  The main event of course is the 150 arts & crafts vendors that surround the historic square. It’s a Wisconsin shoppers paradise! For a breakdown of the day’s events read this from the Baraboo News Republic.

Now, here’s what we’ve got for you.  5 tips to make your day at the festival more enjoyable, and 5 shops you should absolutely visit while walking around downtown Baraboo.  Enjoy!

5 Faire on the Square Tips

Here’s some tips to help you get the most out of your visit.

1. Parking is not hard to come by but not always close either.  If you don’t arrive early in the morning, save yourself the trouble of driving round and round the event and just pick a side street off the square. You’ll have no trouble finding a spot on a side street. (Just wear comfortable shoes!)
2. Be prepared for any weather.  Even if the forecast is for warm weather, things change quickly this time of year.  Right now the call is for sunny and 70F… fingers crossed!
3. Set a budget. Between the crafts, the shops, the rides and food vendors, it’s easy to drop more cash than you realize. Certainly we want you to support our local business, but we want you back as well. Set a budget for the day.  Bringing drinks and even picnic lunches in re-usable containers helps the environment and saves more money for crafty stuff and tasty treats.
4. Bring a picnic blanket. The downtown square does get a bit crowed as you would expect. Organizers are moving things around a bit this year which may help.  Still it may be tough to find a place to sit and eat or rest your feet.  To save time looking for a bench or seat elsewhere, just pack up a picnic blanket and plant yourself on the county courthouse lawn.
5. Don’t miss the unique stuff – Around 12:30 pm belly dancers and an Elite Team of karate kids will be performing on the square. (Not your standard Art Faire, fare..) In addition there are often interesting finds down the side streets and outside corners of the square. (We once found a great keyboardist playing outside a shop on one of the side streets that was not mentioned anywhere as part of the event.) Be sure to take time to really explore.

5 Must Stop Downtown Shops

Of course a major reason communities hold these events is to get you into the local shops.  With that in mind, here are 5 shops we recommend you visit while exploring the Faire on the Square.

1. Coffee Bean Connection
   Located just off the square on 4th street. Hey, if you find yourself dying for a latte.. This will be your slice of heaven.
2. Just Imagine Toys
   This is a shop for kids who like books and still have their imaginations in tact. No video games.
3. Cornerstone Gallery
   Hardly worth putting the words “Art” and “Baraboo” together without recommending the Cornerstone Gallery.
   
4. Amber Moon
   Great atmosphere, unique stuff everywhere. Makes you feel good to just walk around inside. We just posted a few pictures to our Flickr recently.
5. The A.R.T Gallery
   More great art to explore inside the Al. Ringling Theatre – Here’s some pictures we took at the grand opening.

If we had 6 choices we’d we’d include Bekkah Kates Kitchen Store as well.

We look forward to seeing you Saturday at the Faire on the Square right here in Downtown Baraboo!

* For the sake of full disclosure Just Imagine, Cornerstone gallery, & the Sauk County Art Association  are clients of Skillet Creek Media.

Probably all of us can pinpoint moments in our lives which caused an abrupt change of direction, leading us on a distinct future course. My first high school art class was such a moment. From the minute I began to draw my first pencil profile of a classmate, I was hooked on the limitless possibilities of communicating through art. It was also in that class that I was told I could never be a professional artist. Well, being the stubborn German I am, I immediately defied my teacher’s proclamation and determined to pursue what led to an art education degree from The University of Wisconsin-Madison. Shortly thereafter, in 1976, my husband, Rick, and I opened our illustration studio, Ampersand, and began our lives as professional artists. We continue to operate Ampersand from the log home/studio we built in the woods 15 miles from Madison. – RN

The sum is greater than its parts could describe the art form developed by Mark Jacobson.  Mark layers thousands of tiny colored wood pieces together to create magnificent pieces of art. The art of inlaying wood veneers has been around for centuries and is called the art of marquetry. Marks work is unique because he both inlays and overlays colored wood veneers, often with several layers which creates a textured and almost sculptural, 3-D appearance.  The process Mark uses to color the veneers gives his pieces the brightness of paint, while still displaying the richness and saturation of a stain.

“I really enjoy the challenges of these veneers. My head is constantly going places that my hands aren’t ready for yet. The learning and the discoveries are the reward. It is fun to do something different with each piece”, says Mark.

Mark’s work is available at Cornerstone Gallery!

Last night we attended the Sauk County Art Association’s A.R.T Gallery grand opening at the Al. Ringling Theatre in downtown Baraboo, Wisconsin.  The long awaited opening of the gallery should help to infuse new life into the historic Al. Ringling theater which it seems has always struggled to find its place in our modern lifestyles.  Incorporation of the gallery featuring amazing local artists, along with stage shows, concerts, plays, movies  & more should go a long way toward making the “AL”  the center of art and culture in our area.

We’ll watch the local paper for the information, the interviews and the final numbers from the silent action.  It will of course continue to take money and volunteer dedication to keep things moving forward.  What strikes me as I’ve often mentioned is that it seems we have a very vibrant art community that lies a bit in the underground of our community. Art is everywhere in Sauk County, yet similar to our wonderful natural  assets here in the Baraboo hills, we need to keep working to find ways to help more of the locals to appreciate what the tourists already know.  There’s a lot of good stuff around here.  The new A.R.T. Gallery can only bring us closer to that goal.

I’m told the gallery will be open on Fridays and Saturday for now and will open more “full time” as the summer approaches.  When you visit our community I invite you to head into downtown Baraboo and visit the local galleries and shops. The “big name” attractions around here often create a vortex that sucks all the attention their way, but all the wonderful things that make a community unique are usually a step or two off the main highway. I can tell you this, just a walk through the new A.R.T Gallery in the amazing Al. Ringling Theatre will make that little drive into downtown Baraboo worth it.

Skillet Creek A.R.T. Grand Opening Photo Gallery – Click Here.

Local watercolor artist Sara Strozinsky is a native of California. Sara attended the College of San Mateo and California State University, Chico, where she studied art with an emphasis in drawing, printmaking and sculpture.  During her college years she was privileged to work  for noted California artist, Alexander Nepote. Later Travel took Sara to Colorado where she lived for six years and began to work with watercolors in earnest. While in Colorado she studied briefly at the University of Colorado in Boulder.  Sara now lives here in Baraboo with her husband, Michael, and their three children. Sara lives each day centered around family life and her painting.

The source of Sara’s work is most often nature.  Working from her own photography, she paints in a style of enlarged realism.  She attempts to create a powerful image by using drama and craftsmanship.  The drama is in the unique point of view, the contrasting lights and darks, and in her use of color.  Using non-traditional watercolor techniques, her colors are saturated, occasionally opaque and overstated.  Sara is drawn to plant life and rugged terrain; bodies of water and layers on the forest floor; bold rock formations and a fragile flower; the intricate tangled construction of a prairie or bird’s nest or forest glen. The aspects of light and shadow, the drama of contrast, and lush saturated color characterize her work.

The selected print for our spotlight is called Amber Morning. A beautiful framed print is for sale at the Cornerstone Gallery here in Downtown Baraboo.  You can also see more of Sara’s work on her website at www.sarastrozinskyart.com