4th Annual 2009 Black Iris Fine Arts Show - Coming Soon!

Greetings, Art Lovers ~ It's that time of year again!

It's October so it's time for my annual fine arts show. What was once called the Heartwood Fine Arts Show is now called the Black Iris Fine Arts Show. We have a new date (third Saturday in October) and a brand new location in the Upper Ballroom at the NW Sports Complex in downtown Spooner!

Above: Masa Lake
Sister Kristie Haugen
Mt. Carmel Hermitage
Amery, WI

This year's show is on October 17, 2009, which is also Spooner's 100th birthday AND the debut of Spooner's new Jack O' Lantern Fest!

Jack O' Lantern Fest will feature a Fine Art Show, a Brew Fest at Kegler's right upstairs from Black Iris Gallery, a Childrent's Tent for fun and games, and pumpkin contests of all kinds. October 17 is Spooner's premier family-friendly festival--join us to celebrate fall and ALL THINGS PUMPKIN in Spooner on October 17!

Now back to the art...here's a sneak peek of what you can expect to see at the Black Iris Fine Arts Show on October 17.






Left: Rainwater
CJ Conner
Chetek, WI











Left: Abstract Iris
Carole A. Burval
Minong, WI/ Barrington, IL











Left: Vase
David & Carolyn Stone
Balsam Lake, WI



See you at the NW Sports Complex on Saturday, October 17, 2009, for the Black Iris Fine Arts Show, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with FREE shuttle bus service all day.

Yours in Art,
JoAnn Martin
Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing
Framing for a Lifetime
715-635-4548
Hwy 63 Spooner, WI
http:/www.blackirisframing.com/artshow.php
.
.
.

Toads art show and book reading at Black Iris Gallery

Hello art lovers, book lovers, and moms and dads!

Our next art show at Black Iris Gallery is called Toads. But please don't let the name bother you--this show is about a children's book by the same name, and you'll love it!

Image from Toads

The book Toads was written by author Eileen Ziesler who lives and writes in Ladysmith, WI. It was illustrated by Janelle Thomspon, a freelance artist who lives in Ladysmith but paints around the world. These two amazing women worked together to create a marvelous children's book that asks the question, "Where do toads go after the sun comes up and the moon goes down?"

Front cover of the book Toads

Janelle (shown below) will be showcasing the original paintings she created for the book Toads. She will also display several paintings from the artistic duo’s next book, called Little Sprout, coming out soon.

Janelle Thompson, freelance artist and illustrator of Toads

This is a FAMILY-FRIENDLY art exhibit, so bring the kids! Your children will love the paintings of the forest creatures that are central to Toads, and Janelle’s quiet, patient way with kids mean they're drawn to her story-telling and reading.

You are invited

You are invited to attend Janelle's Artist Reception on Saturday, September 19 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM. Janelle's reception will feature her beautiful prints and originals, all for sale to the public. As a preferred Black Iris Customer, you're hearing about here it first!

Janelle's reception is right here at Black Iris Gallery. We are located at 410 N River Street (Hwy 63) in Spooner. Light appetizers will be served, and there is free parking on Oak Street.

Eileen Ziesler, author Toads

Meet the author, too
A second event is a book-signing and reading with Toads author Eileen Ziesler from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon on Saturday, October 3. At this event, Ziesler will teach everyone how to croak like a toad and how to draw a toad of their own!

Books will be available for purchase and autographing at both events. At just $16.95, this hard-cover, full-color, coffee-table quality book is an excellent bargain. Toads makes a wonderful, thoughtful gift for the special children in your life.

About the artist
Janelle's studio is in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, where she works as a freelance visual artist in watercolor and ink. "I can't remember a time when I didn't want to draw or paint," explains Thompson. “Art is the way I perceive and interact with the world around me.”

About the author
Ziesler is retired from teaching Early Childhood Literacy and now spends her time writing books and working on community service projects.

All adults and children are welcome to attend both events. The Gallery’s fall hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

For more details, click http://www.blackirisframing.com/currentshow.php or contact the gallery at 715-635-4548.

See you on Saturday, September 19, 4:00 - 7:00 PM!

Artfully yours,

JoAnn Martin

Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing

Spooner, WI

.

.

Call for Artists: Black Iris Fine Arts show, October 17

Greetings, Artists and Art Lovers!

My 4th annual art show is coming up, and I'm looking for a few more artists to fill booth spaces. Each year the show gets better, and this year....

Oil lamp
Hand carved by Ed Schmidt, Frederic, WI

...YOU are invited to participate!

Thanks to excellent feedback from both customers and artists, the Black Iris Fine Arts Show (formerly the Heartwood show) is now HELD IN DOWNTOWN SPOONER and is significantly earlier this year--on Saturday, October 17, 2009. This is the same day as Spooner's new Jack O' Lantern Fest, so between the leaf-lovers in the area and the Pumpkin Fest go-ers, foot traffic will be excellent.

For more details or to print an application, please visit http://www.blackirisframing.com/artshow.php (scroll down part way to open the application).

If you have questions, please call me at 715-635-4548. Of course there's always e-mail, too: JoAnn@BlackIrisFraming.com.

I look forward to having you join us at the 4th Annual Black Iris Fine Arts Show. So far we have over a dozen booths filled with mediums ranging from pottery, painting, and photography to hand-made knives, jewelry, and glass work.

It's best to sign up now--booths are filling fast and cost only $50; you don't want to miss out!

Sincerely,
JoAnn

Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing
715-635-4548
Hwy 63
Spooner, WI
http:/www.blackirisframing.com/artshow.php

.

2nd Annual Photo Show at Black Iris Gallery in Spooner

Members of the Northern Lights Camera Club (NLCC), which meets monthly in Spooner, Wisconsin, will showcase their latest works at the Second Annual Photo Exhibit on Saturday, August 8, 2009, 5 - 8 PM, at an Artist Reception.

The public is invited to meet the exhibitors, enjoy and buy quality photography, and share appetizers and beverages at the event, which is hosted by Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing on Hwy 63 in downtown Spooner.

The show will hang until Saturday, September 12. All framed photographs, matted prints, and greeting cards are available for sale by the photographers themselves. The photo shown here, called Walk with Me, was taken by Anna Merritt, owner of Misty Pine Photography in Gordon, Wisconsin at Copper Falls State Park near Mellen, Wisconsin.

“After the success of last year’s show, the leadership team felt it was important to keep the Club’s creative momentum going,” says JoAnn Martin, owner of the Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing and a business sponsor of the Club. “They decided an annual Photo Show would be a great way to do that, and I’m honored that Black Iris Gallery can be a part of it.”

“This year’s show includes several new members to the club,” adds Barb Ray, a photographer from Birchwood, Wisconsin. “Our members range from portrait and wedding photographers to those who shoot street scenes, architecture, wildlife, nudes, and still lifes. Everyone is welcome,” explains Ray. “From beginners to professionals.”

On Saturday, August 8, from 5 - 8 PM, you can meet the photographers in person at the show’s Opening Reception. You’ll also learn about the Northern Lights Camera Club and its mission while enjoying the freshest works by the most talented photographers in the area.

The Gallery’s summer hours are Monday – Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Enjoy free parking on Oak Street. For more information about the show, please call 715-635-4548 or visit http://www.blackirisframing.com/ and click “Art Shows.” See you Saturday, August 8, at Black Iris Gallery in Spooner.

Collectors, admirers laud local photo show

Fine art photographer Bill Voight's dual art shows--Tiger Cruise: USS Nimitz, which chronicles his week-long stay aboard a US Navy aircraft carrier, and Just Between Us: Stories of Form & Figure, which debuts a decade of Bill's work studying and photographing the female form (yes, nudes)--will hang now through August 3 at Black Iris Gallery in Spooner, WI.

The Nimitz show hangs along the ramp in the lower level of the Black Iris building, while the Form & Figure show hangs separately in Suite # 1, just off the upper vesituble on the street level.

Bill's artist reception was this past Saturday, and as you can see from the photo at left, Bill looks very happy! Attendance was strong and sales were good. Bill's softcover Nimitz book nearly sold out (we have 1 left), and he had to replenish his selection of fine art greeting cards before the show even opened because they were selling so well!

We have only 6 hardcover, coffee-table quality Nimitz books left. At $74.95 each, they make an excellent, thoughtful gift for the photographer, Navy sailor, or aviator in your life.

Members of the Northern Lights Camera Club (NLCC) attended the show in full force. Bill happens to be one of only two photographers in the club who shoots film, not digital, photography, and he is the only photographer in the area who develops his prints in his own darkroom.

If you missed Bill's reception with our spicy bruschetta, mouth- cooling cucumber bites, and plenty of fine wine to go with the fine art, that's okay! You can still see Bill's beautiful, elegant photographs at Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing on Hwy 63 in Spooner. Free parking on Oak Street.

Our summer hours are Mon - Sat, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. Appointments are welcome on Sundays.

While art is our passion, framing is also our passion and our main business. Please remember Black Iris Gallery for your framing and matting needs. We offer Framing for a Lifetime.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely, JoAnn
Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing
JoAnn@BlackIrisFraming.com

Are you ready? (1 Artist, 2 Shows!)

Gestalt I
Human Form Series
Bill Voight
BillVoight.com


Dear Friends in Art,

Are you ready to answer some hard questions--or at least to ponder them?

• Should the human form (nudes) be displayed as artwork?
• What is the difference between the human form as fine art and pornography?
• If an art show causes you to think or to feel uncomfortable, is that automatically good? bad?
• Is a nude show that depicts the female form automatically a feminist show?

If you're ready to contemplate questions like these, you'll want to attend black-and-white photographer Bill Voight's Artist Reception THIS SATURDAY, June 20, 6 - 8 PM, at Black Iris Gallery. We are located on Hwy 63 (River Street) in Spooner, and we have free parking on Oak Street.

Bill's human form series is called Just Between Us: Stories of Form and Figure, and it will hang in a separate room from the main gallery (Suite #1, top of the ramp).

If a nude show is too personal for you, please visit Bill's other show (lower level, ramp area), which showcases his elegant photography of the USS Nimitz. If you are a military buff in general or a United States Navy supporter in particular, this show is a stunning example of some of Bill's best-selling work. See below.

Wave Off
USS Nimitz Series
Bill Voight
BillVoight.com

On Saturday, Bill will be selling framed works ($250 - $400), matted prints ($100 - $225), and greeting cards ($5 each or 6 for $25) of both shows. Bill's prices reflect the high quality, archival materials he uses as well as the extensive labor required to print his fine art images. Even if you can't buy yet, please come in Saturday night to show your support of an artist who is publishing some of the best images I have seen recently. Appetizers and wine available, of course.

Bill's USS Nimitz show also features a coffee table book (hard and soft cover) that allows you to own the entire Nimitz show for less than $80.

See you Saturday for this fabulous art show. Bill will be here to answer questions and to discuss his fine art photography, which he captures on film and develops in his own darkroom.

Don't miss it--but if you do, his works will hang at Black Iris Gallery though August 2.

See you Saturday,
JoAnn

Black Iris Gallery
Hwy 63
Spooner, WI

P.S. What are your thoughts on this show? Please post your response by clicking "comments" below.

Carole's Watercolor Class a Success!

Hello, Art Lovers!

As I type this, Carole A. Burval (shown left, green shirt) is teaching a watercolor class in the hallway just outside my gallery door. Students have come from as far away as Hudson to take Carole's class, and I've heard nothing but positive feedback!

Carole's teaching style is patience mixed with humor and a lot of technique. She shares tips and advice from her many years as a professional painter and teacher, so you don't have to learn the hard way. Carole also asks about your goals for your work, and then she helps you get there. Carole is a sparkling diamond in Spooner's local art scene--we're so lucky to have her here.

.

As you may already know, Carole's specialty is transparent watercolor painting. While I don't know everything there is to know about this challenging technique, I do know that what Carole does with thin layers of watercolor paint is absolutely amazing. She can use just one tube of paint (that's just one color--see above left for an example) to create an entire scene with all its moods, textures, shadows, details, and emotions. By changing the value and tone of the pigment (by using more or less water), Carole's works come alive.

.

Please come visit us TONIGHT, 6 - 8 PM, for Carole's Artist Reception here at Black Iris Gallery (Hwy 63, Spooner, WI). We'll have food, wine, and fabulous fine art, plus you'll get to meet Carole and her very handsome husband.

.

If you've always wanted to learn watercolor painting in a workshop setting rather than from "how-to" books, Carole Burval's classes are an excellent choice. To take a class from Carole, please contact her at her Web site or call 847-840-7731 (that's her cell #, which is the best way to reach her). She can let you know her upcoming schedule.

And now I have a question for you, Dear Readers! Are there other workshops you'd like to take? Are you interested in oil painting, black and white photography, or weaving? What about glass work, metalwork, or wood carving? Do you want to learn how to capture people's faces in charicature drawings? I have several artists who are interested in teaching classes, but most don't have room for group sessions in their home studios.

.
To help them and you, I am coordinating an art class schedule for the remainder of 2009...so let us know what medium you're interested in. Please respond by posting a comment, below.

Thanks!

Artfully,

JoAnn

Left: Layer, shadow, & Light Lesson