"Superior Quetico Wilderness," original by Paul Oman

Greetings, Art Lovers!

Shown at left is a watercolor original called The Superior-Quetico Wilderness (65” x 45”).

Depicting one of our region’s finest natural treasures—the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of the United States and the Quetico Provincial Park of Canada—this large piece was painted by local artist and Lutheran pastor Paul Oman of Birchwood, WI. It now hangs at Black Iris Gallery in Spooner, WI.

The Superior-Quetico Wilderness comes matted and framed by the artist in dark oak. Until now, it was priced at $3,500 (framed; $2,450 unframed).

From now through the end of December 2009, you can take advantage of Paul’s 25% OFF Special. This means you can own this original watercolor for just $2,625 framed ($1,837.50 unframed).

Please let me know if you have questions or if you would like to schedule a private viewing of this rare, original artwork. It will make a beautiful addition to any home, cottage, cabin, or office.

Our Holiday Hours are Mon - Sat, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. We also take appointments for any other time--just gives us a call at 715-635-4548. See you soon at Black Iris Gallery on Hwy 63 in Spooner, WI. Free parking on Oak Street.

Happy Holidays to You!

Sincerely,
JoAnn

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Art, Framing, and the Holidays - Black Iris is Here for You

Hello, everyone! I have lots of news to share!

Last time we talked I was gearing up for my 4th Annual Black Iris Fine Art Show. I have to say...it went fantastic this year! My best year ever, in fact.

In the left margin are some pictures from the day, and as you can see, both the artists and the customers are very happy. I heard nothing but positive feedback this year.

Above: watercolor artist Vicky Zalatoris scopes out other art booths on a much-needed coffee break; learn more about Vicky at http://www.phluffwerks.com/aboutvicky.asp

Next year's Black Iris Fine Arts Show will be held during Jack O' Lantern Fest again, on October 16, 2010. Please mark your datebook now.

Have you heard the latest framing news at Black Iris Gallery? Perhaps you have seen our cute ad in the Spooner Advocate.

My framer Bill LaPorte and I are running a framing special!

All you have to do is bring in a photograph or artwork to be re-framed, or just bring in an emtpy frame you've had laying around for too long. You will earn TWENTY DOLLARS ($20) toward a NEW frame!

It's called "Funds for Frames" (like Cash for Clunkers), but it's a lot more fun. (THE BEST PART: all old frames will be donated to local art students.)

Above: local fiber expert Alene Peterson demonstrates the art of weaving on her loom.

You will be amazed, I promise, by what a new frame can do for your photos or artwork. And you have to admit, those shiny metal frames are so 1980's. Now is a great time to update a room (without spending a fortune on carpet and furniture).

Holiday Hours at Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing are Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. We also take appointments any time.

Please call Black Iris at 715-635-4548 if you need anything related to art, matting, glass, framing, and gifts.

Above: customers making jewelry at a make-n-take station.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Sincerely,
JoAnn

P.S. Only 26 days until Christmas! ;-)

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
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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

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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

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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