Summer is Show Season at Black Iris

For those of you who attended Don & Linda Ruedy's art show and artist reception on Saturday, May 9, you know what a magical afternoon it was!

Linda sold several framed photographs, including Blue Heron Visitor, shown left. Don played his Celtic harp for us, above right, making the entire day an elegant and cultured affair.

My good friend Leila agreed to sit as Don's live model, and the pastel portrait he created of her is stunning, as you can see below.

If you would like to commission Don to create a portrait for you (or of you) -- they make very thoughtful gifts! --please contact Don directly at ruedy715@centurytel.net.

I think one of the best parts of the day was when a long-lost relative of Linda's arrived to see her. They had lost touch over the years, but her daughter's paternal aunt had heard about the show in the newspaper. See below for a photo of their happy reunion.

Stay tuned for information on our next art show--it's hanging now and it's absolutely stunning!

Happy Memorial Day, and thank you to all veterans. Our freedom is not free, and we have you to thank for it.

Sincerely and artfully yours,

JoAnn

Photo Show Extended!

Hi, everyone!

I have good news. If you haven't seen the Northern Lights Camera Club's 1st Annual Photo Exhibit here at Black Iris Gallery, now is the time. Due to such positive reviews, the show has been extended and will hang until at least mid-October.

Below is more information for you. It's an excerpt of a press release the regional newspapers received today. All the juicy details are here!

Blue Heron
Barb Ray, Birchwood, WI

"This show is amazingly good,” says JoAnn Martin, owner of Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing in Spooner. "The members of the local Camera Club have a lot to be proud of.”

The show is the Northern Lights Camera Club’s first public exhibit. “What you’ll notice as you come down the ramp [below Kegler’s Pub & Pin],” continues Martin, “is that all of the photographers are local, and all of their work is stunning. I couldn’t be happier with this show,” says Martin, smiling and pausing to point out her favorite photograph.

“Look at this blue heron!” she says, obviously taken with it. “I’ve asked Barb Ray, who took this picture, to print a larger size for me [you can too]. I’m buying it from her so I can frame it and hang it at home—I can’t take my eyes off it.”

Opening night
Sept 6, 2008

Most images are in color, but professional photographer Bill Voight of Hayward works strictly in black and white, and strictly on film. “I have my own dark room and hand-develop my own silver gelatin prints,” says Voight. “This way I always control my finished product.” You’ll be drawn to Voight’s images, which show his eye for detail and his heart for humanity. Most recently Voight’s work hung at Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California, in a show titled USS Nimitz: Tiger Cruise. Voight’s one-man show chronicled his time as an artist and a writer on board the aircraft carrier of the same name.

Another professional photographer in the Camera Club, David Herrick of Spooner, has three images in the local Photo Exhibit. Herrick is exhibiting his current body of work at the state’s Department of Administration Building in Madison. Titled Wisconsin’s Skies, Trees and Earth, this show is juried and runs now through October 20, 2008. David’s work is said to “capture Wisconsin’s beauty through its landscapes, flora, fauna and historical structures.” For more, go here: http://arts.state.wi.us/static/DOAlobby.htm

Hosted by the Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing, the Photo Exhibit has received such good reviews that it will hang at least until mid-October. All works are available for sale by the artists.

“The local photographers have done an excellent job of capturing the beauty of northwest Wisconsin,” adds Martin. “If you haven’t seen the Photo Show yet, now is the time.”

In addition to framed pieces, club members also have matted prints, unmatted prints, and greeting cards for sale. The Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing is located on Hwy 63 in Spooner, at 410 North River Street (free parking on Oak Street). Fall hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. For more information, please visit www.blackirisframing.com or call 715-635-4548.

Hope to see you at the Show!

JoAnn

Two Art Shows - Both Must See Events!

Hi, everyone!

Now through September 20, 2008, Black Iris is hosting Spooner's Northern Lights Camera Club 1st Annual Photo Exhibit. Please come in and see their amazing work! From beginners to professionals, the Camera Club member's works are eclectic, high quality, inspiring, artistic, and oh--wonderful! Even yours truly got her camera out and shot this photo of a field of very happy sunflowers (above). I call it Sunflowers Make me Happy, and you can order a print, up to 16 x 20 size. Send me an e-mail at joann@blackirisframing.com if you're interested. In fact, all of the photographers in the show can order small or large prints for you--that's the beauty of photography!

Here's a picture (courtesy of Tom Cusick of Shell Lake) of the Artists' Reception we had this past Saturday. Over 100 people came to see the show, and one photograher nearly sold out of her framed work! As you can see, the place was packed. It was exciting and so much fun. The photographers and I are already looking forward to next year's show.

Northern Lights Camera Club
Artists' Reception
September 6, 2008




My next art show is the 3rd Annual Heartwood Fine Arts Show, which is Saturday, November 1, this year. It's 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, with fine art (no crafts), food, wine, art demonstrations, and free hay rides all day. Don't miss this year's show--it's an excellent way to kick off the Christmas shopping season, and I am very excited to announce that I'll be hosting an award-winning asian-brush painter out of Minneapolis. His work is stunning and he offers everything from scroll work to greeting cards, originals to prints. Here's are two samples of his work (below).

See you at the Shows!

JoAnn

I'm back in the frame shop

Hello, everyone. I'm sorry I've been "down and out" the past few days. I am about to frame a beautiful wedding photograph of a former student of mine and his bride, but I went home sick on Wednesday and stayed in bed until today (Sunday). I just didn't have the heart to be coughing and sneezing over their beautiful, keepsake photograph.

I'm back now, though, and I'm happy to say that I'm working on a really neat order this week. A famous local politician has asked me to frame a fossil he found on the shore of Shell Lake, located here in Washburn County. The fossil is a piece of a cephalopod, and I'm going to mount it to a fabric-covered matboard using either Melinix (which is a conservation, mylar-like plastic) or wire. We have designed a vertical shadow box frame, with a picture of a whole cepalopod and a short, explanatory paragraph to enhance the fossil itself--cuz otherwise it's just a piece of petrified flesh! :) The customer is going to donate the entire shadow box to his local public library, so that everyone can learn about this amazing piece of biological history. I'll let you know how it goes! (See finished project, below.)

In my next post, I'll talk about why a dustcover is so important on the back of framed art. You won't believe the stories I have to tell.

JoAnn