Visual Artist: Jewelry Artist Categories

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Leslie Batt-Lutz

Visual Artist: Jewelry; Visual Artist: Painting; Visual Artist: Pottery/Ceramics

I’ve always loved natural materials and being around fire – from campfires as a kid to glassblowing in college. While in high school at art camp one Summer at UW-Green Bay, I hung out in the painting studio, but I was fascinated by the flames and smoke of the raku firings happening on the patio outside. I was fortunate, then, while in college at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls (getting my B.F.A. in sculpture) to learn from its stellar faculty at the time – which included Doug Johnson, Kurt Wild, and Jim Engebretson among others. Now, after years of juggling, I’ve retired from the job in corporate America, raised an awesome family, and can find a bit more time to fulfill my art-heart. Though I love painting and mixed media sculpture still, the siren song of raku has captured me. I embrace the unpredictability of raku in every firing. I set up my small low-tech kiln in my backyard and in batches of four or six tiny pots, I’m mesmerized by fire and smoke, anxiously and impatiently waiting to see the gift of alchemy. My work is out of my little home studio in beautiful River Falls, Wisconsin where I’ve lived for 38 years. I settled in River Falls to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and stayed active in community arts in the years since. I’ve been fortunate to have many opportunities, including working in potteries, selling at art fairs, painting large scale murals, illustrating children’s books, painting portrait commissions, and creating public art. My artistic endeavors have included Alley Exhibitionists (founding member), Mississippi Clayworks (co-owner), Art House Galley (not for profit/owner), Bella Luce Studio (owner), and CAB Board member. Art venues have included the River Falls Public Library, The Mabel Tainter, Wisconsin Regional Arts Program, Hammond Arts Alliance, Art on the Kinni, Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council in Ketchikan, AK, and several River Falls Utility Box Beautification projects.

Amy Danielson

Dancer; Visual Artist: Jewelry

Jane Dreis

Visual Artist: Fiber Art / Fine Craft; Visual Artist: Jewelry; Visual Artist: Sculpture; Visual Artist: Metalsmith

You’ve been ogling Jane’s Fine Silver Shotglasses for Poker Players, haven’t you? Great! Because Jane truly had a blast spending several days creating these pieces. Start each one by sawing an arc out of a flat sheet of fine silver; hammer it over a blowhorn stake to form the vessel wall; create the card suit design in the base with hammers, embossing and liner punches and a bowl of warm pine pitch (smells like a lovely pine forest!); then finally solder the base to the vessel with a hot propane torch. Can you believe Jane used to wear a paramedic uniform and served 18 years in emergency medicine? Even harder to believe is that she spent more than a decade wearing suits, pantyhose and high heels as a news reporter and corporate PR writer. So. Much. Better. Spending the day in jeans and a shop apron in her own studio! You also can find Jane’s handmade jewelry and metal art the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery, where she is a member artist and one of the owners. It’s Jane! LLC handmade jewelry and metal gifts can be found on display daily at the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery, 402 North Main Street, Stillwater, MN, in the historic Isaac Staples Sawmill building. The Art Guild Gallery is a cooperative of about 65 artists and is staffed 7 days a week by volunteers. Jane became one of the six owners of the not-for-profit gallery in early 2012.

Pat Haug

Teacher / Instructor; Visual Artist: Glass; Visual Artist: Jewelry

Hello- I’m a lifetime learner. I love passing that on to my students at my teaching studio. I create fused glass and metal jewelry.

Phyllis Hunter

Visual Artist: Jewelry; Visual Artist: Painting

Quality – Unique – Timeless These are all words that describe the works of Phyllis Hunter. She has been making jewelry for more than 15 years, beginning by stringing beads and advancing to using sterling silver wire to wrap and combine the beads. This opened a whole new avenue of creativity for her. From there she started to use natural stones, pearls and crystals to give texture and depth to her pieces. After her daughter introduced her to fine silver clay, Phyllis began taking classes and experimenting with the clay. She was hooked. Since then, she continues to experiment with this medium and is inspired by its artistic qualities. The silver clay can be formed into almost any shape – solid, hollow, or lacey – and can be combined with beads, glass and cubic zirconium. These qualities fascinate Phyllis and allow her to make the one of a kind pieces she so loves and for which she is known.

Laura Lusardi

Visual Artist: Jewelry

From a young age, I’ve been fascinated by nature. Camping, hiking, gardening, and rock hunting continue to be favorite hobbies of mine. My mom is a geologist, who taught me all about the local rocks and geology, inspiring me to keep my eyes on the ground in search for interesting rocks. I loved rocks so much as a kid that I would spend my entire recess on my hands and knees scouring the playground gravel for hidden gems. As an adult, my love of rock hunting has only grown; the only difference is that the world is now my playground. Not only was I interested in rocks as a child, but also in jewelry making. At first it was just small beaded trinkets, but I’ve since transitioned to wire-wrapping, as I was inspired by a childhood necklace featuring a wire-wrapped marble. I, too, started with marbles in an attempt to recreate that favorite necklace, but I’ve applied the same idea to rocks. Each creation features a locally found stone, sometimes an agate and sometimes another rock or fossil that caught my eye. The stone’s rugged contours create an interesting and dynamic surface that complements the wire wrapping. The stone is carefully wrapped in copper wire, following the shape and lines within the stone and mimicking the rivers and topography of the Midwest. Then I deliberate over what stones best accent the pendant and create a chain to match. I construct the chains out of individual twisted copper wires and glass beads, sometimes with more accent stones. Eventually I am left with an organic, yet elegant pendant or necklace that is both incredibly unique and personal.

Kerri Norman

Visual Artist: Jewelry

My jewelry is hand-fabricated metal smithing using mixed metals, gems, stones and pearls. I am mostly self-taught and have been in business since 2009. Inspiration most often comes from naturally occurring phenomena, flora and fauna. Figs, gardens, storms, jellyfish and sundew plants are a few of the series I have been developing. Presently, I am working on two new series based on hollow form construction and homes. The look of my jewelry is contemporary and delicate, tipping into the mechanistic & industrial while retaining easy wearability.

Anita Otteson

Visual Artist: Jewelry

Anita Otteson is the owner of A&E Designs and maker of jewelry. She’s known for creating simple, unfussy, everyday wearable jewelry. Believing less is more, she combines form and function to create pieces that are versatile and earthy. A combination of metals stones and other materials in a fusion of rustic elegance in each and every unique design. Her formal education is in science but enjoys many creative endeavors in addition to making jewelry, balance being a common theme in life and art.

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