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Michaela Mahady

Visual Artist: Fiber Art / Fine Craft; Visual Artist: Painting; Visual Arts: Textile

My background is in both art and architecture. Earlier work, such as the Warroad Library, are site specific public art pieces, done through Pegusus Studio, Inc. They are leaded and beveled handblown art glass. Recent works are intended more for gallery display. They include plein air oil paintings and fibre art: knit “vestments,” to be worn or hung as tapestries, made from cotton, silk, bamboo, linen and wool yarns. These works were part of “e-qui-nox,” an exhibition at ArtReach St. Croix in August-September 2017. All are inspired by continued exploration of the relationship between the individual and the environment: earth, water, and sky as felt and understood by the human being.

Elizabeth Manfredi

Visual Artist: Painting

Artist’s Statement Elizabeth Manfredi’s paintings are concerned with the play of light in landscape and the fleeting quality of atmosphere interpreted through shapes and value shifts. Most work was done on location and reflects her interest in travel and her observation of the spirit of the places she visited. Biography Elizabeth Manfredi was born in Chicago, Illinois. She completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Communications at the Bauhaus influenced Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. For the next seven years, she worked as a graphic designer and art director in Chicago and Minneapolis. In 1982, she began traveling in Europe and Mexico. Her studies included six months at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris, two and a half years at the Cleveland Institute of Art in Lacoste, France, as teaching assistant and student, and a Master’s degree in painting from the Villa Schifanoia, Dominican University in Florence, Italy. She was awarded a fellowship and completed a second master’s degree in Renaissance Art History at Syracuse University in Florence, Italy. Manfredi had one-person and group exhibitions at the British Institute in Florence, The Musee Ad Zak in Paris, the Galerie St. Nikolaus in Stockholm, Sweden and La Galerie la Table Ronde in Loudeac, Brittany France. In Tucson, she exhibited in the Museum Shop Gallery at the Tohono Chul Botanical Garden, Rancho Linda Vista Gallery, the Blue Raven Gallery and Agua Caliente Park. In the Midwest, gallery exhibitions included the Elan Gallery in Bismark, ND, the William Bonifas Art Center in Escanaba, Michigan and the Wright Museum of Art in Beloit Wisconsin. In the Twin Cities she exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair, the Minnetonka Art Center, The Burnsville Area Society for the Arts, the Century College Art Gallery, the Wilcox Gallery, Gallery 360, the Groveland Gallery, the Art Preserve and ArtReach St. Croix. She was a member of the Lakes Area Pastel Society in Minnesota and the Tucson Pastel Society. Elizabeth retired from higher education art faculty positions and worked full time in her studios in Arizona and Minnesota prior to her death in 2015.

Beth Marcus

Visual Artist: Mixed Media

I found art at a very early age without knowing it . Making pretties out of my dads tackle box . Creating clothing for my dolls . Decorating my clothing with embroidery & beads . I spent a lot of time drawing to amuse myself . I believe I had great middle school & high school art classes . I very much cherish growing up close to the woods & water & I spent a lot of time exploring the outdoors . A subject that is always present in my work. My art is self taught & my medium evolved during a faze of redesigning & repurposing furniture & having fun with cabinet doors . Visiting hardware stores became inspiring so combining hardware store supplies & fine art supplies my art esthetic evolved . I work with copper , aluminum , a variety of paints & wood. I like to create texture & build layers & experiment with different types of paint . People often ask me when they see my work if its clay or leather. Thanks for your interest , Beth Marcus

Judy Markham

Visual Artist: Fiber Art / Fine Craft; Visual Artist: Mixed Media

I have lived in the St. Croix Valley for 30 years and continue to find inspiration for my work in the natural beauty of my surroundings. The changes of the seasons provide new views, colors, and textures in daily life in and around Stillwater, MN. My formal training led me to start my art career in commercial interior design. That work was on a large scale, coordinating materials in environments to inspire and please the eye of its inhabitants. Today, I design mainly handmade greeting cards and small canvases. Each one is a tiny little creation. I still love to use many of the same materials, wood, metal and fabric, to create something new and different. But now, on this smaller scale, I hope each one can be a special little personal gift for the buyer and the final recipient.

Jill Marudas

Visual Artist: Drawing Illustration; Visual Artist: Painting

Throughout my life, I have admired the medium of watercolor. Given a Kodak box camera at age 9, I developed a deep love for photography and nature. Once I entered the world of watercolor, my photos became the source of inspiration for many paintings. I’ve learned however, that some photos do not translate well and are best kept solely as photographs. Typically, my paintings use bold color, contrasts and close-ups. My theory is you have to make mistakes to learn, mainly because watercolor is unforgiving. Some of my favorite pieces didn’t end up the way they were originally planned. With watercolor, you become very innovative in working around your mistakes! One of my favorite quotes I read somewhere is “If the horse your drawing looks more like a dog, make it a dog.” I love the special camaraderie shared with fellow painters and am involved with an evening painting group New Century Artists, White Bear Center for the Arts, ArtReach St. Croix and various workshops and classes in the Twin Cities area. My home studio is in White Bear Lake, shared with partner Steve, as well as a lab/pointer and 17-year-old cat…both adopted from the Humane Society.

Bev Marx

Visual Artist: Painting

Art has been a part of my life since childhood, but I didn’t really know it until much later. All throughout my school years, I loved working with colors and drawings and in fact, adorned every assignment I had with special covers or colorful images or collages. During my college years and beyond, I doodled pencil portrait drawings during quiet times at school and work. After marriage and raising two children took central stage for a time, I continued my education at Metro State University, focusing on Art and Psychology. Art eventually won out. I had a passion for painting—painting soothed my soul through difficult times and still does. For the past 20 years, I have been inspired by and fortunate enough to be painting with many of the same artists as part of “MN NEW CENTURY ARTISTS”. Acrylics are my medium of choice—vibrant colors, thick and juicy on the canvas or translucent strokes with a splash of water—always forgiving. For several years, I painted scenes from and sold artwork in Eleuthera, a magical island in the Bahamas, and on beautiful Madeline Island in Lake Superior and have been especially drawn to Paris life and the French countryside….my homes away from home. I have been in a gallery art show at ArtReach St. Croix in Stillwater and involved in art shows with Alliance Francaise in Minneapolis, as well as several coffee shops and other local venues. Sharing my art with you is a privilege.

Kathleen Melin

Author / Writer

Kathleen Melin is the author of By Heart, a memoir of progressive education (Clover Valley Press 2008). Her creative and journalistic work has appeared in national and international publications including The Baltimore Review; EssayDaily; Feminist Parenting; A Woman’s Place; Dance, Somatics and Spiritualities; Eric Utne’s Cosmo DooGoods Urban Almanac; and others. She holds an MFA from the University of Minnesota and has worked in education as a teacher, presenter, and passionate advocate for people whose choices have been limited by class, gender, and geography. She has taught at the University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, Summit School for the Arts, Wisconsin Indianhead Technical Institute, conferences, festivals, libraries, galleries, and farms.

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