Artists | StCroixSplash.org

Home
Artists
Search

Joseph Samuelson

Visual Artist: Painting; Visual Artist: Sculpture

Suzy Schaak

Visual Artist: Drawing Illustration; Visual Artist: Painting

Emily Schollett

Visual Artist: Pottery/Ceramics

I strive to create pottery that brings joy to simple meals or to new traditions. Pottery is a reflection and celebration of ourselves, carrying memories and emotions. Meals provide an opportunity for friends and families to come together and connect. A beautiful serving vessel can transform these events into treasured and special experiences. The natural world inspires my work. I am drawn to the pure aesthetic beauty of organic forms I find along the trails and streams. My pieces reference the graceful unfurling of a leaf or bud, implying life, growth and movement.

Barbara Schotl

Visual Artist: Painting

Charlotte Schuld

Visual Artist: Painting

I am inspired by my travels—around the corner, through the United States and into Europe. I am drawn to patterns, colors and textures in the land, sky and water. The same elements of nature are found everywhere we go—but constantly changed into unique landlines and patterns that mark each place as “mine” and “home,” or “I want to remember this,” or “I want to go there!” My process is to travel as far and long as I can when I am out searching for my next painting, or on a research trip. I work with my camera to photograph extensively—zooming in and out, sketching and taking color notes (time of day, atmospheric elements, temperature). In my studio, I study the photographic results and make my decisions based on the emotional response I felt to the place. I do a value sketch planning the composition and format and a watercolor study planning the color palette. Finally, I am ready to do my painting on canvas. Even though my style is realistic, I work to create an original painting that is far more powerful than my photographic references. Serendipity and creative freedom happens with each brush stroke. Our earth is remarkably beautiful. I fervently hope my paintings don’t become an historical record of what was and is no longer—but this is another reason why I paint landscapes.

Judy Sell

Visual Artist: Mixed Media

I create artwork loaded with heirloom bits and found pieces. The joy I derive from mosaic goes hand in hand with my love of collecting objects that provoke strong memories. Throughout my life, my artistic pleasure has come from hoarding and sorting sentimental curios. This has led me to the art of mosaic where I can use my beads, dishes, vintage jewelry, mirrors, shells and ceramics objects. Employed as a graphic designer, I honed the skill of simplicity, clarity and composition. My process starts with a narrative, then I walk amongst my materials, rarely needing to obtain more. The textures and color of vintage dishes and objects surprise and delight me. Recently the portrait format has been my greatest challenge and pleasure.

James Shoop

Visual Artist: Sculpture

For more than 30 years I have been developing my artistic interpretation through sculpture. Whether sculpting a commercial commission or a fine art sculpture, I always push the limits of my knowledge and skill. I take great inspiration from 19th century sculpture, especially Art Nouveau. Creating a sculpture with movement and life adds to the unique execution of each of my pieces. Through my quest to gain knowledge, I have benefited from learning from the best sculptors, through teachers and studying what the great masters have done before, such as Daniel Chester French, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Jean-Baptiste Carpeau. My foundry background adds to my wealth of knowledge. I understand how to execute a sculpture so that it can be cast to its highest potential. Understanding all aspects of the process is of benefit to the outcome of any project I take on from the start, design development to delivery of a beautifully executed sculpture. My long history of working with a variety of clients, building lasting relationships is a testament to my skill and reliability. I’ve been fortunate to be recognized for numerous distinctions and awards. Despite this I continue to strive to push every piece to a new level of development. It has taken me 30 years to get to where I am, I look forward to seeing what I can create in the next 30 years.

Steve Simmer

Visual Artist: Photography

My interest in photography was inspired by my father, who was a professional photographer. As a youth I spent countless hours with him on photoshoots and in the dark room. Thankfully, he was an incurable teacher. However, when it came time to choose a career, I decided to pursue a degree in natural resources, specializing in forest management. Yet, I never left photography very far behind. Then, as I closed in on completing that career with the Minnesota State Forestry Division, I was seized by a renewed interest and passion for photography. My post-career desire to apply an intimate knowledge of wild places to tell a photographic story of my encounters. And, of course as a native of St. Paul, I am also enchanted by the architecture, landmarks and parks of the Twin Cities where I live.

Suzanne Sisson

Visual Artist: Mixed Media

I enjoy mixed media art form for it’s clash and excitement of colors, shapes, and textures. I am drawn to the sea shore where like others I have sat for hours staring at the shifting colors, shapes, and movement of the water. In addition I have always been interested in Native American integration and respect of the physical worlds into a spiritual understanding of life. Hence I make totems as well as larger pieces to embody these things: water, mountains, colors, earth, and animals. These are some of the things that influence my work as well as the sheer joy of creating movement, color, and vibrancy.

Michael Slagle

Visual Artist: Painting

My paintings are based on the landscapes of neighborhood in Lakeland, compositions I have encountered on my daily routine: walking the dog. Out and about with my kids, etc. If I spot an interesting composition I will either take a picture or draw it, or both, and manipulate the image in Photoshop. Using photoshop I flatten areas in the image, play with the composition, and tweak the colors. Playing with the viewers perception of space is interesting to me. Large areas of flat space can appear to be both receding in to the distance or in the foreground of the picture plane.

Zac Spates

Visual Artist: Sculpture

Lorie Spiegel

Visual Artist: Drawing Illustration

My artwork is about the beauty, grace and presence of my subjects. It is also very much about light and atmospheric mood. I try to communicate the feelings that I experience in natural, outdoor places I visit nearby and in my travels around the Midwest. I’ve enjoyed working in many art mediums, but fell in love with drawing in soft pastels over 16 years ago where I’ve remained focused since

David Spohn

Visual Artist: Drawing Illustration; Visual Artist: Printmaking

Originally from Chicago, I now live in Franconia Township, MN, where the beauty of the St. Croix River Valley has long inspired my work. I spent 31 years working at the Hazelden Foundation, where I was the art director of the book publishing division. I now enjoy working independently in my home studio, splitting my time between creating books (writing, illustrating, designing) and intaglio printmaking. I also work and exhibit with Project Art for Nature, an artist group that is a perfect fit for my artistic vision. My goal as an artist is to be a voice for the healing power in the beauty of our natural world by creating art that helps people to connect with this world in whatever environment they live. This connection is available to all of us when we learn to focus on the world as it is under our feet, right in front of our eyes. Whether drawing in pencil, ink or making etchings, my work has always involved print, either through books or intaglio printmaking. The common thread is that art for books and art as printmaking both involve drawing at the heart of the matter, and both involve art that is to be shared.

Susan Strand-Penman

Visual Artist: Pottery/Ceramics; Visual Artist: Sculpture

As an artist, I am interested in exploring the delicate relationship between humans and the natural world. I am fascinated with the beauty and wonder of the natural landscape. Inspired by the quiet, spiritual qualities of a dark forest or mossy knoll, I find myself drawn to the textures and shadows found within these mystical places. In my sculptures I strive to capture the spirituality and recreate the intricate textures found in nature. Working in a malleable medium, such as clay, allows me to explore textures using many different techniques. My sculptures are hand built using slabs and multiple layers of added or removed clay. Each piece is individual and creates a unique story that grows intuitively from the clay

Victoria Bradford Styrbicki

Author / Writer; Choreographer; Dancer; Storyteller; Visual Artist: Drawing Illustration; Visual Artist: Installation; Visual Artist: Sculpture

Victoria Bradford Styrbicki is an artist and cultural producer working across the lines of performance, research, and activism. She is a Louisiana native and thrives on place-based work that connects with the “social choreography” of a people—their movement both physical and conceptual toward greater connectivity. After earning her Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Victoria worked extensively in this field in the city of Chicago, moving after ten years to the Twin Cities in Minnesota where she now lives and works.

Jocelyn Suzuka Figeroua

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

Born in Kyoto, Japan and raised in Stillwater, Minnesota, i am an with a focus on fiber and painting. My work examines the role of inherited legacies and family traditions within histories altered by immigration, loss, and war. I create stuffed dolls sewn by hand using the naminui (wave stitch) I leaned from my Japanese mother when I was a child. Four generations of women in my family have used naminui, passing the stitch from the hands of mothers to daughters- connecting generations of hands that will never touch. My duty to preserve this craft legacy stems from my belief that I have a responsibility to raise up the stories of those who came before me and preserve their memories for those who come after.

Jack Swanson

Singer

Stillwater, Minnesota native and 2018 Richard Tucker Career Grant Winner Jack Swanson is quickly becoming one of the most sought after young tenors in the opera world. His distinctive high lyric voice is known for singing the acrobatic arias of Rossini and the legato melodies of Donizetti.

Judy Symalla

Visual Artist: Painting; Visual Artist: Iconography

Judy was introduced to Byzantine iconography during an intensive week long workshop. She became completely drawn to this traditional art form. She has studied under Master Iconographers as well as studied the icons of the Masters from ancient times and the history and theology behind iconography. She now creates traditional as well as original icons with an interest in bringing the Western perspective to her icons. Her style emerged, not from an effort to create a style for herself but rather, from her desire to create what is True and Beautiful. Creating icons in the ancient technique of egg tempera, made from egg yolk and natural pigments from the earth, on naturally gessoed boards with 24k gold leaf on clay bole has become her source of creative expression. In keeping with the tradition, she creates icons applying first the dark base colors (roskrish) and then adds successive layers of lights and tinted veils. She values this ancient technique but also pushes herself to bring a freshness to iconography by reflecting the perspective of the West in a predominantly Eastern art. Her icons typically evoke awe in the viewer. By bringing in the Western perspective, Judy hopes to evoke a feeling of comfort and a greater sense of understanding. She is the founder and director of St. Croix Catholic Iconographers Guild, which has over 100 members and supports iconographers through education and activities. Additionally, the guild has done mission work on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and created several icons as a group.

Find An Artist

Search by Keyword

Search by last name:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z