Artists | StCroixSplash.org

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Joseph Samuelson

Visual Artist: Painting; Visual Artist: Sculpture

Suzy Schaak

Visual Artist: Drawing Illustration; Visual Artist: Painting

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.

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.

Zac Spates

Visual Artist: Sculpture

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.

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.

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.

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