"Weathered and Wild" Opening Party

Wildness is a central theme to the work of the three distinctive artists featured in “Weathered and Wild” onview at ArtReach from November 21 to January 4. Using painting, photography and mixed media, each looks at the wildness of natural spaces, the wildness of humans, and the ways these two intersect.

Will Ersland (Stillwater, MN) is a painter specializing in western and equestrian art. His graphic, bright paintings in this exhibit center on American western lore: native people, cowboys, frontier women and, of course, their horses. His work is widely exhibited and collected, and has frequently won awards in western artwork shows, including Best in Show at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Spirit Art Show.

Steve Simmer (St Paul, MN) is a natural resource professional and MN based outdoor photographer. He has had a lifelong relationship with the natural world, and his work explores Lake Superior. His photographs center on the sky, clouds, forests and landscapes along this body of water. Steve says, “The camera records more than the eye can see; bending time and light, magnifying detail or freezing motion.”

Danica Winter (Minneapolis, MN) is an ecological mixed media artist. Using recycled or found mixed with a wide variety of art mediums, she works to serve as an environmental activist, and believes everything has value and beauty if viewed in the right light. The pieces she is contributing in this exhibition include sculptural pieces made from found materials gathered in the St. Croix area. She says, “it is my goal to display artworks where materials were found, completing nature’s circle.”

The galleries at ArtReach St. Croix are free and open to the public Wednesdays through Fridays, 10am-4pm, and Saturdays, 12-4pm.