Teaching artists are at the heart of WBCA, and the art center would not exist without them. WBCA’s instructors are professional, working artists from around the Twin Cities and beyond. These talented artists teach classes in a wide variety of media, from clay, to jewelry, to painting, and so much more. The WBCA Instructor Showcase highlights a sampling of the work from those who participated in this show. Contact gallery@whitebeararts.org for purchase information.
I consider the pots I choose to make as tools. Some are tools of conviviality, some support moments of engaged solitude such as knitting, gardening, reading, and cooking. These pots inhabit the world I want to live, honoring self-reliance and connection. I make for a culture composed of well used objects rather than consumed. I hope to offer objects which might lend delight, beauty and comfort in this new world of ours. www.mostlygoodpots.com
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Scott’s career as an art director greatly informs his art. Having traveled the country to many plein air events, he won top awards at San Luis Obispo, Telluride, and here in Minnesota. He won top prize in the 2010 Salon International in San Antonio. His painting was selected from 392 juried works out of 1300 submissions from 46 states and 18 countries. He hopes you enjoy his work as much as he enjoyed creating them. ScottLloydAnderson.com
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I'm drawn to paint portraits and am fascinated by the fact that a painting can seem to have a tangible physical depth and a presence that can convince you the subject feels an emotion, is about to move, or take a breath. I don’t focus on painting perfection, but something much deeper — the beauty of a subject that comes from their singular uniqueness, their imperfections, the personality that sparkles in their eyes. www.suzannbeck.com
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I feel that the creative arts signify the highest level a society can attain. Creating new projects is extremely satisfying and makes me want to get up everyday with an exhilarating feeling of what's to come. Teaching for me is important to pass on this feeling of doing something creative and fulfilling.
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Put on a white dress and frolic among the birch trees. Sing, flirt, kiss. My roots go back to Norway, land of the midnight sun and Midsommar. I am drawn to Nordic culture and life, it's celebration and rituals. My desire in painting this piece was to capture the light, airy and mystical festivity of the Nordic solstice celebration. I painted Midsommar with a combination of watercolor, acrylic and chalk.
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Most of my work is focused on functional utilitarian objects. Sculptures and objects like this piece, are an area in which I step away from function as the primary motive. I look to find a mood by exploring texture and color. The way light and shadows shift over the piece is an area of particular interest. @ceramicchinn
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I have always enjoyed fabric; the way it drapes and flows, the textures and colors. When I look at textiles, I imagine them being used in a painting. Cutting, tearing, overlapping, intertwining, gluing –all in the quest of making the pieces fit to tell a story; a story of renewal, grace and beauty. Working in textiles is a gratifying art form, and I have only begun to examine the possibilities of this medium. pamcollinsart.com
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I find a need to work with color, texture, spatial relationships, movement, and a variety of shapes. Simple forms move around the canvas, creating relationships and a conversation with one another. It is this muted conversation I wish to convey in my work. bonniecutts.com
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I paint in two distinct styles, representational and abstract, which may at first appear irreconcilable, but are in fact two aspects of the same journey. For one, I venture out. For the other, I venture in. For both, the outcome is the same. No matter how or what I paint, whether the inspiration comes from within or without, the destination remains the same. lisafertig.com
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nemaa.org/artists/foster-art-and-soul-peggy-foster/
nemaa.org/artists/foster-art-and-soul-peggy-foster/
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I create soft hand stitched books that I bury in my yard and then dig up and wash in a lake. The meditative process of creating these books is deeply connected to my personal healing journey that has involved uncovering what has been buried inside myself, transforming pain and grief, releasing and alchemizing emotions and letting go to receive incredible gifts of insight and connection. I'm a Buddhist, sober, queer and a highly sensitive person. creativeunearthing.com instagram.com/emmafreemanart
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I make functional pottery and utensils for everyday use in the home. I enjoy exploring traditional craft mediums and techniques and making useful objects by hand.
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This painting was chosen to highlight two of my upcoming classes at WBCA, "Painting with Negative Space" and "Painting from Life in Watercolor." Both concepts are used in this painting. The composition was staged in real life, in the studio. With the help of a photo, I was able to paint the glass bowl using negative space painting. Students will work on developing both skills in the upcoming classes. chearding.com
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Acknowledging that all humans are bodies of water, and are connected by water, is the primary message within my artistic practice. I create textured acrylic paintings with respectfully collected water and sediment from significant freshwater sources. Each painting in my "Water Series" is a call to tell the water stories in our community. anniehejny.com
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I am fascinated by how paintings can capture the passage of time. Some areas covered up by others, some areas remaining clear and visible - a contest of layered moments. The painting “Acquiescence, Act 1” is made of these layered moments, daily acting and reacting in paint during the Covid-19 pandemic. For me, the process became a coping strategy and anchor to the present yet opening anticipation or potential of the next moment. paintstew.com
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I love creating teapots. Recently, I have explored wheel thrown bulbous forms while considering both the form and function of the piece. I seek out teapots everywhere I go for inspiration locally and when traveling. Of course, I enjoy drinking and serving tea, too!
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I started my artistic journey with community education classes, folk school courses and classes at WBCA. All of those wonderful experiences lead me to art school for sculpture. I teach welding, woodworking and stone carving at WBCA. I love teaching and helping people create something unique and precious.
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Rob Lieder is a ceramic artist, teacher, and military veteran residing in Stillwater, MN. He was drawn to ceramics after serving in the US Army, noting the relation of mark making in clay to the earth-scraping tracks of the M1 Abrams tank that he was a crewmember of.
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I like to use imagery that tells a story. This painting, “Little Death," is about love. It was created when I was 8 months pregnant with my first son. I knew it was going to be one of the biggest transformations of my life; I was going to be a mother, but I was also losing a bit of myself in the process. Love for a child is one of the deepest emotions we have.
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Dan, an MFA graduate and former Walker Art Center alum, embarked on a full-time art career as both a production artist, (Disney sculptor and MN Opera backdrop painter, to name two examples) and fine artist. Painting eventually took over and today he has work in 72 public collections. One of Dan’s favorite subjects are friendships and communities, as in this homage to crusty bachelor farmers and draft horse enthusiasts. danmackerman.com
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Dan is an award winning third-generation painter. His first interest in painting was in the 9th grade; while driving with his dad he mentioned he’d like to try painting. The next morning he woke to the kitchen table covered with everything he could ever possibly need to paint a picture. He’s been featured in Plein Air Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine. He lives in Cold Spring, MN. @danmondloch danmondloch.com
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With a BA in Fine Arts – Design, Lisa has created large-scale art installations for over 30 years. She now focuses on labyrinths, making room-size portable labyrinths and both outdoor and indoor permanent installations. Her work can be found internationally from Africa to Australia, and across the USA. The labyrinth symbolizes a spiritual journey, and Lisa's classes at WBCA explore labyrinth symbolism and use, and students create functional tabletop labyrinths using pottery and other techniques. pathsofpeace@gmail.com
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SAORI Weaving is a Japanese contemporary weaving style I brought from Japan. SAORI is not just a weaving style, but your life. This is a self-expression way of weaving, you can just weave how you feel. This allows you "being you." This gave me a joy, so I've been sharing this wonderful weaving to all ages and abilities hoping they can feel the joy as well. I created this vest because this yarn called me.
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My introduction to pottery was while working with people living in a poor inner city neighborhood to create a community based school for their children. Pottery was the chosen art form. Though I continued on my chosen life’s trajectory, clay was now a constant. Through University, and career, through marriage, motherhood and all life’s lessons, clay remains an essential part of my life and continues as a celebration of the possible.
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Clay is timeless, a product of this earth, and formless until met with hands. Tori hopes to embody the timelessness and sacred bond between clay and humans in her work. Drawn to making jars to hold treasure whether it is rocks from Superior, a wedding ring, or herbs from your garden; it will hold it in this porcelain time capsule. instagram.com/toriiipotty/
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As an artist, my paintings are about the intangibles. I am interested in the kinds of elusive qualities - color, light, atmosphere, (and circumstances) moments, impressions, and memories, that incite a visceral response. It cannot be touched, held, or named, but is somehow understood. My process is intuitive, and precise. I apply marks with unquestionable speed and confidence. My paintings are an omen, a nod to the things unseen, but understood through ingenuity and intuition. laurapresleyart.com
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Ann Solyst’s oil paintings are a meditative exploration of everyday objects. Preferring to paint on a smooth surface, such as panel or linen canvas, Ann begins each painting with an underpainting and meticulously develops small, simple scenes with numerous, thin layers of paint. These intimate paintings revel in the beauty of often overlooked objects, quietly asking the viewer to come closer and delight in the delicate textures, colors, and forms. annsolyst.com
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Clean lines, vibrant colors and movable parts inspire my work. I explore how seed beads can interpret geometric shapes. This sculpture is an infinity cube array that fully encompass the hanging star. I enjoy teaching Zentangle style meditative drawing, art journaling, labyrinth walking and jewelry making. Purpleapplearts.com
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I am a ceramic artist, abstract sculptor, and inventor of systems. Based on the ideas of minimalism and structures such as those found in weaving, I begin with simple shapes and processes, pushing and expanding on an idea within a range of possibilities. In my most recent body of work, based on the form of a circle or sphere, references can be made from the cellular and microscopic to the planetary.
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Rajine Williams is a visual multimedia artist, teaching artist, and filmmaker based in the Twin Cities. Her work centers around the femininity, body, and identity of Black women. Her artwork is an amalgamation of what it means to be a proud Black woman. She calls her aesthetic ‘Afrocentric Eclectic’. She plays with different mediums and textures as she would with her hair. She incorporates 3D textured elements and found/recycled objects in her work. rajinethequeen.com