Art

Art Rick Coates Seldom does one get to watch an artist in the creative process. Rather, the public typically only sees or hears the completed work. Creating a work of art is usually done in private without time constraints. Imagine telling Picasso that he would have only three hours to complete a painting.
But that is exactly what Sean Tobin and Skyler Nelles, organizers of the first ArtOff in Traverse City, will be doing this Saturday night.

Art Kristi Kates Put some of the best promotional minds of Petoskey together, add a little “gotta have art,” and what do you get? Petoskey’s annual Gallery Walk, now in its ninth year as one of downtown’s favored events for locals and tourists alike.
It only takes a quick stroll through Petoskey’s quaint downtown area to see that there’s a strong art presence, especially where landscape art (a big draw for visitors) is concerned; if you’ve ever wanted your walls to capture every single mood of the bay and the surrounding area, you could certainly do that by acquiring art from Petoskey’s extensive selection of galleries.

Art Glen Young Mackinac Island has long been a haven for artists. Photographers and painters have regularly found the Island’s rocky outlines inspiration for intense study. The surrounding waters and green spaces have lured artists since the 17th century.
So the development of the Mackinac Seven, a loose association of painters who depict the changing views of the historic island, is not hard to understand. Marta Olson, who has lived part of her year on Mackinac Island since the 1960s, describes the Mackinac Seven as a “group of friends who just started painting together and hanging out together.”

Art Rick Coates This weekend, Gallery Fifty will open its three-month exhibition titled “The Ways of Seeing: The Abstract Art of Jennifer Gardiner Lam, Delbert Michel and Debra Lanning.” The exhibition will kick off Saturday, May 3 with an artists’ reception from 6-9 p.m. in the Mercato (lower level) of Building 50 at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons.
Artist Delbert Michel, who spent 39 years as a professor of art at Hope College in Holland, took time to answer a few questions and offer his reflections and observations on the world of art. Michel moved to Northern Michigan in 2003 and opened up a working studio/gallery in downtown Traverse City. While he doesn’t keep gallery hours, people do track him down in his somewhat hard-to-find studio located in the alley near Jack’s Market and The House of Doggs.

Art Carina Hume Fun, funky and colorful is how Petoskey potter Kim Krumrey describes her art – a nearly accurate description of the artist herself. With her hair in ponytails, a cap on her head and a colorful, patterned self-made scarf around her neck, Krumrey appears to be the epitome of her work.
A Traverse City native since she was 10 years old, Krumrey still considers the area home. She attended Western Michigan University – with a stint at Northwestern Michigan College her sophomore year with classes in graphic design. Back at Western in her junior year, she realized commercial art wasn’t for her.
“I don’t really like to compromise when it comes to my artwork,” Krumrey says with a laugh. Her focus shifted to ceramics, and in 1993 she completed her Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in art, and settled in Petoskey, unsure of what to do with her life.

Art Carina Hume When David K. Austin left Marquette in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Northern Michigan University in hand, he was searching for snow. An avid cross country skier, he wanted to live where he could pursue both of his passions. Petoskey was his compromise, and he’s built a career in art along the way.
“At the time, I was skiing heavily – cross country skiing,” says Austin, who ran the Boyne Highlands Cross Country Ski Program for five seasons. “It was the closest I could get to the sculptures I was doing in southern Michigan, but still ski.”

Art Glen D. Young Artist Russell Chatham may not have been able to attend the opening gala for his retrospective exhibition in Traverse City, but 23 of his most notable paintings certainly showed up. The paintings represent the collection of Ann Arbor area health care executive Randall Pittman and his wife Mary.
Gene Jenneman, director of the
Dennos Museum Center, where the paintings are featured, credits Harry and Piper Goldson with securing the display. The Goldsons, owners of Suttons Bay
Galleries, have worked with both

Art Priscilla Miller Chuck Forman’s interest in art was initially sparked by a seventh grade art teacher. She got him interested in oil painting, and after that, he was “hooked.” While attending Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan, he took courses in engineering and drafting, yet he also managed to get in three hours a day of art classes.
He began his career as an artist at the age of 17. When visiting his grandparents’ farm in the Traverse City area, he saw an ad in the local paper for an apprentice artist. He decided to answer the ad, and of the 72 applicants, Chuck was one of two selected for the job.

Art Carina Hume In 2004, Petoskey’s Little Traverse Civic Theatre (LTCT) first presented The Christmas Schooner, a turn–of–the–century story of the Stossels, who sailed Lake Michigan in November to bring Christmas trees to families in fire–ravaged Chicago. The musical is based on a book by John Reeger, with music and lyrics by Julie Shannon.

Art Priscilla Miller When Allen Brown of Rapid City laid down his dental drill ten years ago and retired from his downstate dental practice, he was looking for something to do that would give him a sense of fulfillment. He knew he possessed artistic abilities, because dentistry requires skill and precision. But what to do?

Art Rick Coates Artist Jerry Gates grew up in Bay City, where he drew on his passion for art by having the opportunity to take four years of art classes while in high school. As he prepares for an exhibition and an artist’s reception November 15th at Gallery Fifty that will include more than 80 works he has created over the past 20 years, he reflects on the state of art in the schools and the community.

ARTISTIC GROWTH
“I was fortunate to be in school at a time when taking art classes and music classes was encouraged and valued,” said Gates. “In general, today we don’t look upon visual artists with the same esteem other countries do. I think this has somewhat to do with the dummying down of our appreciation for art.”
Gates isn’t angry and he doesn’t want to appear too cynical, yet his observations over the years have led him to believe that to a certain extent, the arts are headed in the wrong direction.
“Visual art takes concentration by the participant, unlike going to a concert or listening to pop music; no thought is really required for those things,” said Gates. “Most people today are unwilling to stand in front of a painting and spend the necessary time appreciating it and understanding what the artist has captured. This appreciation for art is not being taught like it used to be when I was growing up.”
He chuckles at the attention that pop musicians and actors on the big screen are given by society while many other great artists practically go unnoticed. However, he feels fortunate to be working as an artist in Northern Michigan, an area that he feels is one of the pockets in the country that does have an “appreciation and willingness to celebrate its artists.”

Art Kristi Kates Friday, November 2 is the day for the Women In Art lecture, as put on by artcenter Traverse City - and if you’re at all interested in art, artists, or art education, you’ll want to be there. The event is part of artcenter’s lecture series, designed to introduce artists, art historians, and lecturers to the community to encourage conversation and collaboration.
“Last month, we hosted Joe DeLuca, who had a retrospective showing at Gallery 50 throughout October, and next month, in addition to Women in Art, we will be welcoming Ed Wong-Ligda to speak on the importance of public art,” Amy Packard, artcenter educational coordinator, explains. “The Women in Art lecture is the result of lecturer Patty Pelizzari’s passion for art and an interest in women artists specifically. Our hope is that, if interest warrants, we could continue this exploration on a monthly basis, like a book club or salon with art and artists as the focus.”

Art Carina Hume Clay piggy bank artist Tyler Bier and girlfriend Anna Farrell have collaborated to offer a line of colorful, handmade, clay guitars at the Bier Art Gallery and Pottery Studio. A variety of mini guitar replicas are available for purchase, and a demonstration of the artists’ creative process will take place on Saturday, Aug. 11 at the gallery, located six miles south of Charlevoix.

Art Rick Coates As artist Charles Murphy puts the final brush strokes on his latest work, “Dockside July,” he sits back and reflects on his 30 years of life and work in the Traverse City area.
Murphy is an artist of international acclaim and his work will be celebrated in a 30th anniversary exhibition titled “Full Circle” at the Twisted Fish Gallery in Elk Rapids. A collection of Murphy’s works will be exhibited starting July 27 with an artist reception from 6 to 8 p.m. and the show continuing through August 19.

Art Katie Huston “Coffee?” Noel Trapp offers before I’ve even pulled out my notepad. He looks like a beatnik poet in a shirt that says “Viva Barrista” over a skull and... crossbones? What are those, I ask?
“Portafilters,” he tells me. Portafilters? I don’t know this lingo; I only began drinking coffee a few months ago. And what is a barrista?
Portafilters hold the coffee grounds in an espresso machine. And a barrista is an expert at preparing espresso-based coffee drinks, I find out, as Trapp pours the frothy milk into my latte in a way that creates a foamy white heart on top.