Category Archives: Northwoods of WI

Boulder Junction, Northwoods of WI, The Studio Gallery, WI

A New Season Begins

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Spring at The Studio Gallery in Boulder Junction, WI, just follow the stone path that leads to our gate and door.


Long ago, this little red building was a washhouse for railroad workers. Now it houses a small cooperative art gallery. There is no heat or insulation so we are open Memorial Day weekend through the first week or so of October.

Though we have a small fenced area, the deer have no problem jumping over it. Last year we replaced the live flowers, herbs and hanging baskets with large, painted wood flowers. Made by a few of our members, they were “planted” again this year. They are large, colorful, easily seen from the street, and three have center cutouts where visitors enjoy having their photos taken. Last year, quite a number of people asked what we would do with them when we close as they wanted to buy them! We expect there will be many requests again this summer.

This year we are open Wed. through Sat. each week, so with the members available to gallery-sit, each artist works about three days a month. This past Thursday was a workday for me at the gallery, a beautiful day, a fair number of browsers and buyers, lots of nice compliments on the work, and sales were great for this early in June.

This old bicycle caught my eye the other day with it’s beautiful flowers in the baskets.

empty nest, family first, Northwoods of WI

Family First This Week

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This post is a short departure from weaving and fibers, my usual focus for this blog. This was a week for putting family first.

Sarah, my oldest daughter, and I left one week ago today, for a four day trip to southern WI, first visiting my parents in Janesville then spending time with my brother Mark and fiance Trina who live in Madison. Mark has a very cute home, and lovely yard they have been fixing up and where they will be married in September.


A previous owner had planted a lilac tree under each bedroom window, so while sleeping there one night, I kept my window open a couple inches despite a light, occasional rain, and the fragrence of lilac was wonderful, reminding me of a lilac tree we had when I was a child.

While in Madison, Sarah registered for fall classes at MATC where she is entering the Veterinary Technician program (2 years). As MATC does not have dorms we had one day to find her a place to live, and signed a one year lease for an apartment. In a few weeks we’ll start moving her down there. My oldest is leaving the nest.


On the way home we stopped by Nicolet Area Technical College, where Sarah has been a student for the past two years. The flowering crabs on the drive in are beautiful.


Taking an alternate road home we found Trillium in bloom and ferns unfurling.


We returned home to spring in the Northwoods of WI.

ArtisTree Gallery, Boulder Junction, Land O'Lakes Artisans, Northwoods of WI, The Studio Gallery

Gallery Season

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The Studio Gallery artists, left to right: Wendy Powalisz ~Back 40 Arts, Shirley Surges, Debra Ketchum-Jircik ~Circle of Life Studio, Amy Higgason ~ Pigeon Road Pottery, Carol Miller (front), Janice Zindel ~ Shuttle Works Studio (back), Kathleen Kimball ~ Salmagundi Arts, Toni Bergeon, and Nancy Shoop. Not pictured: Jane O’Brien and Louise Engelbrecht.

For several years now I have been a part of The Studio Gallery, located behind The Outdoorsman Restaurant in Boulder Junction. Soon, this group of eleven artists will be getting together for a day to clean, paint, and plant, then hang and display our work. The gallery is open Memorial Day weekend and running through the first week of October; this year Wednesday through Saturday, 9 AM to 4 PM. Art at the gallery includes watercolors, acrylics, collage, pottery, fiber arts, quilting, bookarts, and photography. We are looking forward to another year together.

Last fall, there was a movement to begin a new arts group, “Land O’ Lakes Artisans” (LOLA), and meetings were held with many area artists/artisans attending. One of their goals was to have a gallery in which to exhibit and sell art work. This past Tuesday a group of working artists met, and after long discussion, knowing there were 20+ artists committed and supportive of this project, it was decided to open a gallery.

The new gallery will be located in a nice, bright, good-size room inside a building owned by Kathy Schuh of Forget-Me-Not Floral, downtown Land O’ Lakes. On June 1st we will be there cleaning and painting, art work is to arrive June 3rd, and between June 3rd and June 14th, everything will be hung and displayed. On June 15th, Artistree Gallery will open.

The Artistree Gallery will be a venue for the work of artists and artisans within a 100 mile radius of Land O’ Lakes, either full-time or seasonal residents; artwork will be juried in. The artists are also very interested in giving back to the community, including having demonstrations, classes, and other forms of sharing the arts.

So often, people sit back and wait for something to be a success before becoming involved. It is exciting to see so many artists willing to commit to this venture in these economic times. May the new Artistree Gallery be a success this summer and for many years to come.