Anna Gilbert
I was born and raised in Russia. I arrived to America about 30 years ago and since then, I celebrate this great day as my second birthday. I passionately love nature and I try to express my love and gratitude by making jewelry and painting. I create one of a kind jewelry: necklaces, bracelets, pendants and earrings. I use only high-quality natural stones and crystals for my creations. I also paint small oil paintings using palette knives. Paintings have thick layers of oil paint; they have a lot of character, full of life and color. Most of them are images of cats or flowers. I do mat framed color prints of my original paintings: size 8 x 10 and 11 x 14.
Anne Boerschel
A retired teacher, Anne lives in Shell Rock with her husband, Derril. When she retired, Anne learned how to weave baskets before turning to jewelry. She has taken classes in Kumihimo (the art of Japanese beading) and wire wrapping. This year she has concentrated on beading Christmas ornaments in a variety of sizes, and making beaded bead earrings.
Ashley Koebrick Schmidt
I am a fine art oil painter and commissioned artist based in Iowa. My paintings range from portraiture to landscape, in realism and photo-realism styles. My technique employs clean lines and layered texture for intense, vivid color and depth. I started drawing and painting as a young child. Encouraged by my family, I spent much of my free time as a child sketching scenes from around my home. I was primarily self-taught, and my professional training was limited to a few local community college classes.
Learn more: https://www.ashleykoebrickschmidt.com
Barbara Garden
I started oil painting for the first time a year ago during COVID. I am 70 years old now. I started by watching some videos to learn some basics and then started painting from pictures I had taken. I am still experimenting with my subjects but am really enjoying it.
Brooke Pfeffer
My business name is Raven and Rain and my focus is on metalsmithing and beadwork to create trendy and wearable designs. I’ve had a retail store, The Peddler in Lanesboro, MN for the past 5 years. I love creating appealing visual displays for my merchandise on both the small and large scale setting. I incorporate primitive and vintage items into my displays.
Learn more: http://www.instagram.com/raven.and.rain
Bruce W. Litterer
Bruce is a self-taught award winning artist from Shell Rock, Iowa. He is known for amazingly detailed creations depicting rural Iowa farm life and wildlife. Working in colored pencils for the past 7 years, he's shown his works throughout Iowa in local and regional shows, as well as state exhibits. He recently started teaching classes for kids and adults. Bruce's inspiration comes from his childhood, where he grew up on a dairy farm and attended horse shows each year.
Learn more: https://Facebook.com/brucewlittererartist
Cheryl DeBower
I retired on July 6th 2020 right during Covid 19. I had plans to travel with my family but with the pandemic, we went nowhere. It wasn't long before I became stir crazy and needed something to do. On Christmas of that year, my kids got me oil paints and canvas and said that I need to take up where I left off 50 years ago, painting. My children and friends suggested I exhibit my paintings at Art-a-Fest, so here I am.
Darlene Shultz
I started making fused glass jewelry 10 years ago. I soon realized I love putting colors together. I could not wait to open the kiln and see what I had made. Hope you like it also!
Deb Stockberger
I started by journey in glass with traditional stained glass techiniques. Since then, I have incorporated other applications into my work such as kiln fired objects, sandblasting, silkscreening, and painting. My main inspiration to create comes from light and nature.
Dennis Helmers
I retired in 2006 and now spend winters in Arizona, where I previously worked in a silver shop. I started making jewelry form silver and silver plated cutlery. It has been fun working with people to create unique keepsakes out of their family silverware.
Dennis Petersen
My work uses wood to contrast the patterns and rhythms found in nature with the finished surface of the manufactured world. By doing this my goal is to have the viewer of my work see the visual world around them in new ways.
Don Semelhack
Became interested in barn quilt design a couple of years ago but really jumped in with it when the pandemic came about. I really enjoy the precision and color. It has evolved into more reclaimed wood pieces but I occasionally paint yet for a little variety. I was inspired by my wife as she is a avid quilter with several ideas coming from her work. Being a Charles City native, my family has long been involved with Art A Fest since its inception and I thought it would be a challenge to actually exhibit some of my work !
James Kerns
James has been working in clay since 1967, and showing since 1968. I work primarily in stonewares and porcelains. Much of the work is functional in nature, with some being decorative & sculptural.
Janiece Bergland
A signature member of the Iowa Watercolor Society, painting all subjects, including landscapes, figures and portraits. Her work has received awards and is owned by numerous businesses and individuals around the country.
Cynthia Zelenak
I'm a wife, mother and grandma and love creating beautiful things! I've participated in Art-a-fest in the past, and I'm excited to be back this year. I'm currently doing paint pouring...been doing it for about 4 years. I also teach classes in Floyd at the Community Center.
I will have my coasters, state magnets, and cell phone pop up holders at Art-a-Fest....all created by paint pouring. I will also have totes that are replicas of my paintings and photographs.
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Kathi Fehr
Kathi is a fiber artist from Clutier, IA. She specializes in handmade woven rugs, made with up-cycled materials.
Kevin Gade
I do various woodworking, Boxes, Bowls, Cutting Boards, Humidors, Jewelry Boxes. I've been woodworking for over 30 years.
![Kurt Wedeking[2221].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1ad37b_41d56d5db25e4128ad6b69f6255d0828~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_71,h_95,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Kurt%20Wedeking%5B2221%5D.jpg)
Kurt Wedeking
I make one of a kind functional woodworking art. I do not use blue prints to make my items, everything I make is from scratch and is one of a kind. Wood as a medium adds a uniqueness that cannot be manufactured. My ideas may come from things I see around me, but every item has my personality imprinted into them.
Lynda J Vik
I am a self-taught artist and I work in acrylic paints, and some watercolor. My genre is fantasy, universe, florals and landscape- all with a fantasy flair. I sell at local art markets and events around my area. I have an Etsy shop where I sell my work and take commissions for artwork. I also love to create drawings in pencil and pen and Ink. I am always looking for new exciting events!
Learn more: https://www.lyndaseasel.com
Madalyn Vorrie
My ceramic sculptures consist of abstracted forms and alien flowers. They feature my imaginative take on nature and the unknown. The creating process is very important in my work and it allows my pieces to express their unique characteristics. My intricate sculptures represent my identity and my relationship with myself and others. By creating these alien plants/flowers, I can express my physical and metal successes and struggles. I enjoy the process of creating intricate textures and meticulous repetition. This obsession drives me to create these whimsical forms, while it personifies my personal experiences.
I consider the idea of dangerous beauty fascinating. Dangerous beauty is the term I use to describe contrasts between dangerous and protective
elements in my sculptures, such as spikes or sharp forms. I enjoy discovering the contrasts between soft and dangerous forms in my work to create a unique and unknown identity derived from nature.
Madalyn Vorrie is a ceramic artist and art educator from Des Moines, IA. She is currently a High School Art teacher at Webster City High School. Madalyn received her BFA in ceramics and BA in art education from the University of Northern Iowa. She was an artist in residence at the Iowa Ceramic Center and Glass Studio in 2018-2019. Madalyn was an emerging artist at the Marion Arts Festival in 2019, Des Moines Arts Festival in 2017, and her work has been in many exhibitions, most recently her solo exhibition: Regain at the Chidima Gallery, the Octagonal: The All Media Exhibit at the Octagon Center for the Arts, Topeka Competition 33 at the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery and Fresh Work at the Arts Center of Saint Peter. Madalyn's abstract ceramic sculptures often take on imaginative alien plant forms which derive from nature.
Learn more: https://madalynloring.com
Malayne Meyer
Hi, my name is Malayne Meyer. I grew up in Charles City and have always been a crafter. I love putting things together in a neat way to create something fun. While in college I started to greatly expand in making hand-made cards (like mother, like daughter). As I graduated college my close friends moved in different directions and we now enjoy sending cards to one another. The cards are based on several occasions: birthday, sympathy, thank you, thinking of you, notecard, holiday, and more. I am very meticulous on clean edges, correct angles, proper spacing, and a crisp look.
Annette Olesen
I picked up my paintbrushes after 2 rounds of cancer in 2019. I am looking forward to the show!
Meredith Hamm
Meredith Hamm is an art educator and artist, who grew up on the shoreline of Connecticut. She currently teaches elementary and middle school in Charles City, and does a variety of art club and art classes at the Charles City Arts Center. She loves art, and loves to share her love of art with the people around her.
Michelle Juhl
I’ve been sewing for over 50 years. In the last 10 years, I have been repurposing clothes, feed sacks, plastic bird seed bags, burlap, most any cloth into bags, aprons, stuffed animals, dishtowels, pillows, mittens, or anything that catches my interest.
Mickey Johnson
I graduated from UNI in 1998 and have taken classes in glass fusing, stained glass and horticulture. I produce “Bead Fountains” in five sizes. These are mixed media incorporating glass, copper and steel to enhance sunlight and movement in the breeze. The glass reflects the colors found in my garden.
In addition, I have been creating gemstone and art glass jewelry for the past 17 years. My jewelry is a blend whimsical glass and earth tones of natural gemstone.
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Mike Hassig
My work is all Paper Collage. My technique is to use cut/torn pieces of paper from discarded color plate books, then deconstruct original images into an abstract designs. The only tools I use are scissors, an x-acto knife, and glue sticks. I studied printmaking and paper making in college. I retired around 7 years ago and have been dedicating time to my art since then. I've won several regional and national awards with my collages.
Ruben Ruiz
My fascination with nature is a major influence in my work. My aim is to create pieces that inspire a smile. It was in 2005 that I came in contact with clay for the first time, at the Irvine Fine Arts Center in California where I learned wheel throwing. The hand building part of my work is a self-taught process. My work is made with porcelain or stoneware clay. I wheel throw most of my pieces and then either alter them, add texture, and/or create sculptural details. Each piece is individually glazed and then fired in a reduction atmosphere at a temperature above 2100 degrees.
Learn more: https://www.deercreekceramics.com
Stephen Schiller
I have been taking photos for about 15 years now. I am self taught and enjoy doing fine art photography. I love it when a photo will capture someone's attention and draw them into the moment.
Tracy Ingham
I have been designated a Master oil painter for over twenty years. I am recognized for my photo-realism portraits and military subjects in oil. I left art for a number of years because I lost my love of creating. Because of the pandemic, I picked up my brushes and found a new passion for my work. I have left behind the world of high realism and, started in 2022 creating with acrylics in a contemporary western style. I had not worked with acrylics until January of this year.
My old resume includes 40 solo exhibitions and over 60 group exhibits, as well as demonstrations at the Iowa State Fair with Art Under the Tent. Also, invitations to the Dubai Million Dollar Art Show, The Rolex Regatta in the Virgin Islands, and art featured on the website of aircraft maker
MacDonald Douglas. I have also had a previous solo exhibit and been a part of group exhibits at the Charles City Art Center.
Learn more: https://www.theartisttracy.com
Yoshiko Johnson
I have been in pottery work for about 30 years. I was inspired by attending a summer course at the Iowa State College of Design 30 years ago. It started out as a hobby but as I experienced and practiced more I discovered I liked to touch raw clay to create functional items such as cups, tea pots, vases and bowls. I enjoy using items I created. I'm still learning but now I have a sense of good functional ceramics and I thoroughly enjoy it.
Non-Profit Organization
Outreach
The mission of Outreach is to provide safe water, food, medical care and education to children and those in need at home and abroad. As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, over the last 17 years Outreach has helped to package nearly 580 million meals that have been distributed across the United States and around the world. The program is supported in part by sales of African arts and handcrafts.
