The son of a fifth generation stone mason, Lon Michels learned perspective from his fathers work. Michels grew up in the small Midwestern town of Marquette, Wisconsin and followed his mother’s artistic lead early on. “I remember that she would throw flowers in a pattern across the floor and then make paintings of them”. After graduating from Ripon College he moved to New York City as a working artist. His breakthrough occurred when he was hired by the late sculptor Louise Nevelson, with whom he worked as a studio assistant for 5 years.

In my lifetime I have learned that the best way to grow and learn is to share your experiences with others. In order to obtain knowledge I believe one must be able to give freely, which is a simple essence that all true artists do.

I have had many great teachers in my life, including my professors at Ripon College and more recently the University of Wisconsin Madison. I was also greatly influenced by the working with Louise Nevelson and Mark Kostabi in New York City. These teachers and their methods to educate myself has made my life experiences not only as an artist but also as a human being.

As an artist I want to create timelessness, a presence…I approach each piece as if it were a true masterpiece that catches the twinkle in my eye as if it were going to be placed in a museum.

The pieces you see here are done in a technique called “bricolage” which is french meaning “something constructed from a diverse range of available things.”

As with most of my work, the pieces begin with a found object.  It might be an antique china plate, a piece of lace,  an intriguing porcelain doll or shells and sealife from my collection.

I love the idea of giving old things a beautiful new beginning.

My goal is to create images that capture the beauty, solitude and mystery of the natural world. I strive for results that are both artistic and dramatic. My work is an extension of my love for the landscapes and the wildlife that surround us. I am on an endless search to document dynamic images that create an emotional and peaceful connection for the viewer.

Through my photographs I hope to evoke an emotion, stir a memory or generate the beginnings of a new experience.

My current work includes two collections entitled Magic Objects and Garden Spirits. The inspiration for these pieces comes from contemplation and research about symbols and objects of ancient cultures. I am most interested in the images left to us before the development of written language, for these symbols carry us back to the earliest desire to communicate through form. The ancients did not by definition make art, but rather made beautiful objects that symbolized their theology. I am intrigued by objects that served as functional and sacred reliquary for ritual and celebration. 

Today, I find it important to have inspirational objects that give us pause and arouse a connectedness to our personal spirituality, and to our global community. 

 

 

Nana Schowalter has a background in fine art, earning an MFA degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1987, with an emphasis on sculpture. She was first introduced to blacksmithing in 1984. Nana’s work includes interior sculpture, garden sculpture, and commission work. She combines iron, copper, and brass in works inspired by the images of ancient cultures from around the world. She has exhibited and taught nationally.

 

Nana lives in rural southwestern Wisconsin and works in the original Postville Blacksmith Shop, built in 1856.

Nancy was given her first sewing machine from her grandmother at the age of 11. She has been inspired by and passionate about color, texture, design, and creativity ever since. Art and creativity are at the core of all aspects of her life. She has shared knowledge and experience through education and coordination of artistic experiences over the years for people of all ages.

She started and managed a juried art show for the first 14 years and it is now celebrating its 35th anniversary.  She has been a board member and participant in many art and quilt groups over her career as a quilter.  She uses multiple techniques in her fiber work including machine piecing, fusing, hand applique, hand stitching, dyeing and printing.

Her quilts have been published in books and calendars and have won numerous awards in shows in the Midwest.

Double Iris Studios is a collaborative adventure in the arts created by Nancy B Blake and Joe Clark. Their home studio space allows for a wide range of creative expression including Ceramics, Fiber Arts, Quilts, Wood, Hot and Cold Glass Work, and Jewelry. Art is meant to engage people emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. To hold or to view a piece of art or fine craft of original design and execution, and to wonder at the skill and inspiration of it’s creator is indeed sublime.

Double Iris Studios have started to collaborate on many of their projects.  Joe has started to design quilts and is beginning to quilt using a longarm.  Nancy has started to embellish Joe’s pottery with beads and etched designs.  They have done multiple silk-screened projects together and they are excited to think about what comes next.

The process of creating fused glass used in Patti’s jewelry is unlike any other. Glass which is compatible (melts at the same coefficient of expansion) is fused together using a kiln that heats up to 1500 degrees. Frequently pieces are in the kiln multiple times and each firing can take up to 12 hours. Glass is layered to achieve the depth seen in each piece. The sparkling glass is dichroic: this means the glass is coated with a metal oxide that reflects one color and absorbs another. This produces color shifting depending on how you look at it and what colors the glass is next to. The shapes are formed using a diamond saw and a diamond grinder. Stop in to see some of Patti’s beautiful pieces up close!

“You’ll NEVER be an artist.” (quote from my high school art teacher)

If you’ve ever been told you “can’t do” something, there swells an incredible motivation to reach for the unreachable, right? My teacher’s edict was just the impetus an immature, stubborn, German girl needed to catapult her into the field of art. The day after receiving an UW-Madison Art Education degree I married a classmate, Rick Nass, and three years later we birthed Ampersand, our illustration business. After thirty-plus years we continue to draw and paint, now from our home in Prairie du Sac.

Drawing and painting are non-verbal ways I express joy and gratitude to God for sharing His heart and creativity with me (partially seen through the natural world, which I suppose is why I’m so drawn to Nature as subject matter). My hope is that the joy permeating the process of creating the works will show itself in each piece and become contagious for you as you take it in.

In our highly technological age, I’m so grateful that you value artwork done by hand using simple tools of pencil, brush and paint from a tube. By your presence and support, we are encouraged to continue. Thank you.

Reflection of who I am as an artist keeps bringing me back to one word: evolution. I have always loved art – I drew and painted as a child – but as I got older the transition into adulthood left me little time for creative expression. In my 30s, another major transition, parenthood, gave me the unexpected inspiration to return to art. Spending time with my sons and seeing the world through their eyes moved me to pick up the paint brush again, this time expressing color with renewed wonder of the world around me. 

Nature is my subject matter, whether literally interpreted through landscapes and still life or abstractly represented by the textures and depth of oil and cold wax medium. Like the evolution of my life experiences, I love to explore and imagine the journey of objects and am inspired by history, age, and patina. 

The next phase of my personal evolution and the evolution of my work is yet unknown. Education, research, and experimentation will take me there. I am a member of the Mt Horeb Area Arts Association, Wisconsin Visual Artist, and the Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople. 

Folklore is passed from mouth to mouth through the years and the generations. Folk art is passed hand to hand.

Pine needle and grass coiling into baskets is an art that has been in existence since the time of man.

My extensive study with the Gullah Geechee in the barrier islands off the Georgia Coast, and a master coiler North in the barrier islands of Virginia, imbues the work with a deep tradition, yet the forms move outside tradition to embrace a new definition of basketry and vessels, stretching the traditional forms and materials to embrace contemporary meanings.

Found items… pieces from the forest and desert floor,  and the flowing currents and eddies of the rivers influence the work as they have influenced my life…past, present and future evidenced in all.

Seeking and Upward Thermal: An Interactive Exhibit Showcasing the Restorative Qualities, Symbolism, and Fragility of Birds

Featuring work by Roberta Condon, Lorraine Ortner-Blake, and Debra Grall

Exhibition Dates:  June 6 – August 9, 2026

Reception: Thursday, August 6, 2026, 5:00-7:30p, also celebrating The Into Light Project

at the Sauk Prairie River Arts Center (105-9th Street, Prairie du Sac)

Birds seek rising pockets of warming air, soaring upwards on the current.  These thermals lift and support flight. Like these avian aerialists, we seek our own upward thermal.  Seeking and Upward Thermal features three bodies of work by three separate artists, presenting more than 50 interpretations in pastel, gouache, and beadwork sculpture.  This multi-sensory experience fills space with sound and color.

A Hollow-boned Muse by Roberta Condon presents 20 figurative paintings in pastel, allowing us to escape to the restorative and magical interplay of humans with birds.

At Home with Birds by Lorraine Ortner-Blake presents 20 paintings in gouache depicting birds as enshrined icons representing our natural liaison between earth and sky.

Endangered Species II: The Raven Cries by Debra Grall presents 10 works in beaded sculpture portraying the Raven warning of past and future extinction of birds if we do not care for the earth.

Important Gallery information:

-The Leola Hall Lobby Gallery is located at the River Arts Center, 105 9th St, Prairie du Sac, WI (adjacent to Sauk Prairie High School). Enter through doors E-7, the Garden Entrance, which is located down a sidewalk to the right of the River Arts Center main doors.

Special Hours: 8am-4pm Monday-Friday and weekends during special events. Closed when Sauk Prairie Schools are closed. View calendar here.

Accessibility: Gallery is wheelchair accessible, including all doorways and restrooms

Tours: This exhibit is self-guided. Free docent-led tours are available by appointment for educational groups, non-profit organizations, and groups of 10 or more. Email info@riverartsinc.org or call 608-643-5215 to schedule a tour for your group. *Must have at least 24 hours notice, subject to gallery and staff availability.