CP Rock N GEMS

Meet Chuck and Paulette Durnam - Extrodinary Artists

 I have been faceting gemstones for the past 40 years. Since I have enjoyed faceting stones for so long I have studied the characteristics of gemstones and how light works within the facets placed on the stone. Recently I have created my own design, normally round or brilliant cuts have 57 facets. My new design “Northern Lights” has 145 facets. Because of light refraction, this cut throws back triple the amount of light, which means more reflected sparkle! In studying faceted stones we have also taken it to a new level by faceting Lake Superior Agates. These natural stones found and hand-picked by us really showcase well.                                                                                                                            This is a hobby both my wife and I have enjoyed for many years – coming down through the generations.  It is a hobby that we are instilling and passing on to the next two generations as well. We know that with modern technology hand cutting and original thought out patterns are truly a dying art form. We are trying to preserve this art form for lifetimes to come.

Cheryl -Jewelry Weaver and more

My name is Cheryl & I started beading over 10 years ago. I took a community ed class with my friend and I was hooked. For the past 8 years or so we have been attending art/craft fairs together. I have a room in my home full of beads & supplies.  I think bead weaving is my favorite but I also like making other types of jewelry as well, such as stringing and leather items. I enjoy sharing all the pieces I make with others.
 

Feast on Rhonda Gilliland's Cooked to Death Series

A Yelper since 2008, she is the editor of the foodie anthology series Cooked to Death, and is working on the third in the series. Her film COME AND GET YOUR LOVE, a Native American thriller, won Audience Favorite at the Big Water Film Festival. What I love about the Northwoods Art and Book Festival is the book lovers who come out year after year to step inside the eclectic world of books in the summer.

If you're looking for a recipe so good it's to die for, search no further. We've got fifteen of them.

Lovers wage war with deviled eggs and artichokes. A world-class baker turns to desperate measures to win the contest of a lifetime. An orphaned teenage girl with nowhere left to go finally takes a stand inside a farmhouse kitchen. Lawyers, financiers, and law enforcement turn to the culinary arts to defend their careers and solve their cases. All these and more can be found within the pages of the second volume of the Cooked to Death series.

Fifteen mystery writers have pooled their literary powers and culinary acumen to craft a five-course meal full of surprises both deadly and delicious. And if the crimes uncovered by these sleuths are too much for your stomach, they've got the perfect thing to restore your appetite: each story is followed by an easy-to-make recipe that plays some crucial part in its preceding tale. The game is afoot, and the burners are alit! Enter if you dare--and make sure to bring a fork.

Emily Gray Koehler - Printmaker

Through dramatic landscapes and visual narratives of the natural world, printmaker Emily Gray Koehler investigates the places she calls home: North Woods and Great Plains, Farm and City, Michigan and Minnesota.

Growing up on her family’s ancestral farm in the forests of Northern Lower Michigan, Koehler developed a strong connection to the natural world.  Always with a sketchbook in hand, the curiosities of the woodlands – from salamanders to samaras – and the activities of the farm inspired her creative endeavors from an early age.  After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with an emphasis in Printmaking from Grand Valley State University, she moved to Minnesota, where she discovered a passion for protecting and preserving the world around her.

Initially, Koehler’s work explored the agricultural world familiar from her youth. While these works often hinted at humanity’s complicated relationships with the land and animals we raise, it was not until she began exploring processes such as forest succession, invasive species, surface and groundwater fluctuations and the importance of beneficial insects and arachnids that she built her foundation as an artist and conservationist.

Currently working out of her public studio in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Koehler has exhibited her art throughout the upper Midwest.  Her work is also in public and private collections across the country and in Europe.  In 2015, Koehler was awarded an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board which aided her in the development of a new body of work entitled The Trespasser’s Garden which investigated the ecology of invasive plants in Minnesota. She is also an active member of Project Art for Nature (PAN), a collaborative group of artists and illustrators working to inspire the conservation of nature through art.

Minnesota's Lost Towns

Introducing Rhonda Fochs. Don't miss her presentation at 1:00 in the UCC sanctuary, as she presents the Forgotten History of Minnesota's Lost Towns. Journey to the past and visit over 500 Minnesota lost towns. Learn what created them, how they grew and prospered, why they died, where they are located and what you’ll see there today. Learn the stages of a “boom and bust” cycle and how lost towns are classified according to their physical remnants. Meet “Minnesota’s Lost Towns” author and former history teacher Rhonda Fochs and hear the stories and tales of the people and places of Minnesota’s past. Feel free to bring memories and stories of your own places of the past to share. 

After several years of working in the public and private sector, doing everything from assembling Tonka Toy trucks (when they were made in America), working in a LP record distribution warehouse, serving in a variety of public governmental roles, managing a construction office, to becoming a social studies teacher at the age of forty-two, Rhonda is recently retired. Her passion for history, especially local and regional history, has resulted in the Minnesota’s Lost Towns series, which chronicles Minnesota used-to-be towns and communities. Readers can learn more about Rhonda and her exciting books at www.rhondafochs.weebly.com or at www.facebook.com/MinnesotasLostTowns

We are excited to introduce you to Joanna Dymond

Bring your children, grandchildren and yourself! Do not miss this special presentation!

Howling Yowling Growling with the River Pack. Meet award winning author and wolf advocate Joanna Dymond who will talk about her book for children - the true nature of the wolf, the many ways they communicate, how they live as a family, raise their pups, and live free. Then join the art class with Joanna and create your own wolf. Joanna will be outside the UCC at 10:00 a.m. at the Northwoods Art & Book Festival for a Children's Presentation.
Watercolor pencils and art paper provided. Prizes and a surprise guest.

Howling Yowling Growling with the Lost River Wolf Pack introduces children to the wolf of northern Minnesota, a highly intelligent, playful animal, devoted to its family or pack. The book is divided into five episodes, each describing a day in the life of an individual wolf. It explains how the wolves raise their young, coordinate hunting, form friendships, feed the pups and elderly wolves, and joyfully play together, embracing a culture of cooperative living similar in many ways to the human family. Readers meet Kohanamaku, the alpha wolf and leader of the pack; his brother Bonga, the beta wolf who is second in command; Shuggy, a cousin who loves flowers; Sensor, the omega wolf who babysits the pups and acts as court jester; and Argon, a lone wolf. They also meet the pups, Mitey, Louie, and Blossom, their mother Danita, the alpha female wolf; and grandpa wolf Mahlon, the retired alpha. The episodes show how the wolves handle imminent danger from hunters and trappers surviving through their quick thinking. Winner of the 2016 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention.

the Native Skywatchers program

Will be presented at the Art & Book Festival by James Knutson-Kolodzne, The Native Skywatchers (NSW) program materials includes constellation guidebooks, various star maps, a plani-spheres, and a teacher’s workbook. Our NSW research and programming continuously seeks out elders, culture teachers, language experts, and community members to discuss the Ojibwe and D(L)akota star knowledge.  Under the direction of the NSW founding director; Annette Lee (Lakota), and artist William Wilson (Ojibwe) and with help from other native elders and educators, they have created two astronomically accurate, culturally important star maps, Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan  Ojibwe Sky Star Map and Makoċe Wiċaŋḣpi Wowapi  D(L)akota Sky Star Map.

These native star maps were disseminated to regional educators at the first Native Skywatchers Middle School Teacher workshop in 2012. In addition, hands-on curriculum that combines astronomy, culture, language and art has been developed. As with many North American tribes much cultural knowledge, especially cultural astronomy, has been lost. The goal of the Native Skywatchers programming is to build community around the native star knowledge.

James will also be representing William Wilson's work.

William Wilson is Ojibwe from Ontario, Canada near Lake Nipigon (Animbigon Zaaga’igan – All you see is water).  William was born and raised at his grandparent’s house where they only spoke Ojibwe and lived traditionally.  Winter camp, snowshoeing, trapping, fishing, moose hunting and blueberry picking were a part of everyday survival.

Much of the artwork is inspired by dreams and visions.  All of the brightly colored paintings are done in Ojibwe x-ray style.  We are seeing the picture as the spirits see us.  They see right through.  The strange looking animals and figures are portrayed as they come in ceremony.

William’s work has been purchased for the permanent collection by the Tweed Museum, Duluth, MN and the Madeline Island Museum, La Point, WI.  This work is funded by the MN State Arts Board, Cultural Community Partnership Grant.

Barb Groth - The Paper Sampler

Where inspiration and paper create a work of art that speaks to the beholder. Drop by Barb's booth and fall in love with her collection of collages. There is one waiting just for you.

Pat Dennis will inject humor where you need it most! Don't miss your chance to visit with her at our Art & Book Festival August 11.

Pat Dennis is the award-wining author of Hotdish to Die For, a collection of mystery short stories where hotdish is the weapon of choice. Her memoir Fat Old Woman in Las Vegas: Gambling, Dieting and Wicked Fun ranked #1 on Amazon Travel Memoirs. Her Betty Chance Mysteries include Murder by Chance, Killed by Chance, Dead by Chance and Vegas by Chance. Pat's fiction has appeared in including: Once Upon a Crime Anthology, Anne Frasier’s Deadly Treats, Who Died in Here?, Hotdish Haiku, Silence of the Loons, Resort to Murder, Minnesota Monthly, Woman's World, The Pioneer Press, and more.  Pat is a veteran of 1,000 plus performances in comedy clubs, Fortune 500 special events, woman's organizations, and church basements across the country. She has worked with such notables as Phyllis Diller, Lewis Black, and Tommy Chong.

Mark and Jan Herbert Bring the North Shore to Hackensack!

Mark and Jan bring the North Shore and the perfect rock(s) to the Northwoods Art & Book Festival, August 11, 2018. Such unique talent! Make sure to visit their booth!

 We start by hand picking rock from the shores of Lake Superior – both North and South shores.  Other raw materials are Granite from the St. Cloud area and Ely greenstone and banded taconite – which we select from the Ely, Minnesota area and driftwood from Lake Superior.

Once in our workshop the rocks are cut, drilled, perhaps sprayed, and some are sandblasted.  Mark assembles them and wires the lamps. 

We got started doing this in 2007 when Jan found the perfect rock and asked Mark to figure out how to make it into a necklace.  From there he went to making lamps, and everything in between.  Probably our most popular products are rain gauges, bud vases, and sponge holders. Other items are cairns, bookends, business card rocks, drawer pulls, paper towel holders, and hangers –rock pulls on paddles, saws, and live edge wood. We sell our products at craft shows, from our web site (www.rockgifts.biz), and on Etsy   (www.etsy.com/shop/NaturallyUniqueRock).

We both enjoy the outdoors and working with natural materials.  Jan is retired from teaching and retail while Mark has worked as a wilderness guide, in the mental health field and retail.  Our business keeps us happy and working and who doesn’t like an excuse to go to the North Shore?

Guest Speaker Michael Dennis Browne along with Margaret Hasse

Saturday August 11, Northwoods Art & Book Festival 10 a.m. -  Poetry Sings in Everyday Life

Michael Dennis Browne was born in England, of mostly Irish ancestry, in 1940, and has lived in the United States since 1965. Two of his collections have won the Minnesota Book Award for poetry. As a librettist and lyricist he has written many texts for music, working for almost four decades with composer Stephen Paulus; their best-known shorter works include “Pilgrims’ Hymn,” “The Road Home,” “Hymn to the Eternal Flame” and “Hymn for America.” To Be Certain of the Dawn, a post-Holocaust oratorio (BIS Records), was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in music by the Minnesota Orchestra. He has recently worked with Craig Hella Johnson on the fusion oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard. Browne taught at Iowa, Columbia and Bennington and is a professor emeritus of English at the University of Minnesota, where he taught for thirty-nine years and was a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. He was the first Kilian McDonnell Writer-in-Residence at the Collegeville Institute at Saint John’s University, and in 2014 received the Graven Award from Wartburg College.

Margaret Hasse, from Vermillion, South Dakota, was educated at Stanford University and the University of Minnesota. She has made her home in the Twin Cities since 1973. Widely published in journals and anthologies, her poetry has also received prestigious literary fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Minnesota State Arts Board, and The McKnight Foundation. Hasse, active in the community as an arts consultant and writing teacher, is also a frequent presenter at events, such as reading series, book clubs, and writing groups. Hasse’s poems are imprinted on sidewalks in Saint Paul and will be part of the Saint Paul Almanac’s Impressions project with posters on public transportation. Garrison Keillor has broadcast her poems on The Writer’s Almanac. Hasse and her husband live in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have two adult sons.

Wilderness is a necessity. John Muir

Wise words followed by Becky and Bob Seemann and it shows in their beautiful creations. 

Artwoods
Creative Jewelry and Wood
From Longville, Bob and Becky Seemann see themselves as
messengers of nature with their handmade nature-oriented silver
jewelry and rustic furniture and accessories available at local art
shows. "We want to help people enjoy, respect and protect the
beauty of the woods, water and wildlife all around us,” Becky
says. They believe that water is our most precious resource and
it’s up to all of us to preserve it for future generations. They give
10 percent of net profits to support environmental organizations
such as Deep Portage Environmental Learning Center to send
kids to camp and Northern Waters Land Trust to preserve land as
a means to protect water.
We love the Northwoods Art & Book Festival because of the
diversity of the artists and writers!
 

Today we proudly introduce 'RealGirls'

RealGirls is a new kind of coloring book, produced by me and my two daughters, over the course of six years. It was created by many artists and features realistic images of girls, for girls, so that they might feel empowered to remain proud and confident. I chose this medium because I was tired of the unrealistic princess and doll representations we give our girls to color when they are so very young, and I wanted to create an alternative choice for parents to give to their girls. Developing a line art style that could accommodate all of the tiny fine details that make girls unique was a challenge that took many months, but the result is 50 pages of girls with myriad beautiful qualities. We have also partnered with Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Helping Hands Foundation, National Down Syndrome Society, Lucky Fin Project, and The Cleft Lip & Palate Foundation of Smiles, to feature girls they support in this book.

Julien Bradley is our featured author today

I had not especially aspired to become and Indie author, but I do love telling a good story.

On hiatus between jobs that was slowly syphoning the joy from my career, I used the time to hone my documentation skill and did some free writing. The exercise resulted in 1,100 pages! Encouraged by my daughter Kimberlee, I pitched the story idea to Wise Ink Creative Publishing and the “draft,” after professional editing, has become the first installment in the Bakken Series.

With over 35 years in the health care industry, my story reflects a culmination of real human experiences to create an organic women’s fiction/romance, portraying an honest look into the lives of ordinary people and elevates the under-represented voice of women over 50, breathing new life into the unexpected depth of the “normal” day to day.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Julien Bradley lives with her husband atop the bluffs overlooking the beautiful Hiawatha River Valley in the driftless region of Southeastern Minnesota. She is a member of Romance Writers of America. Beneath the Bedrock is the first in the Bakken series. Between Fracture Lines is due for release in September 2018.

Beneath the Bedrock

Newly widowed, Ramona Brady Strong finds herself grieving doubly when her beloved father dies. After traveling back home to Williston, North Dakota to attend the funeral, she is caught up in a rekindled old romance while having to deal with pressures unique to an oilfield boomtown.

Ramona has inherited of one of the richest untapped oil fields in the region. But the son of an oil tycoon is threatening to usurp the mineral rights of the estate, and the only way to secure her family’s legacy is to drill for oil.

Surrounded by family and friends, Williston begins to feel more and more like home. But as a web of deeply-held secrets begin to emerge, Ramona must decide whether to take control of the family oil business, or sell it all to the highest bidder.

Meet David Barthel

David Barthel has been photographing the natural world for over fifteen years. He is known for his large-scale fine art photography of the western Lake Superior region and also holds a passion for exploring and photographing the vast and rugged landscapes of the American West. Prior to transitioning to a full-time artist seven years ago, David worked in Pequot Lakes as a radio frequency (RF) engineer with Landis+Gyr (formerly Hunt Technologies) for a few years after earning his degree in electrical engineering.

While out in the field, David seeks out the singular elements in nature that define his work, whether it be the delicate light of a golden sunrise over Lake Superior or the natural curves formed by stones and the movement of water. David personally performs nearly every aspect of the creative process, from composing and clicking the shutter to custom framing the final piece in his home studio in Sauk Rapids, MN.

David’s photography is likely familiar to anyone who has attended the Northwoods Art Festival in recent years. The festival is one of only a few events that he has exhibited his work at every year since he began doing festivals in 2011.

“I enjoy being a part of the Northwoods Art Festival each year due to its commitment to presenting quality artwork to buyers who value handmade, one-of-a-kind work. It’s a great opportunity to meet the artist in a more relaxed atmosphere as compared with going to a museum or gallery.”

Meet Kimberlee Ann Bastian

Kimberlee Ann Bastian is the author of the historical fantasy series The Element Odysseys, which centers in the American Midwest of 1934. Her first novel The Breedling and the City in the Garden was released in 2016 and her sequel The Breedling and the Trickster was released Fall of 2017. Here is the synopsis of the latest series entry.

For immortal soulcatcher Buck, acclimating to newfound freedom in 1934 Chicago would have been impossible if not for the selfless actions of Charlie Reese. Now separated from his mortal friend, Buck accepts a new mission: to save the Shepherdess, whose unclaimed soul will soon stand trial in his old world, Euxinus. Buck must find the Shepherdess’ beloved, the infamous Trickster Stingy Jack, and convince him to testify on behalf of her soul. Furthermore, Buck must ensure Stingy Jack is worthy to stand as her witness. It’s no easy feat; Hades, sworn enemy of Stingy Jack, threatens to thwart Buck’s mission at every twist and turn in hopes of seizing the Shepherdess’ soul—and the secret she holds—for himself. Set on a whirlwind path that leads him on an odyssey across the American Midwest, Buck must rely on untested skills while being ever mindful of his dangerous surroundings as he prepares himself for his return to the dark, desolate realm of Euxinus.

Northwoods Art & Book Festival

Hackensack, Minnesota is where you will want to be on August 11! From 9-3 Northwoods Art & Book Festival is Bigger and Better than Ever! Featuring over 50 artists and 35 authors, live entertainment, author presentations for children and adults, Make and Take Lake Art, children's games in the ball-field. Relax or take a break from shopping and enjoy a craft beer or a glass of wine while listening to "Wayne and the Boys". Keep the date open, there will be something for everyone.

Only a week away for 'The Kings of Swing'

Limited tickets left for Friday's show. Online sales are only for Saturday right now. If you need tickets for Friday, check with Southside or Swanson's in Hackensack. 

Meet Dave Budimir Featured Soloist Glenn Miller Tribute - Friday, July 6

Dave Budimir (Featured on Glenn Miller Night)  Based in the Twin Cities, Dave plays  the trombone, bass trombone, euphonium and tuba.  He attended The University of Minnesota and spent 10 years working for the Walt Disney Corporation. Now a freelancer, Dave has performed with top artists such as Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, Frankie Valli, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, and Bobby Vinton. He tours with the legendary Doc Severinsen and his Big Band, playing bass trombone. Dave also composes, arranges, and records music in many different styles for clients around the country.

Meet Featured Soloist Lynne Hart

Lynne Hart (Featured on Benny Goodman Night) Based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Lynne plays the alto and tenor saxophones.  She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Iowa and has performed with Louie Bellson, Clark Terry, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, the Temptations and the Four Tops, plus several Broadway touring productions, including Book of Mormon, Chicago, West Side Story, Beautiful-Carole King, and Kinky Boots.  Lynne teaches music at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and has toured Spain as the guest Concerto soloist with the Luther Concert Band.