WINDING ROADS

 The weather has finally warmed up and everyone is out enjoying the beautiful weather including us. Besides wedding and planting season, it's also Miata season. The lid's down...

So, we escaped the End of the Rainbow Valley Friday morning to enjoy Wisconsin's Great River Road sales with miles of garage sales, mostly to just enjoy the open air in the Miata. 

Then Saturday and Sunday was  the Winding Roads Art Tour less than an hour from the End of the Rainbow Valley . On Sunday after transplanting new additions to the flower garden, I was ready by mid afternoon to take a ride to enjoy some local artists and see how/where they make their art. 16 studios participated with 33 artists sharing their art. I only had a couple hours but I was able to visit some Viroqua studios intending the first stop to be Ewetopia's fiber art on Main Street alas it was only open Saturday of the tour! Bummer but down the block was Viva Gallery which represents many of the area artists. Their May featured artist is Jamie Heiden, a 4 times winner of the Driftless Area Art Festival and 2015's People's Choice Award (sponsored by the gallery BTW). Anyhow, a feast for the eyes. They had a tour map and after inquiring as to the participants' specialities, I was off...

Next stop was Cheesebro Pottery where besides gorgeous pottery, Ms. Heiden also had her unusual photographic encaustic canvas blocks displayed. Laundry and country life never looked so intriguing.

Leah Evans, her art and her youngest

Way down another county highway led to experience 3 other young artists's work, Madison's Leah Evans whose fiber art is colorful contour fabric quilted maps / smaller quilt like squares framed in magazine decoupaged shadowbox frames. 

She shared the studio space of recently Smithsonian Craft show participant wood cutter artists, Amy Arnold and Kelsey Sauber Olds with folk art human/animal figurative sculptures who all have spectacular views... 

After enjoying their workshop and scenery, I looped back around a U some 5 miles to Avalanche Looms where weaver Susan Johnson performs her loom magic. 

Susan's actually the wife of one the builders of our home but I
had never had the opportunity to see her workshop. It is stunning with sunlight streaming in enhancing the beautiful yarn colors. She also has a giftshop in 2 of the other rooms. Visiting was super informative as Susan was one of the founders 10 years ago for this Winding Roads Art & Studio Tour. Back then it was difficult to get 5 artists to open their studios and participate. Obviously things have changed in the last decade... She said they had been really busy both days. 

It was almost closing time so I bid farewell, heading westward for my last stop. At Moondance Metals a 12 year old sheep lay waiting in the drive. Inside metalsmith, Raelene Roberts had created jewelry by  enameling, etching, anodizing and casting metals sometimes set with semi precious stones. I treated myself to a pair of anodized dangly earrings and called it a day.  

It was a gorgeous day to enjoy the countryside and the wonderful talent of some of the artists inspired by the place we call home, the Driftless Coulee region of Wisconsin.