Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

An eye on nature in paradise October 27, 2010

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Windows on Paradise Art Gallery, 904 Division Street South, Northfield.

 

IF NOT FOR THE EXTERIOR sign attached to a front yard tree, the pale yellow house set back from the Division Street sidewalk could pass for just another residence.

Instead, this old house is home, studio and gallery to nationally-known Northfield artist Mark Daehlin, one of 29 artists featured on this past weekend’s South Central Minnesota October Studio ArTour and Sale.

I entered the Windows on Paradise Art Gallery via an inviting front porch where some of Daehlin’s work was displayed. The artist, who does primarily oils, asked that I not single out pieces to photograph, so I’ll simply tell you that my husband and I lingered by Daehlin’s realistic depiction of an old John Deere tractor in a rural scene. It was a bit of a game for us to find the pheasant roosters incorporated into the work.

Even more interesting, I learned that Daehlin’s paintings have been made into puzzles. Now I am not a puzzle person—I actually get quite frustrated with puzzles—but even I can appreciate the beauty of a fine art puzzle. With outdoor scenes like “Majestic Moose” and “Opening Day” offered by White Mountain Puzzles and “Lakeside Cabin” and “Indian Summer” (among others) from Bits And Pieces Puzzles, these puzzles should hold a special appeal for outdoors-loving Minnesotans.

 

 

Puzzles featuring Mark Daehlin's art were propped on the floor in his gallery during the studio tour.

 

All of Daehlin’s art, really, showcases nature. From waterfalls to fall scenes, sunflowers, peonies, winterscapes and lots more, these paintings reflect the artist’s ability to truly see, in detail, the world around him.

 

 

Northfield artist Mark Daehlin and some of his art, in his gallery.

 

I was particularly impressed with his 12 x 48-inch “Stillwater Nights” painting that features a riverside view of Stillwater. Here’s Daehlin’s description from his Web site: “After the sun sets over Stillwater, streetlights come on, bathing the town in a romantic glow. A cruising riverboat is reflected in flowing waters. It’s the height of autumn and trees are ablaze in all their finery.” It’s a splendid piece of art that makes you want to hop in the car and cross the Stillwater lift bridge to view the city as Daehlin has through his artist’s eyes.

 

 

Daehlin's art is displayed in his house, in a room-turned-gallery. At the top of this photo, you'll see a portion of his "Stillwater Nights" painting.

 

 

Warm wood floors, a strategically-placed area rug and a plump chair create an inviting gallery space.

 

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Northfield artist celebrates life and light in his art October 25, 2010

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SEVERAL TIMES we pulled off the highway, onto a gravel road or into a driveway, searching for the elusive studio of pastel and oil artist Frederick D. Somers of rural Northfield.

My husband, second daughter and I were on the South Central Minnesota October Studio arTour and we had selected a handful of studios to visit on Sunday afternoon. I knew we would all like Somers’ work, which features nature scenes.

And we did, once we got there. Our mistake came in thinking that a roadside arTour sign meant his studio was right there, near the signage. It wasn’t and I finally ended up phoning for directions after we had all but given up.

When we finally pulled into Somers’ quaint farm site and I saw the red-plank granary turned gallery/studio and the old red barn flanked by a silo, the former farm girl in me was already endeared to this place.

Visitors pulled into the farmyard, defined by an old red barn and silo.

Fred Somers' gallery is housed on the main floor of this former granary. His studio is on the lower level.

But then, to step inside his gallery, ah, I felt like I hadn’t even walked indoors. Somers paints with his eyes on nature—the trees, the water, birds, flowers…

An arTour visitor peruses Somers' art in his gallery.

“I paint what I love,” Somers tells me as he stands next to his easel and an in-process pastel painting of a flower in muted shades of plum and moss green balanced by white. Light bathes his airy lower level artist’s retreat that is complemented by wood and stone. Paintings are stacked and hung, cameras at the ready to photograph subjects for his art.

Somers is working on a floral pastel in his studio.

In Somers' studio, I noticed this maple leaf stuck above a painting.

I find while viewing Somers’ paintings that I can easily mistake them for photographs, until I move in close to see the details he’s stroked into his distinct creations.

A brochure that I’m handed describes his art as “explosions of light, water and leaves in wonderful pastel and oil paintings.”

Somers says he prefers to paint with pastels because “you’re closer to your work.” He demonstrates that closeness by picking up a pastel. Then he selects a brush, which tipped in green paint, smears paint across his hand. No matter his choice, Somers’ work is outstanding and he has a lengthy list of artistic credits to prove that.

As I am about to head upstairs to the gallery, Somers says he’s painting some portraits now, including one of Rice County’s most-decorated soldier. He shows me a small copy of the portrait, of the veteran who was awarded three bronze stars and a Purple Heart and who fought at the Battle of the Bulge during WW II. The two became friends after Somers set up his easel and painted in the old soldier’s yard.

Even though portraits veer from Somers’ typical subject, you can see the light in his eyes, hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he speaks of this venture. Here, clearly, is a man passionate about his life’s work of celebrating life and light through his art.

A gallery window, flanked by Somers' paintings, frames the silo and a portion of the old red barn.

FYI: Somers Studio and Gallery lies southeast of Northfield on State Highway 246. If you are traveling from the west and reach the turn-off to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, you’ve gone too far. His gallery is marked by a sign and is located on the south side of the road at 9775 Highway 246/Dennison Boulevard South.

Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

An artist unafraid of color October 24, 2010

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THIS WEEKEND, BETWEEN shopping (twice) for a door and windows, choosing a baby gift for my expected great nephew, running to the library, sorting through paintings crammed in a storage unit, attending church and celebrating an acquaintance’s 80th birthday, I squeezed in a Sunday afternoon tour of six Rice County art studios. They were among 14 on the South Central Minnesota October Studio arTour and Sale.

As always, I carried my camera. But unlike always, I was unable to photograph whatever interested me. Artists can be a bit touchy about having their work photographed. So I asked before I shot and respected their requests to either photograph or not photograph their creations.

In the next several days, I’ll take you inside five studios and show you some diverse art. No matter your tastes, you certainly have to appreciate the creativity of these talented individuals.

I’ll start this mini tour with the most unusual art I viewed. I knew immediately from the name, Right Brain Ventures Art, that I would discover something totally different by Barb Matz, a mixed media artist.  And I did.

A sign on a Division Street sidewalk directs visitors to Right Brain Ventures Art in downtown Northfield.

Along with colorful mannequins, artfully posed in her studio windows, this Northfield artist creates art with strips of painted paper. She cuts the paper to fit outlines she’s drawn. Her pieces focus on different cultures and she interplays shadows and light in her work.

Now if I could have, I would have photographed these fine, patterned faces of the world. But Barb requested that I not. She did, however, graciously allow me to photograph one of her can’t-miss, bold mannequins. (Thank you, Barb.)

Walking down the sidewalk to Barb's studio, I photographed this mannequin, one of three, peering out of a studio window.

The same mannequin, backside, from inside Right Brain Ventures Art.

A close-up shows the details of pattern and the bold colors.

Two other things you should know about Barb:

I snapped this image of Barb Matz through her studio window.

FYI: You can visit Barb’s studio at 220 Division St. South in historic downtown Northfield to see everything I can’t show you here.

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Meet 29 artists during the South Central MN. Studio ArTour October 21, 2010

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GIVE ME A COMPUTER and I can write.

Give me a paintbrush and I’d just sit there and dabble.

I’m a language artist, not a painter or potter or weaver or anyone who could designate herself as an authentic visual artist, although I do fine in photography.

But this weekend, if you travel to Rice County, where I live, you can meet 29 artists at 14 studios during the South Central Minnesota October Studio ArTour 2010.

 

 

Artist Julie Fakler will display domestic animal paintings like this at JMF Studio in Faribault.

 

From bling, beads and books to pottery, portraits and pastels, and lots more, you’ll discover a variety of art. For a sneak peek, visit southcentralartour.com. If you’re tight for time or interested in particular art forms, this Web site will help you choose which studios to visit.

If you’ve never ventured off Interstate 35 into the Faribault, Dundas or Northfield areas, the ArTour offers the ideal opportunity to drive back country roads and city streets and meet some of the artistic talent in our section of out-state Minnesota. Artwork will also be available for purchase.

If you’re from Rice County, find time to see what exists right here in your backyard. You don’t need to drive to the Cities to view, or buy, some great art.

The South Central Minnesota October Studio ArTour 2010 runs from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, October 23, and Sunday, October 24.

 

 

One of 10 hand-quilted quilts that will be shown at JMF Studio.

 

© Copyright Audrey Kletscher Helbling 2010

Images courtesy of Julie Fakler, JMF Studio

 

Appreciating quilt art at the cathedral October 4, 2010

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A banner in front of the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour along Second Avenue N.W. in Faribault draws visitors to the Rice County Piecemakers Quilt Show.

AS MUCH AS I ENJOYED the Rice County Piecemakers Fall Splendor Quilt Show at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault this past weekend, I was nagged by guilt.

First, my paternal grandma was a quilter. Therefore, it seems I should be genetically predisposed to quilting. But I am not.

Second, I won a door prize—a stash of fabric pieces—that I was delighted to win because I like to win. The patches were even in my favorite color, green. But, because I don’t quilt, I almost felt like I should return the prize to be awarded to some deserving quilter. I didn’t. Instead, I gave the pieces to my friend Marilynn and her daughter Kellie, who are beginning quilters.

Third, several of the quilters asked if I was a quilter. I replied that I made several baby quilts more than 20 years ago and that I sewed nearly all of my clothes when I was a teenager. I don’t think they were impressed. But it was the best I could offer.

Really, these quilters were very nice and they do some mighty fine work. Their quilts are works of art, masterpieces, examples of detailed stitchery and creativity that leaves me wishing I possessed even an ounce of their talent.

Pam Schuenke received the Viewer's First Choice Award in the Challenge Division for her 28-inch square pineapple block pattern creation. She pieced together 150 fabric swatches into nine blocks and added some autumn pizazz by blanket-stitching the seams with gold metallic thread. Entrants in the Challenge Division had to visibly incorporate five specific fabrics into their quilt pieces. Pam also won the top award in the miscellaneous category with an oriental table runner. She's been a Piecemakers member since the late 1980s.


Rows of quilts hung in the cathedral's Guild House.

Quilts and stained glass complemented each other.

Brenda Langworthy created this whimsical "Dog Show" quilt.

Some of the challenge quilts, which included five selected fabrics.

Twyla Sporre quilted "Pop Goes the Weasel" in the challenge competition of the Piecemakers exhibit.

The Piecemakers laid quilts across the 50 some pews in the sanctuary. A total of 200 quilts were shown through-out the church complex. Visitors were asked to vote for their favorites in the following categories: bed quilts, throws/lap quilts, baby items, wall hangings, miscellaneous and challenge quilts.

These adorable quilted bear potholders were on sale in the dining room.

Mary Peterson created "My Fine Sweet Girls," and here's one of those sweet girls.

THE RICE COUNTY PIECEMAKERS meet from 7 – 9 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church, 219 N.W. Fourth Avenue, Faribault. Meetings feature speakers, demonstrations, and “show and tell.” There are no dues and the club’s motto is “Sewing friendships one stitch at a time.”

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Poetry and cheesecake October 1, 2010

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My daughter's homemade chocolate cheesecake, my birthday cake.

I FELT JUST LIKE a queen, waiting patiently at the dining room table to be served a slice of decadent chocolate cheesecake.

I must say, it’s a wonderful feeling to be on the receiving, rather than the giving, end. And that’s how it is now when I celebrate my birthday.

On Monday, a day after my birthday, my daughter drove down from Minneapolis for an appointment and later dinner out with me, her dad and her brother. But afterward, ah after that meal, I really enjoyed the celebration.

My first-born had baked a from-scratch, all-chocolate cheesecake. She clued us in that the recipe called for melted peanut butter chips mixed into the chocolate batter. But she scorched the peanut butter chips and had to substitute chocolate chips. That produced some gentle teasing about a many-years-earlier chocolate pudding cake disaster.

Clearly, she’s learned a thing or two about cooking and baking as the cheesecake was pure chocolate perfection.

As much as I enjoyed the rich creamy dessert, even more I appreciated that my daughter chose to make a cheesecake. She knows it’s my favorite dessert.

Then I opened my gift from her and appreciated even more that my eldest had chosen items perfectly suited for me. She didn’t buy just any old thing just to give me a present. Rather, she shopped at a south Minneapolis antique store—one with lots of antlers and a place she nearly walked out of due to all those antlers on the walls.

Inside the antique shop, she found a slim volume of poetry, Minnesota Skyline, published in 1953. The book wasn’t priced, she said, and clerks discussed, in front of her, the price she should pay.

Minnesota Skyline, a vintage poetry collection I think worthy of reprinting.

I flipped through the pages and knew I would enjoy this collection with poems like “Wind in the Corn,” “Pioneers of Southern Minnesota,” and “Spring on the Prairie.”

I haven’t had time yet to indulge in the anthology. But that evening, after I opened my daughter’s gift of poetry, I read aloud a verse from “Delano on Saturday Night” by Margaret Horsch Stevens of Montrose:

Men, bent, with toil, feel younger in the glare

Of lights, exchanging jokes and arguments;

And women brighten as they meet and talk

Of recent births, and brides, and home events.

We laughed as we pictured families gathered in downtown Delano on a Saturday night in the 1950s. How times have changed.

After that impromptu poetry reading, I pulled four slim yellow trays from my birthday gift bag. Once again, my daughter had selected an ideal present for me. I collect vintage metal trays and these were unlike any I have or any I’ve seen. For now I’ve propped two atop a shelf—art leaning against a wall.

My daughter gave me four vintage metal trays for my collection.

There’s something to be said for aging, when you can see your children as grown adults, who are caring and loving and giving and who know that you love poetry and cheesecake.

My husband also remembered my birthday with a colorful daisy bouquet.

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

The Lund Press, Inc., of Minneapolis published Minnesota Skyline.

 

Praise for a 92-year-old artist September 28, 2010

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The historic Christdala Evangelical Swedish Lutheran Church.

INSIDE THE SMALL country church, I place my hand atop his, the coolness of his skin seeping into the warmth of my fingers. I feel the slight tremble of his hand, a hand that for some seven decades lifted brush to canvas and metal and wood as he painted.

He is cold, even though dressed in layers. I am warm in my short-sleeved shirt. We wait—me in the stiff-backed pew and him in a folding chair.

In just a few minutes, I will introduce my 92-year-old artist friend to a sanctuary full of worshipers, briefing them on his life as a painter. But how do you condense seven decades of painting into 180 seconds? I do, because I don’t enjoy public speaking and I have time constraints.

He is Rhody Yule, a former sign painter by day. And by night he painted to express himself in hundreds of portraits, landscapes, still-lifes and religious scenes created through the decades.

On this Sunday afternoon we have come by invitation of the Christdala Church Preservation and Cemetery Association of rural Millersburg to showcase nine of Rhody’s religious paintings, including one of Christdala Evangelical Swedish Lutheran Church which he painted in 1969.

This is his debut public art showing and I am thrilled at the opportunity for Rhody, first the subject of a magazine feature article I wrote and now, I am honored to say, my friend.

A humble man of faith, who on more than one occasion has claimed that his paintings “ain’t nothin’” or “aren’t much,” deserves this public display of his art.

So on this perfect Sunday afternoon in September, when the sun filters through leaves tipped in red and golden hues, my husband and I have come to this hilltop site to set his paintings upon easels against the backdrop of the 1878 wood frame church. A woman in reverent prayer. Judas betraying Jesus. The Last Supper.

The simple lines of the church provide an ideal backdrop for Rhody's paintings.

Rhody's depiction of Judas betraying Jesus is among the paintings displayed.

"Our Glorious Savior," "The Empty Tomb" and "The Last Supper" on exhibit.

Jesus appears to, and blesses, doubting Thomas in Rhody's painting.

Rhody calls his painting of the suffering Christ, "Misery."

Here in the churchyard, on a strip of grass between the church and the gravestones of Swedish immigrants, those who have come for Christdala’s annual worship service/open house peruse the nine religious paintings, chat with Rhody, chat with me. They share their admiration for his art.

I am smiling. This is as it should be. Praise for the artist, the slight wisp of a man who, since age 16, has quietly sketched and drawn and painted for the joy of creating.

Artist Rhody Yule sits next to some of his paintings displayed at Christdala.

As the afternoon gathering draws to a close, Rhody gives his Christdala painting to the preservation society. I am unaware that he planned to do this. “It belongs here,” he tells me later. That is so Rhody, to quietly, without a big to-do, present his Christdala painting to those who will most appreciate it.

Rhody's 1969 painting of Christdala church.

THANK YOU to B. Wayne Quist for inviting Rhody and me to participate in Christdala’s annual open house. I am especially grateful for this opportunity to display Rhody’s art for the first time ever. He has also been accepted for a solo art show January 14 – February 26, 2011, in the Carlander Gallery at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault.

PLEASE CHECK BACK for posts about historic Christdala, which closed in 1966.

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Flood art in Faribault September 25, 2010

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IF BEAUTY CAN BE FOUND in floodwaters, then today I discovered it in these images I composed of Faribault Foods’ offices along Second Avenue N.W. across from the Rice County Historical Society.

Faribault's September 2010 flood will go down in the history books.

With “just right” lighting, with the building and landscape and sky reflecting upon the water in the flooded street, the scenes seem almost surreal. My unedited photos possess a serene quality that belies the angst the floodwaters have caused for residents and business owners and government officials.

A roadway arrow directs motorists from Second Avenue N.W. into North Alexander Park.

Just across the street, a resident pumped 3 ½ feet of raw sewage from his basement.

But you would never think that, viewing these images, this flood art.

The light and reflection create a surreal image of Faribault Foods.

This is my favorite image of the Faribault Foods' office. To me this appears more a painting than photo.

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Visit Christdala Church for worship, art and a history tied to outlaws

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Steps lead from Rice County Road 1 to Christdala Swedish Lutheran Church.

I DOUBT ANY OTHER MINNESOTA church can claim roots in a notorious attempted bank robbery. But Christdala Evangelical Swedish Lutheran Church of rural Millersburg can.

The long-dissolved congregation traces its origins back to the September 7, 1876, attempted robbery of the First National Bank in nearby Northfield. During that failed crime, Nicolaus Gustafson, a Swedish immigrant from Millersburg, was shot point blank in the head by outlaw Cole Younger. He died four days later and was buried in Northfield because the Millersburg Swedish community didn’t have a graveyard, or a church.

The evening of the bank robbery, the Swedish immigrants met to talk about constructing a church and soon thereafter built Christdala.

This Sunday, September 26, the Christdala Church Preservation and Cemetery Association will open the doors to this historic church which sits high atop a hill overlooking Circle Lake just west of Millersburg along Rice County Road 1. On this roadway that passes by the 1878 country church, the James-Younger Gang fled after the botched Northfield raid.

The doors to Christdala, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

I’ll be there Sunday for the 2 p.m. fall worship service led by the Rev. Ralph Baumgartner, pastor of Galilee Evangelical Lutheran Church in Roseville, who has family ties to Christdala. I’m anxious to get inside this sanctuary, which I’ve only viewed through the slats of Venetian blinds while photographing the locked building on a Sunday afternoon in July.

I've only peered through the blinds into the sanctuary.

This Sunday I’ll arrive well before worshipers and the curious and the families with a connection to Christdala. I’ll arrive with a van full of paintings by my 92-year-old artist friend, Rhody Yule of Faribault. Rhody, who has been creating art for 76 years, did an oil painting of the church in 1969. He’s showing that piece and eight other religious-themed works at Christdala’s open house.

He’ll talk a bit. I’ll talk a bit. But mostly, we welcome visitors to pause and study the paintings, to feel the emotions painted into the faces of the disciples, of Christ, of a woman in reverent prayer. Rhody paints with a heart of faith reflected in his art.

Christdala Swedish Lutheran Church painted in 1969 by Rhody Yule.

A snippet of Rhody Yule's painting, one of nine he will show at Christdala.

Christdala visitors can also pick up a copy of God’s Angry Man—The Incredible Journey of Private Joe Haan by B.Wayne Quist. The newly-released book tells the true, powerful life story of Haan (Quist’s uncle), who grew up in an Owatonna orphanage and who served in Patton’s Third Army during WW II. Quist, a member of the Christdala Preservation Association, will donate profits from Sunday’s book sales to Christdala.

Copies of the fall issue of Minnesota Moments magazine, featuring my photo essay on country churches, will also be on sale with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the church.

B. Wayne Quist will sell copies of his latest book, God's Angry Man.

Before and after the worship service, visitors can tour the 1881 Millersburg School, which the Christdala preservation group has refurbished and is transitioning into a community museum. Exhibits include church and school records, photos, military medals and records, Indian artifacts, an old doctor’s buggy and more. Faribault genealogist and preservation member John Dalby will be at the schoolhouse to answer questions.

The Millersburg School has been refurbished and will feature exhibits tied to local history.

Sunday promises to be an interesting day for those who gather at Christdala. It will be a day of history and of art, of worship, of thoughtful remembrances at gravesites, of families reuniting and of others simply coming together on this spot, this Christdala, this “Christ’s Valley,” here where the outlaws once escaped on their galloping horses.

A side view of the 1878 Christdala Swedish Lutheran Church.

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Book cover image courtesy of B. Wayne Quist and schoolhouse image courtesy of John Dalby.

 

A child’s perspective on 9/11 September 11, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 9:29 AM
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SOMETIMES A PICTURE truly is worth 1,000 words. In this instance, a child’s drawing is worth 1,000 words, maybe 10,000, maybe even 1,000,000.

Eight years ago my then 8-year-old son drew this image for a religious class assignment at the Christian day school he was attending.

The directions instructed: “Think about a time when it is hard to trust God…pray to God. Ask Him to make your faith strong.”

So my third grader, out of all the trying moments he could have depicted, chose to replicate 9/11. He drew his version of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York one year and one month after the actual tragedy.

As a mother, I remember feeling deeply saddened (but also a bit proud) that my son, my elementary-aged boy, who should have been thinking about a quarrel with a friend or something more mundane, would choose to draw this. Clearly, even at his young age, this devastating moment in our nation’s history had made a monumental impact.

Today, on the ninth anniversary of 9/11, please honor those who died and remember these reassuring words from Psalm 100:5: “The Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever.”

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling