Laura Burlis Turns Polymer Clay into Intricate and Whimsical “Paintings”

By Sharon Parker

Laura Burlis fashions polymer clay into detailed compositions that look like paintings, sometimes on a small scale with a practical purpose—on light switch plates.

“I love the fact that the switch plates are a ready-made blank canvas and that one must walk right up to the switch plate to turn the light on and off, giving one the opportunity to see this miniature work of art each time—so the art as well as the light is brightening one's day,” she says.

She also makes collages or mosaics from found objects with polymer clay tiles. “I love the layers of meaning and history that build with the juxtaposition of objects,” she says.

Laura is returning for her fifth LoLa art crawl, showing this year in the Minnehaha Professional Building, 3960 Minnehaha Ave. S., along with Jymme Golden and yours truly.

What inspires/informs your art?

A lifetime of observing nature informs my art, then add the quirky paths my brain pathways make ... whoa—didn't see where that was going!

What do you like about LoLa? Why did you join?

I love the grass-roots nature of the organization, the warm and generous spirit of the founders, and finding out about cool art being made in the houses, garages and gardens of my neighborhood.

What neighborhood within greater Longfellow do you live in?

Standish-Ericsson, or as I like to call it, the neighborhood no one's heard of. I included the name on a utility box I painted at 38th Street and 23rd Avenue South—a mural scene of Lake Hiawatha Park with Mermaids—to try to raise our name profile.

Are you doing anything special for the art crawl?

I'll be doing off and on demos of how to make millefiori canes with polymer clay—how to put different colors of clay together in a log to make an amazing design when you cut a slice from it.

I'm excited because last year was brutally hot and this space (the Minnehaha Professional Building) is AIR-CONDITIONED! Which will probably ensure that it's nice cool weather outside this year.

From the Great Lake to Minneapolis: Dana Teske Makes Art from Driftwood and Other Found Objects

By Sharon Parker

Dana Teske just came back from  two weeks on Lake Superior where she collected driftwood and other objects to make ten new mixed media assemblages. “Wow, it is so awesome to be on her shores using her ‘pieces’ of artwork to create my own. It feeds my soul,” she says. 

Dana creates mixed media artworks with found objects, “such as driftwood or shells or broken coffee cups.” She also makes mobiles from driftwood, and paints on canvas with acrylics.

This will be Dana’s third LoLa art crawl. She’ll be showing in her backyard along with painter Jennifer Gilles. “I have always been in my backyard which has a lovely deck; we always serve fresh popped popcorn!”

What inspires/informs your art?

My mother-in-law lives on the south shore of Lake Superior and I have the profound fortune of watching that beautiful body of water; we walk a five-mile beach and that is when I started to fall in love with driftwood!  Nature has its way with each piece turning it into its own art.  I just had to find some way to use it in my artwork and that is where I am now.

What do you like about LoLa?

I love LoLa.  It has been a great way for me to get connected to what is going on out there for artists!  And I love to be able to show my artwork in my yard.

Are you doing anything special for Lola?

Yes we will be serving fresh popped popcorn and lemonade.

Look for art crawl maps in early August at Longfellow area businesses and later in the month on the LoLa website.

Smirking Tiger Michael Treat Makes Many Types of Art Happen with Ink, Acrylic, Mixed Metals, and Words

By Sharon Parker

Michael Treat—aka Smirking Tiger—is a multifaceted visual artist who works in a variety of media. His recent work includes ink wash paintings, acrylic paintings, upcycled jewelry, cuff bracelets, and original comic art zines.

He is returning for his third LoLa art crawl and will be showing at Fireroast Cafe, 3800 37th Ave. S., along with his wife, Brenda Peterson (Mellow Fury), who was featured on our blog last month.

What inspires/informs your art?

I’m inspired by controversial ideas, bold emotions and the need to produce a tangible result from the things I envision and see in the world. “Art happens” is a phrase I’ve heard for a long time. While that is true, in my case art happens after much thought and investigation goes into the subject I’m portraying.

Why did you join LoLa?

I wanted to have a chance to get to know the other artists in the community so that we all have the opportunity to learn from each other.

Are you doing anything special for Lola?

My current series of ink wash cityscape paintings will be on display during the month of August at Fireroast Cafe.

At this year's LoLa Art Crawl, I'll have the following on display and for sale: my series of ink wash cityscapes (originals, prints and cards), mixed metal cuff bracelets and my current zine series entitled My F-Ed Up Apartment Building: An American Memoir of Low-Rent Housing.

During the crawl, Fireroast will have air conditioning, ice cream and art from multiple LoLa artists. Who could ask for more?

See Michael’s page on the Zine Wiki, and see more of his work in his Etsy shop, Smirking Tiger. 

And, in case you don't get enough of Michael during LoLa: on September 27 & 28, join Smirking Tiger at the Maple Grove (Minnesota) Government Center for the Skyline Art Crawl. 

Shirley Neilson Makes Arty Accessories and Topical Buttons

By Sharon Parker

It was Shirley Neilson who thought to call our neighborhood-based collection of artists the League of Longfellow Artists to form the lilting acronym LoLa. In 2009, she and co-founders Anita White and Bob Schmitt got the ball rolling on what has since become an annual tradition.

She was away for the ensuing four years, but is back participating again this year and will be showing at Junket: Tossed and Found, 4049 Minnehaha Ave., a locally owned shop that specializes in quality used goods and creative supply plus reuse-oriented local art.

Shirley uses the moniker Art on a Limb for her creative output; she makes beaded and sculpted jewelry, crocheted personal and kitchen accessories, topical buttons, and kitchen magnets.

What media do you work in?

Beads, Paint, Fabric, yarn, polymer, recycled and re-purposed stuff...

What inspires/informs your art?

World cultures, recycling, DIY, economic ethics, light—and shiny things! Nature, too.

What do you like about LoLa?

My thoughts the first year were to create a community art crawl that was welcoming to all,  emerging and hobbyists thru professional, that was not prohibitively expensive to participate in or put on, and to celebrate local arts and artists. Also for it to be artist-created and administered. That seems to be what it is today, and I'm thrilled at LoLa's survival and growth.

Do you have anything special planned for Lola weekend?

Demos, most likely beadweaving or crocheting, and probably a treat or two.

(Junket is open every weekend through the summer and always has treats from a local bakery on hand—until they run out, at least.)

Kim Gordon’s Cards and Paintings Reflect the Longfellow Neighborhood’s Architectural and Natural Beauty

By Sharon Parker

Kim Gordon is a designer and illustrator under the name Open Cupboard Designs, and has been painting with oils her "entire life." She has a line of greeting cards inspired by the Longfellow neighborhood—its arts and crafts architecture, the closeness of the river, and the presence of nature everywhere.

This is her first time participating in the LoLa art crawl; she’ll be showing at Northwest Graphic Supply, 4200 E. Lake St., along with painter Megan Moore. 

River Gorge, by Kim Gordon

What inspires/informs your art?

My quest is to feel connected to the natural world around me, and my interest in landscape painting springs from that desire. I am by nature an observer, and am fascinated by light and its play on form, of capturing a sense of place, the vitality and movement of the natural world. 

My greeting cards incorporate my interest in the natural world as well, and my interest in animals, both companion and wild, especially the bird life that the river and the surrounding woods support.

What do you like about LoLa?

It is a great way for artists in the community to show their work and for the community to embrace the incredible amount of art making that goes on within it.

Last Snow, by Kim Gordon

What’s new with you this summer?

My greeting cards were just chosen by Stationery Trends magazine for their summer 2014 "Fresh Picks"! 

I currently have work in the Horizontal Grandeur show (the show premise is a Bill Holm essay about the prairie) at the Stevens County Historical Museum in Morris, Minnesota, from July to October. And I will have a solo show (painting) at the Northfield Arts Guild, in the Up Gallery, October to December. 

Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, by Kim Gordon

See more of Kim’s artwork on her website and in her Etsy shop.

Lisa Arnold Creates Mosaics Inspired by Nature and Sparkles

By Sharon Parker

Mosaic artist Lisa Arnold has participated in the LoLa art crawl “every time since year 1.” She works mostly with stained glass, creating mosaics and decorative objects under the name Xola Arts. For the art crawl, she will be at Blue Moon Coffee Cafe, 3822 E. Lake St. 

What inspires/informs your art?

Nature, art, all my sparkling materials. I like experimenting and trying new things; I’m motivated by curiosity, wonder, and surprise.

What are you working on this summer?

I'm really excited about the community mosaic art projects I'm doing this summer.  I'm working with 13 libraries across Minnesota to make big and small murals that promote art and reading. By the end of the year, 43 libraries in Minnesota (plus one in NYC) will have work of mine hanging in them.  I also did my third art residency in Negril, Jamaica, this year.  

And I've enjoyed making some commissions this summer—it's so much fun working for others on specific meaningful pieces.

What do you like about Lola?

What a great community event!  Neighborhood pride, plus a great way to share my work!

Are you planning anything special for Lola?

I'm holding a drawing each day for a mosaic give-away—two mosaics, one for each day. 

You can see more of Lisa’s mosaic creations at Blue Moon any time, and at Mother Earth Gardens’ Longfellow location, and on her Xola Arts Flickr page. 

Melissa Borman Offers an Aesthetic Guide into—and out of—the Woods

By Sharon Parker

Melissa Borman is an installation artist using photography, natural objects, and other media to explore notions of truth and myth, how we communicate, and how we understand and relate to our natural surroundings.

For LoLa, which, as you know, takes place August 23–24, she will be showing at PrairieWoodworking, 3537 East Lake Street. 

What to do When Lost in the Woods, installation detail, archival pigment print

Later this month, her work, What to do When Lost in the Woods, which comprises 143 11-by-8.5-inch pages, arranged on site, is showing at TuckUnder Projects, 5120 York Avenue South, in an exhibition with five other artists that opens on July 31. 

What to do When Lost in the Woods, installation detail, text on paper

What informs/inspires your art?

I use symbolically and historically potent words, imagery and objects to examine traditional and contemporary systems of communication, the distribution of information, and notions of truth. I am particularly interested in how various modes of relaying information impact our collective cultural understanding of the natural world. I am drawn to maps and globes, as well as pamphlets and fliers about the natural world as sources of information. I'm also inspired by imagery in myths and fairy tales.

A Sea of Troubles Meets the Trees Themselves; c-prints, twigs, suspended envelopes with text, found objects and sound

Why did you join Lola?

I have friends who have participated in past LoLa art crawls and they encouraged me to join.

A Sea of Troubles Meets the Trees Themselves

Are you doing anything special for Lola?

Yes, we will have refreshments!

For more images of Melissa's work, news, and recent exhibitions and installations, visit Melissa’swebsite.