Area artists prepare for 62nd annual art show

By LARRY HOLCOMBE

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Ironwood - The Range Art Association will hold its 62nd annual show this week at the Memorial Building auditorium in Ironwood.

Entries from local artists began to show up Tuesday morning and association members were busy registering and beginning to create the displays. Entries will be accepted until noon today. Judging will take place at 4 p.m.

The show opens to the public Friday morning and runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and opens again at 10 a.m. on Sunday and runs through an artists reception planned for 3 to 5 p.m.

The association has 25 members who meet once a month. Their main order of business is to plan the annual show, but they do encourage members and others to take classes locally and regionally, said treasurer Gerry Traczyk.

New this year for the 62nd show, the group is honoring its five "life" members by naming awards to be given out at the show after them.

The People's Choice Award will be named after Helmi Anderson, of Kimball, Wis.

The other Awards of Excellence are named after fellow "life" members Carol Kinnunen, Susanne Vittone, Phyllis Leinonen and Dorothy Silkworth Kuula.

This year's judge will be Mindy Schnell of Boulder Junction, Wis.

Besides the general open art show judging, there is also a Masters competition, where people enter a copy they've painted of a masterpiece, as well as a separate competition for children's art work.

The awards include cash and ribbons.

Traczyk estimated Tuesday they might end up with 60 or so pieces in the general art show competition including paintings, sculptures, drawings, woodworking, photography and other mediums.

"It's amazing the talent in our area," Traczyk said.

Artists can pick up their artwork on Sunday at 5 p.m.

"This year we're honoring Minnie Malaga who died in January," said Traczyk. "She was a prolific artist. She's on our poster and there's information on her in the brochure."

Traczyk said she joined the group when she retired four years ago and found time to pursue things she enjoys to do.

"I've always enjoyed art and painting. I've taken several classes," she said, adding she's learned a lot from the instructors, as well as other members of the various classes. "That's a good thing about this group, we love art, share and learn from each other."

Arlene Sarkela was one of the artists at the Memorial Building on Wednesday morning entering her paintings – a maximum of three in the general art show and three more in the Masters competition.

Sarkela, who summers at a cabin near Little Girls Point and spends the rest of the year in New Mexico, has been painting off and on for 40 years. After she determined she has an allergy to oil paints, she's switched over to acrylics and water-based paints.

Her "Below the Spring," was painted with acrylics from a photo of the woods covered with a heavy load of March snow near the spring on Lake Road in Ironwood Township. Her husband, Rick, made the frame partially with birch bark. He makes many frames for her.

Sarkela said she loves to paint Northwoods landscapes while they're here, and landscapes of New Mexico when they're down there.

Part of the annual art show is an art sale, but not all the works are for sale. Some of the those that are for sale were donated to be sold to benefit Copper Peak, said Traczyk.

There will also be raffles for some of the art pieces.