Midsummer Eve Sunset on Central Lakes Trail
Bad weather and deer hunting season, but…
Despite Minnesota’s first snowstorm of the season, the gallery event on November 12 was a fun event for those attending.
Many thanks to Deborah Embretson and Jackie Henning for their help in hosting this event, and thanks to Karen Howell and the Board of Directors at Evansville Art Center for opening the doors outside regular gallery hours! I especially want to thank all my friends, collectors, and fellow artists who showed their support and came to the event, to see art by my friend Kim Embretson and a few new paintings that I was able to produce over the summer.
Chuck and Diane Henning, and my classmate Greg Hierlinger came from Anoka.
The Biggest Surprise
The highlight of my evening was when my brother and his wife walked in the gallery doors, along with her brother Greg, with whom I had graduated. Greg and I probably haven’t seen each other for almost 40 years.
A Funny Anecdote
As they entered the gallery, Chuck revealed a package he was returning — my original painting of The Millennial Farm. Painted in 2000, I had asked him to retrieve it from a Twin Cities gallery many years ago. He had placed it behind the living room sofa for safekeeping, and we both had forgotten it until painters had moved the sofa to finish their work, just that week of the reception. And so he returned it!
Friends Lee and Rob Hemming visit with Jackie; Sue Fitzgerald and Linda (seated lower right) came from Coon Rapids.
What especially meant a lot to me, personally, was to see Sue Fitzgerald and her friend Linda. Sue recently lost her husband Brian, who had a special place in my heart: he was the matchmaker who ultimately brought Jackie and I together - and he loved to brag about it! Sue has always been an enthusiastic collector of my art, both limited edition prints and originals. The spark of enthusiasm that causes a person to invest their own hard-earned money in a piece of art is always a huge encouragement to an artist.
Please remember, as you shop for gifts this holiday season, that artists are small businesses too. I hope you’ll consider buying from an artist you know; when you do, you’ll be giving a gift of art to one person, and the gift of encouragement to another!
