by Catherine Grothus
News Reporter
Wayne Herrick was one of the 150 Wisconsin artists who displayed their artwork at the Winter Art Festival over the weekend at Monona Terrace.
Herrick called his pottery an “evolution of the art form,” describing how pieces change aesthetically during the creative process.
The festival provided an opportunity for supporters to learn more about the artistic process and talent these artists have to offer.
The Winter Art Festival is organized by the Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople and is a counterpart to the Art Fair Off the Square that occurs every summer in Madison. Artwork of a variety of different media was represented at the Monona Terrace Convention Center including ceramics, glass, jewelry, leather, painting, wood and more.
“It is another opportunity, another venue, [to make a] connection between artists and patrons,” said Beth Ann Hamilton, artist and WAAC Executive Director.
Hamilton said 6,000 people were expected to attend.
Hamilton was an exhibitor as well as the executive director of the event. Her medium is watercolor and she said her inspiration is flowers from her own garden. Along with multiple samples of her work, she provides a letter describing the process of her work in her booth.
Hamilton said she encouraged participating artists to display written explanation of their techniques and inspirations. The alliance encourages artists to educate as well as sell their artwork, Hamilton said.
WAAC Jury chairman Steve Siehr said a panel of five anonymous jurors selected artists to participate in the festival. Artists send in a written application and slides of their work. The decision is based on how well they demonstrate their medium, creativity and originality.
“We live and die by the quality of our slides,” said Siehr, who is also an artist.
Another exhibitor, Ken Swanson, creates hand-painted linoleum black prints and has been whittling since the fifth grade. He says his craft is “part of who [he] is.” He doesn’t know why and he doesn’t question it. Swanson says his single purpose is to satisfy patrons with his art.
The Winter Art Festival has a low participation fee, so the artists have the chance to exhibit without a large financial obligation. In addition to numerous display booths, the festival also provides activities for children and live musical entertainment. Swanson says the WAAC is “single-purposed, dedicated to membership, and they don’t divert from that.”
Wayne Herrick, another artist at the festival, is a potter who uses the technique of Raku to create bursts of color in his work. He estimates he has created over 125,000 pieces of work in his more than 20-year career. He said he became involved in pottery his junior year in college when he changed his major to art so that he could take a pottery class. He now not only creates art, but he also teaches it as a high-school art teacher at Burlington High School.
Herrick said art is a process and “you grow with the process.” He advises his students to “check [their] ego at the door, it gets in the way of making art.”
