Fine Line Designs Gallery Announces First Exhibit of 2020 Season

Gallery will be open and acting in accordance with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s best practices to reopen retail spaces.

Ephraim, Wis. (June 23, 2020) — Fine Line Designs Gallery announces its first exhibit of the 2020 season, which opens Thursday, July 2. Exhibit I will kick off with an artist reception that evening from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. All four Exhibit I artists — fiber artist Martha Fieber, oil painter Kathie Odom, glass artist Will Ortman, and acrylic painter Richard Patt — will be in attendance.

In addition to the artist reception, there will be an artist demonstration the next afternoon from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Kathie Odom will be revealing her process behind her Impressionist-inspired paintings, and the demonstration will be held outdoors on Fine Line’s grounds. 

“We’re excited to welcome our artists — and the community — into the gallery for this reception and first exhibit,” says Shari Gransee, owner of Fine Line Designs Gallery. “We continue to practice physical distancing at the gallery, we’ll be wearing masks, and require our patrons to do the same when preparing to visit the gallery.”

Fiber artist Martha Fieber calls her intricate works “Landscapes in Thread,” and when you look at her complex compositions of hand-stitching, subtle color, and attention to detail, it’s hard to believe you’re not looking at a photograph! “My landscapes express a connection to the outside world, and they encourage the viewer to think about the interconnectedness of nature.” Fieber works with a limited combination of stitches — and single strands of silk, rayon, and hand-dyed cotton to achieve the desired depth and perspective to her work — as there’s a depth to everything we see in the world. 

A “Nostalgic Impressionist” is how oil painter and Door County Plein Air artist Kathie Odom refers to herself — it’s what describes her favorite painting style and subject. She can often be found painting en plein air, as it allows her to get lost in what she calls “the wonderful process of it all.” The result are paintings vibrant with light and texture that capture the quiet beauty of the landscapes, buildings, and homes you might see on roads less-traveled. “There’s something magical about painting and creating beauty,” she says. “It feels like a new love, or an old love that’s been rediscovered.”

Rich colors and textures are also the focus of glass artist Will Ortman, who says he’s captivated by how colors come to life on a glass surface. He’s a student of a variety of techniques and designs — the incalmo technique, where two separate objects are joined with heat; cane working and complex Murine designs, and drawing on traditional Italian techniques combined with Asian cultural inspirations. These interests have combined to create a style that is Ortman’s own, and which he applies to vases with exotic patterns and sculptures with celestial moon and stars motifs. 

Richard Patt is a long-time Fine Line artist, and his works of bright Wisconsin barns and landscapes — loaded with his signature color and texture — continue to connect with viewers. His love for barns can be traced back to his childhood, where he and his family lived on a farm just outside of Milwaukee as a young boy. His polychromatic landscapes are at once abstract and representational, and vibrate with color, energy, and geometric patterning — perfect for getting up close and examining stony foundations, broadsides, and roofs. 

Fine Line encourages those who plan to attend receptions and events to check out the Gallery’s website at www.finelinedesignsgallery.com in the event of last-minute adjustments to scheduled events. 

Exhibit I will run through Monday, August 3 at the Gallery, with Exhibit II set to begin shortly after on Thursday, August 6. Exhibit II will feature the work of Door County artists Stephanie Evans and Pamela Murphy. 

Fine Line Designs Gallery, located in scenic Door County, is housed in a 1950s chicken coop that was renovated in 1999 and turned into a multi-level gallery space. The gallery showcases seasonal, monthly rotating exhibitions, highlighting the works of selected artists along with the general display of works by over 100 regional and nationally-acclaimed artists. The gallery features original paintings, glass, jewelry, clay, custom wood furnishings, sculpture, and fiber rich in color and texture in addition to a two-acre sculpture garden adorned with pieces created from bronze, stone, metal, copper, and stainless steel. For more information, please visitwww.finelinedesignsgallery.com or call (920) 854-4343.