Karen Brabender – Mosaic & Glass Artist
About fifteen years ago, I took a class in Mosaic, which started me on my artist journey. I see mosaics all around me; whether it be in nature, or in a crowd of people. For me life is made up of bits and pieces that somehow seem to fit together and make sense. Sunlight through stained glass makes my soul sing. I create mostly from my home studio in Peshtigo, but also enjoy meeting new people and sharing my love for mosaic art through teaching.
Mary Costantino – Painting
Mary Costantino experimented in oils and pastels in when her children were young. When she
retired from teaching nursing, she returned to her passion for painting. Her pastel and oil
paintings are primarily plein aire landscapes, paintings of favorite trips and venues in southeast
Florida such as Bonnet House and local Menominee area scenes in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Mary has studied with several local South Florida artists. Pastel and oil painting workshops attended include Sally Strand,
Richeson Scotland Workshop, Don Sahli, Richard McKinley, Robert Johnson. She is a member of Bonnet Fine Artists,
Southeast Pastel Society, Menominee Area Art Council and First Street Art Gallery. Her pastels and oils can be viewed at First
Street Art Gallery, Menominee, Michigan.
Mary’s paintings have been included in the following juried exhibitions:
Impressions of Florida Bonnet House, Art Serve Exhibits, Transfiguration Juried Exhibit, Rosseti Arts, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
University of Wisconsin Marinette Summer Exhibits, Southeast Pastel Society Yearly Online Members Exhibitions, Southeast
Pastel Society 2022 “Make your Mark” International Exhibit.
James LaMalfa – Painting
I grew up in Milwaukee, attending UW–Milwaukee and UW-Madison, then received an MA degree in 1960, followed by an MFA in 1961. After graduation, I taught at a few higher education institutions before being hired by UW-Marinette in 1969, where I taught studio and art history classes for 44 years until retirement. My specialty is watercolor, though I am fortunate to have contributed many public sculptures on display around Marinette and Menominee. What I am most proud of, however, are my four children.
Della Cardella – Painting
I grew up on a farm in Porterfield, WI in a quiet family of artists. There was always beauty at
Grandmas; oils on the walls, art deco, painted wood animals up the driveway and even piano by
ear that sounded like Bach. In my own home my dad made furniture and painted on wood. My
brothers did photography, woodworking and inventions. My middle sister painted cartoons on
the hay wagons and I admired my oldest sisters sketch book long after she moved out. I was
taught by my middle sister as soon as I could hold a crayon. It just was, nothing extraordinary.
Painted cows and tulips on the walls and a mountain lake mural by my uncle on the side of the
garage. As I grew older I saw artistic talent in my boys and my youngest played piano like
grandma at 5. I began to consider the great talent God has given my family and took courage to
do something more with it.
Ross Wolfe – Photography
I have been taking pictures since I took a photography course at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 1969. There I learned the basics of a 35mm SLR camera and the dominant components of taking a good picture. I began taking pictures, mostly slides, like crazy. Traveling, attending special events and living everyday life I carried my camera and lenses everywhere. I became our family, Church, at work and “at large” photographer.
The advent of the digital age has been a challenge for me. I tend to use an “old school” approach and even have had some of my slides digitized. To keep costs down and provide good art at a good price I try to use mats and frames that are used and create frames from barn wood. With this method I am able to match my pictures to the frames and mats that are available.
In the midst of a sometimes chaotic life I try to capture a moment in time, be it a tiny flower or insect or a bird, maybe a tremendous landscape or a sunset, even a still or something abstract. Presenting these photographs in printed form to share with others has become a quest of mine. I try to find that special picture that might add joy and pleasure to another person’s life.
Dianne Margaret Rose – Painting
Creating is my passion, as with all artists it is within me . . . My love and respect for all living creatures is extremely important to me, the core of my being – this truth leaves my brush and transpires on the canvas. Living in Menominee County, I have much to be inspired by: rural landscapes, barns, trees, sky, birds and animals. Although I have studied Art at University of Wisconsin, I have learned more just “being” and it is no different with my craft.
Nancy Pierce – Photography
Seeing through the camera is magical. I love sharing what I see with others whether it is landscape, close up or abstract. There are discoveries all around us and it brings me so much joy to capture the unexpected and share it through photography.
Julie Huebner – Ceramic & Sculpture
Julie is a self-taught ceramic artist who lives in Marinette Wisconsin. Born and raised in the area she is inspired by the changing seasons and scenic beauty of the shores of Green Bay. Her personal style reflects the dynamic beauty and natural elements of the changing landscape. As she says, “The dimension of nature is my inspiration, the way the trees layer against each other, the clouds stand out in the sky, the depth of it draws me in”. Her passion for creating led her to build an art studio on her property in 2016, where she spends her days combining clay, painting, wood and metal into sculptural works that have a style all her own.
Linda Schroeder Golding – Painting & Mixed Media
Linda was formally trained as a watercolorist and print maker, but in addition enjoys exploring a variety of media, which include fiber arts, mixed media painting, and her very popular “Healing Sticks”. She has taught classes for many educational institutions, in watercolor, pen and ink, printmaking, papermaking, and ceramics. She was also trained in Art Therapy and utilized those techniques in her career as a Clinical Social Worker. Retired and back home in the Midwest, Linda is now committed to producing her art full time. She is the current president of First Street Art Gallery, where she spends much of her time creating art, teaching classes, and greeting visitors to the gallery.
First Street Art Gallery & More 