Sogn Valley Craft Fair Prize Drawing: WIN A FREE POT!

We are giving away a woodfired tumbler-style vase embellished with stylized little birds by potter, Dawn Makarios.

All you need to enter is provide Sogn Valley Craft Fair with a valid email address. You need to live in WI, MN or Iowa (in other words you have to... be a potential fairgoer.)

You can expect two or three emails each late summer and fall from Sogn Valley Craft Fair. We won't share your email with anyone else.

Send an email to epiorier@mninter.net to enter. We will draw a winner in a couple of weeks and contact the winner by email.

The pictures below are not the actual vase we are giving away. They are representative of similar pottery by Dawn.

Dawn Makarios--Potter and Sogn Valley Craft Fair Hostess

I started playing with clay in 1987 as a student with Peter Leach, and never stopped. I have been creating functional pottery for the past 23 years. I enjoy working with stoneware and porclain-like clay. My pots are fired at high temperature using reduction atmosphere from wood and salt to create richness in the clay body. I like to see the artists movement on the surface of the clay creating a rich textural feel to the pot. I also like to teach pottery, share the love of clay and encourage those to know we all have the artist within us.

I am the hostess and co-organizer of the Sogn Valley Craft Fair. The Craft Fair was started over 30 years ago by Minnesota potter, Peter Leach and took place on his farm in the Sogn Valley. In the years following Peter's retirement from pottery, the fair has moved to our farm just east of the orignal location. I have been participating in the Sogn Valley Craft Fair as an artist for over 20 years.

In addition to the Sogn Valley Valley Craft Fair, you can find my work at the Rochester Art Center, The Northfield Arts Guild other art events and galleries in Southeastern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

My art has been influenced by many great teachers including Warren McKenzie, who taught me that functional pottery can be affordable for everyone and Mel Jacobsen, who has been the most encouraging mentor and friend. He taught me anyone can make a pot with a few technical skills and have fun doing it. We upper midwestern potters share a wonderful tradition of pottery camp, called Hay Creek, organized by Mel Jacobsen and Kurt Wild, where fellow potters gather to share ideas, fire kilns and stretch the boundaries of our art with new techniques and glazes.

I live on a farm outside of Cannon Falls, Minnesota. My studio is a renovated grainery and outside I have 2 reduction kilns, one of them for salt/soda firings. I enjoy my supportive husband and family and friends, 3 lab dogs and being outdoors whenever I can.

Leo and Dina Lisovskis--Artists in Silver and Gold

"We hope our jewelry inspires people to remember the beauty, joy and wisdom found in nature."

Leopold and Dina Lisovskis moved to rural Wisconsin 30 years ago and have lovingly restored and 1850s log cabin which is surrounded by extensive vegetable, herb and flower gardens. It is in the setting that Leo and Dina's handcrafted jewelry is created.

The inspiration for Leo and Dina's designs come from the surrounding woods, marshes, garden and their love of the North Shore, where they have gone for inspiration and renewal since they were both young. Their native Latvian heritage also has a strong influence on their jewelry design.



Leo and Dina choose each stone for their work because of the story it tells. The silver and gold work is a continuation of that story. If a stone suggests the green ripples of a quiet pond, the peice develops into a marsh scene with water lilies, a gold frog on a silver lily pad, and perhaps a small gold fish diving under the lily roots. A colored gemstone for a wildflower piece will be chosen because the stone has the color and quality of that particular flower.

In their mission to remain true to the total handmade concept, every leaf, flower, berry and tree is individually cut, formed, engraved and soldered in place. Each piece of jewley is totally handcrafted and unique. Both Dina and Leo are silversmiths, but Dina now concentrates on much of the design work and all of the details of running a studio and business. Leo devotes himself to smithing, which he finds relaxing and fulfilling. According to Dina, "You can always find Leo at his bench."

You can find Dina and Leo and their unique jewelry at the Sogn Valley Craft Fair. October 2nd and October 3rd.

www.sognvalleycraftfair.com

Oooh! New Paintings by SVCF artist Becky Jokela

Check out these new paintings by SVCF artist, Becky Jokela. Becky is a long-time participant at the craft fair. Additionally her work appears in galleries and other shows around Minnesota.

Stop by her booth at the fair on October 2nd or October 3rd to see her work in person and chat with the artist. Becky is as warm and lovely as her paintings! Original paintings are for sale; there are also lots of affordable prints and beautiful cards as well.




Becky Jokela
Artist’s Statement

I live on a farm overlooking Sogn Valley near Cannon Falls, Minnesota. I love my surroundings and am inspired by nature and the changing seasons.
Painting outdoors, en plein air, is my favorite approach. I’m in the fresh air~ I can take my easel on a trip to the lake or park or on a hike to a hilltop vista. Maybe best of all is when I paint the barn or the maple tree in my own back yard.
Why pastels? The intense colors capture the richness of the natural world.

Biography
Becky Jokela has been teaching art to Zumbrota-Mazeppa high school and elementary students since 1985. She began studying art at the University of Oregon and later graduated with a degree in Art Education from the University of Minnesota.

2010 Sogn Valley Craft Fair

Thanks for stopping by the new blog for the Sogn Valley Craft Fair. SVCF is a Minnesota tradition; 2010 marks our 38th year bringing fine art, crafts and local and artisinal foods in a beautiful country setting.

Mark your calenders! Date for SVCF for 2010:
Saturday, October 2nd, 10 am- 5 pm
Sunday, October 3rd, 11 am-5 pm

Sogn Valley Craft Fair is special.

SVCF is located in Minnesota's Sogn Valley in Southeastern Minnesota. The Sogn Valley landscape is rolling hills, farmland, forests and small fast-moving rivers and streams. For many Twin Citians a trip to SVCF is a chance to both check out excellent arts AND get away from the city--but not too far. SVCF is just 45 minutes from the Twin Cities and it's a lovely drive. In early October the trees will be changing colors and you might see some deer or wild turkeys on your way down.

SVCF is intimate. SVCF is a juried show. That means our artists are invited to the show based on the quality of their work with an eye towards representing diverse media. Visitors can definitely expect to see it all during a morning or afternoon at the Fair.

SVCF is free! No admission fee and no parking fees.

SVCF was supporting local and artisinal foods long before it was the hip thing to do. Raw Minnesota wildflower honey, organic produce, indian corn, pumpkin ands seasonal garden items, handmade jams, relishes, caramels and mnore are part of the mix.

We feature local music. You might find a band set up in the barn or maybe strolling among the crowds.

Directions. Click here.
Follow us or stop back again. We will be updating with lists of artists, artist profiles and photos.


Photo of Dawn Makarios, potter and hostess for the Sogn Valley Craft Fair in her studio. You can tour Dawn's granary studio and check out the kilns at the fair.