Nick and Alyssa Smolen at VIVA in July

Nick and Alyssa, father and daughter artists from rural Westby are VIVA guests the month of July.

Alyssa is currently studying photography and graphic design at UW-Milwaukee.  She has been interested in photography since she was in grade school.  Alyssa enjoys photographing nature and landscapes but her favorite subject is horses.  Upon graduation she intends to start a wedding photography business.  Her subjects are typical but she photographs with an artistic twist to create unique images.  She will exhibit a variety of subjects at VIVA.

Nick is a blacksmith.  He got his start in 1988 when he began forging Damascus steel blade stock for custom knife makers.  Nick began making his own knives for sale, hunting and chef knives are his specialty.  More recently he has added ornamental iron work to his repertoire, candle holders, tables and sculptural pieces.  He combines modern and traditional forging techniques giving his pieces a unique look.  

Come to 1st Thursday, July 5 from 5 pm to 7 pm to see the work of these two local artists, along with the work of all members of VIVA Gallery.  After the artist reception have dinner at the Rooted Spoon Kitchen Table.

Our Guest in June - Joe Schwarte

Joe Schwarte, a native of Chicago, attended art school on the GI Bill and with the benefit of good mentors and a bit of luck, designs and builds furniture for a living just outside Gays Mills.

Joe’s furniture has been featured in Fine Woodworking Design, at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City, at “Around the Coyote” Arts Festival in Chicago, at the Fine Furnishings Show in Milwaukee, at “Off the Square” in Madison (awarded “Best of Wood), at the Lake Forest Art Expo, and most recently at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Join us at VIVA Gallery on 1st Thursday, June 7, from 5 - 7 pm, meet Joe and see his fine work up close.  Come for the artist reception and stay for dinner at the Rooted Spoon.  Dinner at Rooted Spoon begins at 7 pm.  Make your reservations by calling 637 - 2223 or email at 

rootedspoon@gmail .com

Pete Sandker at VIVA the Month of May

In May VIVA Gallery in Viroqua welcomes watercolor artist Pete Sandker as guest artist.  Pete’s beautiful paintings reflect his inspiration from his life in southwestern Wisconsin and also time spent in Maine.   The mix of Wisconsin woods and the nautical themes of Maine are evident in his works.  Pete says “…I have spent a lot of time trying not to be an artist, but I have found that I can’t escape it.”

Pete, who currently lives in Madison, grew up in southwest Wisconsin on a goat farm.  Growing up, he spent all of his time with family milking goats and living simply, only making a trip to town once every two weeks.  Almost all the time in his formative early years was spent outdoors and in the woods with his brothers.   This love of the wild and woods continues to this day and informs and inspires his paintings.  Pete is a self-taught artist whose work has been shown at several galleries in Portland, Maine.  His current work is also being shown at the Artist Annex in Mineral Point, WI and Flow Art Space in Minneapolis

Join Pete and members of VIVA Artists Cooperative May 3 for 1st Thursday, 5 - 7 pm.

The Rooted Spoon Table will be serving dinner, next door to the gallery, after the artists

 reception.  Call the Rooted Spoon at 608-637-2223 or email at rootedspoon@gmail.com and reserve your seat.

Jamie Heiden our April Guest

 The Weight of the World

The Brilliance of the Ordinary

In April, VIVA Gallery in Viroqua welcomes photographer Jamie Heiden as guest artist. Jamie describes her art as “finding a little fairytale every day,” and her photographs are perfect illustrations of that statement.

Jamie captures images that are familiar slices of time and then applies textures with watercolors or through digital manipulation, resulting in photographs that are characterized by soft lines, muted colors and undefined depths. Testimony of the universal appeal of her work are her awards— Jamie received the 2010 and 2011 Best of Photography award from Madison’s Art Fair Off the Square, and won the 2010 and 2011 People’s Choice Award at both the Art Fair on the Green in LaCrosse and the Driftless Area Art Festival in Soldiers Grove.

The gallery’s First Thursday will again be followed by a dinner next door at Rooted Spoon Kitchen Table. A set menu of local, seasonal foods, inspired by the artist’s work, will be offered for $21.00. Please make reservations by calling (608) 627-2223 or emailing rootedspoon@gmail.com.

Meet Jamie and view her work at VIVA’s First Thursday reception on April 5 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. The gallery is located at 217 South Main Street in Viroqua. For more information about this and future First Thursday events, contact the gallery at 608-637-6918 or info@vivagallery.net. You may see Jamie’s work at the gallery throughout the month of April, as well as the work of 17 member artists.

Ken and Michelle Workowski - The Nature of Things

In March, VIVA Gallery in Viroqua welcomes Ken and Michelle Workowski as guest artists. The couple works with nature’s materials to create willow furnishings, poplar-bark baskets, birch-bark frames, lamps and lampshades, antler chandeliers, and cabinetry.  The Workowskis’ lifestyle and business have always kept them close to nature. In 1986 they purchased 50 acres of land near Viola, and built their log home with trees they cut and peeled themselves. While many of the materials they use in their business, aptly called The Nature of Things, come from their land, they also lease willow thickets from local landowners. They both teach classes on making willow chairs, paper lampshades, and bark baskets at the Sievers School of Fiber Arts on Washington Island.

This month, the gallery’s First Thursday will be followed by a dinner next door at Rooted Spoon Kitchen Table. A set menu with a vegetarian option will be offered for $21.00. Please make reservations by calling (608) 627-2223 or emailing rootedspoon@gmail.com.

Meet Ken and Michelle and view their work at VIVA’s First Thursday reception on March 1 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. The gallery is located at 217 South Main Street in Viroqua. For more information about this and future First Thursday events, contact the gallery at 608-637-6918 or info@vivagallery.net. You may see Ken and Michelle’s work at the gallery throughout the month of March, as well as the work of 17 member artists.

Martina Skobic, Artist Guest in February

"Painter Martina Skobic is Featured at VIVA Gallery

In February, VIVA Gallery in Viroqua welcomes Martina Skobic as guest artist.  Martina moved to LaCrosse from New York City in 2000.  She grew up in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, lived in Spain and studied in France and England.  Martina's love for cooking and travel is evident in her paintings, which often celebrate food.

"I come from a part of the world where food does not just satisfy survival needs.  It offers social connections, increases joy, facilitates business dealings and offers comfort and hope."  says Martina.  "Through my travels I learned a lot about different food customs.  What intrigued me the most were not differences but, how many same or very similar customs people actually share around the globe."  Such customs are depicted in her paintings which are colorful, bright and engaging.

Meet Marina and view her work at VIVA's 1st Thursday reception on February 2 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm.  The gallery is located at 217 South Main Street in Viroqua.

For more information about this and future 1st Thursday events contact the gallery at 608-637-6918 or email at info@vivagallery.net.  You can see Martina's paintings at the gallery through the month of February as well as the work of 17 member artists.

Our November Guest - Ray Bock

In  November,  VIVA  Gallery  in  Viroqua  welcomes  Ray  Bock  as  guest  artist.    Ray  is  a  talented   woodworker  whose  furniture  and  sculptural  wood  accessories  are  notable  for  their  fluid  lines  and  fine   craftsmanship.    His  work  will  be  featured  as  a  part  of  VIVA’s  “Perfect  Table”  theme,  which  will  highlight  pottery   and  handwovens  by  member  artists  as  well.  

Ray,  who  lives  and  works  in  Viroqua,  has  had  his  work  featured  at  some  of  the  nation’s  most  prominent  arts  and   crafts  events,  including  American  Craft  Council  shows,  Milwaukee’s  Lakefront  Festival  of  the  Arts,  the  Des  Moines   Arts  Festival,  and  the  Cherry  Creek  Arts  Festival  near  Denver.      Ray  studied  design  and  photography  at  the  Illinois  Institute  of  Technology  in  Chicago,  graduating  in  1981  with  a  BA   in  Design.    He  went  to  work  for  noted  architectural  photographer  Hedrich  Blessing,  and  went  on  to  manage  a   department  of  a  commercial  printing  lab.    All  during  this  time,  furniture  making  was  a  serious  hobby.    In  1991,   when  the  advance  of  digital  imaging  began  to  take  a  toll  on  the  printing  industry,  Ray  and  his  wife  left  their  jobs  in   Chicago,  bought  an  old  farm  outside  of  Viroqua,  and  Ray  began  making  furniture  as  his  primary  means  of  making  a   living.    Until  2008,  Ray  sold  his  work  through  prominent  shows  and  galleries  in  North  Carolina,  Maryland,  Illinois,   Pennsylvania  and  Wisconsin.    Since  that  time,  he  has  concentrated  on  commissioned  work  and  on  making   sculptural  vessels  and  beautifully-­‐designed  wooden  boxes.      

Meet  Ray  and  view  his  work  at  VIVA’s  First  Thursday  reception  on  November  3  from  5:00pm  to  7:00pm.    The   gallery  is  located  at  217  South  Main  Street  in  Viroqua.    For  more  information  about  this  and  future  First  Thursday   events,  contact  the  gallery  at  608-­‐637-­‐6918  or  info@vivagallery.net.    You  may  see  Ray’s  furniture  and  accessories   at  the  gallery  throughout  the  month  of  November,  as  well  as  the  work  of  16  member  artists.