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Grand Marais is an artsy harbor village filled with adventure seekers and creatives. It boasts a unique lifestyle and community.
We are bursting with fabulous art of the north, and we’ll introduce you to the best artists of the region.
Rick has been an artist and printmaker for over 30 years. He grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, and studied history at St. Olaf College and the University of Chicago before veering from the scholarly path and attending the Rhode Island School of Design. He subsequently worked as a commercial and editorial illustrator, and in 2003 started The Kenspeckle Letterpress with his wife, artist Marian Lansky. At that time he began experimenting with wood engraving and linocut, and the rest is history. Rick always has “one or two feet in the 19th Century” and loves nothing more than producing printed ephemera. Learn about Rick’s beloved Trapper’s Daughter series on our blog.
Betsy lives on the Baptism River in Finland, Minnesota, on Lake Superior’s North Shore, where nature’s beauty inspires creativity. She learned silversmithing in college by shadowing her artist friends—and instantly found her passion. Betsy made and sold jewelry at art fairs, took a 35-year detour into the corporate world, and is now back to doing what she loves. She uses old-school techniques to create bohemian, vintage-looking silver jewelry with Native American, Mexican, and southwestern design influences. Turquoise, various jaspers, and other rustic semi-precious gemstones are featured in her pieces and help drive her designs.
A native of Minnesota, Julie spent 20 years in Montana and southeast Alaska before returning to Duluth, which she now happily calls home. Her landscape painting is strongly influenced by 19th century Tonalist painters; she seeks to represent nature as poetry through capturing the mood and atmosphere of a place. Using expressive brush strokes and veils of color, Julie conjures up a visual place, the ether that embraced it, and the weather that transformed it. In addition to painting, Julie is a ceramicist and creates functional stoneware on a potter’s wheel for her studio, Wren Pottery. Read more about Julie’s approach to landscape painting.
Growing up in Milaca, Minnesota, Jeff Boutin made art as a youthful diversion from his epilepsy. Illustrator of comic books, custom painter of cars, and eventually miller of carpets and rugs, Jeff turned to painting full time when he sold his business in 2003. (His beautifully colored, hand-tufted rugs and carpets can be found in homes and businesses throughout the United States.) He loves the discovery of forging his own way through his art: “I want my paintings to reflect great power and emotional intensity, yet show a simple happiness.” Jeff hopes that you enjoy his artwork as much as he enjoys creating it. Read more about the fun and joy of “Boutin bears” on our blog.
Betsy Bowen makes woodblock prints from her studio in a former Grand Marais, Minnesota, Lutheran church. Her art shows us a glimpse of life in the north woods, and her prints illustrate many books for children and adults. Originally from Chicago, Betsy discovered woodcuts as a young art student in Sarasota, Florida. The vigor of wood carving was appealing: “Cutting an image into wood is a commitment…it’s a bold act to cut for hours with sharp tools, making a backwards picture onto a slab of wood—and believe it will be pleasing, or meaningful, when finally printed.” Bowen still lives on the Grand Marais family homestead where she raised her three boys.
Shelley is a landscape painter from Foxboro, Wisconsin. She is mainly self-taught and has been painting for over 40 years, initially with watercolor, now primarily with acrylic on canvas. Many of her pieces focus on the storms and effects of heavy weather generated by Lake Superior: “I can’t seem to get enough of trying to get on canvas the dynamic weather we have here in the north: the storm clouds, the fog rolling in, the rain, the snowstorms, the constant changes in the woods. Shelley has been included in juried and invitational group art exhibitions and has paintings in private collections around the country. Read our News of the North introduction to her work.
Christian Dalbec lives in Two Harbors, Minnesota. On a typical morning he wakes before sunrise and drives along still-dark Highway 61, eventually stopping at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. There, he enters cold Lake Superior wearing a helmet, wetsuit, snorkel, fins, mask…and begins photographing. Dalbec’s photos are made from an unusual vantage point—from within the lake itself, while swimming. It’s difficult and dangerous work, but ultimately his photographs capture the unusual perspective of a fish in water.
Lori is a Minnesota-settled artist with Montana roots, inspired by the natural magic of Big Sky country and the Land of 10,000 Lakes. “Time has sharpened my observations skills to the point that hearing nature’s stories and telling them on canvas is my full-time job,” she says. Lori has worked in mixed media, collage, jewelry, and textiles—but now focuses exclusively on painting. When she’s not observing wildlife in their native habitat, Lori is imagining scenes and stories from the critters’ daily lives—and capturing them on her canvases, creating color-bursting, heart-expanding paintings. Lori is based in Duluth, Minnesota. Learn more about Lori’s artmaking process in our Q&A with the artist.
Dave paints northern Minnesota landscapes with a free-flowing style infused with emotion and color, expressing his love for the place he calls home. He studied at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the University of New Mexico, and Yale University’s prestigious summer program. Dave painted billboards, eventually creating Gilsvik Signs and Murals in Two Harbors before turning into a full-time artist. “The world of nature has always been my world of choice. My method is to simply observe nature and pay attention, both to the nature in front of me and the nature inside of me.”
For more than three decades, Richard has made his living as a potter, working in collaboration with his wife, Carrin. Most of their creations are raku vessel forms—and are unmistakable in form, color, and texture. Their colorful surfaces are achieved by using both airbrush and detailed hand glazing, and are often embellished with copper wire. They use red earthenware clay with food-safe glazes in their mugs and cups, their white earthenware decorative pottery is fired to withstand extremes of temperature, and their bud vases receive an extra waterproofing coating (use of a coaster is recommended when placing vases on fine wood surfaces). For Richard and Carrin, “Raku is like alchemy. It’s like spinning straw into gold. The process is magic.”
Jonathan Huth is a fourth-generation artist and third-generation sculptor. His childhood summers were spent in the Wisconsin woods surrounding his grandparents’ resort, where he studied nature and explored the forest. His inner voice emerged slowly, fed by that immersion in nature and outdoor life. “Those times cast repositories in my soul of nature. I have found a certain romance in the shape of leaves and the color of trees, he explains. Jonathan was additionally influenced by his mother, a ceramic sculptor, and his grandfather, also an artist. Whether it’s a leaf or a forest scene, he strives to create a piece with a simple message—and formed in nature’s own warm, rich materials.
David Johnson’s amazing outdoor photographs use nature as his inspiration. Living in Grand Marais, Minnesota, David is a fourth generation Cook County resident who grew up exploring the area’s vast forests, lakes, rivers, and streams. Using a little Brownie camera, he took pictures of anything and everything in his youth—and has progressed to much better gear in his adulthood. “I travel the backcountry all year long, every season, with my rescued golden retriever Gus, looking for ‘that’ shot,” he notes. “My inspiration is just being outside with nature’s ever-changing wonders. I take photos of all subjects, but the northern lights are my current favorite, followed by wildlife of the region.”
Jeff began in the jewelry business at a young age, by hunting for and cutting stones. By 18 he was selling jewelry full time on the craft fair circuit, where he eventually met his wife, Suzanne. Suzanne is a sculptor and jeweler, trained in a classical atelier in France. They work out of their studio in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and create jewelry together using Isle Royale greenstone, also known as chlorastrolite. The greenstone used in their pieces was collected in the early 1900s, when it was found as bean-sized, rounded beach pebbles. Today, Jeff obtains greenstone through estate sales and from others, as collecting from Isle Royale National Park is prohibited, and the stone is becoming quite rare.
Aaron paints from memory, sharing his experiences visually through the landscapes of northern Minnesota: birch, maple and evergreen forests, abundant wildlife, breathtaking vistas. His distinctive technique utilizes a singular brushstroke in vivid color on a black canvas—a work of light and contrast—with a graphic and expressive feeling. While painting, he often looks over his shoulder to see one of his children copying him, creating a little masterpiece of their own. “Pablo Picasso said every child is an artist; the problem is how to remain an artist once one grows up. I hope to never lose that childlike, passionate joy of creating.”
Based in Duluth, Minnesota, ceramic artist Lenore Lampi earned a BA in fine art and an MA in art education from the University of Minnesota. Her work has been featured in the United States, Finland, Sweden, China, and Argentina. She is listed on the Finish Embassy website as a notable Finish-America artist. Lampi’s signature work involves the undulating movement of tree bark. “I am continually fascinated with the sculptural aspect of birch trees. A friend from China dubbed my series ‘tree skin,’ as a metaphor for the skin of the tree, and ours.” She continues, “all art is about a certain type of love.”
Based in Stillwater, Laura paints landscapes to honor the natural beauty of Minnesota. Growing up camping on the North Shore and in Ely, she considers northern Minnesota her home away from home. A lifelong explorer and outdoor enthusiast, she paints what she loves, believing there are endless places here to celebrate through art. After many years experimenting, Laura developed a style she calls “Textural Impressionism.” She incorporates impasto paint applied by both a pallet knife and paintbrush; layering thick and short strokes of oil paint, she creates a spectrum of emotion. “I believe art is love—the love of somewhere, someone, or something.” Read about Laura’s inspiration and technique in our Q&A with the artist.
Marian was a professional graphic designer for 25 years, many of those spent collaborating with her husband, printmaker Rick Allen. In 2003 they started The Kenspeckle Letterpress together, in Duluth, Minnesota, and in 2009, after years of doing client work, she began to harness her leftover creativity into producing her own artwork. Marian is inspired by color and pattern, wherever and however they appear. Her work has been digital for the most part, but in 2018 she began to reacquaint herself with traditional media, loving “the tactile feel of real surfaces and pigment.” She does miss having an UNDO button, however.
Jean’s studio is tucked away in the northern Minnesota woods near Finland and the Sawtooth Mountains, where she creates jewelry that is fun and easy to wear. Her pieces are made from silver, copper, natural gemstones, and stones gathered from the Lake Superior shoreline. Jean started her career in the business world while making jewelry for family and friends. She continued to expand her techniques and discovered a love for combining metal and stone, and for playing with fire! Handcrafting jewelry is now her full-time job. Jean pays extra attention to the amazing nature that surrounds her, letting it inspire unique details in her pieces.
Tim’s wildlife art was born from Lake Superior’s waters and surrounding wilderness. At an early age he was keen to observe the creatures around him, which eventually led him to the biological science field. That space brought him closer both to the subjects he loved to observe and the subjects he loves to paint. Tim works in watercolor, gouache, casein, ink, and the art of pyrography (wood burning), and blends both abstraction and realism within his wildlife paintings. “I like to explore the individual personalities of animals, but steer away from a literal interpretation. I try to add a sense of mystery and wonder to my subjects, to honor the fleeting glimpse and movement that I often experience observing wildlife.”
Nancy is well known for her work featuring wildflowers from the Gunflint Trail, where she lives with her husband and owns Hungry Jack Outfitters. Living deep in the wilderness, she takes her inspiration from nature. Nancy grew up in the Minneapolis area and attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where she began working in blown glass and watercolor. “The fragile beauty of wildflowers, insects, and colorful berries are my subjects; the intricacies of a dragonfly wing or a mouse’s view of a twinflower are typical of the perspective I try to share. Seeing the magnificent in nature is a joy for me.”
Neil strives to capture the feeling and essence of a particular day when he paints; on Lake Superior, every day is different. His “prismatic palette” is subtle and has roots in the Impressionist era. Neil often paints on location and sometimes “tweaks” his art back in the studio. In 2011, he hiked the entire 277-mile Superior Hiking Trail along the north shore of Lake Superior, section by section, painting along the way. It was a personal goal to simply hike and paint, but along the way Neil realized that if you can get people to take an interest in a wild and beautiful area, they are more likely to take care of it.
Raised as a third generation commercial fisherman on Isle Royale, Howard worked hard harvesting trout and herring from the cold waters of Lake Superior. Those impressions and experiences inspired his studies at the Minneapolis School of Art and the University of Minnesota. He then spent 25 years in commercial art before settling in Grand Marais, where he painted and wrote until his passing in 2023. Howard worked primarily in watercolor and oils either on location or in his studio. Both a landscape and narrative artist, he painted the scenes and historical tales of the North Shore, Isle Royale, and the BWCA. “Artists are natural storytellers using painted pictures instead of word pictures.” Learn more about his incredible life and legacy on our blog.
Liz has lived near Lake Superior most of her life. Currently she resides just over the hill from Grand Marais in a small house/studio. Her easel stands at the window with a big view where she paints whimsical and richly-colored images of the North Woods—from moose to bears to brilliant northern lights. Liz graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth and has been painting seriously since the late 1980s. Her early experiences at Isle Royale included “Beaches, bonfires, picnics; moose, fox, fish and toads; riding big seas in little boats…”
Adam’s paintings use humans, animals, and scientific tools to stress our connection with the natural world. After majoring in art at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, he traveled to Antarctica working for the National Science Foundation. Living in that extreme landscape honed his connection with the natural world. Adam returned to northern Minnesota in 2009 where he lives in a log home in the woods with his wife and two children. He paints largely from his photographs and videos, often working on commission. “The more we learn about our surroundings, where we came from and who we are, the more likely we will thrive in a universe of endless possibilities.”
Kari is a painter, printmaker, and illustrator of children’s books using watercolor and ink, working in both traditional and modern techniques. Her images convey the storytelling capability of art: “I see story everywhere,” Kari says. “I savor chance encounters in nature….and I try to capture these moments in my images—some playful, others profound.” Living alongside the flora and fauna of Lake Superior’s north shore, she creates from her studio in Lutsen, Minnesota—where she can often be found watching ravens, who have many stories to tell.
Dan is a landscape artist working in watermedia, capturing his love of the natural world. He paints both en plein air and in his Red Wing, Minnesota, studio. Dan trained as a graphic designer (with a BA from Iowa State University), and was past president of the Minnesota Watercolor Society. His background allows him to play with the shapes and textures of landscape, finding the rhythms in a scene. He doesn’t try to replicate nature and instead interpretively distills, stylizes, and translates when he paints. “For me, the process is the product. I want my work to reflect an energy and directness.” Learn more about Dan’s artmaking process in our Q&A with the artist.
After receiving his BFA in Studio Art from the Rochester Institute of Technology, with 20 years of working in public education and living on the East Coast, Sam returned home to Minnesota and redirected his life to painting with ferocity. His work focuses on exploring his Ojibwe heritage—reimagining the symbolism of the clan animals while incorporating the natural landscape of Lake Superior’s North Shore. Sam has completed many public art pieces celebrating Ojibwe culture and language, been the recipient of numerous grant awards, and in 2022 published a bilingual collection of paintings and stories, “Following My Spirit Home.” Sam is inspired by asking the question, “What does it mean to be a good steward and partner to the natural world?”
Decades ago, Jan Sivertson traveled to far north Canada and Alaska and brought the work of Inuit sculptors and Cape Dorset printmakers back to her small Grand Marais, Minnesota gallery. Today, Sivertson Gallery is widely known for its extraordinary collection of prints, sculpture, jewelry, and dolls that tells the story of living off the land and sea sustainably and against all odds. A celebration has been held regularly in October at Sivertson Gallery, centered around the Dorset Fine Arts print collection. Our Sivertson “Inuit Premieres” have become widely anticipated customer favorites as we bring together artists from the far north and Grand Marais, hold artist demonstrations in our local studios, and engage our community from students to senior citizens.
Adam Swanson
