KIRSTEN ANDERSON CLOUSE AT THE ARTS ALLIANCE GALLERY

In most of her life as an artist, the subjects of Kirsten's paintings have been her children and animals, gardening, and a few angels, which she painted in watercolor. She has lived more than half her lifetime in an old Victorian house, with endless remodeling projects, on Main Street in Elk River.

In the last decade, however, a life-changing experience with illness transformed her artistic vision and expanded her physical horizons, leading her to more adventuresome pursuits. Now she has come full-circle, and returns to Elk River at the Arts Alliance Gallery on Main Street, where she will show the results of her travels.

Family vacations to Bayfield, Wisconsin, on beautiful Lake Superior, were frequent, though all too brief. They inspired images of great land and seascapes in the manner of Winslow Homer and Thomas Moran, but were never realized until after her lengthy recovery from the debilitating disease of fibromialga. During that painful interlude, Kirsten dreamed of sea caves and the possibility of accessing them by kayak, and promised herself that she would become a more adventurous spirit in the future.

In retrospect, Kirsten now realizes that it was during this very time that her son, Taag Ebert, who was living in Seattle, began the construction of a beautiful wooden kayak, which would appear later in her art.

Losing patience with the unforgiving challenges of watercolor, Kirsten changed her focus to oil-painting and digital photography, and partook in a workshop on Madeline Island with renowned Lake Superior photographer, Craig Blacklock.

Now her own permanent part-time cabin-home in Bayfield provides Kirsten the opportunity to pursue what she believes is her calling: painting and photographing Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands, capitalizing on the many moods and seasonal splendor of the landscape.

Kirsten's paintings and photographs will be exhibited at the Arts Alliance Gallery, 716 Main Street in Elk River from September 3 to October 31, 2009. A reception to meet the artist and her son Taag will be held on Saturday, September 12, from 2 - 6 pm, with refreshments served. The wooden kayak will make it's first appearance at the reception, remaining on display for the remainder of the exhibition.

Kirsten is a graduate of Moorhead State College in Art Education, has been featured in many exhibitions, and won grand prize in the 2006 Photo Contest for LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE, which can be found in the March 2007 issue. Her archival photographs and limited-edition prints are available at the Stones Throw Gallery in Bayfield, WI. Contact her at: kirstenartandphoto@msn.com. For further information on this exhibition and other gallery events, please visit our website at: http://www.elkriverart.org/ or phone (763) 441-4725.
(Submitted by Judy Meyeraan)