PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Sally Jenks has carried an appreciation of nature with her from a young age. She grew up in a rural environment where the solace of nature was never too far out of reach. Now, Jenks resides in the middle of Grand Rapids, and
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Justin Kellner grew up in Menominee, Michigan—a small town on the southern tip of the Upper Peninsula. Up there, wild, natural views are within easy reach. “You can walk two blocks and be next to a river, you can go swimming, you can
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Susan M. Rose remembers vividly the first time she witnessed an artist painting “en plein air.” She was on one of many summer camping trips with her family. Already having developed a passion for art at her young age, she saw a
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Michael Pfleghaar’s landscape painting process begins in the field, but it is rarely finished there. Instead, Pfleghaar captures what first strikes him—features with abstract or asymmetrical qualities—and then he takes what he’s started back to his studio, where his approach to the
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series During a tour of a Scotland nature preserve in 2018, photographer Thomas Hegewald witnessed first hand the healing effect restoration projects can have on a landscape. The land he was touring had been used for commercial forestry and planted with nonnative trees.
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series On a warm, sunny morning in late May, Jean Allemeier Boot sat on a bench in Roselle Park. She faced a wetland alive with birdsong and glowing with the vibrant greens of spring. Before her stood an easel and the beginnings of
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Anne’s house is located in Saugatuck along a winding road that borders the winding Kalamazoo River. The leafy crowns of the surrounding towering trees fracture the sunlight, so it dances gleefully on the house’s dark wood siding. A wild, blooming garden wraps around
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Steven Hughes’ watercolor landscapes are stunningly intricate and detailed; the lakes and streams shimmer and sparkle, the rocks and trees seem to glow, the skies blend vibrant colors and dance with clouds. His portrait drawings are hauntingly beautiful, capturing both an expression and
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Grandfathers add a special joy to our lives. They pull candy from their pockets when no one else is looking and they late us stay up way later than our parents ever would. Teresa O’Brien’s grandfather taught her the joy of creating art. “My
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Raul Velasco is a conceptual photographer, meaning he manipulates photos to tell a story. Most of his work is surreal—a man’s head with birds flying out of it or someone being carried away by balloons. His personal favorite is of him and Chino–his