It was a huge relief getting up this morning knowing that ART DETOUR was over.
And that my car was already packed and ready to head home. But first… another sunrise!

It has been such a wonderful weekend staying at the cabin on Moccasin Lake. Spending time
with my parents, Sarah & Julie. But this morning, they were all already gone. I had the cabin
to myself. Very quiet. But I couldn’t relax too much, as I had breakfast plans with Wendy in
Land O’Lakes. We were going to go to a different restaurant, but Wendy suggested we switch
to the Sunrise Lodge. Which was oddly ironic, because Pam & Pat had just suggested that
restaurant for breakfast a few hours earlier!! And they were all correct. I started with a
chocolate chip waffle. Which disappeared all too quickly. As it’s an “all-you-can-eat” place,
I then had a cranberry pancake. Yum!!! I was ready to go for another, but luckily, their
breakfast hours had already ended. So  I was “cut-off” from becoming a breakfast glutton.
Probably a good thing… for both me AND the kitchen!!!

Now this was ALL Wendy’s idea… she’s hooked!!! And she suggested we go GeoCaching!!!
Luckily, there was another one just down the road at the headwaters of the Wisconsin River.
So we followed my phone for clues and narrowed it down… and Wendy found her first one!!!
Giggling, laughing, so excited… just like a giddy little school girl…

All too soon, our morning fun was over, and I had to head home. Many miles to go!
I was heading home from Land O’Lakes and not quite sure how to get home the fastest.
So I thought I knew… and thought I was doing okay… but I kind of got a little lost somewhere
around Rhinelander. Until I saw the landmark Hodag – and then I knew where I was!!!

We woke up this morning with a sign on the cabin’s patio door windows! Apparently,
after we had gone to bed, my parents decided to put the signs on the window! Too cute!

And the morning kept getting better… with yet another beautiful sunrise over Moccasin Lake.

Followed by a fun birthday breakfast for Julie in Lake Tomahawk. A great way to start our day
before heading over to Amy’s for the start of the final day of ART DETOUR.

So we finally made it to Pigeon Road… and set up our booths pretty quickly. Then, before
the customers began to arrive, Wendy, Julie and I decided to go out on a quick “field trip”
to see more of the Northwoods and do a little GeoCaching at the same time! Neither of
them had done it before – but both were eager to try! So I checked my iPhone app and saw
that there was a GeoCache hidden somewhere near the boat landing of Horsehead Lake.

We followed the hints & compass on my phone and it lead us towards this tree. Upon closer
examination, I found the GeoCache tucked neatly in the crook of the tree. So we opened it up,
signed to log scroll and left behind one of Amy’s new buttons! It may have been their first
GeoCache find… but now both Julie & Wendy are hooked!!!

We made it back to Pigeon Road Pottery before any of the customers got there for
ART DETOUR. You know how Sundays are always a slow start at the art fairs.
What with church, brunch, hangovers, whatever…

It was another long day playing outside with customers. Two of my new favorites actually
returned with a homemade peach cobbler to keep us warm! Thank you Jean & Tony!!!

The end of the day, and the end of ART DETOUR, was signaled by the Oktoberfest clapper!
And Wendy was all to excited to get her tent taken down, get all packed up and finished with
yet another art fair. A huge sigh of relief for all of us!

For those who might not make it to the ART DETOUR… here are the artists…

AMY HIGGASON – Not only was Amy our host for the weekend, she’s also a wonderful
potter who does a lot of carving & illustrative work. Originally from the Chicagoland area,
Amy moved from Lillstreet Art Center up to the Northwoods about eight years ago!

KATLYN KOESTER – Katlyn is a recent college graduate who is now starting out on her
ceramic career. She’s been mentored by Amy for several years and is now well on her way
to becoming a self-supporting artist on her own!

SARAH CHAPMAN -Some of the coolest jewelry ever!!! Made by one of the coolest
metalsmiths ever. Sarah has been in Chicago forever, but just recently moved to Minneapolis.
She’s still making cool jewelry… but we do miss her in Chicago!!!

WENDY POWALISZ – Another artist from the Northwoods, Wendy paints some
wonderful watercolor paintings with a wonderful color palette. She’s also living the true
Northwoods life… in a wonderfully rustic log cabin made by her husband Lance.

And of course, me… GARY JACKSON… functional, textural, whimsical, etc…
I’m assuming that if you’re already here ready my blog, you probably already know
what my work looks like. Just in case… here’s a few more images…

After a dark drive up to the cabin, it was nice to see the beauty of the Northwoods
this morning… and to be greeted by a stunning sunrise over Moccasin Lake.

After the beautiful sunrise, Sarah, Julie & I drove back to Lake Tomahawk for the start
of ART DETOUR! Our tents were up, but we still needed to put out all of our products.
So there was a flurry of activity as we got ready for the start of Day One!

My booth full of fun pots… and some fun textures on the slab vases!

Little did we know then… but this was the position we would find ourselves in MANY times
over the course of the weekend. Wrapped up & huddled by the fire!

And yes, Julie was “supposed to be” doing her grad school homework. Glad we could be
a fun diversion for her! Bring on the marshmallows!!!

Mental note to self… take off the gloves BEFORE you get a gooey s’more in your hands!

While others were a bit more serious with their s’mores… not to mention any names…
Katlyn Koester & Kathy Furda!

In between selling pots, it was always fun to walk around and enjoy the Fall scenery.
And thanks to Amy’s cousin Rob’s wife Kirsten, we were also treated to some wonderful
homemade treats. Sure we were making s’mores…but not just regular s’mores. Oh no.
We were making gourmet s’mores! Kirsten made us homemade marshmallows, chocolate
mocha marshmallows & peppermint chocolate marshmallows… plus, homemade plain &
chocolate graham crackers!!! And we had a wide range of chocolate options to boot!!!

Sometimes all we could do is stand there and shiver… luckily, the campfire was always
going! A central warming place for the four of us stuck outside. Put another log on the
fire… pull up a chair…make a gourmet s’more… and try to stay warm!!!

After a full day outside in the cold… you can always count on another warm s’more. Cheers!

If you’re looking for something artsy to do today, I’ll be working
in my studio all day as part of the Ravenswood Artwalk 2012.
Many artist studios & galleries all along Ravenswood Avenue are open today
& tomorrow. Start your tour by stopping in my studio on the second floor of
Lillstreet Art Center – then follow the maps & signs for a full day of art fun!
I won’t be there tomorrow… ‘cuz it’s the Apple Cider Century!!!

Click here for more information – Ravenswood Artwalk 2012.

I’m counting the days until ART DETOUR.
I will be heading up to the Wisconsin Northwoods a couple days early
to set-up and soak in the incredible Fall colors. Maybe even a hike or two?!
Sadly, no bike as my car will be full of pottery… and s’more supplies!!!

C’mon up to the Wisconsin Northwoods next weekend!
The colors will be gorgeous in all of their Fall splendor… and s’mores too!!!
Plus, there’s a huge art tour going on with a lot of open studios & galleries
where you can see some great art and meet the artists. My friend Amy Higgason
lives up there and will once again be hosting a few of her talented friends!
She’s not longer part of the “official” art tour. That’s why we’re the DETOUR!!!

Five Artists. Five Friends. Just off the map!!!
I will be joining Amy at her place, along with metalsmith Sarah Chapman,
watercolor painter Wendy Powalisz, and potter Katlyn Koester.

So mark your calendar to come up for the long Columbus Day Weekend.
And stop by to see us in the yard of Pigeon Road Pottery.

Pigeon Road Pottery
7744 Pigeon Road, Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin – (715) 277-5099

And be sure to follow ART DETOUR on Facebook for more details!

In the booth across, and a little kitty-corner, from my booth was Robin Kittleson.
She’s a glass artist from Geneva, Illinois… who coincidentally also teaches at
Lillstreet Art Center. Robin makes these incredible fused glass platters, bowls and more!
I was especially taken by this square platter as the sun hit it at just the right time…
illuminating it so I could see it shining all the way from my booth!
Stunning colors, layers & patterns. Beautiful work.

For more about Robin Kittleson’s work, click on her website – http://www.robinkittleson.com

As this week quickly came to an end, my campers were working hard on their masterpieces!
Our terra cotta picture frames came out of the kiln and we still needed to paint them gold.
You know that every masterpiece needs the perfect frame. So we went out into the back
alley behind Lillstreet to spray paint them all metallic gold.

As the kids finished their paintings, we started setting up their Gallery Show. So we put
together their paintings with the piece of the still life that were working from. For their
Mondrian-inspired piece, we talked about how they needed to use the color palette from
their flower and express it with proper proportions & color theories.

Once the frames were dry, we started inserting their paintings into the picture frames.
Like these paintings done by the kids in the style of Georgia O’Keeffe.

Plus their paintings in the style of 70’s pop artist Roy Lichtenstein.

Or a still life painting in the style of Vincent Van Gogh…

We finished the day by creating a Gallery Show of their masterpieces. We invited their
parents, friends and other summer campers to come through to see their exhibit.

Each of the kids were encouraged to take their turn as docent to give their guests a tour
of the show. While showing people around, they explained the inspirations and how they
made each piece. Explaining how the style of a Master Artist had influenced their paintings,
and how they worked that influence into their own works. They also found it great fun to
quiz the adults with the same 25 Master Artists that they had learned throughout the week!
I’m sure they weren’t too surprised to find out that very few people knew as many artists
as they did!!! Always fun to see kids excited about Art History!

And with that… my Summer Camp “tour of duty” for this year is over.
It was such a pleasure to end the summer on such a high note… seeing that the kids have
indeed had a great time and learned a little something along the way. And had fun too!!!

Part of this week at summer camp is a lesson in art history for my campers.
I like to approach it in a way that they don’t really know what’s happening until it’s too late.
Throughout the week, they will hopefully learn to identify 25 famous artists based on some
flash cards I’ve created for them. During the week, they will also work on creating their own
projects “in the style” of the Masters they’ve just learned about.

So here’s the “Masters Quiz” for you… How many of these artists can YOU identify?!
And to make it even one step harder… my campers know their first names too!!!

1. ______________________________

2. ______________________________

3. ______________________________

4. ______________________________

5. ______________________________

6. ______________________________

7. ______________________________

8. ______________________________

9. ______________________________

10. ______________________________

11. ______________________________

12. ______________________________

13. ______________________________

14. ______________________________

15. ______________________________

16. ______________________________

17. ______________________________

18. ______________________________

19. ______________________________

20. ______________________________

21. ______________________________

22. ______________________________

23. ______________________________

24. ______________________________

25. ______________________________

So how did YOU do?! Been a long time since you did any Art History, huh?!
Not to make you fell bad, but my campers can now name all of these artists!