Guest Artist - Carol Wicklund
Gentle Deer
Whispering Willow
Grandmother Sage
Soaring Eagle
"This series was created for The Hermitage Farm in Rochester, Minnesota. Each piece is hanging in a separate room and represents my interpretation of the theme and name of that room. The imagery of sage, water, willows, energy, peace, calmness and a soaring eagle were used to interpret and represent the spirit of the theme. Gentle Deer - The purpose for this piece was to create a sense of peace and quiet as the viewer enters the room.The viewer will be drawn into the calmness and be transported into the woods, moving across the water and merging with the background. Whispering Willow - My intention was to create a calm and relaxed energy through the use of stylistic and contemporary shapes, shades of blue and green, gentle waves and willows reaching toward the water. Grandmother Sage - This piece was designed to to create a sense of oneness and unity. Inspired by sage plants at the Hermitage Farm, I used a monochromatic color palette of green to create this sense of unity. Soaring Eagle - The background has a circular movement representing the energy of the earth and sky. The Golden Eagle soars diagonally across the surface as the energy of the waves reaches toward him while sage leaves swirl around the feathers representing wisdom and the purification ritual." Carol Wicklund grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended St. Cloud State University and received her Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in art. Her first encounter with fiber began with a college weaving class. From that point on, no matter what areas of art she explored, she always returned to fiber. Carol was an art educator for 25 years and received the Minnesota Art Educator of the Year and the St. Cloud University Distinguished Alumni Award for her commitment to the arts. During this time she continued to work in fibers, combining rug hooking, trapundo, applique and machine stitching . During the 80’s Carol was also a member of the Kinesia Dance Company. It was here that she combined her fiber art ideas with choreography. She choreographed many dances using her fiber art sketches for the floor movement of the dancers. One of these dances “Outer Cosmic Rotations” was accepted and performed at the Minneapolis Walker Art Institute’s ”Choreographers Evening”. During this time she also received a Masters Degree in Art Education. After 10 years of dancing and 25 years of teaching art she received a Specialist Degree in Administration and was hired as a principal of an elementary school in St. Cloud, Minnesota that specialized in integrating the arts and academics. After retiring in 2003 she and her Husband moved to Indiana to be by their children. She now lives and has a studio, Highbanks Art Studio, by the Tippecanoe River in Delphi, Indiana. Last year she and her husband spent the winter in San Antonio where she had the opportunity to take dyeing classes from Lisa Kerpoe. Her work is represented at a gallery in Delphi and the Lafayette Art Museum.