Paintings, Pots and Prints: “3 P’s in a Pod” at Bluestem

Arts | December 5th, 2014

Last year local artist Emily Williams-Wheeler approached the folks of Bluestem with the idea of hosting a series of art events. Once she had their attention she immediately reached out to printmaker Eric Johnson and “3 P’s in a Pod” was born.

The event will feature the work of Eric Johnson, Sam Norman, Chelsea Odden and McCal Joy Johnson. They will be using three different media and offering demonstrations, while exhibiting their latest works at the Marcil Commons in the Bluestem Center for the Arts.

“The name ‘3 P’s in a Pod’ was Emily's idea and comes from the pod-like space that the event is in at Bluestem,” Eric Johnson says. “I invited a former student of mine from M-State Fergus Falls, Sam Norman, to participate last year, and we all work in mediums starting with the letter ‘P,’ so that was another way to connect the name with the event.”

Williams-Wheeler was unable to participate this year, and that left the planning to Eric Johnson. Naturally he was on the hunt for someone to take Emily’s place. He invited Chelsea Odden, who happened to be another former student, and McCal Joy Johnson, whom he had met through the FMVA and Spirit Room studios.

Not only is Eric Johnson one of the area’s most prolific printmakers, he is also an adjunct art professor at NDSU, Mayville State College and MSCTC in Detroit Lakes and Moorhead.

Eric will be showing new work, works in progress, as well as some older work. As far as demonstrations go, he plans on drawing up a block or two for future prints. He will also be working on some color pencil drawings and Matisse-inspired cut paper work, which he has recently started to experiment with.

Sam Norman is an MSUM grad who currently creates ceramic work at his Fergus Falls studio called Somerset Clay Studio.

Chelsea Odden is an art educator through Fargo Public Schools. Her recent body of work has been exploring the monotype collage process. She will be demonstrating the collage process at the event.

“These collages use layers of handmade paper onto which I have printed pattern, textures and line drawings,” Odden says. “The printed and found papers are then layered using a collage technique onto paper or canvas.”

McCal Joy Johnson is a Fargo-based painter fascinated with the origins of fairy tales and, most recently, North Dakota history, specifically the trials and tribulations of explorers Lewis and Clark.

“I have been following a Twitter expedition of Lewis and Clark through North Dakota and have been creating illustrations for it every week,” McCal says. “While I am still focusing on folklore in my work, I've taken a turn for a bit to study ND.”

IF YOU GO

3 P’s in a Pod Opening

Sat, Dec. 6, 6-10 p.m.

Bluestem, 801 50th Ave S, Moorhead

FREE and open to the public

IF YOU GO

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