by Tad Johnson Jan 6, 2018
The new Rosemount Steeple Center Gallery exhibition will feature Apple Valley photographer Rusty Fifield and Red Wing watercolor artist Dan Wiemer from January through March.
A free opening reception will be held at the Steeple Center on Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 6-8 p.m., with artist talks at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served. The exhibit and reception are being organized by the Rosemount Area Arts Council.
Fifield is a longtime financial analyst with companies such as Springsted, Ehlert and Associates and currently as managing director and municipal strategist at Northland Securities.
He said he has been taking photographs for a long time, but only recently has dedicated more time to his craft.
“Some of the impetus came from turning 60 and thinking about the next chapter in my life,” he said.
Fifield was diagnosed Parkinson’s disease several years ago, but he says that so far, the changes in his life have not been significant.
“It does add a few new wrinkles to ‘still’ photography,” he said of living with the condition of the nervous system that affects movement and causes tremors.
“Parkinson’s is a constant reminder to embrace every day,” he said. “Photography helps me do that. I relish heading out in the dark hoping to find a spectacular sunrise to share.”
Many of the images in the show are those of Fifield’s favorite places; several of them are in Dakota County.
“There are amazing images all around us,” he said. “We just have to slow down, look and take the picture.”
Fifield wrapped up a daily-photo-for-a-year project on his SmugMug website this summer. Many of the images are of landscapes, downtown Minneapolis and his family.
“Like many others, I am trying to figure out what to do with my photography,” he said. “It lies somewhere between a hobby and a vocation. This project is part of the journey.”
He said the challenge in photography is to capture an interesting image that people will want to see again.
Fifield also tries to take the viewer to places or a perspective that they might not have seen otherwise.
Wiemer is an award-winning artist and illustrator who was trained as a graphic designer and has painted in watermedia most of his life.
A graduate of Iowa State University with a bachelor of arts degree in graphic design, he has gathered some of his favorite works together for this show.
“My work is a reflection and response of my love of the natural world,” he said. “I want my painting to reflect an energy and directness.”
He said he considers himself a landscape artist with most of his work created in watermedia.
“I see firsthand the endless variety of ways to handle watermedia, and this excites me,” he said.
He is a past president of the Minnesota Watercolor Society and has taught classes and workshops for 20 years all over Minnesota.
“I play with the shapes and textures of the landscape,” he said. “I try to find rhythms in the scene that translate into exciting motifs. I combine acrylic and watercolor in a unique way to stylize my landscapes.”
Through an artist exchange program, Wiemer has had two extended stays in China — painting, teaching and exhibiting. In addition to painting in China, he has created paintings outside in nature in Puerto Rico, Scotland, Canada and throughout the U.S.
The Steeple Center is located at 14375 S. Robert Trail.
https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_thisweek/community/apple_valley/minnesota-photographer-painter-to-have-works-on-display/article_2f3911a2-f2f3-11e7-9c46-038f59261a1f.html
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