Wisconsin Regional Art Program Virtual Exhibit

The University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) is proud to feature 14 artists from the Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) in the Ag Hall virtual exhibit. WRAP encourages nonprofessional, student, and emerging artists to create and exhibit their work across Wisconsin. Run by UW–Madison Continuing Studies, WRAP began in 1940. This artwork is copyrighted and shared here only with permission of the artist (to enlarge the images, click here).

Kathleen Hosch (Dousman, WI), THE BRIDE, Alcohol ink on black card stock, 9.5 x 9.5, Artist Statement: “My floral subjects are inspired by the delight I receive when relaxing in my Daughter’s gardens. The bright vivid colors of the many varieties of flowers leave me with the desire to bring the joy of the moment by recreating these lovely flowers in my paintings. I am also fascinated by the history of the lighthouses around the Great Lakes, and I have created a series of these lighthouses. All of my paintings come from my travels, and I am also fascinated by other objects from the past such as old barns, covered bridge and missions. I like to leave the viewer with a feeling that they too could visit these places. Recently I have been painting with Alcohol Ink. I like the freedom that I get from using this medium. The paintings can either be abstract of more realistic.”
Tammy Bozer (Woodstock, IL), Bad Hair Day, Watercolor, 16 x 20, Artist Statement: “I was looking for something a little different and fun to paint and ran across this in my picture album from a day at the zoo. This cute little guy is having a really bad hair day! This fun painting also allowed me to loosen up with my watercolor.”
Karen Dal Santo-Edelbrock (Manitowish Waters, WI), Birch Eye 1, Watercolor, 11 x 14, Artist Statement: “My goal is to help others see the natural world in a slightly different way. Beginning with a high contrast photo, which I have taken, I diverge about halfway through to give the painting a life of its own. This is my capture of Wisconsin’s iconic birch.”
Corey Jenny (Platteville, WI), West Mineral, Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24, Artist Statement: “I like brick buildings with multiple linear elements and lots of edges. I like painting the unusual angle. I treasure the local, the small-scale, the out-of-place, the eccentric and the ordinary. I can see art in some battered old porch or a street I’ve walked down a thousand times, and I’ll see something new every time.”
Sharon Stauffer (Mineral Point, WI), Gabrielle, Mixed Media Collage, 11 x 15, Artist Statement: “This piece combines my two loves – graphite portraiture and the layering of mixed media collage. The portrait of Gabrielle is a scan of an original life drawing that has been collaged onto the background and then enhanced with water soluble ink. The headdress and clothing were derived from background patterns.”
Sandra Cashman (Manitowish Waters, WI), The Powell Marsh: Infinity, Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20, Artist Statement: “The Powell Marsh looks like this almost every day! It’s a simply magical place. The ceiling of flat-bottomed clouds is reflected in the still water where the protected wildlife are safe to rear their young. If you look closely, you can see the swans that raise their family there each summer.”
Heidi Hallett (Oconomowoc, WI), Rooftop Goats (Door County), Oil, 18 x 24, Artist Statement: “Creative expression through painting and poetry is my way to collaborate. I enjoy creating art inspired by local history to bring the material alive and preserve its memory. I’m always intrigued by the way a painting gives us a window into our world or a glimpse into the past.”
John Hallett (Oconomowoc, WI), Searching, Bronze, 20 x 28 x 10, Artist Statement: “I like to depict motion or potential motion in my sculptures. “Searching” shows a very still Great Blue Heron, toes barely creating ripples in the water, ready to pierce a meal just below the surface with invisible speed.”
Varla Bishop (Johnson Creek, WI), Sunday Best, Acrylic, 24 x 36, Artist Statement: “He is a boy from our past and a boy of today. He looks for guidance and justice. He only wishes what we all wish. He wants the chance to live his dreams. It’s the beginning of a new week and new possibilities. A day to be our best self – Sunday.”
Rebecca Brockman-Schneider (Madison, WI), Prairie Stories, Soft pastel, 9 x 12, Artist Statement: “Prairie Stories is the result of a sunny February morning spent snowshoeing at Madison Audubon’s Wood Family Prairie. The tracks of fox or coyotes illustrated their hunt for food in the deep snow. The medium of soft pastel captures the sparkling snow and prairie grasses beneath the crisp winter sky.”
Susan Porubcan (Jefferson, WI), Well Stocked, Watercolor, 31 x 18, Artist Statement: “When Covid19 hit and there were empty grocery store shelves, I went down and said my blessings what the good earth left me last summer. Well Stocked gave me a sense of security and reassurance that in the worst of times, we look back to what the world gifted us and to never lose sight of that.”
Jan Wood (Muskego, WI), Daydreamin’ (Self Portrait), Collage, 11 x 14, Artist Statement: “People ask, “Why do you use yourself as your art subject?” First of all, I’m an available muse 24/7. Secondly, I want to tell the world “This is me!” And thirdly, someday after I’m gone, future generations can see it and hopefully say, “That woman had spunk!”
Nancy McKinnon (Janesville, WI), Creation, Acrylic, 24 x 30, Artist Statement: “An instance in time, bringing light into the beginning, and trying to understand how it must have all started-logical, yet spontaneous!”
Katherine Weber (Woodstock, IL), Sandhill Fields, Watercolor on terraskin paper, 14 x 30, Artist Statement: “Migrating Sandhill Cranes gather each fall near my Northern Illinois home and I love to wander, watch, photo and then paint them. This group stayed for about a week down the road and we took nightly drives to watch and listen to their ancient calls.”