Meet the 2024 Art-A-Whirl Artists at St. Clement
Mary Henseler
Mary Henseler is a Catholic sacred jewelry artist who creates faith-filled, beautiful jewelry by purposefully, repurposing vintage Catholic medals with vintage jewelry. She incorporates medals into various styles of jewelry, creating one-of-a-kind, devotional statement pieces. She considers her work a ministry that helps her patrons evangelize the world.
Bryan Bossman – Wood working
With the exception of custom orders, all of Bryan’s work is natural wood coloring with no stains or dyes – he lets the wood do the talking. Bryan of Bossman’s Boutique enjoys combining color and design to craft heirloom-quality pieces to be enjoyed for years. Whether you use his artwork functionally or just put it on display to be enjoyed, he is thrilled at the opportunity to remind you that something beautiful is worth slowing down for, taking in, and sharing. Bryan started his self-taught woodworking hobby in winter of 2019. During the COVID pandemic the passion for creating things with wood really ignited. He left his engineering career in the summer of 2022 to pursue Bossman’s Boutique full-time on a venture of a more fulfilling career.
More info of my business online.
https://nemaa.org/artists/bossmans-boutique/
https://www.bossmansboutique.com/
John Rajtar - Iconography
Minneapolis based Folk Artist, Pisankarz, Iconographer, John Rajtar, has been celebrating his Polish ancestry through his work. It is through Polish Folk Art such as Pisanki (egg decorating) Iconography, Polish Folk ornaments and pajaki (straw chandeliers) that he gives voice to history, culture, tradition and to his soul.
Rajtar is a Fine Arts graduate of Winona State University, and has studied abroad in Lublin and Krakow Poland. He is a student of the Prosopon School of Iconology under the direction of Vladislav Andrejev, leader of Minneapolis Iconography study group, teacher at the Duluth and Ely Folk Schools and a member of NEEMA.
Rajtar was awarded the Spirit of Powderhorn Art Fair in 2016. In 2016 also he took part in the juried Polish Folk Art show- Jarmark Jagiellonski – Lublin Poland. 2018 International Podcast- Discover Slavic Culture- Polish traditions ( presented in Polish and English).
Eric Bjorlin
Eric Bjorlin graduated from the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul in 1986. He worked 15 years at Studio West, a premier illustration and design studio in Minneapolis, creating artwork for large companies including northeast Minneapolis’ Northrup King Lawn & Garden company. During the late 1990’s, Wild Wings in Lake City represented him for art product licensing and original sales. Wildlife Art magazine featured him in the 1999 article “Minnesota: There’s Something in the Air.” Starting in 2002, The Hadley Companies in Bloomington, owner of The Wooden Bird stores, published his fine art prints. In 2005, Lifetouch Media Productions produced an episode of “Out ‘N’ About With R.J. Fritz” featuring Eric and his artwork in a program, called “The Art of Fatherhood” that aired on WCCO-TV (CBS) and affiliated stations. Wildlife Art magazine selected Eric as their “Up and Coming Artist” featuring him in the article “Nature Bonds Father and Son” in their Jan/Feb 2006 conservation issue. That same year, he was selected for the “Artists for the New Century” exhibition at The Bennington Center for the Arts in Vermont. Eric authored a story “Thirty Superior Seasons” published by Sporting Classics magazine along with his art in their Sept/Oct 2009 issue. In 2019, he created paintings of biblical characters for “The Word of Life” curriculum published by The Augustine Institute and Ignatius Press. The following year, he created paintings of saints for the “Signs of Grace” curriculum published by The Augustine Institute. Eric lives in Plymouth with his wife, Rose, of 28 years. They have three adult sons.
David Busacker
Welcome to Verso L'alto Design, where advanced manufacturing fuels captivating designs, forging a fusion of creativity and charm that sparks the imagination. As David and Bridget Busacker, we integrate our designs with innovative technology. Catch us at Art-a-Whirl this year, where we'll unveil David's art! When not crafting, we're embracing family time with our three girls, playing soccer in the park, and enjoying cozy movie nights together. Follow our journey [@VersoLaltoDesign] for a real dose of creativity and fun!
Jenny Keller
Jenny Keller is an artist making and selling rustic and simple ceramics in St Paul, MN. She has a passion for handmade products that elevate the simple moments in every day, whether having a cup of coffee, serving dinner, or arranging a fresh bouquet.
Ann Marie Cosgrove
Artist Ann Marie Cosgrove, is a native Northeaster with 5 generations walking the floors of the Lemke family home on 27th Ave NE. St. Clement Church is her family parish, where she received her sacraments. Today she volunteers as a sacristan, and volunteers her photography gift and talents for special Masses and occasions. She is a photographer/digital abstract artist. She was drawn to photography at an early age. She received her first camera when she was 11 years old in 1969 for Christmas. The first photo she took was a black and white selfie, which she still has. She became a serious photographer in 2019, when she bought her first interchangeable lens camera, a Sony a7riii. She felt she needed a camera that would challenge her, and boy did she get it! In February of 2022, she discovered the digital design program, “Procreate”. Abstract artwork brings a different dimension to her portfolio. You can find her artwork at www.cosannmphotography.com (http://www.cosannmphotography.com/)
Hilary Lamusga
Hilary is a self-trained artist, exploring her Faith and life through paint and paper. Early on, Hilary began with Love Story Lines; a love story is a map of a couples story complete with cute illustrations and hand-lettering. She still creates these but picks up a paint brush more often. As St. John Paul II said, “Art can make the invisible world visible, and draw us into the realm of the divine”.
Sarah Norton
As a wife and mother of four, my life as an artist is full, as are the pieces I create. I aim to evoke wonder and an encounter with God through color, movement, and unique patterns using mainly acrylic paints and block printing. Saints, churches, and Bible stories show up in my art as well as a sprinkling of Minnesota based art that has lots of personality. I hope it brings you joy and wonder!
Jim Wolyniec
Our Father, Jim Wolyniec, taught us as children to create wooden items for the local Holy Cross Annual Festival. We have continued donating our time and wooden art products as prizes throughout the years. We joined Art-A-Whirl to participate in the larger art festival community. Making and sharing the wooden art is a great way to stay in touch with the community we grew up in. Now we continue to make wooden art from locally sourced wood obtained from friends and neighbors we often cut and dry ourselves
John Wegner
John Wegner is a Minnesota artist who specializes in portraiture and has a deep appreciation for the stories told in the faces he paints. He has studied at a variety of schools including the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy and with teachers such as Thomas Fluharty and Joseph Paquet. He incorporates many different artistic influences into his work with a particular love for the works of Bouguereau and Rembrandt. John resides in Northeast Minneapolis with his wife and is currently studying under Jim Robinson at the Art Academy in St. Paul
Rick Brack
Hello! My name is Rick Brack. I have been a Christian for 28 years and my faith is very important to me! I have been a business owner in the construction field since 1996 and I really enjoy my work. While on a project remodeling a kitchen for a friend, he remarked that the granite would make a beautiful cross, and I agreed. I took some of the stone home with me and made a cross for both him and my mother for Christmas. There was alot of excitement over my first two crosses, and there you have it! Stumbling Stone Crosses was born. From then on my imagination has continued to exploding with thoughts of creating new designs.
I am passionate about the stone and see that it brings out the child in in us. I love the discovery of new stones, what's inside, and seeing what each one can become as I work with it. First, I look for the most interesting or exotic new or reclaimed natural stone from local sources. Then I seek to chisel, cut and shape the pieces bonding them together to form our cross designs.
I pray that these crosses are a blessing and beautiful reminder of Gods love and sacrifice for you through His son Jesus Christ!
Visit https://nemaa.org/sites/st-clement/ to access the Artist Directory.