Deb Weiser - Gallery Owner & Artist

Born in Ireland, Deb has her art throughout the US, Canada and in Ireland, Italy and Holland. Art for Deb produces two types of pride in her work. One is the creation of the art itself, whether it be in acrylic, oil or multimedia. The other is the delight in the teaching of art to others, no matter the age. To see the light in the student’s eyes as they grasp the concept of hues or perspective or just the sheer joy in creating their own artwork. Having a gallery to show local talent is an extension of the happiness of sharing art with others.

Mark Weiser - Gallery Manager & Artist

Mark first fell in love with an Irish lass, Deb. Then he fell in love with all things Irish. Almost 2,000 years ago, the Irish developed their first alphabet and Mark carves the ancient Ogham letters into slate and wood with Gaelic words. He enjoys the trip into the past of his sweetheart's homeland and the uniqueness of his art. He is also allowed by his owner/wife to say he manages the art gallery.

Bill Ball – Artist – Clay

Now that I’m retired from a career of high school art teaching, I can pursue my interests in ceramic surfaces, glazes and slips.

Bill Long – Artist – Wood

Gail Chavenelle – Artist – Metal

She is a sculptor creating three-dimensional images from metal. Her work might be likened to permanent paper. For more than 25 years Gail’s pieces have helped us celebrate, give thanks, mourn, laugh and sing. These brilliantly simple strips of metal have expressed our feelings when words fell short. Gail’s work has been enjoyed by Collectors, Galleries and Trade Professionals and is appropriate for indoor and outdoor use. 

Without features, hair, or clothing , Chavenelle’s minimal designs are timeless and inclusive of all ethnicitys.

Cindy Moss – Artist – Stone/Watercolor

 Cindy has lived her whole life in Iowa. She admits that she has always had a fondness for art and collecting rocks. So she finally started putting the two together to create people, animals, landscapes and more. Here artwork now sells in the Amanas, DKW Art Gallery plus various art shows and exhibits throughout Iowa. She has expanded into watercolor, acrylic and ink. She teaches one of the most popular, repeating classes at DKW Art Gallery.

Chris Robbins – Artist – Oil

Chris Robbins is a Midwestern husband, father and art enthusiast. His creations reflect his love of music, history and travel. His greatest passions include classic rock, the Founding Fathers, and his travels all across North America and Europe. His original oil paintings have hung in museums, galleries, businesses and festivals in the Midwest. His line of products includes not only original works, but high-quality, hand highlighted giclee prints on stretched canvas. This allows art lovers the ability to enjoy his work at a fraction of the cost of an original piece.

Dean Traver – Artist – photographer

I have enjoyed photography for my entire life. Beginning in about 6th grade my dad had a darkroom and let me help in the darkroom and take film photos, and I have taken photos ever since. Now that I am retired, I have time to pursue my photography. I shoot raw format, giving me a digital negative, that I develop in Lightroom and Photoshop, Lightroom is my darkroom, and I use it to develop images as close to what I see as possible. HDR is the latest fad and I have experimented with that, to the extent we can get expanded light range, I use it sparingly. To me HDR is a different art medium. I am sometimes torn between color and black and white, I like a beautiful colorful scene, but it seems for some photos black & white makes a person see the subject itself without the distraction of color and that is good too.....

Digital photography, developed with Lightroom and Photoshop, in both color and black and white. Personally printed using pigmented archival inks on fine art papers and canvas. Framed in simple black, brown or barn board frames, using acid free mats and materials. I shoot a wide variety of subjects, landscape, people, fine art, architecture, nature, any subject that is attractive to me. Landscape, fine art, and nature photography from Iowa and the USA. "Life as I see it" shot, developed, printed and framed in my studio, for my passion, for your pleasure.

Denise Murphy - Artist - Alcohol Ink

Denise Murphy grew up in Port Byron, IL, lives and works in Mount Vernon, IA. She has a BS in Computer Graphics and was inspired to continue in art by her High School Art teacher. Returning to her passion after many years as an executive in the nuclear industry and Director of Portfolio in assessments, she has embraced Alcohol Ink Painting. She repurposes items that would otherwise be thrown out to create these large and vibrant pieces with lots of textures and patterns. She creates the illusion of 3D in a 2D space.

Denise has exhibited her works regionally at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art (Cedar Rapids, IA), Mercy Hospital (Iowa City, IA) Maquoketa Art Experience (Maquoketa, IA), Muscatine Art Center, 2020 - 22 (Muscatine, IA), Physicians Clinic of IA (Cedar Rapids, IA), Mount Vernon Creates Gallery (Mount Vernon, IA), DKW Gallery (Marion, IA) and Lowe Park Gallery (Marion, IA). She was also recognized on Artrepreneur by the ‘Curators’, ‘Ode to Chicago’ and the ‘Orange Book’. Denise has judged the Tri-Rivers HS art conference from 2018 – 2022.

She recently was given the honor of “Best Art Gallery Business Owner (Midwest USA), 2022 and 2023 by the influential Businesswoman of the Year Awards hosted by Acquisition International. Her most recent accomplishment was having her artwork published on the 'cover' of the Artrepreneur Art Book, Jan 2023, distributed internationally to art galleries and buyers.Mount Vernon Creates (MVC) is a local art gallery displaying works by artists within a 30-mile radius. This historical building is also home to an event venue allowing for even more artwork to be displayed. MVC hosts the Portrayal of Mount Vernon plein air event and Mount Vernon HS school exhibits annually, as well as music and other community events. Denise owns and operates the gallery and event venue.

Lori Kidd – Artist – Enamel Jewelry

I have been enameling since 2014. I live in Hiawatha with my husband Bob and our two Yorkipoos, Bridget and Tess.

I enjoy making pendants, earrings, Christmas ornaments, and bowls. Techniques that I incorporate in my work are sgraffito, crackle, and stenciling.

Enameling is exciting because many factors come together to make the piece. Temperature of kiln, thickness of enamel, and how long a piece is in the kiln all contribute to the final piece.

Emily Hiner – Artist – Clay

The meaning and value of visual art holds a very special place in my heart. Art has helped me grow into who I am today. I have discovered new mediums, focusing on my favorite medium being ceramics. I’ve learned new technical skills to use in my artwork and stepped outside my comfort zone to try new projects, I have made lasting friendships with fellow artists. 

My family has been encouraging my art career. They have supported me by becoming involved in numerous ways. Whether as recently as attending my local art show in February of 2020 or driving to Omaha where my winning artwork was presented at an art auction in my elementary school days, they have always been there. “Proud” is a word I hear often from them. Support from family, teachers, friends, and the community has led to the more confident artist I am today.

Ideally, owning my ceramics studio someday is my goal, my dream. A place for me to create and a place to share with others wanting to show their artistic side. What I love most about art is knowing that you can express yourself in different ways without speaking a word. Art has become another language to me and I am proud to speak it.

Don Dixson – Artist – Textile

In 2007, my long forgotten childhood interest in art was rekindled when I started making quilts for our expanding family of grandchildren, other family members and Quilts of Valor. At some point, I created my first 'artistic quilt' that captured the attention of an extremely talented local artist and gallery owner, Stan Wiederspan. As my mentor, his first comment was “You have an eye for color and design”. He encouraged me to explore beyond the borders of my quilts.
 

Using hand-dyed fabric and an improvisational piecing technique, I assembled my first piece of textile art.  Stan exhibited this piece in his gallery and sold it within a week. I'm grateful to Stan for his belief in me and have found that I truly enjoy working with hand-dyed fabrics to create pieces with a balanced structure that seem to glow with an inner light. I feel that they evoke the warmth and comfort of colorful quilts and trust that as people bring them into their homes and businesses, that they too will experience that warmth and comfort.

Stan Wiederspan also encouraged me to develop a technique of ripping my fabrics. I had absolutely no idea how to accomplish something that would work until I stumbled across seeing created by ripping strips of fabrics and assembling them into amazing pieces. I fine tuned the technique to my satisfaction, and created some unique textile art.   

Fabric is my artistic medium of choice and I am always on the lookout for interesting techniques. While working on a new piece, I'm often reminded of having watched my mom make our clothes using her Singer treadle machine that had been converted to electric. She is truly my most significant mentor for my art. I'm certain that she would be very proud of her influence on my efforts.

Charles Street – Artist – Acrylic

Charles E. Street was born in 1963 in the same town in France where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. That being his only claim to fame, Charles is quick to add that he likes mayonnaise and banana sandwiches. He obviously does not understand how this whole claim to fame thing works. Charles was born to a military father from the hills of Alabama and a mother who was from Salzburg, Austria. Between his father’s thick southern accent and propensity for making up words and his mother's heavy German accent, he often quips that it is a wonder that he speaks English at all. "I couldn't understand why the other kids in first grade referred to their nudicuss budicuss sandwiches as peanut butter and jelly."

It was apparent early on that Charles was born with artistic talent. Having won his first art contest in second grade, Charles often jokes that his art career was downhill from there. If he were not out in the woods hunting and fishing, Charles could be found lugging around his second-grade lunch box filled with colored pencils and a drawing tablet. His art career would take a 38-year sabbatical as he focused on a business management career. Eventually rising to the level of VP of Operations for the third largest movie theater company in the world, he would spend his entire career working for the same company in Texas. He retired in 2018 and started the second chapter of his life as an artist. "It took a while to knock the rust off and find the passion again," he was fond of saying.

Having rediscovered his passion for art, Charles spends most of his days either painting or taking reference photos. Preferring acrylics as his medium, Charles focuses mostly on wildlife art which reflects his passion for hunting and fishing.

"I can pretty much paint anything. I just prefer animals. My soul belongs in nature. You know, as long as it is not too cold.... or too hot."

Charles and his artist wife Beverly currently call Marion, Iowa home. Charles’ current work can be found at DKW Gallery in Marion, on his website CharlesStreetArt.com or on Facebook at Charles Street Art.

Steve Mineck - Artist - Glass Blowing

Steve Mineck, a native of Cedar Rapids Iowa, now residing in rural Vinton, Iowa, is among one of the newer glass blower artists in the state. His interest in blowing glass began many years ago after observing a glass blower at an art festival in Madison, Wisconsin. A little more than eighteen years ago, Steve made the decision to pursue Glass Blowing on a more full-time basis. Steve’s more “formal” education in glass blowing was rather limited. He attended a two weeks art program where he received instruction from University of Wisconsin art professor, Jim Engbritsen. Steve then participated in Kirkwood Community College’s, Glass Art program for two semesters. Unfortunately, as there were no glass studios or opportunities to work with experienced artists in Eastern Iowa, Steve read and observed to further his knowledge and skills in glass art. Financial constraints dictated that his shop and equipment would be mostly designed and built by him. Once the shop was complete, Steve was able to begin honing skills and expressing his vision in glass. Steve is currently represented by DKW Gallery in Marion, Iowa, The Left bank Gallery in MacGregor, Iowa, the Guttenburg Gallery & Creativity Center in Guttenburg, Iowa, the Kaleidoscope Works Gallery in Davenport, Iowa and the Museum store at the Cedar Rapids Iowa Museum of Art. Steve was awarded first and second places at the Iowa State Fairs Fine Arts competition- glass division in 2013, best display/interaction with public- Artapalooza, Cedar Falls 2015, Mayors purchase Award, Mundelien Il. 2014. Steve has exhibited at several juried art fairs, most recently at Riversance Art Fair in Davenport, Iowa.