Creative Season Comes to a Close

Margaret Lockwood continued working on her large-scale, ethereal landscapes over the courser of the winter at her bright and airy studio at Woodwalk Gallery. Photo by Mike Brisson. (www.woodwalkgallery.com)

It’s a question that has been asked thousands of times. And, undoubtedly, it will be asked thousands more.

“What do you do here in the winter?”

While the responses, as well as the sentiment behind them, are varied, most people who choose to live in Door County year-round recognize the validity in this quieter time. It’s not only a time to relax and re-cooperate from the hectic “busy season,” but it’s also a time to plan and prepare for the season ahead.

Artists are no exception to this theory, and winter in Door County could aptly be named the “creative season.” For many working artists, with the public portion of their gallery closed, they are relieved of the necessity to multi-task – creator, sales person, cashier, accountant, marketing director, etc. Spared from many of the interruptions, artists can fully immerse themselves into their studios; their creativity is given free reign, perhaps even priority.

Winter in Door County is a time when sketches can be drawn in a single sitting, when paint hits the canvas with abandon and when clay is freely transformed on the wheel. The act of producing art becomes engrossing, and artists savor that transfixed state of mind.

A number of the county’s studio/galleries will soon brush off the thin layer of dust that has collected, hang their new work and fly their open flag. Herewith is a sneak peek at what some of Door County’s working artists have been up to during the “creative season,” readying themselves for yet another “busy season.”