Riverland Community College

Currently showing in the James Wegner Art Gallery is "The Water Up North: Marine Landscapes by Cheryl LeClair- Sommer and MIchele Wegler". The show will run until April 23 and conclude with a public talk and closing reception to honor the artists at 11:30am on April 23. Please note the date change from previous announcements for the talk. Gallery hours are 8 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday. The gallery is located on the East campus of Riverland Community College in Austin, next to the Frank W. Bridges Theatre.

"The Water Up North", shows us the many faces of water, as seen by Michele Wegler and Cheryl LeClair- Sommer, two artists whose passion for nature compels them to portray their subject in all it's various moods and contexts.

Vacation for many Minnesotans means "going up North", and many of the works in the show depict the lakes and wetlands that are such an important aspect of the appeal of that part of our state. The show is a refreshing experience for everyone longing for the return of warmer temperatures and the color green, and also includes some winter scenes that remind us of that season's beauty as well.

All the works in the show were done on location. The two artists' commitment to painting outside, or en plein aire, has resulted in works of an impressive and nuanced realism that capture an essence of feeling in each scene.

Michele Wegler works in pastel on paper. She has received numerous and regular first- place awards over the last fifteen years from organizations such as the Grand Marais Art Colony, Lake County Pastel Society, and Artists of Minnesota. She has recently shown work at the Duluth Art Institute and the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Works by Cheryl LeClair- Sommer include both pastels and oil painting. Her artistic efforts have produced recognition for her paintings, with artwork regularly juried into national exhibits and awards at outdoor painting competitions. She received an award of Master Circle designation by the International Association of Pastel Societies, and her work was a televised feature on “MN Original".