​Steve Aitchison
130 S. Sheldon Ave., Suite 110, Ames
Pit Fired and High Fired Porcelain
 
 
While some artists prefer to let their work transform as they go, others like Steve Aitchison, envision exactly what they want from the get-go and make it a reality.
 
Steve specializes in pit fired and high-fired porcelain pottery. His “Cloud Vessels” are formed on the potter’s wheel then fired in an outdoor kiln using several organic ingredients. Thanks to this natural process, the clay captures the flow of the fire, which produces unique surface effects. 
 
Steve mixes all of his clay in house. Pit fired ceramics requires careful calculation and modification of the mixture’s formula for the best results in each series.
 
“I believe we create in response to the seasons of our lives. In my world every studio session is an adventure in creation. The imagery of the current work is crafted by fire. I find it has a confident and contemplative presence layered with subtle complexity.”
 
Be sure to check out Steve’s work and his outdoor kiln during the Ames Area Studio Tour Oct. 10 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Oct. 11 (noon – 4 p.m).

​Jennifer Drinkwater
2231 Storm St., Ames, IA 50014
 
Email: [email protected]
            [email protected]
Phone: (515) 708-2825
Website: http://jenniferdrinkwater.com/home.html
 
In a cozy studio above her home’s garage is the workplace of painter, Jennifer Drinkwater.
 
At a young age, Drinkwater became interested in art. She was always drawing as a child and when she reached middle school her art teacher encouraged her to try watercolor painting.
 
In high school, she continued to take painting classes and realized that she wanted to pursue art as a career.
 
In 2001, she received her Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University and in 2007 she continued her education by receiving a Master of Arts from East Carolina University.
 
After graduation she moved to Ames to take a teaching job at Iowa State University, where she currently works as a painting professor and the community art specialist.
 
When she is not teaching, Drinkwater is in her studio painting and experimenting with other art forms. She is currently working on cross-stitching a set of six Time Magazine covers and six People Magazine covers that were all released on the same day in different years.
 
You can check out her work online at http://jenniferdrinkwater.com/home.html or by visiting her studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (noon-4 p.m.). Drinkwater will be in her studio showing off her work and answering questions.
 
For more information about the Ames Area Studio Tour please visit http://www.amesart.org/ames-area-studio-tour.html.
 

​
​Molly Nagel
Upper Story Studio
518 Broad St. Suite #3
Story City, IA 50248
 
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (319) 360-3273
Personal Website: http://nagelmolly.wix.com/mollynagelart
Studio Website: http://upperstorystudio.wix.com/upperstorystudio
 
Located in a former storage space on the second floor of a historic building in Story City, Iowa, Upper Story Studio is now the workplace of artist, Molly Nagel.
 
After finishing her Master of Fine Arts at Iowa State University in 2013, Nagel decided to open up her own studio that would also function as a teaching space for the community. Upper Story Studio classes are taught by Nagel and are available for many artistic levels in the areas of painting, drawing, illustration and mixed media.
 
When she is not teaching classes, Nagel spends her time working on her paintings and sculpture. She believes that there is a deep spiritual connection between humans and animals, so the majority of her artwork explores themes of nature and animals.
 
You can check out her work at http://nagelmolly.wix.com/mollynagelart or by contacting her directly at [email protected]. She welcomes visits to her studio Monday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Tuesday through Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Thursday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. You can also check out her class schedule at http://upperstorystudio.wix.com/upperstorystudio#!classes/cfvg.
 
Nagel will also be participating in the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (noon-4 p.m.). She will be in her studio showing off her work and giving demonstrations.
 
For more information about the Ames Area Studio Tour please visit http://www.amesart.org/ames-area-studio-tour.html.

Daniel Marks
2307 Timberland Rd., Ames
Acrylic Painting
www.danielmarksart.com
 
If you feel like Daniel Marks’ art really pops, that’s because it does— right off the canvas.
 
Daniel is a 1991 graduate of Columbia College, in Columbia Missouri. He was a dual major in drawing and painting and has been painting professionally for over 25 years.
 
The subjects painted by Daniel are varied, but some of the most popular are buildings. He feels that buildings are portraits of our urban and suburban landscapes and – despite being inanimate objects – contain endless personality, humor, and stories waiting to be told through his art.
 
Acrylics on canvas are Daniel’s media of choice, worked into a Van Gogh-esque style of swirling skies and exaggerated colors. He creates both two-dimensional and three-dimensional paintings. The three-dimensional works are constructed of materials including plastic, nylon, wire, Styrofoam, and aluminum in order for them to rise off the canvas, creating a uniquely animated viewing experience.
 
Daniel exhibits his work in both solo and group shows at various venues and private locations throughout the country.
 
Be sure to visit Daniel in his studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour Oct. 10 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Oct. 11 (noon – 4 p.m). You can also view Daniel’s work or send him an email through his website at www.danielmarksart.com.

Letitia Kenemer / Assembled Art
226 Northbrook Circle, Ames
​Facebook link
Mixed Media, Jewelry & Accessories
      
 Broken doll parts, shells, old buttons and spools, oh my!
 
We’ve all heard the saying. “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” Well, what the average person would see as disconnected artifacts and knick-knacks, assemblage artist, Letitia Kenemer, views as a sea of artistic treasures with endless possibility to create stunningly unique artwork.
           
 Letitia is always searching for and collecting small objects that have potential—a process that she feels is just as important to her as the final piece. Her artwork reinterprets these objects that others have discarded or forgotten, and gives them different meaning and new appreciation. She constantly moves around and rearranges the objects until she finally feels that they are in the right place.
           
When Letitia is not creating her signature assemblage pieces, she is working away at the Workspace in the Iowa State Memorial Union as the Workspace coordinator.
 
Be sure to pay Letitia and the other artists a visit during the Ames Area Studio Tour Oct. 10 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Oct. 11 (noon – 4 p.m).

Barbara Walton
232 Main St., Ames, IA
Email: [email protected]
            [email protected]
Iowa State Phone: (515) 294-1046
 
Sitting at a small desk in her temporary Main Street studio, Barbara Walton, politely apologizes for the smoky odor drifting through the air.
 
On March 31, 2015 a fire broke out in the ceiling on the first floor of her studio’s building. Thankfully none of her paintings were ruined, but the adjustment of being in a new building has caused her to slow down on the work that brings joy to her life.
 
Art has always been a part of Walton’s life. Growing up in an artistic household as the youngest and only girl of five children, Walton quickly grew to like art.
 
She continued to practice painting throughout her young adult life. It wasn’t until after having kids, however, that she decided to turn her hobby into a career.
 
With two kids in high school, Walton went back to school to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Iowa State University. After graduating in 1991, she continued her education and received a Master of Arts from Iowa State and a Master of Fine Arts from Drake University.
 
In 2002, Walton became interested in encaustic painting after attending a workshop in Santa Fe, N.M. Encaustic painting is a form of art that uses liquid beeswax. When the pigmented wax is in its molten state, it can be transferred onto a surface with a brush.
 
Walton currently spends her days creating encaustic and oil paintings in her studio. She is also a drawing and painting professor at Iowa State.
 
You can check out her work by contacting her directly at [email protected] or by visiting her studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (noon-4 p.m.). Walton will be in her studio showing off her work and doing encaustic painting demonstrations.
 
For more information about the Ames Area Studio Tour please visit http://www.amesart.org/ames-area-studio-tour.html.

Kristi Running Carlson
713 16th St., Ames
Email: [email protected]

In her small basement studio, Kristi Running Carlson, humbly shows off her intricate drawings and oil paintings of Iowa landscapes.

Carlson became fond of art at a young age. Her father was an artist and she spent a considerable amount of time observing him as a child. His art inspired her to pursue her own career as an artist.

After graduating from Saint Olaf College with an art degree, Carlson continued her education by receiving a Master of Arts from Purdue University and a Master of Fine Arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

In 1995, Carlson began teaching art classes at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa. Here, she became a well-respected art professor and gallery director, winning awards such as the Alpha Chi Professor of the Year and the Holmen Professional Excellence Award. Carlson and her husband moved to Ames in 2013 to be closer to family.

She now spends her days in a studio working on her award-winning drawings, paintings and woodcut prints. As she observes pieces of Iowa land, Carlson creates one-inch graphite drawings. These drawings are then enlarged and transferred to blocks of wood to be carved for her woodcut prints. She invites viewers of her art to observe the land and discuss his or her personal impact upon it.

You can see more of her work by contacting her directly at [email protected] or by visiting her studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (noon-4 p.m.). Carlson will be in her studio showing off her work and answering questions.

For more information about the Ames Area Studio Tour please visit http://www.amesart.org/ames-area-studio-tour.html.

Note: When visiting Carlson’s studio, please enter through the wooden gate on the left side of the house and follow the brick path around to the back door on the opposite side of the deck.

Melissa Stenstrom Fine Jewelry
507 Main St., Ames
www.melissastenstrom.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 515-451-1318

Located on the west end of Main Street next to Ames Lock & Security, there sits a quaint jewelry shop belonging to an artist named Melissa Stenstrom. Melissa opened up the doors of Melissa Stenstrom Fine Jewelry in 2009. However, she and her family have been actively making a multitude of contemporary and customized jewelry fit for any occasion since 2005. 

Even though she received a formal education in art and jewelry making from Iowa State University, Melissa admits that much of what she has learned comes from experience, experience that she is constantly adding to with new challenges and skills to perfect. She creates varied types of customized pieces, from pieces that incorporate parts of repurposed or recycled jewelry holding sentimental value to pieces that are truly one of a kind. The possibilities are endless. 

Those interested are encouraged to visit her shop during open hours found on her website at www.melissastenstrom.com. You can also contact her directly at [email protected] or by phone, 515-451-1318. 

Be sure to visit Melissa’s downtown studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour Oct. 10 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Oct. 11 (noon – 4 p.m.).

Catherine Reinhart
317 E. 7th St., Ames, IA
www.catherinereinhart.com
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @c.r.studio

Sitting at a small table in the dimly lit Stomping Grounds over a cup of freshly brewed coffee, fiber artist, Catherine Reinhart, carefully explains her collection of art on the walls.

The series, titled, Old Prints/New Life, focuses on the redemption of her old, “failed” prints. Reinhart has brought them “back to life” by sewing, cutting and drawing over the originals. Each piece is unique and is filled with intricate details that add to the overall complexity of her art.

 From these intuitive process drawings to immersive textile installations, Reinhart’s art elicits wonder and kindles hope through color and beauty. Her knowledge of textiles that is portrayed in her work is the product of thorough research and
schooling.

In 2008, Reinhart graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in integrated studio arts with a focus on printmaking and textiles. She continued her education by graduating from the University of Kansas in 2012 with a M aster of Fine Arts in textiles.

Reinhart currently spends her days being a mom to her two-year-old daughter and making art in her home studio for upcoming exhibits.

You can check out her work at Stomping Grounds between now and Oct. 11, or visit her home studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (noon-4 p.m.). Reinhart will be in her studio answering questions and showing off her work.

For more information about the Ames Area Studio tour please visit http://www.amesart.org/ames-area-studio-tour.html.

Stone House Woodworking / Brendan Zimmerman
1593 Xavier Ave., Ames
www.stonehouseww.com

“This is beautiful! Where did you get it?”

That’s what you’ll hear every time a guest walks into your home and sees a one-of-a-kind piece by Brendan Zimmerman, the owner of Stone House Woodworking in Napier. Brendan creates beautiful, one-of-a-kind works -- ranging from tables and chairs, to mirrors, benches and more -- transformed from both raw and reclaimed lumber.

Brendan discovered his passion for woodworking at a very young age thanks to his
grandfather, who was also an avid woodworker.

“When I was very young, maybe five or six, my first “real” woodworking projects were carving wooden boats that refused to float.  Grandpa Chuck traced the shape of a hull, helped my brother and me cut it out, and then he let us loose with a rasp and sand paper. Once we mastered pine boats we advanced to turning hardwood drum sticks and candle holders in his garage over summer weeks in Ohio. Since those early memories, I have never stopped building and making things.”

His work is heavily influenced by the shaker furniture style, the “truth to material” concept of the Arts and Crafts movement, and the simplicity of modern design. His work is often drafted digitally, then crafted with such precision and attention to detail that it is sure to make a statement.

Be sure to visit Brendan’s studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour Oct. 10 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Oct. 11 (noon – 4 p.m.) You can also contact Brendan with questions, view more photos of his work or to request a custom piece of furniture through his website at www.stonehouseww.com.