TWO HARBORS, Minnesota – Artists were busy preparing Friday afternoon for the 30th annual Two Harbors Art Fair, also known as Under the Spreading Walnut Tree Art Festival.
This year, 31 artists gathered outside the Earthwood Inn Restaurant & Bar instead of the PK Anderson House in Two Harbors. The new venue provides more space for artists and customers to enjoy the artwork on display.
The fair features a variety of artworks, mainly themed around nature and the Nordic region. Artists this year sold photo prints, paintings in various media, messenger items, leather handbags, homemade soaps and much more.
Wendy Smith has been a regular artist at the fair for several years. She focuses on vibrant mixed media paintings and often uses water reflections as a motif in her work.
“People love my bright colors. I don’t dull things down. I like to make them appear larger than life in their color, and people don’t see that often,” said Smith, a mixed-media artist from Barnum. “I think life can be a little sad and boring, so why not add a little more fun to it.”
Artists from the Twin Cities area up to Lutsen, MN, make their way to Two Harbors to experience Duluth’s welcoming artist community. Dr. Paula Sundet Wolf is a Lutsen native who brings impressionist oil paintings, baskets woven from agate and wild grass, and twig furniture. Wolf said her artwork is inspired by Minnesota’s endless beauty.
“When I paint, I like to still feel movement,” says Wolf, who also works as a teacher at North House Folk School. “I still want to feel like you can be there and relate to it. When I’m working with the baskets, I actually think about what I see when I select some of the agates, and this one makes me think of the lake with the mist rising from it. So I always see something in each of my pieces.”
“I agree that there is a lot of interest in art in our community in this area, and I think there are so many sources to draw from. Because there is so much beautiful nature all around us,” said Christine Williams, the event’s director. “So just drawing from what is in our area, you can create great art.”
The Two Harbor Art Fair continues this Sunday. Artists will be open for business on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
