|
|
Nan Onkka in her studio. Staff photo Brian Larsen
Nan Onkka is one of 24 artists who will take part in the two weeks Art Along the Fall Studio Tour that runs September 24 through October 3. Her studio will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the entire 14 days of the fall tour. Also displaying their wares for sale at Nan’s will be guest artists Cooper Ternes, wooden bowls; Emily Wick, woven goods, and Marybeth Garmoe, who makes handmade brooms.
An artist who specializes in reductive woodblock printmaking, Nan is also a teacher and holds a master’s degree in Art Education from Boston University. Before moving to Cook County two years ago, Nan and her husband Will were both teachers in the Twin Cities. The couple have one son, Eddie, who is two, and Dale, a one-year-old tiger stripe cat.
Nan taught high school art five years in India and five years in the Twin Cities. She called her time in India, “Five of the best years of my life.”
Nan creates multicolored woodblock prints inspired by the lakes, fields, forest and fauna of the Northwoods. Much of Nan’s work is also inspired by Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Jane Oliver, who wrote about nature.
Greeting cards, prints and stickers can be found in Nan’s studio.
Ingenious and prolific, Nan has 26 greeting cards for sale as well as stickers and calendars and other works of art. “I do as many in person events as I can but mainly sell my art online,” she said.
Nan’s studio is located about one mile from the high school west on County Road 7. The proper address is 1510 W. 5th Street, Grand Marais. All of the displays will be in an open-air building.
To learn about the other studios that are open for the Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour, go to VisitCookCounty.com/fallstudiotour
Northwood’s scenery is depicted in most of Nan’s artwork.
Leave a Reply