Jeffrey Olson:   Normally, Jeff uses his artistic talents turning blocks of snow or ice into beautiful carvings for the Fire & Ice event in February.  As an award winning carver, he has been instrumental in Sturgeon Bay’s annual carving event.   But, as a retired Art Instructor, he is creative year round with decorative wood carvings and this year’s sail street art object inspired by the abundant Door County wildflowers.

Karin Miller Knutson:  Karin lives in Sturgeon Bay.  Her sail is entitled “Sailing through the Door” and represents local sailboats like the Talisman doing exactly that.  With an engineering background, most of her artwork consists of precision linework.  She also utilizes watercolors, acrylics and pastels in her artwork that can be seen throughout the county.  Karin also enjoys horseback riding, scuba diving and drumming.  Her greatest inspirations are her tow children and the nature around her.

Kay Seitz:  Kay is a well known local merchant who dabbles in the arts…when she can find the time!  Like mother, like daughter – Kay’s daughter Renae participated in the Beacons around the Bay street art project last year.   Kay is also a great supporter of her community, Sturgeon Bay!

Mike McCartney:  As an artist, Mike has gone to the dogs, literally!  If you’re a dog lover, you’ll want to check out his website, www.mccartneysdogs.com and you’ll see a variety of caricatures and humorous renderings of man’s best friend.  His creative artistic style and sense of humor were the inspirations behind his sail, Great Nose.

Jeremy Evensen:  Jeremy’s sail design was inspired by a photo taken the summer of 2007 in front of Aurora dialysis center on Michigan Avenue.  Media is a mixture of six different latex satin colors sealed with a clear varnish.  Jeremy is also a regular at the Sturgeon Bay Farmer’s Market and exhibits a variety of photography, paintings, kitchen utensils and decorative wind chimes.  “Do what you like……like what you do!”

Annie Larsen:  Annie Larsen is an Art teacher at Green Bay West High School as well as a former “Sturgeon” artist.  Last year, she participated in Green Bay’s Einstein Project….and was the top selling toad.  Her sail design this year, one of four submitted designs, was inspired by the colors & artistry of Peter Max.

Dylan Lauger:  Dylan has experimented with concrete for most of his adult life.  Seemingly overnight, he has become one of the premier creative artisans in Door County. He creates new uses, shapes and even forms for concrete resulting in a variety of interesting shapes, textures and colors.  A Sturgeon Bay native, Dylan raises the artistic bar by challenging himself.

Tim Nyberg:  Tim has been an illustrator and graphic designer for over three decades providing creative direction and art to everyone from Fortune 500 companies to the corner retailer.  He’s also a best-selling humor author and entertains nationally as one half of “Jim and Tim, the Duct-Tape Guys.”  His sail took on a musical theme as it was commissioned by the Holiday Music Motel and Young Automotive. When the mast turned into a guitar neck, Tim enlisted the welding talents of Fred Young to fashion the head of the guitar.  Always one for the play on words, Tim called his sail, “Songs for Sail.”

Jeremy Popelka:  (Title: Vitreous Currents) Using glass for this project came easily; glass & water have many common definitions such as transparency, translucency and reflectivity.  From this premise, glass elements were fused together and mounted within a steel frame.  Jeremy was eager for this challenging project because it was an opportunity to utilize recycled glass and steel.  Jeremy Popelka works in his downtown Sturgeon Bay studio where he makes and shows fine glass art with his wife, artist Stephanie Trenchard.

Dave Mailand:  Dave owns and operates a painting and decorating company in Sturgeon Bay, is an active volunteer for the Jaycees and enjoys helping the community in various efforts.  “I am a novice artist who enjoys the challenges of new art media.  My sail is made of assorted dyed seashells from India and formed into a mosaic of a sunrise and a sunset.  I appropriately named it Sea Shells by the Sea Shore.”

David Valentine:  An award-winning architect, Dave’s approach to architecture blends a strong sense of geometry and special relationships with a commitment to satisfying functional requirements.  This sculpture consists of a concrete ball which represents the moon, a steel sail shape which is pierced by the light of the moon, and three steel rings encircling the moon representing ripples in the water.  The sculpture is supported by a steel rod built on top of a limestone rock.

Matt Stender:  Matt Stender, age 31, lives in Rosiere.  This will be his fifth year participating in the street art project; Matt also carves ice for the annual Fire & Ice weekend in February.  “I am excited to see the response of this year’s sails and hope that I have been able to create something of interest to others.  My piece this year is crafted from copper, aluminum and steel and is intended to last a lifetime as a representational sculpture.

Heather LaBine:  Heather has been involved in Sturgeon Bay’s Street Art project about 5 years; first with decorative sturgeon, then lighthouses and now the mosaic sail.  “A Starry night in Sturgeon Bay” will be depicted with shiny and iridescent glass pieces against the dark black swirls of the night.  Heather also carves ice for the Fire & Ice event in February.

Randy Burich:  With hobbies that include woodcarving, autobody work and boat restoration, Randy was a prime candidate to create a sail.  And so he did!  Randy fabricated the tail fin and parts from wood, utilizing gorilla glue and decking screws to achieve the form.  After fiber glassing the complete fish, self etching primer and many coats of copper paint with copper iridescent powder to achieve effect, the fish was then clear coated and waxed to make a bullet proof finish.

Jerry Richter:  Jerry has done murals for the Door County Maritime Museum and Cinema 6, both in Sturgeon Bay. He is also a very active volunteer at the Maritime Museum!  His “Sunset Sail’ of the Michigan Street bridge and the bird’s eye view from Lake Michigan were inspired by 60 years of sailing.

George Ouimette: (titled Stranded) George Ouimette lives in the Foresville area, and is an art instruction/artist.  He works using mixed media with a strong emphasis on combining clay and wood sticks to create a sculptural form.  The arrangement of sticks to create a sail is the concept for his sail at the beginning, but that could change as the process evolves.  More of his work can be seen at www.ouimettestudio.com.

Shane Peterson:  Shane Peterson lives in Sturgeon Bay.  His sail is titled “Quacked Up” and was inspired by old school cartoons.  Shane paints with oil on canvas capturing unique perspectives using bright exaggerations of color.  His artwork can be seen at Fatzo’s Subs in Sturgeon Bay.

Emily Larsen:  Emily began her career in art selling painted rocks on Bark Road and now participates annually in this fund-raising event. Her inspiration this year was re-imagining the sail as gnomon of a sundial.

Robert L. Soukup:  For several years, Robert has participated in Sturgeon Bay’s street art project transforming fish, lighthouses and now, sails into artistic fountains.  “As an artist, sculpture has been one of many forms of art and design that I have pursued for over 20 years.  I love to experiment and stretch my abilities.  This year’s design incorporates a topographical map, the sextant (a mariner’s navigational device), internal lighting and of course a lot of water which travels an amazing 12 feet, entitled Navigator.”

Jay Jordan:  Jay will be a senior at West High School in Green Bay.  He has taken several art classes, was selected by the Fox Valley Art Club for an exhibit at Green Isle Park, and was awarded a scholarship for Art Camp at UW-Green Bay.  Jay’s artistic style is not main stream but is based more on fantasy and imagination as shown with his Crystal Ship sail.

David Franke:  This Egg Harbor artist has participated in past Sturgeon Bay street art projects with both decorative sturgeon and lighthouses. “Infinite Wind” is a celebration of the number 8.  From the horizontal 8 shape of the infinity symbol to this year being 2008, the magic of 8 has infused this project.  This particular sail was #8 on the sail inventory list, 8 colors in the design, and 8 spirals & gold balls on each side.  As luck would have it, David’s birth month and day is also 8….so celebra8 !! 

David LaMela:  David enjoys working with metals and other natural materials.  His sail “Into the Sunset” is fabricated in stainless steel with a cast glass centerpiece provided by Popelka Trenchard Glass Studio.  This is

David’s second year of creative participation in the Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center’s Street Art project.