Q&A with Into Nature Judge Michele Combs

When Michele Combs took her first painting class at 38 years old, she couldn’t have guessed she’d become a renowned, award-winning plein air painter. She began her painting journey in an acrylic painting class at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts, the art center where she ended up teaching. When she entered her first painting…

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The Power of Plein Air: The Benefits of Doing Art in Nature

Seeing sunbeams after the long dreary winter days, have you been finding your home or studio lacking in inspiration? You might want to try art en plein air. En plein air is a French expression, meaning simply, “in the open air.” As with most things when said in French, it gains a romantic quality. But…

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The Joy of Creating

From the time the earliest humans marked their handprints on the walls of caves, art-making has been synonymous with the human experience. Even in our busy days, we find ways to make art: doodling, humming, dancing, taking pictures, or even composing beautifully written emails. We do art because it feels good, in ways deeper than…

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Q & A with the 50th Annual Northern Lights Judges

How the Northern Lights Judges Make History Every Year It is as big as it sounds: it’s White Bear Center for the Arts’ 50th Annual Northern Lights Juried Art Exhibition. Just 10 years after its creation, Northern Lights was considered one of the most prestigious art shows in the area and one of the most…

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