Gary Gunderson

Gary began taking photographs several years ago when he bought his first 'real' 35mm camera that actually allowed him to make changes in the aperture and shutter speed. As his children grew and school events took priority, his 'real' 35mm was replaced with point and shoot, auto focus and auto advance type cameras.
Then in 2005, Gary’s Uncle gave him all his black/white negatives from his years as a professional photographer (as a sideline business). Many of 'Uncle Bob's' negatives were from his work as an aerial photographer and of little interest to the average person. Some negatives, however, are from trips to Mexico and a summer spent with a traveling Circus in the late 1950's early 1960's. Gary has started to filter through these by scanning and touching up the scratches and blemishes due to age and storage.
With this renewed interest in photography, Gary has taken classes at Iowa Lakes Community College, where he worked part time in the Success Center and as an Adjunct Instructor.

Gary also has his artwork on display at Carol’s Cottage, the Side Street Gallery and Frame Shoppe, and online at www.mr-g-photography.com. 

Brad Kringen

Since 2005, Brad has had a studio at the 8th and Railroad Building in downtown Sioux Falls. “I am currently working on my ‘Dakota Landscape Series’,” said Brad.  He began the series in 2010.
 
“Brad’s paintings are brightly colored and fun,” commented Haley Isder, gallery director at A Piece of Work, Inc.  “I am particularly fond of the way he paints birch trees.” 
 
Brad’s use of acrylic paint on canvas and mixed media allows him to create his own unique style – a blend of abstract, impressionism, and expressionism.  He enjoys experimentation and playing with new ideas, which makes each painting unique.
 
“What’s important in my artwork is color, pattern, texture, and movement,” Brad said.  “If a painting has all of those qualities, I feel it is a successful composition.”

Amy McAfee

 Amy is a young artist with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and discovery. She originally hails from Missouri, and relocated to a tiny town in Southwest Iowa during middle school. Although she currently resides in Des Moines, she is soon to be a resident of the [Iowa Lakes] area, mostly due to a certain lucky gentleman. She enrolled at Iowa State University as a genetics major with plans to become a lawyer. Halfway through her freshman year, she made the switch to studio arts, graduating in 2009 with a B.F.A. in the field. During her four and a half years at ISU, she took study abroad trips to places like Malaysia, New Zealand and Spain that helped to shape her along with her art. When she isn't taking photos or doing other art related things, she can be found experimenting in the kitchen, or curled up with a good book. She hopes you will enjoy her pieces for their aesthetic value and their ability to take you elsewhere, and not be concerned with squeezing out too much meaning.

Every photo that I take is one moment of a memory that I have. And while my recollection and interpretation of these memories change over time, the photos do not. I am obsessed with capturing these static moments, and often rearrange and exaggerate them.

I am drawn to bright colors and bold compositions. I prefer more natural and organic shapes. Most of my pieces are void of people, but this allows the landscape to take on a personality of its own.

I also use my photos in a process known as digital collage, where I layer, cut and color manipulate photos and pieces of photos I have taken. These pieces highlight the juxtaposition between what we remember and what actually occurred. I find it fascinating the way our brain stores information and replays it back to us, mixing the original with our intentions, emotions, and reality; and these pieces explore this process.

Memory is ever changing and growing and I hope that my work becomes part of yours.

-Amy McAfee