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LEADER -TELEGRAMSATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 1983New art gallery to open on Water StreetBy John Price Leader-Telegram staffJohn Orth feels right at home at his new art gallery in Eau Claire. He should. He grew up there.“Water Street is home'turf for me,” said Orth. “This building I’m real close to. My grandmother bought it and moved in here in 1928.Orth spent much of his life living both upstairs and downstairs behind the old storefront at 412 Water.His grandmother, Elvira Johnson, ran a grocery store there for years, and she still owns tne building. So it’s no surprise that he decided to name his new business the E. Johnson Gallery in her honor.The 700-square-foot building formerly was occupied by El Papagayo until January, when that shoe store moved next door. “I’ve been here for sixmonths, cleaning, renovating, trying to fix things up,” said Orth, who again is living in the building, this time with his own family.E. Johnson Gallery is being established as a “dramatic gallery of art” to showcase the creations of Orth, who works with wood and a lathe, and otherlocal artists.y y“That space out there I want to be vitally alive, said Orth at his kitchen table. “I want to attract serious, committed artists to exhibit and sell their work. 1 want it to be ever growing, ever changing.”Orth himself is still growing and changing as an artist, he says. He has been working with his lathe only about three or four years. “Artistically, my feathers are still wet, but I consider myself a committed student of art,” Orth said.After growing up in Eau Claire and serving in the Air Force, Orth studied art for two semesters at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, which he said constitutes his serious art training. He spent a few more years aimlessly working at different jobs until, he said, he underwent a sort of midlife crisis — “the realization of my mortality.”“It was a year or so after my son was born, and I decided to stop tasting careers and get down to what I really wanted to do, ’ he said. “I’ve been tu wood ever since.”turningOrth has spent that time in a “self-imposed apprenticeship,” creating mostly utilitarian objects such as plates, bowls, candleholders and plant stands. His work, which he frequently shows at art fairs, displays a baroque influence, which is deliberate.“The spirits of those old 15th, 16th, 17th century turners were my teachers,” he said. Now he’s starting to get into more experimental techniques, making larger pieces.“I want to encourage the type of work that communicates emotionally, which is what art should be,” Orth said. “That puts a lot of demand on my work, because I expect this out of other people.”Orth initially will share the gallery with two other artists. Dale Woodford, an Eau Claire native who lives in Madison, creates floral designs using a variety of print and photo reproduction techniques, including silkscreen and airbrush. Tom Gilbert, a UW-Stout instructor since 1967, is a metalsmith who makes jewelry and hollow ware out of silver and gold.“I’m looking for a glassblower,” Orth said.“There’s an area (in the gallery) I’d like to keep pretty much fluid and have other artists come in and show their work — two- or three-week shows. And I can see in the future emptying out the place for real dramatic shows by one or two people, artistic events.”He hopes to be open for business by Tuesday. “I’m not thinking ‘grand opening.’ I’m thinking open the door.. . . Like I told Tom, I’ve turned over tne sod, and we’ll see what grows.”John Orth, proprietor of the new E. Johnson Gallery at 412 Water St., shows some of the wood objects he created with his lathe. On the wall are floral designs by Dale Woodford of Madison. Orth, who remodeled the interior ofthe building after a shoe store moved out, plans to continue changing the decor. Ideally, he said, it should be adjusted tocomplement whatever art is being displayed in the gallery.Staff photo by Jason TetzloffPRECISION55mm Kodacokx printsPreas*oo 35 features• Glossy paper• Sleeved negatives• Full frame - 3Vx5*• Square comers• Inspection certificate• PbotoSaver Box14 EXPOSURES*4.8936 EXPOSURES*6.99Coupon must accompany order Good through Aug 27 83een:3a/a of (Phoktfraphy216 S. Baritow St.,Eau Claire, Wl S4701 DIAL (715) 834 5720MANDOPHOTO MMflHIHC
Newspaper Details
Eau Claire Leader Telegram
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US
Sat, Aug 13, 1983
Page 34
Full Page
Clipped by
T W.
NA, 24 Jul 2021
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