About the Artists

Jim Finlan

Jim was born in 1962 in the upper peninsula of Michigan to the parents of William J. Finlan and Donna Rose Timm. Jim attended art classes at Pasadena Community College in California and Mojave Community College in Arizona. Jim does murals, banners, prints, and paintings. His artwork is proudly displayed in the 8th street coffeehouse, residences, and on the side of businesses in Escanaba, MI and beyond.

Contact Information:

Jim Finlan
906-280-5148
psychoart @ hotmail.com

Karen Ann Brzys

I have been coming to Grand Marais for as long as I can remember. My grandmother was born here just after the turn of the last century after my great-grandparents emigrated from Finland in the late 1890s. My mother also was raised in Grand Marais. As a child, my summers were spent in this magical place on the south shore of Lake Superior. My experiences here not only developed a dynamic appreciation for the natural world, but they also served as an important counterbalance needed to offset the school-year time spent in the busy suburbs of Detroit.

One of the key aspects of my Grand Marais summers involved the Gitche Gumee Museum. There were many evenings I sat on the front porch of the museum waiting for Axel to return from his day-job of managing the tourist park, located kitty-corner across the street. Axel managed Woodland Park, owned by the local township, for over 30 years after the lamprey eel desecrated the lake trout population, causing he and his dad to retire from commercial fishing. Sometimes he would finish his park duties early and escape down to the beach to hunt for the elusive Lake Superior agate. He knew he could depend on me waiting for him to come and open the museum doors for his evening hours of entertainment. I would just sit and watch him amuse the tourists, or occasionally he would give me little chores to help.

After starting in a deficit position of having poor eyesight until I was 10, my work ethic allowed me to do well academically, both in high school and at the University of Michigan. But I think I also learned Axel’s tendency toward diversification. After graduating with my bachelors degree in Natural Resources, I earned a masters in Educational Administration. During my work life I have enjoyed the challenge of more than twelve different types of jobs including: information specialist, organizational development, gaming simulations designer, technical writer, sales trainer, public relations, market research, trade show management, marketing product management, government relations, brewpub restaurant owner, public official, and museum owner/curator and artist. Through it all I survived over a million and a half miles of airline travel before I moved to Grand Marais in 1994. Although I will always stay busy, I look forward at this stage of my life to a calmer existence of operating the museum, teaching classes, and making agate art. With both kids grown (both graduated from college and now developing their careers), I can now harvest a few of the fruits from my different jobs to eke out a meager living wherein I can carry on Axel’s legacy of helping others to enjoy the beauty of nature and the wonders of life.

Contact Information:

Karen Brzys
Gitche Gumee Museum
E21739 Brazel Street, PO Box 308
Grand Marais, MI 49839
karen @ agatelady.com
906-494-2590 (rings at museum and at home)
906-450-5033 (cell phone -- not always turned on)

Tana Leckson

Artist Tana Leckson was born of Native American Chippewa Indian decent, and raised a fisherman’s daughter in the town of Fairport, Michigan.  At an early age she fell in love with a kaleidoscope of arts ranging from drawing and wood crafting, to playing guitar.  After leaving the Upper Peninsula to finish high school, she returned to her roots in the picturesque town of Garden.  Leckson hopes her artwork will encourage people to pay attention to how many special things there are in the real world.  She regards her greatest artistic achievement as the moment a person conveys that something she has drawn inspired them to create a masterpiece of their own; or, that her artwork has helped them through a difficult time, and perhaps prompted them to help others.  Let Tana recapture a childhood memory in Pen & Ink, for you or someone special.

Contact Information:

906-644-2794
anat_production @ yahoo.com

 

Theresa Gardner

"I was born in 1940" - The great depression was finally beginning to ease, the president was FDR, and the beginnings of WWII were forming. The Movie"Gone With The Wind" was made, Jazz sounds were popular, and I was content as a baby should be.

Moving from the Madison WI area was at first a pretty drastic step for me, but love called and I answered, not only the call of the beauty of the North Woods, as I now live in Northern Wisconsin close to the U.P. in the small town of Florence WI. (The best kept secret of the North) and also to a new love, my hubby Don....I was a newly-wed at age 66.

I am interested in many Arts and Crafts inc. Basket-Weaving, Quilting, Cross-Stitch, and many other ones I have tried. I also enjoy, reading, (belong to a Book-Club), Volunteering, I have also begun to teach myself how to play the piano, I love music.

I hope you enjoy looking at my Jewelry. Most of the pieces are custom - I just put my treasured products of Gemstones, Pearls, and faceted Crystal to name a few in front of me and create something.

Thanks for your interest.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Theresa Gardner
PO Box 200 Florence WI 54121
715-528-5856
theresa @ dtgardner.com