Karen Anderson Opening, Magnolia Salon Kickoff and a Plug for Julie Deters

Painting by Karen Anderson. 

It's already February, so don't be alarmed by the weather. Spring is in sight. No matter that temps this past week hit 22 below on our thermometers.

This afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00 is the opening reception at Lakeside Gallery for Karen Anderson, featured artist for February. Karen's work is collectively called Winter Woods and features vibrant winter landscapes. “My efforts to observe and express our Northland winter’s enchantment inevitably stirs a reverence for it’s Creator," she explains. "I try to capture the soft warm glow of the winter sun and the bold calligraphy of the shadows on the snow. There is an abiding stillness in winter woods.”

Indeed there's something dramatic about the play of light and shadows on winter snow. The other night our brilliant full moon cast a remarkable midnight glow over our freshly blanketed landscape, more like a white sheet than a quilt.

The Report from Magnolia Salon

Emily (L) and Glenn (R) acknowledging Yvette's contributions
toward making the Magnolia Salon a reality.

Earlier this week we wrote about the upcoming launch of the Magnolia Salon not really knowing what to really expect. The vision had been outlined, but it wasn't till we arrived would we see whether this was something would get up and go.

Sure enough, one could readily surmise by the cars lining the street that something was up. Good heavens, we were lucky to have a seat. When we entered the Oldenburg House we were met by a roomful of people enthusiastically chattering away. The positive vibe was palpable. At a certain point in time Glenn and Emily, our Oldenburg House hosts, welcomed us and then introduced Yvette, an entrepreneur who this past year opened the Magnolia Cafe in Carlton. Magnolia Salon was spun from discussions and dream-weaving by Emily and Yvette, in part stimulated by the scene from Midnight In Paris where Gil goes back in time and finds himself in the company of Gertrude Stein and her own Paris salon, a meeting place for the like of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso and other notable figures.

Yvette expressed appreciation for our having stepped out to be part of the opening, stating that their vision was for Magnolia Salon to be "a way to bring people together, to gather, to meet, to talk and build community."

Since this was the first night, there was open discussion about the best way to make this work. Some expressed that the current format might make it hard for people to mix and a number of ideas were shared on how to make it easier to interact with others. One of the overarching aims of the Salon is to find ways to spark creativity in daily life.

In addition to building community, the Magnolia Salon features soup and sandwiches, libations and sweets. I liked what Emily said a lot, though, that they were desirous to discover "what this old house wants to happen here."

Upcoming weeks (this will be a weekly event on Thursdays through the end of May) will include music and a variety of speakers with the aim of taking a deeper dive into things we've all thought about in our isolated ways.

There were quite a few people involved with music and teaching. Next Thursday they're slated to devote the evening to an inside look at what takes place in preparation for a jazz performance. Next Friday they will be Cookin' at the O. Thursday, the team will be tuning up, working out intros, outros and all the rest. Check in at 6:00 p.m. Thursday next week and make yourself at home.

Julie Deters Fun(d) Raiser
March 3 there will be a Fun(d) Raiser for cancer-survivor Julie Deters, whom we met at the Magnolia Salon last night. This special event has a surprise twist. Instead of seeking assistance with medical bills she is seeking to raise funds to get certification as a Registered Yoga Teacher so she can give back to the community. The event is March 3 at Peace Church. Her aim is to gain more skills to help people who have experienced trauma in their lives.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Get into it.