Local Art Seen: Kris Nelson Opening Reception @ the Pine Knot in Cloquet

Kris Nelson, a now retired K-12 art teach, painted her first chair in 1996. Her aim was to have a bedroom chair to match a quilt she'd recently made. Then suddenly something clicked and painting chairs--as an artist, not an interior decorator--became a way of life. Her goal is to finish 1000 chairs by her 100th birthday, and if I'm not mistaken she's about half-way there.

Thursday evening I stopped in at the Cloquet Pine Knot offices (122 Avenue C) for an opening reception featuring Kris Nelson's exhibition, "Cherish," which will be on display through June. Every chair has a story.

After acquiring an art degree at the U of Minnesota, Nelson became a career art teacher, beginning in Robbinsdale and Forest Lake schools before coming north to teach at Carlton and then 21 years at Wrenshall. She's also been a force in the local theater, orchestrating the art shows that accompany plays at the Encore Theater in Cloquet.

Here are some of the chairs you should try to see in person if able:

"Cut Zinnias"

"Chairshed Dolls"

"Oldenburg Chair"

"Spirit Tree"

"Potato Chip Chair"

"Wheels" -- (Note the Hot Wheels)

Related Links
Encore Theater Art Gallery
Chairs make the canvas. (Ann Markusen story in the Pine not)
Here are still more Chairs By Kris. 

Art goes on all around you. Get into it.