Artful News October 2026

In This Issue

Outdoor Painters Dazzle, Even in the Drizzle
More Stories Ahead for The Hook
Our Volunteers Are The Best!
Fall Classes: Ornaments, Lefse and More
Fall Gallery Highlights
Members In The News

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Outdoor Painters Dazzle,
​Even in the Drizzle

By Tom Kuder
The 2026 Prairie Lakes Plein Air festival held its gala public unveiling the last weekend of September, with an awards ceremony, quick-paint competition and demonstration by judge Michelle Combs. Twenty-seven artists have been painting throughout Otter Tail County this summer, and this was their chance to show their work, get feedback from the judge, meet collectors and maybe even win a ribbon.

Following a Collectors' Preview of over sixty submitted competition paintings, eight awards were given including Best of Show to Mary Boylan​ for her work Anchors Aweigh. Multiple paintings sold on the spot.

A quick-paint competition took place the following drizzly Saturday morning in Battle Lake that dampened neither the painters' enthusiasm nor their technique. 

The results are simply dazzling! All paintings are now on exhibit and available for purchase in the Gallery until October 24. After that they'll travel to the Kaddatz in Fergus Falls in November, and the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center in December.

This event - and the resulting creative work - shines a spotlight on Otter Tail County in a way that brochures, tourist sites and souvenirs simply cannot. Outdoor painters took time to explore and interpret the lakes and prairies around our area, watched as the light changed and danced, and produced some outstanding visual creations that capture the beauty and mystique of this special place.

At the end of September, they revealed their best work. Enjoy.

Competition Awards
Mary Boylan, Best in Show
Ginger Hansen Shafer, Second Place
Lisa Stauffer, Third Place
​Tracy McDermott, Honorable Mention
Cheryl Leclair-Sommer, Honorable Mention
Mary Lynch, Honorable Mention
Aaron Ostoj, People's Choice
Judy Celaschi​, Best of Battle Lake

Quick-Paint Awards
Aaron Ostoj, Artists' Choice
Cathy Raef-Dunnigan​, People's Choice

​Photos by Greg Gerhart and Jackie Henning. Video by Tom Kuder.

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More Stories Ahead for The Hook

Art of the Lakes held its first edition of The Hook on September 17 to a sold-out audience at 1910 Sip House, and the reviews are two thumbs up!

Your next chance to tell and hear stories (similar to The Moth on public radio and The Tell in Fargo) will be October 22, and again on November 12. We'll be back at 1910 Sip House for both events, and guests Joe and Katie Ahlfs will return to provide music and master of ceremony duties.

Prairie Public has generously offered us two free tickets to a live production of The Moth at the Fargo Theater November 13. We'll be giving these away at our October edition of The Hook, so book your tickets now!

October 22 "Spooky" Tickets
November 12 "That's Awkward" Tickets

Photos by Dan Thimgan

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Our Volunteers Are The Best!

Do you ever wonder how events like Prairie Lakes Plein Air, The Hook, Studio Tour, and Art & Craft Affair get done? Or how our Gallery looks so great, our Facebook page and newsletter have fun pictures, and people keep hearing about AOTL everywhere they go?

The answer is simple, but complex. Volunteers!

​It's simple to ask members and supporters to help out. It's much more complex to get people to step up, get organized, lead, and get things done.

That's why we're so grateful for our volunteers this year. They've truly delivered outstanding results under tight deadlines and limited budgets.

Consider The Hook project, for example. Led by volunteer Mary Dahl, her team included Kristi Kuder and Sheryl Olson, plus ticket-takers and others. They got funding, planned, organized, designed a logo, partnered with 1910 Sip House and promoted a new event (three actually) that had never been attempted by the organization before. All in about six weeks.

Or, Prairie Lakes Plein Air, a summer-long project chaired by volunteer Stephen Henning and assisted by a volunteer team of Ann Smith, John Olesen, Debbie Ness and Susan Seaborn. This team found a judge, set up painting classes, organized rules and prizes, wrote newsletter articles, ran the quick-paint competition and more. Additional volunteers helped hang the competition paintings and organized the Collectors' Preview reception (see photos). Whew!

Our biggest group of volunteers is our Displaying Artists group, who contribute their time to "gallery sit" several times each year. You really make a difference: operating gallery sales, greeting customers and visitors, and presenting a welcoming face for the organization. And new this year, taking photos of happy customers for volunteer Sandy Thimgan to post on Facebook (see images)!

Speaking of Facebook and Instagram, even something as simple as sharing and posting content about Art of the Lakes is a volunteer action that's appreciated! It's organic (free) marketing at its finest, and anyone can do it.

Finally, our gratitude to photographers Greg Gerhart, Dan Thimgan and Jackie Henning for all you do to capture Art of the Lakes in action. Our social media and newsletter wouldn't be the same without you.
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Our thanks to all the volunteers who contribute their time, talent and energy to Art of the Lakes. You are appreciated!

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Fall Classes:
​Ornaments, Lefse & More

Autumn is a time of transition. How about moving from summer into the holidays with some classes from Art of the Lakes?

• Make a light-up ornament using alcohol ink. October 5.​
• Make lefse the easy way, with potato flakes. October 6.
• Make easy clay Christmas ornaments. November 16/23.
• Carve & paint a wood snowman. December 5.

Details and registration for all classes can be found on our Classes page.

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Fall Gallery Highlights

• Holiday market starts Thanksgiving weekend. (Displaying artists: Start getting those gift-priced items ready).
• Along with the holiday market, we'll be having “Handmade Holidays” each Saturday: drop in and create handmade items for gift giving.
• Displaying artists: We have some great Fall shifts available  11-4 Wed thru Sat.

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Our Members in The News

Art of the Lakes members are among the most active and accomplished artists and art supporters around! Here's a selection of news about just some of them.

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Judi Celaschi was awarded Best of Show in the 2026 Red Door Rural Art Exhibition for her painting Golden Glow of Sunrise.  

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Grace Haverty's painting Jumping For Joy was accepted into National Watercolor Society 106 International Open Exhibition being held at their gallery in San Pedro, California. 
Her painting The Conductor was accepted into Arizona Watercolor Association being held in the Civic Center Plaza, Surprise, Arizona. This exhibit will be on display through  December 11. 

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John Olesen has an art exhibition titled (Mostly) New Glasswork at the Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance from September 18 to November 7. A reception will be held October 1 from 5:30 to 7:30, with an artist talk at 6pm.

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Sandra Daulton Shaughnessy is exhibiting atmospheric fired pottery  in 3 invitationals:

• CupNorth at Crossing Arts Alliance, Brainerd, MN October 24-November 15, 2026
• Great Lakes Cup Show, Yourist Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI Oct 23-Nov 14, 2026

• The Yunomi - Raymond Avenue Gallery,St.Paul, MN October 30- Dec 21, 2026

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Got AOTL News?

Please email stories and images to Art of the Lakes' newsletter editor, Tom Kuder. Deadline is two days before the end of each month. Thanks!