Mentored Artist Program

Encouraging young artists in the community is part of Zero Degrees Gallery's mission.
​
Mentored artists have the opportunity to:
     *  work one-on-one with a mentor (gallery member)
     *  exhibit their artwork in an established gallery
     *  promote their work at a gallery reception
     *  learn about the retail end of art
     *  meet other artists and area art lovers
 

Lily Smentkowski   |   April-June 2023

​Artist statement
​
My name is Lily Smentkowski, and I'm a Junior at Marquette Senior High School. I have enjoyed arts and crafts since I was a young child, and I've always had lot's of fun exploring new projects with new mediums.

​My biggest inspirations for my creativity come from my mom, Mavis Farr, and my art teacher, Mr. Fether. My favorite ways to create art are painting and drawing. I love watercolor and acrylic paint especially.

​

Isabella Ehle   |   January-March 2023
​

​Art to me is about imperfections that separate it from reality. My goal is to create pieces that, while recognizable, differ greatly from what we see on an everyday basis, portraits being my favorite subject because of the uniqueness each one carries. My favorite mediums are oil pastel, acrylic, gouache, and watercolor because of their fluidity and colors. Color is my favorite tool to use. I love manipulating it, mixing it, and trying unconventional color combinations that make it my own.

---

​Leo Barch   |   November/December 2022 
​

Artist Statement

I have been doing art all my life and have had so many amazing teachers. My first art class was at the Art Academy with Barb Knox. I am currently a senior at Marquette Senior High School and have taken many art classes with Mr. Fether and Ms. Hinch including design, painting, ceramics and sculpture, and design two. Last year I dual enrolled at Northern Michigan University and took graphic design foundations with professor Keith Ellis and Illustration foundation with professor Steven Hughes. This year I am taking intro to process and design with professor Alex Fekete. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to meet and work with all of these amazing teachers and I'm so excited to meet more next fall when I attend NMU full-time as a freshman.

This summer, my work was featured at the Chocolay Bayou Art Walk, where I put together a show of small 10cm x 10cm gouache paintings. Also, I was commissioned to paint murals at Peter White Public Library for their themed summer reading program “Oceans of Possibilities.” This year I will be a part of the inaugural year of Artists in Excellence, a program put together by the art teachers at Marquette, Ishpeming, and Negaunee high schools, along with members of the City of Marquette Office of Arts and Culture. I am super excited to collaborate with other students and get some experience in art education.

I have been super into gouache painting recently, primarily painting landscapes, but also experimenting with animal portraits; ocean dwellers, and cats for the most part. I also do a lot of work with colored pencils and graphite. I have been working on developing my own style of illustration and have been dabbling in digital painting. Additionally, I have been working on my acrylic painting, taking inspiration from Bob Ross's oil on canvas landscapes.

I am looking forward to my life in art this year, after high school pursuing degrees in art education and illustration, growing my creative voice, and cultivating my skills. I hope you enjoy my art and all of the other amazing work here in the Zero Degrees Gallery.

Leo will be mentored by ZDG artist Chris Wetton.

​

Joe Rosten

For more about Joe Rosten's work, visit
https://www.facebook.com/joerostenwoodworking

Zero Degrees Mentored Artist Program begins with Joe Rosten. Joe is a 16 year old junior at Negaunee High School who has been interested in woodworking for several years. He started working with the lathe in 2019 and has been doing some very complex work, including segmented vases and bowls, basket illusion techniques and adding resin to his pieces, and has also created end tables using resin. These are very advanced techniques and he has dove right in and is doing very well.
Please stop by and see the amazing work this young man has produced!
                               --Jon Marc Himes, Artist/Mentor

Artist Statement

I’m Joe Rosten and I’m 16 years old. I am from Negaunee, Michigan and am a junior at Negaunee High School. In my spare time I like to make things out of wood. I started woodturning on my lathe in 2019. Woodturning is the art of using a lathe, which is a machine that spins wood at high speeds so you can form the wood with sharp tools. I like to think of a lathe as a “pottery wheel” for wood. 

I’m a completely self-taught woodturner, learning on my own by reading books, watching videos, and attending live demonstrations. During the lockdowns of 2020 I spent many hours in my shop experimenting and trying new things. My work is decorated with either paints, dyes, wood burning, India ink markers, or simply the natural beauty of the wood itself. I mainly create decorative wood turned pieces, but I also do other woodworking projects such as cutting boards and fine furniture.

Although some of my work is functional, my favorite things to make are the artistic pieces. I focus most of my time on making vases, platters, and bowls. Some of them are segmented, where I cut out each individual segment of wood, and glue them together to form the piece. I also like to do the “basket illusion” technique where I use beading tools and an indexing system to create many squares which I then color in to create amazing patterns. 

Making something amazing with my hands is very rewarding to me. My favorite part is when a project is complete and I can take a step back and admire my work. I think back to all the hours cutting, gluing, or sanding involved. All of my pieces are one of a kind and take several hours to create. My work will last many generations to come. As I sell items, I expand my woodshop and upgrade my tools. When you support me, not only are you getting a one of a kind piece, but you are also helping me grow as an artist. I hope you enjoy my creations!

Tristin Larson

Tristin Larson is our Spring 2022 student artist in the Mentored Artist Program. She is a senior at the Northstar Alternative High School and has been accepted into the Art and Design Program at Bay College in Escanaba.

Tristin Larson will be Zero Degrees Gallery's Mentored Artist through June 2022.

Simon Barrett

Hey There, I’m Simon…
I create original oil paintings, sketches, pen and ink, and most recently, sculpture. All of my ideas are completely original. Usually I have so many images lodged in the minefield of my brain, that sometimes it takes a while before a project really solidifies and an image appears. I enjoy the process of giving each art piece its own unique story line. Often, I’ll leave just a bit of my work “incomplete”. This gives people the opportunity to piece together their own story and view my art in a unique and personal way.
 
I’ve done art ever since I can remember - starting with paper tubes, lots of tape, and a stapler to create cars, rockets, and helicopters. Eventually I moved on to pencil, slowly added color (with the encouragement of Elizabeth, my art mentor for many years), and then quickly moved from acrylics to oil painting. In addition, I try to challenge myself and work in mediums that push me out of my comfort zone. Currently I am working with clay to give my designs more dimension and push my understanding of shape.