Gallery's fall open house
features pottery firing, music and more

Ripple River Gallery's annual fall open house, set for Saturday, Oct.
7, serves up a celebration of the season with a colorful combination of
art, apples and fall color. Experience the alchemy of a raku pottery
firing, enjoy folk and Celtic-flavored music on fiddle and dulcimer,
and hobnob with artists and and others who appreciate the creative
process. Apple cider and goodies will be served all day.

Under a canopy of maples in full autumn splendor, potter-educator Jim
Loso, St. Joseph, will conduct the raku firing, beginning around 10
a.m. For the fourth year, Loso will provide small bisque-fired pots for
participants to glaze. After the pots are glazed, they are fired in a
portable gas kiln; then, in a dramatic display of smoke and fire, the
red-hot pots are placed in sawdust and covered to provide the
atmosphere that gives the glazes unusual and unexpected qualities. The
process will take about 45 minutes.

Participants can choose a pot to glaze, fire and take home--there is no
charge for the event, however, donations will be accepted for Aitkin
Public Library and the Jessie F. Hallett Memorial Library in Crosby.
Registration for the pottery firing is not required; pots are available
on a first-come, first-serve basis.

From 10 a.m. to noon musician Paul Imholte will entertain. Known as the
“musical stringman,” Imholte often brings a dozen instruments to a
performance, offering a repertoire that blends country hoe-down with
Celtic enchantment.

Along with work by over 40 regional artists, visitors can also enjoy
the gallery's current exhibit, "Painting the Beaver Pond," and meet
artist Esther San Felippo at a reception held in her honor from 3 to 5
p.m. San Felippo, who lives near Aitkin, will be present to talk about
her paintings on silk and canvas and the work that was inspired by a
two-year study of a beaver pond out her back door.

The golden days of autumn provide the perfect opportunity to travel the
back roads of the lakes country to discover scenic vistas and trees
cloaked in full color. For a fall destination, consider Ripple River
Gallery, five miles south of Deerwood on Highway 6, then 3 miles east
of Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge on County Road 14 to Partridge Avenue; or
south of Aitkin on Highway 169 to Bennettville, then 3.2 miles west on
County Road 11 to Partridge Avenue. For more information call
218-678-2575 or e-mail: ripriv@mlecmn.net.