Different styles make for unique artwork

Published 9:00 am Sunday, February 23, 2020

: Three generation of women are a few of the members of the Key Town Painters Club and will have work on display as part of the Kiester area artists exhibit at The Albert Lea Art Center. From left, work by Peggy Bivins; her daughter, Leslea Gooden; and her granddaughter, Laurel Gooden, is pictured. - Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune

Kiester painting club to be featured in Albert Lea Art Center show

A show highlighting Kiester area artists will also highlight the different artistic mediums they work with.

The Albert Lea Art Center’s next exhibit will feature work from the Key Town Painters Club — a club that meets weekly year-round and twice a week during the summer.

The club has shown at a myriad of fairs, including Farming of Yesteryear, Kiester Days and the Blue Earth County Fair, but the Art Center show is the first time the club will exhibit work in a gallery. The club originated in 2011 and meets from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays in what used to be the ag room of the former Kiester school. During the summer the club also meets on Thursdays, where children are welcome to attend.

The group started with taking lessons from Peggy Bivins, but now looks at her as a mentor. The members’ experience ranges from novice to expert. Member Dawn Flaskerud had never tried painting before joining, but now paints finely detailed pieces. Her daughter-in-law, Kristy Flaskerud, had taken some painting classes in high school but came back to it when she joined the club. She enjoys painting landscapes.

“We all have our own style,” Bivins said.

That enjoyment is the objective of the club, Bivins said, and is why any level of expertise, including none, is welcome.

“We all help each other,” said club member Leslea Gooden, who is Bivins’ daughter. Bivins’ granddaughter, Laurel Gooden, is also a member of the club.

Pictured, back row, from left, are Key Town Painters Club members Leslea Gooden, Dawn Flaskerud, Jim Dalton and Kristy Flaskerud; and front row, are Laurel Gooden and Peggy Bivins. – Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune

For Kristy Flaskerud, sometimes the club is her way of getting out to interact with others during the harsh winter weather months. For Dawn Flaskerud, painting is a way for her to put everything else aside and focus on the artwork, along with getting together with others.

Members pay dues to rent out the school space and have to have their own supplies. Those interested in joining are welcome to show up to the group’s weekly time.

The club was connected with the Art Center through club member Jim Dalton, who is also a member of the Art Center. Dalton has also been teaching drawing and painting classes at the Freeborn County jail for the past two years.

The group’s membership has changed over the years, but its mission to enjoy creating artwork in a variety of different ways has not.

The show at the Art Center will run from March 1 through March 28, with an opening reception from 1 to 3 p.m. March 1. Some pieces will be for sale, but even ones that aren’t listed for sale will consider any offers made. Prints will also be for sale. Different mediums in the show include different painting techniques, beadwork and different types of drawing or etching, among others, and on different surfaces.

“I think people will be surprised how much local talent there is,” Kristy Flaskerud said.

If you go

What: Kiester area artists exhibit featuring work from the Key Town Painters Club

When: show will be open March 1 through March 28, with an opening artist reception from 1 to 3 p.m. March 1

Where: The Albert Lea Art Center, 101 S. Broadway Ave. in downtown Albert Lea

How much: viewing work at the Art Center is free