4th Annual Wine, Beer & Cheese Gala & 'End Hibernation' Art Show

End Hibernation, a show featuring 4 Wisconsin wildlife artists, opened on April 9 with the 4th Annual Wine, Beer and Cheese Gala.  Once again, Hugo of Dupont Cheese returned with old favorites as well as their newest cheeses and Art of Stevens Point Brewery offered an enticing mix of beers and sodas.  Wagner Shell, donors of the wine, brought 2 wine experts who helped guests chose and learn about 12 interesting red and white wines.  Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meats provided delectable smoked turkey and ham as well as the ever popular Cambazola and Sargento Parmesan cheeses. Grapes from Hanke's Tru Value grocery cleansed the palate and Lisa's Sweet Shoppe and Catering delighted us once again with her mini-chocolate cupcakes.

Creatures of Wisconsin's woods and streams lined the walls of the WOWSPACE--a #300 black bear, mounted and on the prowl; a string of yellow perch, a bobcat perched up in the corner; a fierce Canadian wolf; two deer heads with interlocked horns and paintings of otters, deer, muskies, cardinals and much, much more.

Art lovers, fisherman, hunters--all found something to admire!  The 
show was sponsored by Wisconsin Deerhunters, Inc. Witt-Birn Chapter.

The show featured 4 Wisconsin wildlife artists.

The artists:

Andy Goretski, Tomahawk, WI, lives on the edge of the Northwoods and paints its inhabitants.  Andy is best known for his commercial installations; however, he is also a muralist, having painted "The Nuts and Bolts of It," which depicts a turn of the century hardware store on the Wittenberg True Value Hardware store and "All Aboard--
All Aboard," the Chicago Northwestern train on Low's storage building. (See murals to read more)

Brian Kuether, Greenfield, WI, grew up in rural Wisconsin and has an intimate familiarity with the natural world, the landscapes and wildlife which have surrounded him.  Winner of the WI Wildlife Federation print of the year in 2009 and the WI Waterfowl Stamp competition in 2008, his work has been widely exhibited in galleries and shows throughout the country.  Kuether says "I am driven to produce provocative pieces which showcase the magnificent beauty of nature and life."

Rodd Umlauf, Lake Tomahawk, WI, lives near some of the country's best musky fishing.  This setting, surrounded by hundreds of wilderness lakes, is perfect for his sport fishing art.  Best known for his covers for the Musky Hunter Magazine, he has also done work for
Fishing Facts, WI Outdoor Journal, Fur-Fish-Game and Midwest Outdoors magazines. He is the winner of the 2001 WI Trout Stamp competition.

Sandi Weber, Wittenberg, WI, Stone Wall Taxidermy, astound us with the artistry of her mounts--bear, bobcat, grey fox, Canadian wolf and other creatures of the woods and streams.  Each piece combines not only the skill of her mountings and their life-like poses but also the appropriate settings for each of the creatures.