Bozeman Magazine

The Artists' Gallery is featuring the work of MACK and Tom Wolfe the entire month of May. Join us at the Art Walk, Friday, May 13th to meet the artists and enjoy all of their incredible creations. MACK grew up in Alaska on the family commercial fishing boat; fishing for crab, halibut and salmon. Very early in life she developed a great love for Art and singing Opera. She attended conservatories (Eastman School of Music & Oberlin Conservatory), famous music festivals and has performed with Orchestras and Opera Companies all over the US and Europe. Through all the travels and music she always painted as a form of gift giving, decorating everyone's apartment and “creative outlet” (creative outlet #2). When the Opera career got in the way of raising her family, she decided to hang up the viking horns and head for the mountains where she could paint and raise her family in peace! She has enjoyed finally having a chance to put onto canvas what has been dancing in her head for all these years. Still, there never seems to be enough time to put it all down....so, she is constantly making sketches of images she will eventually have time to create in full. MACK currently resides in beautiful Bozeman, Montana with her 3 children and husband (Bern Kohler, MSU Chemistry Professor). Besides painting and Mothering, she sings Opera roles with Intermountain Opera, is an Opera Board Member, and spearheads crazy Opera events like the Opera Run (creative outlet #3)! Tom Wolfe enjoys the limitless possibilities of what you can do with iron, anvil, and tireless toil that provides the inspiration for his functional metal work for the home and garden. Steel is the primary material with aluminum, copper and brass incorporated as design elements. Born in Great Falls, Montana, Tom has long had a fascination with changes that can be wrought in steel’s shape, texture and cross-section when heated to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. After 30 years as head of Montana States University’s Farrier School, Tom’s interest in traditional blacksmithing has broadened from practical and therapeutic horseshoeing to creating functional art. Tom finds it very rewarding to use fire, anvil, hammer and tongs and, through subtle manipulation of hot steel, a vision takes shape. Tom focuses the use of traditional blacksmithing techniques. Joinery is rivets, collars, mortise and tenon and forge-welds. Applying these techniques, Tom’s intent is to forge items that serve a purpose, are pleasing to the eye, and invite touch. Visit with MACK, Tom and the other artist members of The Artists' Gallery at the Art Walk Friday, May 13th, 2016 from 5pm - 8pm.