Jesse Balmer
Jbpens.weebly.com

Jesse Balmer is an 18 year old Pen maker from Johnston Iowa. Jesse will be a senior in high school this year, and is very involved in his school band and youth group. Jesse has been creating hand made pens for 5 years now, and is excited to show off his new creations! All pens are unique and made from a variety of materials ranging from wood to corn cobs to acrylics. Stop by and see his pens this year at the Art on the Prarie Art Festival!

Pam Dennis / Ryk Weiss
https://www.facebook.com/Flock9Studios/

We began decades ago building willow furniture and baskets. This folk art soon evolved from functional to fine art wall pieces combining willow, pit-fired or raku clay, and copper. We marketed at high end art festivals nationally for 25 years, as well as the teaching numerous workshops which continues to this day. 
The past decade we have focused on installations, sculpture and conducting collaborative workshops in many communities culminating in a permanent public work. Our murals and sculptures have been exhibited and installed at public gardens, parks, schools, and museums.

Our work explores the infinite variety of combinations possible in a few simple materials, bringing together our past experience with willow and weaving and the many textures possible with clay and copper.  We try to make our work feel familiar, yet achieve a combination of forms not experienced before. 

In 2016 we added two more panels to a mixed media mural "Art On The Prairie" placed outside La Poste in Perry. These three panels were made to include tiles created with the public during the Art On The Prairie Festival in fall 2014.

Tammie Harcharik
https://www.facebook.com/TammieDesigns/

I have been making gifts for people for the last few years and this year decided to make items to sell. I just started selling at the Downtown Des Moines Farmer's Market. All the items I use are repurposed. I repurpose vintage jewelry boxes, cover gift boxes, use pics from children's books to create my " in and out" pics. Some of the pics are in the frame and some are out of the frame. I also make collage and also repurpose small pieces of furniture.

Brad Kiefer
http://www.bkieferart.com

As long as I can remember I have enjoyed working with diverse and varied building materials.  In the summer of 1978, as I was beginning my senior year of high school, my parents decided to build a log home.  We spent the summer building the log shell of the cabin, at the end of this we concentrated on the interior.  My parents graciously gave me their trust and artistic license to build kitchen cabinets, doors, a kitchen light and stain glass window.  I believe this was the start of my interest with material use and design.

In early 2000 my wife and I started plans to build our own home in rural Boone County. The entire project from design to building the structure was a family project.

Again, I found myself enjoying artistic license.  One of the prime interests I developed during the building phase of our home was my fascination with material texture, and the use of natural and artificial light. I learned how I could use the two to create a mood and an aesthetically pleasing environment.  Extending this to the light designs, I use a mix of copper and wood.  For the light source I use a LED puck light that consumes 1.25 watts of power that gives a “Moonlight Glow” to the lamp.  I like to call them Moon Lights. I also use a 20 Watt puck light depending on the light effect I’m trying to achieve.

Michael Lundberg
https://www.facebook.com/MeekaMouseArt

Iowa native and horse lover, Michael Lundberg, received her bachelor's and master's degree in painting and 2-D mixed media from Iowa State University. Her master's thesis revolved around the artistic interpretation of the Moorish influences in the Iberian Peninsula.  Her passion for horses and Spanish history led her to live in Salamanca, Spain, for six years working on a doctorate degree in art history at the Universidad de Salamanca.  While living there, Michael continued her research and grew very interested in the rich patterns, ornamentation, decorative motifs and surface treatments of architectural structures and textile designs in the Iberian Peninsula and northern Africa.  Artists, such as Gustave Klimt, Itchiku Kubota and Franz Marc; as well as medieval marginalia and illumination artists, also, significantly inspired her compositions in terms of visual harmony, color balance and texture.  It is Michael's belief that intricate patterns, texture and surface treatments not only visually stimulate and dazzle the eye, but also allow the viewer a moment of reflection and quiet contemplation; something desperately needed in a fast-paced world.

Vikki Morain
www.warpedwoman.etsy.com

Who knew? I'm an ARTIST! After successful careers in university teaching and sales, I found myself in a small Iowa town. Great! That gave me the opportunity to revive my weaving skills and to explore fascinations with fusing glass and turning wood.  It's been fun to pass those passions on to others all ages through weaving and fusing classes in my home studio. It is so hard to wait until the glass kiln has cooled enough to safely open it and see what magic has transpired!  It's the same with wood. Natural beauty reveals itself with every spin of the lathe. The result: artistic and functional items.  Commissions and questions welcomed.  I'd love to make something special and unique for you.  Let's talk!

Betsy Peterson
https://www.facebook.com/BetsyPetersonDesigns

When I was young, I wanted to grow up to be an Artist.My Mother was an Artist. It was her creativity and divergent ways of solving  problems that, in part, trained me to to think and design in novel ways.

 Courage, Joy, Whimsey, Resilience,& Grace, are all woven into my 3-dimentional Sculptures and Wooden Paintings to inspire the same in others. Wire , Clay, Wood, and Acrylic Paint are the mediums I use to bring my Heart to each Piece

Mika Sorak

Southern Iowan Artist that combined traditional & modern blacksmithing to create organic shapes out of various types of metal, some natural & some painted, but each are one of a kind creations.

Jan Stephan

Mostly self taught. OOAK folk art dolls. Made of polymer clay, fabric, wool. Approx 8-9 inches tall All elder women

Richard Wright
rwrightstudios.com

Like all men, I am in a constant battle to control nature. I utilize natural processes, to create beautiful and functional pieces out of industry. In addition, I use hammering, cutting, intentional rusting, and welding, to create my work.

I enjoy creating  decorative art with organic forms that best identify my fascination with nature. I allow the shapes to take form more organically instead of determining every aspect myself. These pieces serve as a reminder that as we work to control nature it uses its own forces for its own path.

Over the past few years, my love of blacksmithing and iron work has increased, and I have been self-teaching myself as I create new tools and discover new techniques. Each time I pick up the hammer I learn new things, and not a day goes by that I don't pick up the hammer. I love turning scraps into beautiful and functional pieces of art for the kitchen and home.

RWright Studios started (and still very much is) a studio dedicated to fine art. I love to work with and create beautiful pieces of art with rusted, welded, and recycled metal scraps. 

​The shop is based in Des Moines, IA, where each piece is carefully made by hand out of recycled materials.