Are you looking for a one-of-a-kind art piece? The Press-Gazette found six artisans whose passion and dedication to art translated into full-time businesses with mediums ranging from glass, clay and ceramics to medieval art prints.
All these artists participated in the NWTC Artisan and Business Center Residency Program, 1417 Cedar St., Green Bay. This program helps artists with business basics including building an online presence and setting goals for the future.
Here’s how these Brown County artists turned arts and crafts into dollars and cents
Josh and Elizabeth Sommers took several pottery classes in 2016 and discovered a passion for ceramics. Josh works at Schreiber Foods and Elizabeth worked as a physician assistant before becoming a full-time artisan.
The Sommers’s started “Birds in Clay” in March of 2023, Elizabeth said, when she felt that it was time for a change.
“I told my husband, I want to do this as a full-time gig,” she said. “He said ‘You should, I support you,’ so this was kind of years in the making.”
They sell planters, bowls, vases, jars and other decorative hand-crafted pieces online. Elizabeth said they also participate in local markets and art festivals. Prices for pieces start as low as $15 for two mini bowls go up to $1,500 for a wall art piece.
“We hope to expand to some of the larger markets (like Art Fest in Sturgeon Bay) next year,” she said.
For more information visit birdsinclay.com.
Sisters-in-law fell in love with glasswork at the Artisan Center
When Beth Rathburn retired from speech pathology, she found the next best thing for her: glass. With Laurie Oryall, her sister-in-law, she took a few classes at the Artisan Center and watched tutorials on how to work and fuse glass.
Rathburn said she had been working with glass before retiring, but started to improve at it two years ago. That is when she and Oryall created Sisters Glass Art and in March of 2024 launched a website to sell their products online.
“Previously we would go to craft shows,” Rathburn said. “But there we would sell sun catchers, but not art pieces or other larger decorations.”
Their work includes decoration platters, trays, bowls, plates, and other art pieces that can be used to decorate a backyard or deck. Rathburn said sales come from art shows and craft shows. The online store helps for branding and exposure. Due to the delicate nature of the art, online ordering and shipping are tricky. She offers local pickup and delivery and will work with customers if they’re from outside the Green Bay area.
Rathburn encourages people to contact them via the website for information about price and availability.
For more information visit sistersglassart.com or follow its Facebook page.
Medieval art for a modern home
Rachel Kmecheck has been making art since high school, she’s now a graphic designer and an artist. She said in 2019 she took a class on printmaking and really loved it. Her craft focuses on medieval art prints that can be captured in wall frames, blankets and decorative pillows.
“I got real serious in 2020,” she said. “At the time I only did online (sales) but now I’m getting more into markets and fairs.”
Kmecheck said her art is influenced by techniques and designs from the medieval era that she modernizes. Whether people are history enthusiasts or appreciate the artistry of the past, her “medieval wall art prints are sure to make a statement in any space.”
Wall prints cost between $10 and $300 and blankets cost $35.
For more information visit modernmedievalpress.com or follow its Facebook and Instagram pages.
A Pulaski artisan creates with her hands
Lauren Wojcik grew up in Pulaski and was always drawn to art and painting. She received an art degree from UW-Madison and on her return to Green Bay, she dove into the ceramic world.
“I don’t just do ceramics, I do other things too,” she said.
Besides her ceramics work, which includes mugs, vases, jars and plates, she also creates scarfs, beaded necklaces and eyeglass chains.
“I also write in a newsletter, which I think is part of my art too,” she said. “Writing for me is a way of processing things and showing the way I see things.”
Wojcik doesn’t have a website, but her art pieces can be found on Etsy.
For more information follow her Instagram @laurenjaneworkshop.
Ariel Perez is a business reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach him at APerez1@gannett.com or view his Twitter profile at @Ariel_Perez85.
