131 W. Court St.
P.O. Box 475
Richland Center
WI
53581
608-649-1700
Biography of:
Elizabeth Hogensen
Elizabeth Hogensen is a local artist who is
inspired by the natural beauty
surrounding Richland County. “Nature is in a
constant state of changing beauty here, from spring to autumn, from sunsets
to misty mornings . In my art, I seek to express that sense of awe and
joyful reverence I feel towards Nature and a way for me to seek truth,
meaning, and balance in my life. And of course, I want my work to be
enjoyed!” She is currently showing her hand-dyed silk and cotton scarves and
pottery at the Red Door Gallery.
She met her husband, Tim
Hogensen, at a Byron Temple pottery workshop at Chicago’s Lill Street Studio
in 1980. Around that time, she studied briefly with potter Delores Fortuna
in Oak Park, Illinois and has since taken numerous art classes, which
include pottery, printmaking, drawing, watercolor, papermaking, bookmaking,
weaving, etc. She has been working in different art mediums since the late
seventies. More recently, she attended a workshop in Eagle River and learned
the art of making willow furniture and for the past several years has been
attending the annual Woodlanders Gathering in Mineral Point, Wisconsin,
where artists “who love nature and are interested in creating with natural
materials… enjoy the company of like-mined, nature loving folks as they
gather to share artistic adventures and creative inspiration.”
This past summer, she worked
in their rural summer studio (a unique pole structure built in the late
seventies by artist Brian Shapiro) where she creates unique, one-of-a-kind
silk scarves using only plants, herbs and other natural materials from her
garden and surrounding woods to dye the scarves. “It always excites me to
see the subtle colors and patterns which result from the different herbs and
flowers I use.” She attended workshops with Shelly Ryan (WPT’s Wisconsin
Gardener) at the Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts where she learned the
art of dying with plant materials.
Hogensen holds a Bachelor of
Arts Degree from UW-Madison and a Master of Arts Degree in Library and
Information Studies also from UW-Madison. She currently works full-time as a
case manager and housing counselor for battered women at Domestic Abuse
Intervention Services in Madison. “Although I feel quite privileged to
engage in fulfilling work, I look forward to the day I can devote my time
entirely to making art.” She and her husband Tim, a potter and graphic
designer, live in Richland Center and spend their spare time at their cabin
in birch woods on Horse Creek.
131 W. Court St. · P.O. Box 475 · Richland Center, WI 53581
608-604-2838
©2005 - Red Door Gallery - all rights reserved.
www.reddoorgallery.org