Widdershins Artisan Gallery

08/23/2024

"Equis Solis" one of 3 pieces of art I have at Quincy Art Center in Quincy, IL for the "Connection" exhibition. The opening reception is tonight from 7-9 and the exhibition runs from today through October 26.

08/18/2024

A Perseid meteor flies in the skies over Number 13 Lake at Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge near Maxwell, NM last weekend. Lightnight illuminates the clouds of a storm north of Capulin Volcano and Tinaja Peak lies to the west on the horizon. The green is airglow which you don't see much in the Midwest and East.

08/15/2024

Two of my landscape images were invited to the annual "Visions of the Flint Hills" group exhibition at Buttonwood Art Space in Kansas City. "Sacred Circle" was shot near Matfield Green, KS and "Little School on the Prairie" was shot near Florence, KS. The exhibition runs from October 1- December 11 with an opening reception on October 4.

08/08/2024

Widdershins Artisan Gallery will remain closed this week for vacation. We will reopen at normal hours next Thursday, August 15.

08/08/2024

My art n**e image "Skin and Stone" featuring model Melissa Troutt was invited to be part of the group exhibition, "Portraits Beyond Faces" at PH21 Gallery in Budapest, Hungary. The image was shot in the dungeon at Widdershins Artisan Gallery.

07/27/2024

FOR SALE - $50 - Fainting Couch/Recamier. Reproduction piece that we have used in our photography studio. It had a couple cracks in a leg and the back support that we repaired. Fabric is a damask pattern. Solid wood structure. Back comes completely off by loosening screws. Measurements 5 ft x 2 ft x 3ft. Located in our gallery at 2204 Central in Dubuque. Comment if interested and we can make an appt to show it.

07/26/2024

For Sale - $75. Pair of Hollywood Regency Asymetrical Pleated chairs. Made in Chicago in the 1940s. I got them from a film maker in Beloit 2 years ago. Damage in the same area on lower arms of both but could easily be covered with a scarf as shown or reupholstered. In perfect condition these sell for several hundred dollars. Cushions and springs are in good condition and other than the damage, upholstery is in great shape. Currently at our gallery at 2204 Central Ave in Dubuque, IA. Come by until 7 this evening or Noon to 5 Saturday or leave a comment about when you would like to come see them.

07/21/2024

3 of my fine art n**e images received Honorable Mentions at the 8th Annual International Figurative Art Competition at TERAVARNA Art Gallery in Los Angeles. Congratulations to Raven, Danielle J Komarek and Cheeky Angel Modeling!

07/19/2024

What is it with people running vehicles into buildings on Central Ave in Dubuque lately? Sometime in the last 24 hours or so, someone crashed into the back of our building at 2204 Central. They hit it hard enough to push the bricks in about 10 inches and collapse 2 large cabinets holding art and supplies that were leaned up against the inside wall. Building is secure. Brick wall getting rebuilt tomorrow. Don't know when we will open Widdershins Artisan Gallery again. Hopefully by Saturday. The only art damaged was mine so no worries for our other 18 artists. Of course the offending party hit and ran. Somewhere around town is a vehicle with some major damage to a bumper.

07/12/2024

Widdershins Artisan Gallery will close early at 3 pm today so that we may attend the opening reception for "Art in the Heartland" at Buchanan Center for the Arts in Monmouth, IL where two of us have art hanging. We will resume normal hours tomorrow (Saturday) at Noon.

07/11/2024

My weather image, "The Sky is Really Talking Today!" was accepted to the "Statewide" art exhibition at Springfield Art Association in Springfield, IL. This exhibition takes the place of the Professional Artist Exhibition that used to take place at the Illinois State Fair each year until the powers that be decided that the Illinois Wine makers were more important than the Professional Artists.

The image was shot on May 31 on the border of NM and TX and shows mammatus clouds at sunset. There were dozens of storm chasers in the region that day. I passed Anna Bonn Stromberg and William Stromberg just outside Boise City, OK early in the day.

The exhibition will run from August 9 - 31 in the
M. G. Nelson Family gallery at the Springfield Art Association.

06/22/2024

4 of my art n**e images were invited to the SKIN Art Show in Tampa, FL in July. Congrats to models Danielle J Komarek for the image "Stretched to the Limit" shot in Northern IL, Cheeky Angel Modeling for the image "Tree of Life" shot in Colorado Springs, CO, Tiffany Ta***ic for the image "Down the Winding Stair" shot near Elizabeth, IL and Katie Hilton Model for the image "By Candlelight" shot in the dungeon studio at Widdershins Artisan Gallery.

06/18/2024

"The Bone Lady" from my "Inspiritus" exhibition at Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden. Shirley Dale was a Kansan who lived in Taos, NM for many years and eventually moved to Cimarron, NM in 1994. She opened an old time trading post called "Outfitters in Leather" which is where I met her that opening year. We made fast friends and over the years we bartered and traded antlers, turtle shells, wool blankets and glass trade beads. She retied in 2019 and returned to her native Larned, KS where she passed away last Fall. Here she was showing me the faces found in many bones.

06/16/2024

In honor of Father's Day and because I was blessed with the best Dad anyone can have, I present this portrait of my Dad, USMC LT. Col Retired, Henry Dierker, titled "Papa Moon" which was part of my solo exhibition "Inspiritus" at Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden. I shot this at our family farm near Rushville, IL in the Fall of 2009. Dad was a career Marine for over 30 years thus our moving all over the country in my youth. He started from very humble beginnings as a farm country kid who was adopted into a family of 5 sisters in West Central IL. He enlisted in the Marine Corps the same week he graduated from high school. He did 2 tours of Vietnam and worked his way up to an officer while earning 3 college degrees. Along with my late Mom he helped raise my late brother and myself and instill in us good morals and ethics. He's been a constant inspiration my whole life. I never had to look any farther for a hero.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

06/15/2024

"The Patriot" from my solo exhibition "Inspiritus" at Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden. This image features the late Francis E. "Buddy" Morse who I and dozens of other former staff of Philmont Scout Ranch considered our Grandfather. He was a longtime resident of Cimarron, NM who married and outlived 2 great women over the years, spent 25 years as the curator of the Aztec Mill Museum, spent 35 years as a lineman for Duke Energy in Spartanburg, SC, was a lifelong supporter of Scouting and a tremendous musician. He was also a World War II veteran and the most patriotic man I ever knew. He passed away in March of this year at the age of 99, 2 weeks after my brother left us. I shot this photo on his front porch in August of 2021. I'd known him since the Summer of 1982 and knew him longer than any of my biological grandparents.The last time I saw him in August of last year he hugged me tight and then prayed for my safe trip home and thanked God for all the time we'd spent together. And I had a feeling that would be the last time I'd see him alive.

06/14/2024

"Joe's Guitar" features my late brother Joseph Dierker playing the electric guitar I made for him from scratch in 2009, I wanted to give him something for Christmas that he would use and would show him how proud I was of his musical accomplishments. It started with a solid, 3 inch thick block of swamp ash. It was shaped and routed by my cousin Johnie Vincent, I did the neck and all the body hardware. Aaron Roeth did the wiring and Jerome Koppen did the 15 coats of oil and sealer. Joe actually composed a little 45 second tune on it for me and had the guitar until he passed on in March of this year.

06/12/2024

"Singing the Blues" features blues duo Joe and Vicki Price and was shot during a performance at The Lift in Dubuque in December of 2015. The image is currently part of my Black and White solo exhibition, "Inspiritus" at Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden.

06/11/2024

My art n**e image "Tree of Life" featuring Cheeky Angel Modeling was selected to be part of the group exhibition "Faces and Figures" at Las Laguna Art Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA. The image was shot in Colorado Springs in April.

06/11/2024

Here is a video of images from my "Inspiritus" exhibition at the Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden done by the gallery director, Magdalena Nilsson.

There are uncensored n**e images in this video.

Inspiritus, Mark Dierker portrait and n**e b&w photography exhibitionVernissage: June 7, at 18:30Exhibition open until June 14, 2024Exhibition curator: Mag N...

06/09/2024

So now that my "Inspiritus" exhibition has opened I can reveal the folks whose portraits are in the show. Many thanks to the following for allowing me to capture your images over the years:

Denny Garcia, the late Shirley Dale, the late Timothy Murphy, the late Lightnin' McDuff, model Lil Mizz Unique, singer/songwriter Riley Ann Schwartz, model Nicole Brummet, my late brother Joseph Dierker, model Angella Manders Kinsella, Master surfboard shaper Steve Swan, my late grandmother Elizabeth Stivers, Native pipe carver Dean Johnson-Smoke Signals, my father Henry Allen Dierker, model Autumn Rose, Model Tiifany Ta***ic, my late grandad Buddy Morse, musician Ron Frank, model Alyssa Russo, model and artist Sara Mess, model Teri Jensen, model Haley Joy, professional traveling model Melissa Troutt, Blues musicians Joe and Vicki Price Blues, Blues, Blues, model Manda Kai : Model, model Keegan Fae and model Samantha Simmons.

The title of this image is "Euterpe" and it was shot at the old Voices Warehouse in Dubuque, IA in June of 2015. Singer/songwriter Riley Ann: musician, artist, writer is the subject and it was shot for the cover of her first solo album. At a previous Voices showing this light had been focused on a sculpture featuring a big rock on a thin pedestal. I remembered thinking at the time that it would be a good portrait light if I found the right model. Seems i found the right model.

06/06/2024

Two of my images, "Sacred Circle" and "Solar Progression" were selected to be part of the group exhibition "Scapes" at the Valid World Hall in Barcelona, Spain. The exhibition is sponsored by PH21 Gallery.

06/05/2024

Some more art love. My nightscape titled "Creek Lights" took an Honorable Mention at the annual Art and Earth exhibition at Berkeley Arts Council in Martinsburg, WV and I just got word the piece also sold at the conclusion of the show.

05/30/2024

My solo exhibition "Inspiritus" opens at the Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden on June 7. If you happen to be in Sweden that day, feel free to stop in for the opening or anytime between June 7-15. Once the exhibition has opened I will share some of the images and the stories behind them.

05/18/2024

Three of my conceptual images made the final jury cut for the "Vampire Velvet" goth and dark themed exhibition at House of Shadows gallery in Tampa, FL next week.

"Crow Girl" and "The Witch" feature model Teri Jensen and were shot at Fox Hollow Farm near Rushville, IL. "Left Out" features model Lyria Morningstar and was shot in Rushville, IL.

05/17/2024

My fine art n**e image "Red Tub and Candles" featuring Katie Hilton Model was selected to be part of the International Juried Exhibition, "Red" at Blank Wall Gallery in Athens, Greece.

The image was shot in the dungeon at Widdershins Artisan Gallery in Dubuque, IA

05/16/2024

Newest project at Widdershins Artisan Gallery . Had to go to LaCrosse for this old girl but its going to be so cool!

05/08/2024

One of my weather images, "Sea Storm" was invited to the 6th Annual Chania International Photo Festival on the Greek island of Crete. The festival takes place in July and is sponsored by Blank Wall Gallery.

05/03/2024

Happy First Friday! We have made a slight change to our gallery name. Our artists include metal sculptors and jewelers, painters and potters, fiber and textile artists, photographers and resin artists, fractal and collage artists, woodworkers and stoneworkers. We feel the term "Artisan" best represents that variety. We are open from Noon to 7pm today, come see us!