Larry Welo woke up at 4 a.m. on Thursday, August 7th and methodically circuited through a series of pick-ups and deliveries to the galleries representing his work that dot eastern Iowa. We count ourselves lucky to know this creative soul and to exhibit his etchings. The insight and quiet humor that are revealed in Welo’s prints are such a direct expression of who he is. A bike rider recklessly mounted on a bicycle careening downhill with the improbable text “I know where I’m going” etched beneath

and an expansive view of a mid-western horizon,

are only two of the images which Thursday’s visit yielded. Of late, Larry’s muse seems to have been drawn to the woods. Clusters of trees stand like venerable presences leaning toward each other in communion. Their twined branches offer shade, silence, sanctuary.

And, after much pleading, Mary Weisgram delivered new stoneware and porcelain!

It’s always Christmas when we get new work from this artist. A great staple in the range of functional pottery that the gallery exhibits, this Ames potter’s work can make serving food and drink an aesthetic event.