Kyle Martin’s family started farming this rural land in southwest Wisconsin 106 years ago. As a kid, he remembers rising at 3 a.m. to milk the cows, then doing more chores after getting home from school.
Martin still lives and works on the 100-acre dairy farm, but instead of using farm equipment, he uses a paintbrush.
A converted chicken coop serves as his gallery, studio and office in Rock Springs. Drawn to the plein-air style of painting outdoors, he’s motivated to paint barns before they fall. He’s not putting paint on the buildings, but creating paintings of them, before they’re torn down.
He’s one of dozens opening the doors of his studio — which often doubles as an artist’s home — for the 24th annual Fall Art Tour taking place Oct. 20-22 in and around Mineral Point, Spring Green, Dodgeville and Baraboo.
The roughly 3 1/2-hour scenic drive from Chicago is a journey into Wisconsin’s Driftless area, a rugged region that didn’t get flattened by the glaciers like much of the Midwest. The resulting topography is more dramatic, with stone bluffs and valleys that have long served as a creative muse for artists.
The three-day event isn’t enough time to visit all 46 participating artists, so consult the website fallarttour.com for a detailed map and artist descriptions to craft a plan. Choose from photographers and fiber artists, woodworkers, glass artists and more.
One must-see stop is Mineral Point’s Brewery Pottery. Diana Johnston, co-founder of the Fall Art Tour, and her husband, Tom, transformed an 1850 limestone brewery into their unique home, pottery studio and gallery showcasing the work of more than 100 local artists.
Being invited inside the many repurposed buildings converted into artist homes and studios is a highlight of the tour. A Methodist church built in 1874 now serves as the studio and gallery for Sandra Peterson, who paints abstract impressions of large animals. A one-room 1911 schoolhouse is the home and jewelry studio of Maya Madden and Wayne Farra. A scrapbook by the front door has the details of the property along with a welcoming plate of Maya’s cookies.
Stop by Carol Naughton’s pottery studio in Dodgeville, and you’re sure to have workspace envy. Her converted 1876 stone granary looks like it belongs in the pages of Architectural Digest. Upstairs you’ll find living quarters for out-of-town guests, as well as hot cider and coffee. You can also check out Naughton’s two kilns and pottery wheel, and, like other stops on the tour, watch the artist at work. The color and forms of her functional bowls, plates and pitchers (priced at $40 and up) reflect her surrounding 250 scenic acres, which visitors are invited to explore.
An hour north in Baraboo (home to Circus World and its vast treasure of Ringling Brothers memorabilia), you’ll find musician, painter, puppet-maker and children’s librarian, Anne Horjus. You’re at the right house when you see his incredible life-size puppets on the front porch. The Dutch artist sets up a table for kids and adults to try the silverpoint, an Old World drawing technique that Horjus is using in his next children’s book about Leonardo da Vinci.
People headed to the Fall Art Tour may be pleasantly surprised at the prices. Martin’s barn paintings range from $300 to $600, while Madden and Farra’s jewelry starts at $30.
Keep in mind that by supporting the artists, you’re supporting these small towns.
“Our arts reputation has a huge impact on our community,” says Joy Gieseke, who heads up Mineral Point’s chamber of commerce. “Given that Mineral Point’s a town of less than 2,500, it’s pretty incredible that we can support 19 galleries.”
Besides the Fall Art Tour being the biggest source of income for many of these artists, opening up their homes to hundreds of people has another benefit.
“We always appreciate our lives more after this weekend,” Madden says. “So many people seem in awe of our surroundings and the livelihood we’ve carved out for ourselves. It takes weeks to prepare for this weekend, but it’s all worth it.”
Andrea Guthmann is a freelance writer.
If you go
Lodging
History meets up with modern amenities at Mineral Point’s Brewery Creek Inn and Brewpub, a renovated 19th-century stone building featuring well-curated furnishings and a hearty continental breakfast. Rates starts at $125; 608-987-3298, brewerycreek.com.
Five minutes outside of downtown Mineral Point, at the end of a winding dirt road, an inviting log cabin greets weary travelers. Three-bedroom Maple Wood Lodge has a fireplace, farm stove, jacuzzi bathtub and 26 wooded acres. Rates for this house that sleeps six start at $235; 608-987-2324, maplewoodlodge.com.
Dining
Hungry for history? Reserve a table at a former bank in Spring Green. The food at Freddy Valentine’s Public House is terrific and affordable, but it’s the architectural details that make this meal so memorable. Items salvaged during the renovation were transformed into furnishings and decorative elements. To get even more bang for your buck, ask to eat in the bank vault; 608-588-0220, freddyvalentines.com.
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