Now that another school year is complete, long-time conductor of the Gustavus Wind Orchestra Douglas Nimmo, has a long list of summer projects. In addition to projects around the house and yard and spending time with Ginny and daughters Andrea and Beth, Nimmo has time for his wood shop and exhibiting his hand-crafted art furniture at art fairs around the state. On June 4, 5 & 6, you’ll find him, and his work, at the Edina Art Fair at 50th & France and June 12 & 13 at Art on the Lake in Excelsior, Minn.
An avid woodworker for many years, Nimmo formed North Light Art Furniture in the early 1990s and began creating beautiful hand-crafted and functional works from wood. Nimmo’s first venture into exhibiting his work was in 1992 at St. Peter’s Rock Bend Folk Festival. His work attracted a good deal of attention and Doug was encouraged to consider the larger, more “fine art” festivals like Edina and Excelsior. Since that time, he has exhibited at a number of festivals and hopes he will be invited to attend more.
While he credits his father with placing a hammer or a saw in his hands and “doing” became a part of his life, the objects he creates have become an extension of his artistic expression as a musician. Or, as he states, “Creating in wood is not unlike creating in other art forms. My main profession and passion for several decades has been that of music and musician. The woodworker and the musician in me are really not two sides of the same coin, but rather more like the fusion of a single entity.”
This weekend Nimmo will join 360 other artist/artisans who were selected through a juried process to exhibit their work at the 44th annual Edina Art Fair. This prestigious fair includes artists who work in jewelry, pottery, textiles, precious metals, photography, sculpture, painting, wood and, new to the fair this year, the “green” category.
A Duluth native, Nimmo has applied for an invitation to the Glensheen Festival of Fine Art and Craft in Duluth on August 14 & 15. He is waiting to hear if he will be included in that festival again this summer. Today he is packing the art, tent and trailer and getting ready for the Edina Art Fair. The fair runs June 4 – 6, with hours 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Next weekend he moves to Excelsior for the annual Art on the Lake Festival, June 12, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and June 13, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For additional information about North Light Art Furniture or to view the gallery, visit the North Light Art Furniture web site at: http://northlightartfurniture.com/?pr=gallery or call 507-934-1389. Or stop by and visit with the artist at the Edina or Excelsior art fairs during the next two weekends.
Leave a Reply