Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Sharpe
Hi Amy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My husband, Bob Carls, was a full-time wood turner. I am a weaver and mixed media artist. Together we traveled to art shows across the midwest. After years of packing and unpacking our work between events, we decided to cut back on the miles. We took a leap of faith, transformed a garage into a gallery space and opened Ripple River Gallery. When we asked a few colleagues if they would be willing to show their work in our backwoods gallery, they took the leap and joined us.
That was back in June of 2000…since then the gallery has featured a thoughtfully curated collection of fine art and fine craft by more than 60 exceptional regional artisans in clay, fiber, wood, painting, photography and printmaking. Monthly exhibits May through October showcase individual artists. We also host classes and special events in our welcoming woodland setting.
Sadly, Bob Carls passed away in December 2022. These days my operating credo is: What Would Bob Do? He would want the gallery to continue. He would make art and support other artists. He would fill the bird feeders and plant the garden. Most of all he would want us to nurture and celebrate the creative spirit in each of us. Art connects us all!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Since Ripple River Gallery is located “off the beaten track,” it took some time for customers to find us. Fortunately we had a mailing list developed from art shows over the years and now we have loyal customers who return again and again. Like every business that relies on the sale of “non-essentials,” we are subject to the whims of the economy.
Since the beginning, the line between “work” and “life” has been vague, especially because the gallery is literally 10 steps from the house. Finding time to weave and make art can be a challenge when the gallery is open.
Transitioning Ripple River Gallery from a partnership to a solo endeavor has not been without challenges.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Amy Sharpe: I call myself a weaver who writes, or a writer who weaves, depending on my current project. I also work in fiber, paper and mixed media, do some photography, garden and love to cook for friends. A former newspaper editor, for 16 years I published “Homespun,” a magazine “celebrating the art of creative living.” I lead workshops on creativity, nature printing and journaling, and host travel adventures to inspire the artist within each of us. I dream in color.
I am most proud of the community of creative individuals that has grown around Ripple River Gallery—artists and those who appreciate the creative spirit. Art connects us all!
What sets me apart? My boundless curiousity, enthusiasm and optimism.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I grew up among creative people in a home where creativity was valued. My mother was an interior designer and my father was a contractor.
My mother excelled at anything she tried—painting, sewing, calligraphy, paper marbling, block printing, gourmet cooking.
The house was basically a giant studio for any creative endeavor we imagined. No art supplies were off-limits. The dining room table doubled as a fabric cutting area or a drawing surface, the kitchen was the site of tie-dying, paper making and potato printing, and the upstairs studio room was filled with fabrics, paints and works in progress. The smell of turpentine still carries me back to childhood!
While my peers were home watching Saturday morning cartoons, we were at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts taking classes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ripplerivergallery.com
- Instagram: ripplerivergallery
- Facebook: Ripple River Gallery
