My high school International Baccalaureate French (IB) teacher, Lorna Lotvedt, was a kind soul. Due to the rigor of IB, she spent at least an hour with us every school day. But beyond teaching us the language, she introduced us to French art, culture and history. Her unit on Impressionism sparked a lifelong appreciation for those paintings. Years later, during a trip to France, I insisted that my husband accompany me to Giverny, so I could visit Claude Monet’s home and gardens. Standing where he once painted felt like stepping into one of the masterpieces I had admired since high school.
That early fascination with Impressionism has never left me, which is why I was immediately drawn to the work of Kairong Liu. The artist has a studio in Edina, and he is an expert in American Impressionism. Like the French Impressionism we are most familiar with, he uses the same loose brushstrokes and luminous light. However, his signature is a touch of red. His remarkable journey and the paintings it inspired is one I think you’ll enjoy discovering (page 24).
Art has always had a way of making us see the world differently. Sometimes, it does so through paint on a canvas and, other times, through an experience that invites us to look inward. Earlier this year, my husband and I attended the opening-night soirée for Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. There, we stepped into an aura photography booth created by artist Nina Dani. The experience sparked conversations throughout the evening and offered a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of art, color and spirituality. We introduce you to Inner Bloom Aura Photography and Dani’s unique work (page 12).
Speaking of the unique, every Thanksgiving, I encounter Lonely Tom. There is a flock of wild turkeys that prances around my street. (I often think they are tempting fate at this time of year.) The turkeys sit, forage, socialize and then make their merry way down the street. Then a few minutes later, a lone turkey will appear and then wistfully go in the same direction as the flock.
I feel sorry for this straggler. Hence the name, Lonely Tom. I often wonder if he is happy on his own, or was banished from the flock and follows them in hopes of being happily reunited. That’s when I realized I don’t know much about wild turkeys other than they are all around our city. I spoke to Edina Police’s animal control officer, Tim Hunter, about wild turkeys and how we can happily coexist (page 46).
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
