July 21, 2021 by Light Harvest Farm

Erin’s art at Al’s

Since we first saw Erin Goedtel’s elegant and mighty canvases a few years back, we’ve hoped to someday show them with Al’s sculptural glass. Erin’s paintings and Al’s glass share a sense of generous scale and brave style.

When time came to fit out the biggest white wall at Al’s new Center City showroom, Erin was the first call. Over summer, we’ve been getting to know two large canvases from this art professor, caricaturist and all around art adventurer.

Both are works in oil and acrylic from Erin’s High Horse series. They are rich in detail, with complex imagery that evokes ceremony, competition, memory, but also offers pure enjoyment in color and movement.

Barrel Racers is on loan, while Full Rein is ready and waiting to be installed in the right venue.

Through August, a visit with these paintings is another great reason to stop in at

Alan Honn Glass.
320 Summit Avenue, Center City MN

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS, noon-6pm; by appointment, alanhonnglass@gmail.com

Erin on the High Horse Series:

“I play with and exploit American female cultural stereotypes in my work, such as the Midwestern cowgirl, and the pageant queen. One seems more natural or “authentic”, while the other artificial and manufactured. The tension that is created from overlaying these types of characters mimics an inner struggle for feminine identity.”

get by water

A true water sign, Al heads for rivers, lakes and oceans to find rest and refreshment.
This lifelong practice shows up in his glass work, especially in recent large forms.
A trio of River Pools, for example, formed the centerpiece of a solo exhibition.
Splash and Sound Wave garnered top awards in group shows.

It’s poetic that Al was commissioned to help create a baptismal font for use at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

To realize their vision of a simple basin evoking water, Al crafted a glass model for approval. The scale of the liturgical space determined that the finished basin should be an expansive two feet across.

Minnesota sculptor John Sterner would craft a metal base to support the work.

Although he typically works solo to realize his designs, the challenging size of this piece offered Al the opportunity to assemble a team of skilled and trusted glass artists for the task.

Big thanks are due to Todd Cameron, Derek Hostetler and Ty Pratumwon, along with Emily McBride, Tom Maras and Isaac Theobald, who gathered one summer evening at Minnesota Center for Glass Arts to get the job done! Finished size: 24″ wide and 10″ deep. Mackenzie Serwa took the fantastic in-studio images.