After years of working in the conventional world at a "real" job, Karen Anderson finally made the leap to pursue her dream of creating art on a full time basis. She can now be found, dog and cat trailing behind her, making "stuff", which takes many forms including wall art, tables, clocks, mirrors and more. Each piece is unique. Karen loves to use bold colors and emotion- evoking text to advocate "living the life you love". The inspiration for her art comes from many people and places, especially her beloved north woods of Minnesota and Lake Superior.

Karen speaks about her work, "After sketching a design idea, I head out to my garage-studio, where my power tools reside. I cut and sand the piece (or pieces) I'll need from aspen wood. I use aspen because of its clarity (relatively free of knots and uneven grain). I also use diamond willow for rustic legs on boxes or small tables. Then it's back to my indoor studio to work on the next steps of the process. I live in Minnesota, so for much of the year, there's not a lot of dawdling during that garage (unheated) phase of the process! I make a quick pencil drawing onto the wood and then use a wood-burner to etch the design permanently into the piece. Next, I use acrylic paints to color the designs, mixing to create unique colors, and finish each piece with an acrylic sealer. The whole process, start to finish is done by one person--me!"

I was thinking about Christmas trees and how the tree becomes the focal point of the living room for the holiday season. Focal points are generally thought of as the most significant element in a room. A focal point is successful in grounding a room not only because it is the most dominant feature but also because other items in the room have varying degrees of less significance. It is this interplay of balance between the dominant and subordinate elements in a room that make a space feel right. When a room doesn't feel right, is uncomfortable or bothersome it often helps to look at this relationship.

Sometimes several items are equally emphasized, like a view and a fireplace, and this is very confusing to the eye. Other times a focal point, such as a fireplace, is too dominant in a space. As a result everything else seems insignificant. It is all about the balance. This year when you put up the tree think about composition balance. Give the tree the most significance but make sure the other elements in the room have varying degrees of emphasis as well.

Holiday Memo
To: All Employees
From: Management
Subject: Office conduct during the Christmas season

Effective immediately, employees should keep in mind the following guidelines in compliance with FROLIC (the Federal Revelry Office and Leisure Industry Council).

1. Running aluminum foil through the paper shredder to make tinsel is discouraged.

2. Playing Jingle Bells on the push-button phone is forbidden (it runs up an incredible long distance bill).

3. Work requests are not to be filed under "Bah humbug."

4. Company cars are not to be used to go over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house.

5. All fruitcake is to be eaten BEFORE July 25.

6. Egg nog will NOT be dispensed in vending machines.

In spite of all this, the staff is encouraged to have a Happy Holiday season.