Featured Artists

We are fortunate enough to have not one, not two, but THREE artists featuring their work at the library! Read on to learn more about Ivy Hinrichs, Randy Koppes, and Jan Stephen.

Ivy Hinrichs (left art case)

Ivy Hinrichs is an artist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  She currently resides there and works out of her studio as a freelance artist painting, illustrating and working on public art projects within the community.  As a published children’s book illustrator and artist of over 30+ years, she is continually evolving her work in new and interesting ways. During her college career at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Ivy focused on printmaking and painting.  While she completed her senior thesis and senior exhibit in oil painting, her love for printmaking never waned and recently has reappeared in her body of work. “Red Wing” is a piece that is to  illustrate the fading of season and passage of time.  Inspired by the red wing blackbirds in the cornfields near her home, Ivy wanted to show how as some of nature fades from the season, i.e the cornfields, other parts of nature such as the red wing blackbirds still exist.

This exhibit is titled, “The Seasons of Iowa” and is a combination of watercolor, gouache, acrylic, linocuts and chalk pastels. This body of work spans over the last 3 years and consists primarily of landscapes of Iowa.  Having grown up in Iowa, there is nothing more beautiful than how the landscapes transition from season to season and this collection captures that.  Within the collection, she has experimented with an impressionistic style within her acrylic and gouache paintings, evolving from the more realistic rendering as seen in the large, 30″x40″ piece titled, “The Meeting Place”. This collection is meant to resonate with anyone who has lived in Iowa long enough to experience all four beautiful seasons.  If you haven’t had that opportunity, here is your sneak peek of the beauty that lies within the landscapes of Iowa.

Please enjoy and thank you for taking the opportunity to walk through this exhibit.  You can find Ivy’s work online at:

• https://creativesoulbyivy.etsy.com
• https://www.facebook.com/thecreativesoulart
• https://www.instagram.com/thecreativesoulart

Randy Koppes aka Hawktoys (right art case)

“I have always been an Iowa Hawkeye fan since I started college in 1985. I started collecting Iowa Hawkeye memorabilia in the early 90’s. In the late 90’s, I started a small business of buying and selling Iowa Hawkeye memorabilia. Hawktoys.com is my site for collectors. Since opening Hawktoys, it has slowly and steadily grown to what it is now.  It encompasses everything related to the university and the Iowa Hawkeyes.  Collections included are: toys (this is where Hawktoys came from), homecoming buttons, programs, ticket stubs, steins, posters, bobble heads, matchbooks, card sets, schedule magnets, rocks glasses, tokens/medals, trading cards, ornaments, hat pins, and more.”

Jan Stephen (art wall)

“Retirement is wonderful. It has allowed me time in the last three years to become a watercolor artist. There was and still is much to learn but I am having fun trying. I live in Iowa City with my cat and my paints to keep me happy. With some minimal history with art I am now learning and growing with watercolors. Watercolor work requires letting control of control and letting the paint and water do what it will to create ‘art’. I hope you enjoy what it has done on these papers.”

Showcase Artwork at the Library

If you are a local artist interested in showcasing your artwork at the library contact Kellee by calling the library at (319)626-5701 or by email at kforkenbrock@northlibertyiowa.org.