Aryn Henning Nichols

Decorah artist Angie Herrmann has embedded painting into everyday life. Perhaps it’s this real-life aspect of her work that makes it strike such a chord with many in the region.

First of all, there’s where she paints: Preferably outside on her home’s front porch, overlooking the Minowa Heights neighborhood. “I love to be outside as much as possible,” Angie says. “The light is good, and the sounds are peaceful.”

In inclement weather, you’ll find her working on one of several paintings-in-progress near the large windows in her open kitchen – a fitting location for a person who has had a 30+ year career in kitchen design. Plus, she can add a few brush strokes while supper is simmering on the stove.

“The inspiration is everyday life, and our area is such an inspiration,” Angie says.

This is obvious in the subjects of Angie’s painting: the Decorah water tower. The “Thor” sculpture at the high school athletic complex. Dogs, cats, birds – animals of all kinds. Hay bales in a field. The Upper Iowa River winding past fields, bluffs, and bridges. 

Becoming a Painter

Angie grew up in Marion, Iowa. She studied interior design at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo and then moved to Decorah to work for Brown Builders, which is no longer in business, but had a showroom downtown at the time. She calls the late Willie Brown, who recruited her and became her mentor, her “Decorah dad.” This launched her into a decades-long career as a kitchen designer and project manager.

While Angie initially missed living in a bigger city, she grew to quickly love the Decorah community. And it was an ideal place for her and her husband, Scott Herrmann, a career law enforcement officer, to raise their two daughters, who graduated from high school in 2015 and 2019.

Fast forward to 2020 and the COVID pandemic. While Angie and Scott had been empty nesters, with one daughter in college and the other teaching, circumstances brought the girls home for a time. They enjoyed hiking and exploring many area parks, where they encountered Decorah Rocks, rocks painted and hidden for anyone to find and post about in a Facebook Group. Angie decided to give rock painting a try.

“Rocks were less intimidating for a beginning painter,” she says, compared to starting with a blank canvas. “And the rocks I was painting always kept getting bigger!”

Her charming paintings quickly gained popularity as she posted pictures online. She decided to launch a Facebook page as Barefoot Studio, named after her favorite wine and because she likes to paint outside, barefoot. Requests and commissions started coming in, the most frequent of which were pet portraits, now one of her mainstays. Eventually, Angie began to paint local landmarks like Dunning’s Spring and Pulpit Rock, constantly working on her technique and growing her abilities.

These beloved local scenery paintings really connected with folks.

“It’s so interesting to hear everyone’s story of what these places mean to them,” Angie says. “They fished by Lundy Bridge with their dad growing up, or they got married at Siewers Spring or Boulder Roll or the butterfly garden, or Van Peenen was their favorite place to hike or walk their dogs.”

Angie also loves to paint wildlife, especially birds and owls. “Weather the Storm,” featuring an owl on a bare branch amidst a snowy landscape, was painted as a gift for her future son-in-law. Her latest owl painting, “Among the Evergreens,” delicately layers green for a more springy effect.

Angie donates proceeds from her work to local nonprofits such as the Humane Society of Northeast Iowa and Decorah’s ArtHaus. Her big goal is to one day establish a college scholarship. 

Growing in Technique and Subject

Angie started off with tools she found most comfortable. “I started painting with acrylics – that’s why I often call it my ‘first language.’ If I don’t like it, I can paint over it easily. And I often do,” she says. She also chose to paint on a smooth surface that was part of her everyday life: medium density fiber (MDF) board, a building material that’s part of her kitchen design practice. She is self-taught, picking up techniques by watching YouTube videos, always willing to experiment and learn as she goes.

That said, when Angie was at Hawkeye Community College, pre-computer renderings, she created her interior design projects with watercolors. And in more recent paintings, Angie has started exploring watercolors again, enjoying the somewhat unpredictable play of water and color on paper.

“It’s a learning experience, and everyone needs to continue learning,” she explains. Plus, watercolors are more compact – perfect for adventures away from Iowa. “When we travel each winter to Gulf Shores beach in Alabama, watercolors are easy to take along and work on studies with a very different setting,” Angie says.

She’s also expanding her subject matter beyond landscapes and animals. “My latest inspiration is people doing the things they love,” she says. 

She has really enjoyed portraying people – something that seemed intimidating in the past – generally painting portraits from photos. A photo of her daughter’s niece was painted into a piece that won third place in the Iowa Artists state competition. A shot of a barrel racer at the Decorah Fire Department’s Bull Bash became a painting that gracefully captures the energy and focus of the moment the rider and horse round a bright blue barrel. And most recently, Angie finished a piece featuring Decorah’s Nordic Dancers, a challenging painting full of movement.

Folks can see Angie and her work in person this fall at the Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour, an annual self-guided tour that gives everyone the chance to meet artists and watch them create in their own spaces. 2025 will be Angie’s second year on the tour. Her stop will feature painting demos and a transformed lower-level gallery full of paintings for sale as well as several types of prints, magnets, and notebooks. 

What keeps her motivated to pursue a painting practice in addition to her full-time work? For her, it’s all about the fun of it. “I like to keep busy, and I don’t like to watch TV,” she explains. “I don’t look at the world like everyone else. I look at how the light is hitting things, taking pictures, always looking for inspiration.”

Once she’s found her inspiration, she takes delight in capturing sunflowers, birch trees, and chickadees, sun shining through petals, shadows cast on the ground, the exact geometry and color of an aging iron bridge, reflections of autumn leaves on the river.

“That’s where I’m at, always learning something new. It might be risky, it might be scary, but I just do it. People often ask me if I have a favorite painting. My answer is: I haven’t painted it yet.” 

NORTHEAST IOWA ARTISTS’ STUDIO TOUR 2025

Mark your calendars for the 28th Annual Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour, October 10, 11, and 12. Workspaces are open from 10 am to 5 pm each day. Five new artists will join the tour this year, opening their spaces along with long-time exhibitors for 36 artists in total. This free tour offers behind-the-scenes studio views at 29 locations all within 40 miles of Decorah, Iowa. Set your own pace as you drive yourself around the Driftless to check out and purchase awesome local pottery, paintings, woodcuts, baskets, jewelry, woodworking, sculpture, collage, fiber arts, and more. Find a tour map online at iowaarttour.com.

Different stages of life, like the seasons, require transformation. Just as trees shed their leaves, sometimes we must shed our identities to make space for new growth.

Amber Miller, founder of Angel’s House of Healing in La Crosse, Wisconsin, knows that support for women going through this transformation after addiction and trauma is a critical – and scarce – resource. 

Amber experienced this struggle firsthand. Her mother, Angel, passed away after years of suffering from alcoholism and unhealed trauma. Amber faced the same battles herself, but she found sobriety after 11 long years. 

Over those years, Amber gathered valuable insight into the world of recovery and saw ways it could improve. She found that most traditional recovery options – like rehab – focus on sobriety but don’t look at the underlying causes of addiction.

“What frustrates me the most is how outdated and ineffective so many of the current recovery systems are,” Amber says. “Women are stuck in a cycle that only perpetuates the problems instead of offering real solutions. It’s disheartening to see how few options there are for women who truly want to change.”

Named for Amber’s late mother, Angel’s House of Healing is a sober transitional living facility and recovery center for women ages 18-55. And it is definitely filling a need in La Crosse. There were previously two sober living homes for women in the area, but both closed due to lack of funding. Without a transitional housing option after rehab, it’s easy to fall back into the same patterns and succumb to old habits, Amber says. “The reality is most women in our community leave treatment and go right back to the same environment they came from – an environment that often contributed to their struggles in the first place.”

Through community support in a compassionate, growth-oriented environment, Angel’s House is set up to build a new narrative for women trying to heal. “I want Angel’s House of Healing to meet women where they are and provide the tools they need to transform their lives,” Amber says. “It breaks my heart to see so many women – and people in general – believing they can’t change.” 

The house itself, a warm, welcoming two-story home in La Crosse, is furnished with quiet, peaceful spaces for residents and on-site amenities like laundry, utilities, Wi-Fi, video surveillance, and of course, recovery programming and resources. While length-of-stay will depend on the individual, Amber estimates many will reside at Angel’s House for six to 12 months. Programming has been developed based on what Amber has learned while working with life coaches, participating in retreats, and diving into personal development with books, seminars, and videos. The approach is a holistic one, focused on mind, body, and spirit through counseling and mentorship.

“I’ve worn many hats throughout my life. From babysitting and bartending to being an X-ray tech, a life coach, and a real estate investor, I’ve tried it all. Each experience taught me something unique,” she says. “My journey has been about trusting myself and taking leaps into the unknown. My life experience has been my greatest education.”

She hopes Angel’s House of Healing, which welcomed its first guests in June 2025, will create an environment women need to realize their potential. “I believe these women are the ones who will lead the next phase of humanity,” Amber says. “They’ve already proven their strength, and they just need the right environment to help them step fully into their power.” 

Angel’s House is committed to drug and alcohol-free living and to supporting women who are building new lives for themselves. They welcome women in recovery, on probation, transitioning out of treatment, or leaving unstable living situations. “Angel’s House is a safe, empowering space where women can begin their journey to self-discovery. We support them in shedding old identities, developing new, healthy ones, and learning to live life authentically. This is a place where women are celebrated for every step they take,” Amber says. “It’s more than just a sober living home – it’s a community designed for personal transformation and healing. We help them practice boundaries, regulate their nervous systems, and thrive in an environment that nurtures their growth.” 

At Angel’s House, Amber wears many hats once again. She manages the house, handles behind-the-scenes details, meets with the community, and gives tours. “My absolute favorite part is connecting with the women, both individually and as a group. That’s where the real magic happens,” she says.

While there is currently no staff, Amber does have an amazing group of volunteers, dubbed “Angels on Earth,” who help with administrative work, organizing events, creating resources for the women, and more. Some also bring their own practices into the house, offering workshops on breathwork, meditation, art, or other therapeutic activities, says Amber. “And many are involved in simply being there for the women – whether that’s through mentorship, support, or sharing their own personal stories of healing.”

Support from the larger community has also been pivotal in the opening of Angel’s House. Local businesses, non-profits, medical facilities, and area leaders have all helped establish Angel’s House as an integral part of the La Crosse community. “Healing doesn’t happen in isolation,” Amber says. “It takes a community to heal, and that’s what we’re building here.” 

The first few months of operation have been successful, supporting Amber’s big dreams for the facility. She hopes that someday Angel’s House will expand beyond La Crosse. Additionally, she has an idea for an alumni network that will offer additional support after women leave the house. “Ultimately, I want it to be the gold standard in sober living and transformation.” 

As she continues her journey, Amber focuses on providing an environment and resources that many women – like her mom – were not afforded. She doesn’t want the women she serves to just survive. She wants them to thrive by giving them space to “grow, heal, and find their purpose” inside the welcoming walls of Angel’s House. 

Scattered across the beautiful, rural farmlands of bluff country are lots of barns. Rustic barns, pole barns, even a few round barns, all used for many things. A highlight of Spring Grove, Minnesota’s Uffda Fest, the town’s annual October celebration of autumn, is a barn dance held in, of course, a barn. But not just any old barn. We’re talking “Ye Olde Gray Barn,” located on the property of long-time residents and barn namesakes Jim and Karen Gray. The Grays are community-builders par excellence, with the Uffda Fest barn dance being just one project they’ve been involved in over many years.

The husband-and-wife team have lots in common. Both grew up on family farms near Riceville in northern Iowa. After meeting in high school (“we went to her junior prom,” Jim, now 84, remembers fondly) and later getting married, both graduated from Iowa State, and soon moved to Minnesota. Both love small-town life and making a positive difference in the place they call home. Married for 63 years, people know and love the Grays as the inseparable couple they are.

They’re also different. Dr. Jim became a veterinarian whose James Herriott-like career of doctoring animals and enjoying deep friendship with farm families spanned 50 years to the day. Karen’s double-major in Speech-Theater and English led to her teaching school, then becoming a stay-at-home mom, supporting her husband’s practice, and actively promoting the arts.

The Grays merge their differing interests and skills (fueled by their shared generosity) in unique, even remarkable ways. That brings us back to their barn. “I came home from work and found Karen in a group of women talking about local theater,” Jim recalls. “They had ideas and enthusiasm; what they didn’t have was a theater. I jokingly suggested, ‘why don’t you do it in our barn?’ Minutes later we were all out there seeing if that could work. Turns out it did!”

The Gray’s barn, Karen’s background in theater, Jim’s carpenter skills, and dedicated volunteers combined to create “Ye Olde Gray Barn,” a beloved venue for summer plays in Spring Grove for the past 46 years. Their first production, Annie Get Your Gun was on a small, indoor stage with balcony seating. The following year, Jim and other volunteers expanded the stage and borrowed bleachers from the local football field for outdoor seating. Shows like Oklahoma (1983), Annie (1989), Cabaret (1998), Little Shop of Horrors (2015), and 2025’s Something Rotten have consistently delivered what’s been described as “Broadway energy in a barn!” Karen has been a producer for several shows; Dr. Jim is general groundskeeper and occasional actor. “I sang in the Music Man barbershop quartet,” he says, “but my easiest role was playing the dead guy in ‘Lucky Stiff!’”

Local theater is only one of many community-building efforts the Grays have initiated. Another group discussion – “I end up in a lot of those!” Karen says with a laugh – and Jim’s tool-belt and carpentry know-how helped lead to the 2007 opening of the Bluff Country Artist Gallery, showcasing the work of nearly 70 local artists and offering special exhibits and classes for all ages.

The Gray’s visionary support was also integral to the creation of the Giants of the Earth Heritage Center. The Center promotes Spring Grove’s history as Minnesota’s first Norwegian settlement through genealogical research, the collection of oral histories, a language and culture camp each summer, and other special programs. Both Grays currently serve on the Giants board.

Jim and Karen also founded “Spring Grove Area – Past, Present and Future,” a non-profit with a mission to stimulate local business growth and tourism. 

They worked with internationally honored sculptor Craig Bergsgaard (Spring Grove High, Class of ‘70) to create two life-size bronze statues of beloved Norwegian cartoon characters Ola and Per that now stand in Viking Memorial Park in the center of town. Drawn in the early 1900s by Spring Grove native Peter J. Rosendahl, those statues attract lots of attention. “One day I saw a man taking pictures of Ola and Per,” says Karen. “I asked if he’d like a photo with him in it and he lit up! He grew up reading those comics and was so excited to visit Spring Grove. A wonderful moment of serendipity.”

The Gray’s influence extends beyond Spring Grove, as well. Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich appointed Karen to the Minnesota State Arts Board where she served three years as chair. Later she helped organize “Minnesota Historic Bluff Country,” a coalition of 22 Southeast Minnesota communities to encourage tourism. And Jim is a member of the famed Luren Singing Society of Decorah. “When I joined 35 years ago, I was the only singer from Spring Grove. Now there are 14 of us with Spring Grove roots, the second largest group outside Decorah from any one area.”

The Grays have done so much for so long. Are they thinking of slowing down? Hardly. They’re helping produce and promote “Dear Land…Norwegian Ridge at a Crossroads,” a Giants of the Earth movie set to premiere at the Spring Grove Cinema on November 1, 2025. They’re also exploring a major commemorative project with sculptor Bergsgaard called “Honoring Farm Families.” Stay tuned!

Learning about Jim and Karen Gray’s extraordinary commitment to their hometown makes you wonder: Why do they do all this? What motivates their community-building? You ask, hoping for a deep, philosophical explanation. The answer you get is simple. “We came here with nothing,” says Jim. “Everything we have we owe to this community. We want to give back. It’s just who we are.”