Sioux Falls Surgical Center. Her artwork can be seen in the lobby, reception area and ten exam rooms at the McKennan Children’s Clinic in the Doctor’s Plaza. Over twenty artists have artwork displayed at the Sanford Children’s hospital where eight of her paintings are displayed. Five of those paintings were reproduced at a Sanford Children’s Clinic in China. Halsey took part in a fundraiser this past fall for the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society, called the “25 Guitar Art Project” to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Artists throughout South Dakota designed “Ski Cow” done with pencil, ink and gold paint by Jessi Koch artwork on 25 white Fender Stratocaster guitars which will be displayed to the public until the JazzFest in July 2016 and will later be auctioned off. Jessi Koch Jessi Koch grew up in Yankton with her mom and brother. She always enjoyed drawing as a child and always “Jackson P.” Pastel painting signed up for art classes in the by Jessi Koch summer while growing up. She moved away from Yankton for about two months, returning back to her hometown with husband Chad Koch. She was invited to the Connecting Artist group to speak and became a member soon after. Koch likes to draw portraits the most but she has always had a love for cartooning. Having known her for many years, I remember her always having the knack to vividly draw anyone to life on a plain sheet of paper. “When I was a kid I always wanted to be a cartoonist,” she explained. Koch was recently asked to do a coloring book for South Dakota Magazine and the Yankton Chamber of Commerce and she will be starting to teach art classes this summer on her own. Though she admires the rest of the Connecting Artists group, she does admire the style and story of the cartoonist Robert Crumb, who, as a child longed to become a cartoonist when he grew up. pottery at UNO in Nebraska before they settled down in Tyndall, SD. For the last nineteen years, she has been managing the Art & Antique Gallery located on Main Street. Here she has an art studio and custom framing business and also teaches individual privately scheduled lessons. Mace enjoys working in watercolor, oil and acrylic paint. Though she doesn’t work with pottery anymore, she still supports pottery artists. She most enjoys work by the Impressionists, which she was trained in. “The way my artwork has turned out lately is from studies in color,” she explains. Mary Jane Mathrole Mary Jane Mathrole’s first introduction to art was by her first grade teacher. Her teacher took one section of the jet black chalkboard and created a drawing on it, changing it once a week. Mathrole grew up with her three siblings on a farm near Wakonda, SD. She explained how she belonged to 4-H as a child and they were always doing projects such as metal etching, basket making, copper tooling. “That was my outlet for learning a variety and getting to try a variety of things,” she reflects. While Mathrole and husband John lived in Missouri, their son was born. She took advantage of a nearby class on watercolor painting for $5 for a 6-week class and precious time to herself. Her husband, also an artist, understood the need for her outlet. Over the next several years of raising a family, she partook in some sewing, knitting and crochet. Mathrole’s passion for art blossomed when they moved to South Carolina. She was only two hours away from Gary’s Art-ORama, an artist’s dream venue for workshops and supplies and she took in several workshops during their annual trade show. “I’ve had the opportunity to observe a variety of artists at work. I’m still at the playing stage,” she laughs. She likes all forms of visual art, but now working with graphite pencils, she admires graphite artists that can make 3-dimensional art, adding that this is her goal someday. vARTISTS continued on page 8 Judy Mace Judy Mace grew up in a large family on a farm by Fordyce, NE. Reflecting back, she states, “I was always allowed to create Original watercolor greeting card by Judy Mace art at home even though I had chores.” She attended Mount Marty College where she studied art. She left college, married husband Rodney and they traveled for many years while he served in the military. She also managed some time to study HERVOICEvMARCH/APRIL 2016v7