Deo Gallery Branding (1920 x 600 px) (7)

Deo Gallery's August Exhibit - "New Realities"

John Lundeen grew up near Lake Superior, in Northern Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin, earning his Bachelor of Science degree there prior to enrolling in the University of Illinois to complete a degree…

John Lundeen grew up near Lake Superior, in Northern Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin, earning his Bachelor of Science degree there prior to enrolling in the University of Illinois to complete a degree in Architecture. He then returned to the University of Wisconsin to complete a Master of Science degree. His career led him to become the President of American Medical Buildings, a company that specialized in the design of medical buildings across the United States. When he retired, the company had built projects in 43 states.


Feeling the need for a retreat on Lake Superior, Lundeen took a week off over the course of three years to find the perfect lake frontage combining rocky shore and tall pines. He found his dream property in AuTrain and built a home and studio there. Herbert Fritz, who designed his retreat, was the last surviving architect to study with Frank Lloyd Wright. The home, a stunning three-story structure built into the natural cliffs with walls of glass facing the lake, was ultimately purchased by True North Trex, an organization that provides retreat experiences for cancer survivors and their caregivers.

John decided to add an art major to his undergraduate degree in the 1960s and has been painting ever since. The eight paintings displayed in this exhibit are a part of his personal collection and not for sale.

Wayne Francis was born in 1949 in Northern Pennsylvania. He received his B.S. degree from Mansfield State University in Pennsylvania, studied sculpture at Portland State University, and received his M.A. from Northern Michigan University.

He taught High School in Hawaii and furniture making at Northwestern State University in Louisiana and was the Director of the Art Museum and Performing Arts Series at Northern Michigan University from 1985 – 2007. He and his wife Isabel then sailed their boat from Lake Superior to the Bahamas. He is now a full-time artist and musician and divides his time between Marquette Michigan and Pine Island Florida. His work is in numerous public and private collections.

“My work delves into that magical, whimsical realm of the artist as interpreter of the human experience. I use art to depict that place where humans, animals, and spirits come together in the natural world around us. The sculptural forms in my work are simplified and stripped to their bare lines, often abstracted and combined with a variety of symbols and natural materials to create a link between ancient and contemporary art.”

“The wall pieces act as portals into a world of myth and mystery. For me making art is a dance, with each step of the process bringing me closer to the final intent of the piece. I see my work as a struggle to depict the world around us, both seen and unseen.”