Gwen Frostic
Let's just wander here and there
like leaves floating in the autumn air
and look at common little things
stones on the beach
flowers turning into berries...
From the winds we'll catch a bit
of that wondrous feeling that comes
not from seeing
but from being part of nature...
If you have read the about me page on this blog you are aware that I enjoy tradition and collecting memories. One tradition that I cherish is vacationing on the coastal side of Michigan with my extended family each summer. While we are staying in the small town of Onekama we visit our favorite restaurants and stores. Each year we visit the little shop and former art studio of Gwen Frostic. Here we stock up on everything from notebooks, stationary and napkins covered in simplistic images printed from hand carved woodcuts. These images of animals, wildflowers and outdoor scenes take me back to all those summers in Michigan when we only came inside to sleep.
If you have ever traveled the west side of Michigan near Frankfort you may have been lucky enough to have stopped at the most enchanted art studio and store holding the work of Gwen Frostic. A lover of nature, Sara Gwendolen Frostic was born in 1906 in Sandusky. An author, lecturer, artist, owner and president of Prescraft Papers and a print shop in Benzonia, Frostic spent her life showing the beauty that the universe has to offer. Before passing away in 2001 Gwen received many awards and honorary degrees from multiple colleges, including having Western Michigan University’s art school named in her honor. In 1978, the Governor in Michigan declared May 23rd as Gwen Frostic day for the state. Less than 10 years later she was inducted into the Michigan Woman’s Hall of Fame. You go girl!!!
Gwen Frostic place mats and napkins add style to any party.
Inside the Gwen frostic store in Benzie, MI.
All of this aside, one look at her prints and you will love her simplistic description of nature. I am a big lover of woodblock prints, earth tones and snail mail so yes, I’m addicted to her work. While you can buy Frostic’s artwork online the store is worth the visit and gives you such a love for her work. It sits on a wildlife sanctuary on the Betsie River and makes you wonder if you are really inside a building or just an enchanted cave in a hill of northern Michigan. The inside of the store shows all the natural materials used to build the structure, is filled with her works as well as wood carvings of a variety of birds and the occasional spider’s web. My favorite is the front row view of the old printing presses making everything from next year’s calendar to wrapping paper and placemats. Oh goodness, that smell of ink and oiled machines takes me back to my favorite printmaking classes in college.
The printing presses working to create new products.
I can almost smell the fresh ink right now.
Map from gwenfrostic.com.
My family vacations in Onekama, a small town just south of Benzonia on M22, each August. We make our yearly visit and stock up on our favorite Gwen Frostic item. I love getting that calendars for gifts and myself and as I tear off each month I save them to use to frame for inexpensive artwork, postcard or gift tag. Once I gave my mother-in-law a variety of greeting cards and she framed them and hung them in her house. It made me smile to see them when we visited.
The ceramic envelope is the item of the month buy it on sale at The Shop.
If this blog isn’t a testament to how much I enjoy her work, let me just say this: I bought Gwen Frostic coasters while in college before I owned anything that needed protected from a sweating glass. I also enjoy keeping Gwen Frostic postcards and notecards sent to me from my mom and putting them in frames to add whimsy to my house and desk at work.
Visit www.gwenfrostic.com to purchase your own products.
postcards come in a charming little envelope that also contains a print.
