Meet the Summer Class Instructors

Michelle Colangelo spends her time between Les Cheneaux and Metro Detroit and has been a summer resident of Cedarville since childhood when she fell in love with the rugged natural beauty of northern Michigan. That beauty has inspired her creative work, including a long career in professional event planning and instructing workshops.  She started with teaching scrapbooking workshops in the early 2000s, then added other elements to her work, such as card design, sign making, home furnishings, and other wood projects through Rustic Workshops, which she launched in 2016. Michelle specializes in working with wood, and often collects and repurposes wood from Les Cheneaux and the city of Detroit to integrate into her projects. In addition to sign making classes, she instructs in making home decor such as bottle openers, leash holders, and more.  https://www.facebook.com/RusticWorkshops

Susan Hallums
“I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.”― Vincent van Gogh
On a recent trip to see Vincent van Gogh's exhibit, this quote spoke to me.  I think this describes my approach to art.  I often take a backward approach by buying something I like then trying to figure out how to do it.  I consider myself more of a crafter than an artist, but I love making things in many different mediums.  A few years ago, I spent the summer taking some art classes in Cedarville that looked like fun.  I was immediately smitten by fused glass.  I have a kiln in Florida where I use our garage as a craft studio.  In the summer, our family lives on Island Eight in Cedarville where we just remodeled our home to include a craft room with space for two kilns.  I feel very fortunate to have found the enclave of artists in the Les Cheneaux Islands who inspire me to learn new things.

Kathy Thomas is an abstract artist living in Cedarville. She grew up in the U.P. and spent many summers on the waters of the Les Cheneaux Islands. She married a Colorado native and with him and their three children, relocated to Cedarville in 2014. She desires to create thought provoking artwork and is excited to teach unique techniques that will inspire others. www.kathygalethomas.com

Linda Sattler I am an artist, educator, traveler and student. Art has always been a focal point in my life; acquiring, studying, producing, teaching and
observing. Creating in a variety of media, 2-D or 3-D, I love it all. From painting to glass and photography to clay, design remains a constant theme. I love to have new experiences and revisit previous media.
Being “Mom” to 36 foreign exchange students over the years, has opened my views and enriched my experiences. For 30 years I have enjoyed the community, influences and opportunities of the Les Cheneaux. I am an active member on the Board of the LCAC.
​I continue to exhibit, volunteer, offer workshops and serve as an advocate for the Arts.

Sarah May Tule I’m a colored pencil artist from Michigan. I began painting in high school and discovered a real passion for creating art. I have been creating professionally now for over 10 years and am mostly self-taught. I create from my home studio which is full of natural light and an ever-growing collection of plants.
I find my inspiration for my work in afternoon walks and trips to the lake shore. Michigan provides endless opportunities to draw its beauty and I am forever trying to capture it on paper.
I am currently a board member of Sault Sainte Marie Arts Council, as well as Upper Peninsula Arts and Culture Alliance.

Steve Feringa is an enrolled member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (Anishinaabek) and has worked for his Tribe for nearly 25 years as their Tribal Architect. He is also a member of the American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers and has been
practicing architecture for nearly 40 years. Working for his tribe has made it possible for him to integrate tribal culture into his architectural designs as well as teaching flintknapping and other primitive technologies to the tribal community.
Steve made his first bow when he was 8 years old, but it was not until he read an article in the Michigan-Out-Of-Doors magazine when he was an adult about flintknapping did he start the real learning process and make “authentic” bows and arrows. This article featured Mike Cook, one of
the best flintknappers (making arrowheads) in the country and a member of the Michigan Flintknappers. Steve promptly joined the group. Flintknapping is the German term used for making arrowheads or any other stone tools made from flint or chert. As a member of the Michigan Flintknappers, Steve learned not only how to make arrowheads but also arrows, bows, fire making and other primitive technologies the Anishnaabek have used for generations. The bows and arrows that Steve makes are authentic and usable. All the materials are either local or traded for, the same way the Anishnaabek have done for generations. The word
“Odawa” or Ottawa means “to trade.”

Connie Thompson has a formal education in art and design, as she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Commercial Art/Design from Kendall School of Design. She has over 40 years of art and craft experience under her belt as well. Over a 20-year craft career she and her husband Pat made and sold thousands of hand-painted cedar bird feeders, decorated walking sticks, painted bird and butterfly houses and wood-burned bat houses to happy customers all over Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin.
In the late 90s Connie discovered the joys of stained glass work, and has been making and selling items locally at craft shows and online for the last decade. She has made hundreds of glass snowflakes, angels and mushrooms. She also designs her own beautiful stained glass
landscapes and these are constantly "in-progress" as she develops and tries out new patterns all the time. You can visit her online store at etsy.com/shop/cedarbreezes where she displays her eclectic style of different crafts and artwork.
Connie says that she 'hasn't figured out what art or craft she wants to make for the rest of her life,' so she tries them all! Along the way, she has become skilled in various art mediums including stained glass, woodworking, pyrography, calligraphy, mandala rock painting, enamel toll painting and glass painting. She has taught several calligraphy and pyrography classes
through the Art Store and Hessel Schoolhouse and is looking forward to teaching stained glass and mandala rock painting this summer for the Les Cheneaux Arts Council.

Steven F. Wirtz is a full-time artist working primarily in the 3-D realm. His current materials of choice are wire and paper. Steve sells his art at festivals around the country, and is represented by a select number of fine galleries; which are listed on his website http://cartuna.net. Steve works out of his northern Michigan studio where he enjoys the outdoors very much.

Linda Henderson is an award-winning, color photographer who specializes in capturing images that depict a sense of place and a spirit of adventure. Her distinctive compositional style using natural light is illustrated in her photos of natural places like Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula, Southern Florida, quaint villages of the Swiss Alps and colorful Italian Mediterranean fishing villages.

Linda has a zest for life, a belief in creativity and a love of travel. She believes in documenting our lives through photography. She sees life as an adventure and an exciting learning journey.

“Through photography we learn to see beauty in the world, to realize the importance of expression, and to document our experiences.”