Art in the Door
Meet the Winners of 2025 Art in the Door
Rick Brawner
Fish Creek, Wisconsin
"Whitefish Dunes St Park" • Oil
"Being a lover of Door County nature and having a fascination with classical impressionistic seascape oil painting, I'm drawn to our scenic rugged shorelines. My entry for 2025, Early Morning Gulls At Whitefish Dunes State Park, captures the drama seldom seen by park viewers at this early hour of the morning. This 12x24" oil on canvas panel was painted live, plein air, just after sunrise before most of the park's visitors arrive. I did some touch up to the piece back in my home studio in Fish Creek. Hope you like it.
Thanks, Rick"
Olivia Donato
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
"Peninsula State Park" • Oil
"My painting is inspired by the shoreline at Sven’s Bluff in Peninsula State Park. The moment was captured on a misty, cloudy day in early April; just before the leaves on the trees start to show any hints of green and winter still has a hold on the peninsula. I wanted to paint this scene to show the quietness and tranquility of Door County in the winter and spring, and how Peninsula State Park has beauty all year long– including the cold, gray and overcast days. I felt that the mist on the shoreline only accentuates the vastness of the water of Tennison Bay stretching into Green Bay."
Tom Afflerbach
Ephraim, Wisconsin
"Eagle Tower Ramp"• Acrylic
"Eagle Tower in Peninsula State Park has been a Door County tourist attraction as long as I can remember. I was sad to see that it had become unsafe and taken down. I knew as a Landscape Architect that if rebuilt it would need to conform with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). I knew it would require an elevator or extremely long ramp.
When I saw the plans for the new tower I was amazed. The new design is a Landscape Architecture/Engineering marvel. The ramp begins near the base of the tower and heads in the opposite direction, slowly climbing from the forest floor, into the midstory, then the canopy, and finally emerges over the top of the trees to reveal the panorama of Eagle Harbor. Equally impressive is the wooden structure that supports the ramp, itself a work of art.
I always take visitors to Door County to the tower, and I always see numerous people climbing who would never have been able to get to the top of the old Eagle Tower. My painting is a tribute to the design and accessibility of the new tower where the journey is equal to the destination."
Kay McKinley
Ellison Bay, Wisconsin
"Liquid Gold Tennison Bay" • Pastel
"I was driving through Peninsula State Park when I happened upon a brilliant play of sunlight in Tennison Bay. The orange and golds in both the sky and water inspired me to hurry to find a place to park and take a reference photo with my iPhone before the "magic" disappeared."
Meet the Winners of 2024 Art in the Door
We invite you to meet last year's winning artists and learn how Door County inspired their masterpieces.
Ann Lee
Ridgeland, Wisconsin
"Calm Waters at Cave Point County Park" • Oil
The feeling of tranquility inspires Ann Lee’s oil painting. She invites you to lose yourself in the calm waters at Cave Point County Park, where the water is so clear that you can see every submerged stone on the shore's bottom while you listen to the waves gently drumming out the ancient cadence of Lake Michigan's heartbeat. The warmth of the sun brings you a sense of healing while the stresses of everyday life melt away. Here, you find solace in the vastness of the water that washes over you while the quiet breeze carries a fresh, new beginning that fills you with well-being and hope for tomorrow.
Matylin Demars
St. Paul, Minnesota
"“Ablaze"" • Acrylic
The feeling of awe inspired Matylin Demars. Her acrylic on canvas painting was inspired by a moment that caught her breath and made her heart beat faster. She felt like a child again, staring with her mouth open, struck by the beauty of our world. Demars’ paintings attempt to capture those moments in nature that stop you in your tracks, those moments that remind you how incredible it is to be alive, to be breathing, to be exactly where you are at that exact moment.
Ken Zenger
Burr Ridge, Illinois
"Sunset Memories" • Pastels & Watercolors
Ken Zenger set out to capture a moment of tranquility that will resonate with your soul. Using pastels on hardwood, he painted a scene that speaks to the heart of Door County, Wisconsin and the memories made there. Imagine standing at the edge of a peaceful lake, watching as gentle ripples stretch into the distance under the warm glow of a sunset painted in vibrant shades of orange and yellow. It's a scene that feels like a dream from the past, filled with nostalgia. He carefully depicted a vintage boat, its handcrafted beauty gently floating before a rustic boat house. These elements hold within them the weight of countless summer memories, each stroke of his pastels bringing them to life on the wooden canvas.
Angela Faber
Marshfield, Wisconsin
"Camping Under the Milky Way" • AcrylicThe feeling of awe inspires Angela Faber’s acrylic painting. The piece depicts a solitary camp under the beautiful dark sky over Door County, where the Milky Way is the absolute star of the show. The lonely tent, the soft glow of the campfire, a rock to sit on... all humbled and a bit out of focus beneath the vast universe, which can only be truly appreciated in all its glory in such a dark and sacred place like Newport State Park. The scene illustrates her personal experience that Door County is a magical place where, year after year, she finds new ways to be in awe of the nature and beauty of the world.
Explore the Arts in Door County
Now that you have seen the artwork and met the award-winning artists, it is time to get in the act of Art in the Door yourself. Explore the ways Door County can inspire your artistic spirit and plan your trip.
