GRETCHEN KOTTKE

I have done many things in my life, but art has always been a part of it either as an artist or lover.  There’s a part of me that always admired the abstract and have always wanted to paint really big abstract pieces.  Sadly, the abstract eluded me…there’s always a figure that speaks louder.  The figure4s even if abstracted help me relate to my sensibilities.  Even though, I do, most times, I am hesitant to title my work, as I do not want to interfere with the message a viewer may receive.  For me this is important.  I love the stories people tell of what is happening in a piece…when they don’t have a title to guide them. It forces them to look and to think.  I have been involved in the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, and the environmental issues to name a few.  I have sadness that so little has been learned or changed in the decades I have been privy to witness.  It is the focal point of my art.  In The Gleaner, two simply dress women search in the biter cold for wood for warmth and their very survival.  The little sticks are all that is left after poor stewardship that has come to a place, we call Earth.

Gretchen was born in Bemidji, MN on January 8, 1942, raised in Cooperstown, ND graduating from high school in 1959 so she could fly away to study art.  The flight took her to Jamestown College and the University of North Dakota, Blair College of Medical Assistants and The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA.  Upon return to North Dakota, she opened GK Gallery that hosted 84 exhibits and sponsored two public art pieces, The Prairie Garden and the Prairie Compass.  She has shown her work in various cities and galleries since the mid-sixties with work in private collections.

She is survived by her brother Dale (Eddi), Nephews Douglas and Curtis, and Niece Ellen.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to St George Catholic Church and Hospice of the Red River Valley.

A Memorial Service will be Friday, December 2, 2022 at 10:30 am in St. George’s Catholic Church in Cooperstown, ND.  Visitation will be Thursday, December 1, 2022 from 6:00 pm till 7:00 pm at the church.