Artists on Main Street Profile: Wendy Cockrell

Wabasha creative artist Wendy Cockrell wanted to offer classes inspired by her love of Septoberfest. With the help of Artists on Main Street, her vision came to life in her class series, A Corny Affair.

Class participants for a Corny Affair

While visiting Wabasha during Septoberfest, Wendy was inspired by the candy corn decorations all over town. Last October, she decided to create an art class in Wabasha focusing on the Septoberfest decor using her Artists on Main Street grant.

Wendy provided all the materials, instruction, and offered two classes at the local Brewery building of Turning Waters Bed and Breakfast. This was a fun, interactive workshop that brought together guests from the B&B and locals who wanted to participate in a fun art class.

Left and Right: Finished projects from A Corny Affair. Center: Artist Wendy Cockrell

She took 60 empty wine bottles, stripped them of their labels and painted them white for a neutral background. In the workshop, each participant painted their bottle to look like or mimic candy corn. . Each wine bottle had a cork topper and tiny sparkle lights tucked inside. Depending on the color of the glass under the white paint, each bottle shone differently. The clearer the glass bottle, the brighter your light will shine.

This project brought simple joy and a chance for Wabasha to breathe in the fall season. The community loved Wendy's project so much that she may offer a winter version of the class at a local gift shop for Christmas Bottle displays.