LuAnn Widergren

As far back as Lu Ann Widergren remembers, she has loved making art, with first works done in crayon on the walls of the family farm in Clinton, WI.  It was a chaotic household of five children, where creativity was supported and modeled by talented parents. She earned her college tuition during high school doing art commissions honing her drawing skills. LuAnn headed off to be an art teacher after an art education degree from UW-Platteville, where she then spent a rewarding career teaching art, continuing to learn with a MS in art education and E.Ds. from NIU, directing the district fine arts programs, and doing a seven-year detour as a principal for a sweet elementary school. 

2014, LuAnn changed gears to focus on painting, and during this time discovered the world of plein air painting, through her artist sister, Lynette Redner.  Painting outdoors—which started out with feelings of near-terror when an observer looked at her easel’s potential wet mess—developed into a newfound passion. The mishaps along the way with boats rowing away, trucks parking in front of the subject and beach sand inadvertently becoming part of the piece, are all bonuses to the experience.  Her former science teachers might be surprised how much LuAnn now studies nature, not just staring at the clouds, to give paintings the essence of the scene on a flat panel. 

As LuAnn works and studies representational painting, she has attained professional accomplishments. She has won numerous awards, in both national and regional shows, plein air events, and art festivals.  

In 2021, LuAnn opened her studio in Wisconsin to show her work and use as a working studio, that includes giving art lessons in person and online.

LuAnn resides in Holmes Beach, FL and on the Wisconsin River near Portage, WI –her son commented she is now a snowbird and a cheesehead – with her husband Jerry and paint dog Sadie.