METIGOSHE Paul Horn of Minot has been named the featured artist for this weekend's Prairie Artists Show & Sale. The event is set for Saturday and Sunday in the Metigoshe Christian Center north of Bottineau.
Horn has been a regular at the show since 2007 and his displays attract a lot of attention. He began Prairie Creations in 2003, after selling his business, Paul's Woodworks, which he operated for 40 years. He took oil painting lessons from Laura Quaglia, and they worked on a wildlife series in class. After that he began carving and painting on his own. He says he works nearly full-time in the winter, less in the summer.
Many of his creations are wild ducks carved from old fence posts, but he also makes crosses, key holders, bookends, candle-holders, fishing rod racks and gun racks. "The crosses are very popular," he said. He also makes keepsakes for people from posts or other old wood from their farm.
Horn works in a 20-by-40 foot shop he built before he sold Paul's Woodworks. He kept most of his equipment except for the bigger machines. The shop is heated and air-conditioned, so he can work there year-round.
"Sometimes when I'm out there working on a project I lose track of the time," he said.
When Horn isn't working in the shop he enjoys fishing with friends. He and his wife, Donna, also like spending time with the grandchildren and traveling for material for his creations. Old cedar posts are getting harder to find, and he finds them mostly by word of mouth.
In addition to the Prairie Artists Show Horn displays his work at Art Fest in Grand Forks and Minot, Seasonal Spice, craft shows in Mohall, Kenmare, Minnesota and Wisconsin. He is thinking of trying the show in Billings, Mont., this year.
"I like meeting all the different people and visiting with them," he said. "They're all so nice."