Letters to Isabella: Paintings by Marley Kaul

Artist and author Marley Kaul is considered a contemporary master in a medium valued for its crisp, vibrant colors and its luminosity. Tempera is one of the oldest mediums in painting and consists of dry pigment, water, and egg yolk.

Though Kaul's subjects center on his home in Northern Minnesota: the wildlife outside his kitchen window, the birds lighting at his backyard feeder, and other domestic subjects, his artistic concepts have revolved around ecological issues and what he witness every day in his yard, garden, and community.

Born and raised on a farm in Good Thunder, Minnesota, Kaul earned a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Oregon. From 1967-1997 he taught painting and drawing at Bemidji State University.

His paintings are in collections including the North Dakota Museum of Art, Plains Art Museum, Minnesota Historical Society, 3M Collections, Tweed Museum of Art, the Anderson Center, and Weisman Art Museum.

Marley paints daily in his studio near Lake Bemidji.

Since 1989 Kathleen Weflen has served as editor in chief and publisher of "Minnesota Conservation Volunteer" magazine. This award-winning magazine of woods, prairies, waters, and wildlife has been beloved by readers since its inception in 1940. With current circulation of more than 115,000 and an estimated readership of nearly a half million Minnesotans, it is one of the most widely read magazines in the state. Weflen writes an editor's column for each issue, stories on natural resources topics, and essays such as "The Essence of Place" (2012), which showcased paintings by Marley Kaul.