Eight Local Artists Inspired By Island’s Ambiance
By Leslie Rott

Maeve Croghan, Marta Olson, Pat Pulte, Catherine Brockman, Pam Finkel, and Katherine Hannabass pose at a reception for their art show at Murray Hotel Sunday, June 12. Not pictured are group members Nicki Griffith and Marlee Musser.

It is rare that chance meetings lead to lasting relationships, but that is how, more than 10 years ago, a group of local artists on the Island came together and became what is today the Mackinac 7. Coming from various academic and artistic backgrounds, the group was formed to use the Island and each other as an inspiration for their artistic expression.

Mackinac 7 is comprised of eight artists, Catherine Brock-man, Maeve Croghan, Pam Finkel, Nicki Griffith, Katherine Hannabass, Marlee Musser, Marta Olson, and Pat Pulte. The group name is derived, however, from a Canadian art group in the 1920s and 1930s called the Group of 7, whose work many of the Mackinac 7 members admire.

“It was really the art that brought us together,” said Maeve Croghan. “We have become a wonderful, close group of friends.”

Marta Olson agreed. “The friendship is so important,” she said.

Some of the members had no formal painting experience when the group was formed, and through their exhibits at the Murray Hotel and at the Mackinac Island Public Library, Islanders have watched the artists experiment with various media, techniques, and subject matter.

Catherine Brockman describes the group as being “like a band without a leader,” however, she said the group is full of compassion, which makes it work.

The group enjoys getting together for outdoor painting sessions and weekend excursions to Canada and other northern venues, where they learn and paint together.

On Sunday, June 12, they hosted a reception for their art show at the Mackinac Island Art Gallery at Murray Hotel. The show opened at the hotel on June 4 and will run through the end of June. It is free and open to the public.

The group will hold two other shows this summer; one July 3 through 18 at the Three Pines Studio in Cross Village and the other in August at the Mackinac Island Public Library.

Meet the Mackinac 7

Catherine (Cathy) Brockman

Mrs. Brockman is a summer resident on Mackinac Island. She resides in Arizona during the winter. She received her bachelor’s degree in English literature with a minor in studio art from St. Catherine’s in Saint Paul, Minnesota and her master’s in psychology from the University of Wisconsin. She said she has been painting for about 20 years, ever since she finished working on her degrees. She always wanted to paint, but “circumstance intervened” and it took her longer than she thought to get started. Now she is a studio painter who enjoys abstract paintings. Painting for her is “spiritual, not commercial,” she said, and she loves the Island as a “mystical place,” which she discovered on her honeymoon.

Maeve Croghan

Ms. Croghan is originally from Alexandria, Virginia, and has spent summers on the Island her entire life. She now resides in California during the winter months. She describes herself as an “expressionist nature painter” and said Mackinac Island has inspired in her a sense of nature and the environment. She attended the San Francisco Art Institute Bachelor of Fine Arts Painting Program, the Portland Museum School, and the New College of California, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She has studied at various art schools around the world, including schools in Tuscany, Italy, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Ms. Croghan has been the recipient of several awards and her paintings have been in museum showings around the country, including Alaska, California, New Mexico, and Oregon. She owns Maeve’s Arts on Market Street. To view her work, visit www.maevecroghan.com.

Pam Finkel

Mrs. Finkel has lived on the Island since 1981. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in printmaking from Albion College and teaches drawing and painting to Mackinac Island Public School students. Of her art, she said, “It’s about revealing myself intimately and connecting with people through shared experience. I also love working with children and encouraging their self-revelation. Painting is simply the best way I’ve found to get along with myself.” She resides at Woodbluff with her husband, Lee, and children, Jane and Tyler.

Nicki Griffith

Mrs. Griffith has been painting her entire life, beginning as a child at the kitchen table. She has a degree in English literature, but discovered more than 30 years ago that art is one of her true passions. Her art has appeared at shows in Michigan, Costa Rica, and Italy and she is a member of various art groups. Mrs. Griffith and her husband, Harry, live in Ann Arbor and at Hubbard Annex on Mackinac and said she enjoys the beauty and serenity of northern Michigan. She currently works in acrylic and mixed media, but also enjoys painting in watercolors, pastels, and oils. Her main goal for her art is to “convey meaning, mood, and emotion and provoke the same in the viewer.” She added that her friends in Mackinac 7 are a continuing source of inspiration for her and her art. Visit www.nickigriffith.com to view her artwork.

Katherine (Kitty) Hannabass

Originally from Saint Joseph, Missouri, Mrs. Hannabass has lived in Tennessee and currently resides in South Carolina, but spends May through October on the East Bluff. Her love on Mackinac, she said, is for the history and the community and for “the things that seldom change - the wind and the water.” She received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, and a master’s degree in English from East Tennessee State University. She has reared five children, spends time with nine grandchildren, and takes part in numerous volunteer activities, including the Environmental Committee of the Mackinac Island Community Foundation. Mrs. Hannabass did not begin painting until she was in her 60s, however, she said she found it a wonderful way to express herself. “And now I just love to have time to paint,” she added. She said she has always enjoyed needlework and loves putting colors together. She also enjoys painting concepts, such as the relationship between mother and child. “You learn a lot about yourself when you paint,” she said.

Marlee Musser

Mrs. Musser was reared in Petoskey, where her love and appreciation of nature was fostered. She also gained an appreciation for nature in the vast mountain ranges of the United States and Austria, where she spent time training and competing in what became a championship ski racing career. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has studied in California, France, and New York. Mrs. Musser’s works have been exhibited throughout the country and the world. She operates her gallery at Grand Hotel and lives on the Island with her family. To view her work, visit www.marleebrown.com.

Marta Olson

Mrs. Olson has spent summers on Mackinac Island for her entire life. Interested in photography since she was a child, it was only a decade ago that she realized her interest in painting. She describes herself as being “primarily self taught” and said that Mackinac is her favorite subject. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and her Master of Business Administration degree from Michigan State University. She also owns her own web design business, Mintaka Design. Mrs. Olson lives with her family on Mackinac Island during the summer and resides in Harbor Springs during the winter months. To view her artwork, visit her Web site, www.martaolson.com.

Pat Pulte

Mr. Pulte was born and reared in Ann Arbor. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan School of Engineering and has spent summers on the Island for over 35 years, where he owns the Murray Hotel. Mr. Pulte began to paint in the early 1990s, when he was in his 60s. He has attended many workshops around the country and says, “If I can paint, anybody can paint.” To view his work, visit www.4mackinac.com/art_gallery.cfm.