November Local Artist of the Month: Randy Spry

The Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery is pleased to announce Randy Spry as the Local Artist of the Month for November.

Randy was raised in the north woods of Grand Portage, Minnesota, and graduated from Cook County High School. His early influences were family members such as a “legendary recycler and tinkerer grandfather, guitar-playing and carpenter dad, and a mom who scheduled us craft days as kids.” He remembers family gatherings being full of music; singing, and guitar playing. “Luckily for me, that meant music and art were always around.”

Spry is a versatile artist whose work often features nature scenes and local buildings. He began his artistic journey with woodworking, creating whittled wizards and carved walking sticks, a natural progression from his years in construction. Finding that his carvings "needed some paint," he then taught himself painting, inspired after watching Bob Ross.

Today, Spry has merged his passions by building custom guitars in addition to painting. He has even returned to playing music, joining his step-daughter’s band as their guitarist, noting, "playing music and making art were inspiring for me, and I hope that sharing this can be inspiring for others.”