Seykoras 'both absolutely love art'

ALEXANDRIA — Bill and Merodie Seykora’s lifelong love of art cannot remain contained to Turning Lake Designs, their home, studio and gallery on the southern shore of Lake Brophy in La Grand Township. As they show and sell their custom pieces — Bill his woodwork and Merodie her pottery — they aim to spark a passion for creativity in everyone who sees and uses their work.

“We both absolutely love art,” Bill said. “It was our lifelong dream to do this type of thing.”

Bill grew up in Owatonna, while Merodie was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They met in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, when Bill was a chef there, having attended culinary school in Switzerland. They married, moved to Owatonna and later to Alexandria in the early 1980s; there, Bill co-founded the Depot Express, now the Depot Smokehouse and Tavern, managing it for 30 years. Merodie, who had previously taught in Albert Lea, worked at the Alexandria Echo Press for several years before going back into teaching. The Seykoras maintained their artistic pursuits during their careers, promoting art in Alexandria.

“I’ve done everything in decorating; you name it, I’ve done it with artwork,” Bill said. “I’ve done bigger sculptures, little sculptures. … I did a Viking ship down by (what is now) Bremer Bank. Across from the bank was an open lot, and the whole open lot was a Viking ship (made) from ice.”

The Seykoras built Bill’s workshop at their home in 2000 and added Merodie’s pottery studio, as well as a gallery in what used to be a carport. From there was born Turning Lake Designs.

Bill’s father, Robert Seykora, did woodwork to make things for his children.

“He liked wood that was absolutely perfect, and I’m just the opposite,” Bill said. “I like imperfections in wood; the more imperfections, I think the prettier it is. … (My dad) never wanted me to work at a lathe because they were so dangerous. I went out and bought one, started doing (woodworking) and went from the smallest one to the biggest one you could buy.”

For most of their projects, the Seykoras aim for functionality as well as beauty. Bill started by making bowls, and as he improved his resin techniques, he added charcuterie boards, wooden utensil handles, tables, chessboards, coasters, decorations and more to his repertoire. He also expanded his mediums, creating bowls made of popsicle sticks, barbecue skewers, colored pencils and resin.

“I was doing a show one time at Art in the Park in downtown Alexandria,” Bill said. “This lady came by whom I knew, and she said, ‘I want you to teach me how to do a pencil bowl.’ ‘Sure, no problem,’ (I said); I’d never done one in my life. … I went home and started looking and studying and made one.”

Merodie has always enjoyed creating and has degrees in art and teaching. She especially enjoys throwing, making bowls, mugs, plates and other ceramic items. Once, she made about 350 mugs in under three months for a client in Benson.

“There’s something very meditative about throwing,” she said. “It always feels really good. … Once you start glazing, then you switch over to dealing with chemicals, colorants, firing temperatures, what works and what doesn’t.”

One of the techniques Merodie has used is raku, which originated in Japan. The pot is quickly fired to a temperature that does not vitrify the clay before it is rapidly cooled; the resulting pottery can hold water, but it will eventually seep through if left long enough.

Merodie also does paper weaving, finding ways to entwine different colors and textures together resulting in a new design. This is another enjoyable medium for her, as she can see the end appearance right away.

“When I glaze my pots, they’re not the color they’re going to be,” Merodie said. “That’s because they’re full of chemicals that need to be heated to mature and pull off the color. When glazing, you don’t see what the color is actually going to be until you open the kiln.”

For the Seykoras, inspiration is more of a state of being than a random strike. It can come from nature, other people’s art, each other’s art or “mistakes” in their own work.

“We’re constantly bouncing (ideas) back and forth to each other,” Bill said.

There is even artistic possibility in the leftovers from the Seykoras’ main projects. Once, Merodie was emptying the waste bin in Bill’s studio when she saw some scraps that she was able to make into earrings; now, they offer an entire selection of them in their gallery.

The Seykoras often take a truck with them when they travel, bringing home all kinds of wood and other items they turn into art.
One of the places they go is the Oregon coast, where they have a friend with a sawmill; they also pick up driftwood from the shoreline.

“When we come back, the truck is full of wood, and I don’t mean that lightly,” Bill said.

Bill and Merodie are co-presidents of the Arts Initiative of Douglas County nonprofit, which is ongoing in the Alexandria area and focuses on expanding public art and increasing artists’ opportunities. It is responsible for art wraps around electrical boxes in Alexandria, and through the initiative, Merodie and a couple of artist friends also started the Saturday Art Market in Big Ole Park in Alexandria, which runs from late May through August every year.

“We want to support the arts, and we want the arts in the community,” Merodie said. “I’ve always done pottery, and I do teach classes a couple times per year.”

The Turning Lake Designs gallery is open whenever the Seykoras are at their home on County Road 82.

“People come in, and they’re amazed at what you can do,” Bill said. “The discussions you get into, stories after stories, it’s unbelievable. I enjoy that part more than anything.”

Now in retirement, Bill and Merodie can work in their shops daily, immersed in the artistic life they have always wanted to live.

“I have friends who go shopping and go out for lunch,” Merodie said. “I need something more than that, and on top of that, we want to give back to our community. We want art to grow and thrive in this community.”