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According to Merriam Webster, the essential meaning of art is “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings.”

It’s subjective, thought-provoking and somehow surpasses its inanimate state to be wise and moving. We’re lucky to have an abundance of such art in the Fox Cities.

Below, local aficionados reveal their Artists to Watch in 2025:

Carissa Sosnowski

Nominated by Ashley Acker, Marketing Manager, Trout Museum of Art

From Sosnowski: Since I was a child, I have been creating my own worlds through cutting and pasting images. I engage in work that is driven by my passion for surrealist exploration. By utilizing elements of reality combined with florals and botanicals, I am able to bring forth a sense of empowerment to the pronounced feminine energy in my pieces. I have a fascination and curiosity with the unknown, and what is beyond the physical. This combined with optimism for a better future for all, is expressed in my artwork. Through my collage work, my hope is to provide a message of embracing individuality and inner strength, while encouraging a pursuit of creative expression.

From Acker: “I’d like to highlight Carissa Sosnowski for her exploration of surrealism and her ability to convey social commentary through her female-centric digital collages. She blends elements of reality with florals and botanicals to bring out the powerful female energy in her work, creating narratives that speak to empowerment and optimism for the future. Carissa’s art is driven by a fascination with the unknown and a desire for positive change, Carissa encourages viewers to embrace inner strength and creative expression. As digital art continues to gain prominence in the art world, Carissa’s work stands out for its depth and impact. Her inclusion in the 2023 TMA Contemporary exhibition at the Trout Museum of Art and the 2024 Wisconsin Artists Biennial at the Museum of Wisconsin Art is a testament to the relevance and strength of her voice.”

Ben Erickson

Nominated by Tami Erickson, Chair of the Neenah Arts Council

From B. Erickson: My growing portrait collection of famous people painted over the past twelve years has taken me on an art journey where I strived to keep pushing the limits of my imagination. I have painted over 150 portraits. Many of the portraits have mix-media elements incorporated into the piece such as bottle caps, rhinestones, glitter, soda/beer labels and candy wrappers. Every painting comes with its own unique story, whether it was the painting process itself and how I came to the final result or the encounter to obtain an autograph. The encounter in some cases is as interesting and colorful as the portrait itself.
I have been fortunate to have my paintings signed by Hall of Fame athletes, future Hall of Famers, Olympic athletes, respected coaches and world-famous comedians. I am constantly thinking of who my next portrait will be and how I will try to get them to sign the painting. Art has been my passion and I am always working on one or more portraits at a time. I also have done several large-scale murals across the city of Neenah. These murals can be seen at the Shattuck Park pavilion, Cre8lab, Washington Park (currently displayed at Coolidge Elementary School), Batley’s Grill & Bar and at the Ron Einerson Fieldhouse. I graduated from St. Norbert College in 2015, majoring in art/graphic design. The art professors and teachers I had while attending St. Norbert and Neenah High School had a tremendous impact in helping me become the artist that I am today.

From T. Erickson: Ben Erickson is an artist to watch. He has painted over 150 portraits of athletes, comedians and other celebrities and has been extremely successful in having his portraits autographed. In addition, he has painted several murals in the community. He is best known as a painter, however, he is also a very skilled illustrator. He recently had a two day pop-up art show at The Reserve featuring over 100 pieces of art. This event was sponsored by Future Neenah. Ben has received several awards for his work including receiving a Congressional Art Award as a high school student. He is a graphic designer at Pierce and he paints or illustrates on a daily basis. He has also volunteered on several community projects.

Lisa Geiger

Nominated by John Ranes II, CPF, GCF, Certified Picture Framer, Owner of The Frame Workshop of Appleton, Inc.

From Geiger: I am a continuous learner and have focused on using value and color to capture light and shadow. Through my art, it is my hope that the viewer is transcended into God’s bountiful and beautiful nature. I want people to be curious about what’s just beyond the corner, walk through the field or stand in awe of a mountain. In short, I love paintings where you can almost feel the warmth of the sun or the cold of the snow.
I have had the privilege of having some outstanding champions, locally, who have encouraged me to keep learning and growing including Joelle Miller, owner of Seven Thymes in Neenah, John Ranes, owner of the Frame Workshop in Appleton (who thoughtfully nominated me for this feature), and Bill Casper, owner of the Hang Up Gallery in Neenah.  I have been truly blessed in that way.
Over the years, I have tried several styles of painting but have come to love impressionism.  In particular, I enjoy depicting light with the exciting vibration of color as the masters have done.  My mentor, Lois Griffel, previously of the Cape School of Art, told me “value does all the work but color gets all the glory.” It is so true!

From Ranes: As a retail business and gallery owner in the Fox Cities for over 46 years, we have traditionally focused on International and Nationally acclaimed artist in our business.  We have typically not represented local artists.  But with our reputation in custom framing we have always drawn consumers and businesses alike who trust us with framing their important artwork, keepsakes and collectibles.
It may have been this reputation that first drew Lisa to our door and as a new artist she was all about discovering herself.  She was open minded in exploring new techniques and methods – this was obvious from the beginning.
Lisa entrusted us with presenting her artwork in the best light possible… that’s what a good framer does.  But after framing her work for the past 5-6 years, we saw such a dramatic improvement in her skills and techniques, that we asked to purchase two of her most recent pieces that we had framed to sell in our gallery.  Door County scenes, these two Plein air images were natural, light and beautifully rich.   They captured the natural and honest personality of the artist herself.  Lisa is as innocent and pure as one could be, and her artwork captures this natural and honest interpretation of the scenery that she depicts in her artwork.
It is with great honor that I share with you this artist waxing within our community.

Lukas Bagemehl

Nominated by Irineo Medina, Local Artist

From Bagemehl: As a creator my work explores many styles. Modern contemporary, Abstract, pop culture, art deco. And a little bit of realism. Mostly practicing with Spraypaint and acrylic. My love for art comes from graffiti. I’ve always loved the freedom that goes with this practice. No expectations from anybody. Just creating for the love of it. Free styling and creating something from nothing is my goal. Going with the flow and letting my creativity out is how I really express myself. It ends up being a whole meditative process. Once I’m in it I don’t realize it but it’s like I’m on a cloud or on top of the world so to speak. It feels so good when I get to that point of creating. My mind goes completely silent and I’m just creating it in the moment. Every movement and splash of color creates an energy that I can’t put into words. Which is why I love creating art work and being able to share it with the world.

From Medina: “I have been watching Lukas create for over a decade and I love the consistency he brings to his craft. He is constantly working, refining, pushing, risk taking and finding success in his work. His use of spray paint is so versatile and that allows him to span from enormous murals to small canvas pieces. My personal favorites are his landscape silhouettes. They have the most subtle gradients behind them that are placed with such care and layering of paint. Understanding how spray paint layers and interacts across colors is difficult to achieve and it is evident that Lukas cracked the code. His sharp, crisp line work will also have you looking for all the little intricacies and details throughout. I love this work because it captures a grittiness and energy that is reminiscent of my younger years and pushes it in a new take on romantic landscape painting.”

Julie Baugnet

Nominated by Terri Warpinski, artist/curator at newARTSpace

From Baugnet: I am a book artist. My work is based on poetry and story-telling related to a variety of concepts—the natural world, the human condition and societal perspectives. I weave text and image to show the beauty, materiality, the intimacy of art, and the power of words. Most of my artists’ books are small editions of 12. In creating artists’ books, one needs to be fluent in craft, print, concept and layout. The process takes time. First, after refining my ideas, painterly images are created using screen print or intaglio. Next the text is letterpress printed on archival paper. After that, I sew the binding and add the front and back covers—all by hand. The final step is to design a case for the book. My work is in special collections in various libraries around the country. My latest books are a collaboration with my partner, Carter Clapsadle. As creatives, we work together on ideation, process and planning.

From Warpinski: Connection. Collaboration. Community. These might not be the first three words that typically come to mind when one thinks about an artist. But then, there is little that is typical about the artist we believe to be ‘one to watch’ in 2025. Julie Baugnet, a De Pere native, returned to our area in 2024 after building a wide-ranging career in art and academia that traverses across media as deftly and easily as she traverses geography. From works in painting and drawing to printmaking, letterpress and book arts her work pivots on her lived experience, her sensitive observations, love of language, and inspirations that come from deeply connecting to one’s place and community. Words, the product of long and meaningful collaborations with writers, seem to slip and glide across the pages of her handmade artist books set amidst an array of media, often adventurous and unexpected in its application. Together, text and image reveal an insatiable curiosity and a dash of irreverence. Baugnet’s keen eye for form and color along with exquisite craftsmanship and a longtime practice of urban sketching are cornerstones of her creative endeavors. (Don’t be surprised if you catch a glimpse of her standing on a sidewalk busily absorbed in rendering whatever is before her into one of her sketchbooks!)