Dick Folse: February 2026

Dick Folse

February Lobby Artist

Sweeping skies, shifting seasons, and the quiet presence of land shape how we experience place. This February, Town Square invites visitors to explore those moments through the work of Wisconsin-based artist Dick Folse, MFA, whose paintings are featured in the February Lobby Artist Gallery.

Folse’s work draws inspiration from prairie landscapes in the Green Lake area, translating weather, light, and seasonal change into luminous paintings that balance abstraction and representation. His paintings evoke a strong sense of place—suggesting mystery, comfort, and reflection— while drawing from the contemplative sensibilities of mid-century American landscape painting.

Folse earned his Master of Fine Arts from Illinois State University in 1990, where he studied under noted landscape painters James D. Butler, Harold Gregor, and Ken Holder, and completed an extended internship with painter James McGarrell. He has taught at Bradley University, Illinois State University, and Illinois Wesleyan University, and has exhibited nationally and internationally, including in China and Japan.

His work has received numerous honors, including the Award of Excellence at the 2024 Green Lake Fine Art Show, First Place in Drawing at the Illinois Professional Art Exhibit, and an Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist grant. He is also the founder and president of Art MidWisconsin, a regional artist collective.

The exhibition is open to the public throughout February during regular business hours—9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday—at Town Square, 492 Hill Street in downtown Green Lake. The public is also invited to attend a Reception and Birthday Bingo celebration on Friday, February 21, at 5:30 p.m., featuring desserts and drinks.