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Hi! Welcome to our website. My name is Angela Lachermeier and my husband is Ken Kutz. We own WHAT NEXT ?*! Art Studio in Waverly MN. We are very excited about our new website and hope that you enjoy browsing through the pictures. WHAT NEXT ?*! Art Studio is located in a renovated 1930's Chevy Garage. We have 7,500 sq. feet to work on projects of all sizes. We have a paint booth for custom finishes, sandblasting booth for a variety of projects and a new plasma cam for cutting metal designs. We offer a wide variety of services and all the work we do is custom and one of a kind. The majority of the work in my website portfolio was done for customers that had an idea that they needed help with. That is where we come in. I (Angela) work in such a wide variety of mediums and can jump from one project to the next that you will see that WHAT NEXT ?*! is a very fitting name for our business.
I love doing murals, faux finishes, mosaics, designing, decorating.....I think you get the idea. I have helped clients pick out tile, paint colors, furniture, special pieces and have customized items to make their places special. If you're not sure, just ask. I just finished wood burning a large bar top because my client asked. Well, here is a wee bit of my background if your interested!
I knew from the time I was a kid that I wanted to be an artist. I have always loved working with my hands through coloring, painting and craft projects. I absolutely love the creative process from the first concept of an idea to seeing that idea become a reality in a finished product.
I was born and raised in a small rural town of Winsted, MN. I attended Winsted Holy Trinity for both Grade School and High School. I graduated in 1984. The small class size and encouraging teachers (especially my art teacher, Char Laxen) provided me with an optimal environment to explore my creative side. I was able to design a homecoming button, create the cover art for an annual report, among other projects. I also took a liking to the Industrial Arts where I learned the basics of shop tools (Thank You Mr. Snell) Those skills would come in handy in the many renovation projects in my future. My families was also very encouraging and are very creative in their own way. Always encourage your young ones. It's the best investment you can make in their future.
My husband and I moved out of state right after I graduated and ended up in Mesa, AZ. I went to college at Mesa Community College from 1985-89. I participated in the Campus Art Show and my artwork was featured to advertise the event. I got lost in the art department and took just about every art class they offered. If they didn't offer something I was interested in, I went to my local public library and checked out every book they had on the subject and taught myself.
I am forever grateful to the public library system and its dedicated staff. Many of my murals require reference material that was ordered in by the helpful librarians. I would just tell them the subject matter I would be painting next and I would start getting books coming in on the selected subject. The rush of ideas this provides me with is priceless. One of my first original artworks chronicled the history of Mesa, AZ. and is now on display in the Mesa Room at Mesa Public Library. You will also see Murals on my website of the Public Library in Howard Lake, MN. It was my way of thanking them for all their help in locating the reference material I am always looking for. If you haven't visited your local library, do yourself a favor and check them out and maybe a book too!
My husband and I worked side by side in the Paint Department at Brown and Brown Chevrolet in Mesa, AZ. Ken worked there 12 years and I worked there 6 years. I mixed the paint and helped the guys with color matching it to the vehicles. We enjoyed working with each other everyday. Once the dealership found out I did artwork I was always busy with a variety of art projects. I did horse portraits, dog portraits, boat portraits, people portraits...... along with wide variety of props for all of the functions that were held at the dealership. I truly feel this is where I got a lot of my experience and confidence to try different mediums and subject matters.
My husband and I love brainstorming ideas and working on projects together. So far, we have renovated an 1865 bank building, 1930's Chevy garage (WHAT NEXT?*! Art Studio) both in Waverly, MN, a 1950's Ranch Style home in Mesa, AZ., a lake cabin which we later lost in a flood. We just recently finished building our dream home on Lake Ann in Howard Lake, MN. You will be able to view more pictures of all of these projects in the near future. It has been fun and exciting getting this website put together and my portfolio made available to you. We are still adding more content weekly and I am so happy to see all my work being brought together in one place. It is like taking a walk down memory lane. I hope you come back to visit again and again. And don't forget that if you have an art project you need help with or a special one of a kind gift made, that’s what we are here for.
