Jim Ardis, Midland artist

Copper and clay are the mediums that artist Jim Ardis likes the best. You will see, all about Michigan, lots of his suns and his fish as well as other unique creations. We first noticed one of his pieces of art in St Ignace, when we saw this beautiful fish down by the waterfront. Then we observed his artwork in Midland, where Jim resides, at the Dow Gardens and in the Chippewa Nature Center. When in Frankenmuth, check out the beautiful fountain Jim created in the Gunzenhausen Platz.

Ontonagon Sunset on Lake Superior

Unspoiled beauty and a sense of awesome wonder--that's why people like visiting the upper peninsula so much. Ontonagon is a little town on Lake Superior that is famous for its river of the same name in which was found a gigantic copper rock back in 1600's. This "Ontonagon Boulder" --a gigantic nugget of 1.5 tons of copper --is so phenomenal that the Smithsonian in Washington somehow laid claims on it and has it on display. But mostly we like the peacefulness, the deserted beaches and the fresh smell of pines and fir trees and the beautiful sunsets. It doesn't get any better than this.