Creating Earth Rider Brewery’s Can Art
In 2016 when Earth Rider was planning the launch of its brand and beer, founder and CEO Tim Nelson with his brother and Brand Director Brad Nelson were seeking a local artist who made authentic and unique art. Their goal was to have images that would represent the brand story and how the brewery fits within our community. After visiting Nick Wroblewski’s exhibit at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, Minnesota, Tim and Brad were convinced that Nick’s art would be the perfect visual medium to provide context to the Earth Rider’s story.
Nick Wroblewski is a Midwest based printmaker; his prints feature hand cut, multi colored woodblocks of nature and wildlife scenes. His style, although completely his own, is inspired by Japanese woodcut masters. You can find a wide range of birds, mammals and landscapes Nick has captured through his wood carvings – a true ode to the wild side of the midwest. Nick speaks about his connection to nature through his art eloquently, “I have always been inspired by the natural world. I took a lot of time when I was younger observing the details of the outdoors, often marveling at the beauty and infinite patterning that is repeated in nature. The challenge of trying to relay a moment of observation, the full absorption of the phenomena, to a viewer, through a specific medium, is what compels me.”
Nick is now a well known and seasoned artist but he began pursuing this passion of print making when he was younger. Nick states, I started making relief prints when I was in high school. It was entirely captivating to me that through this process of subtractive “sculpture” I could print rows and rows of the same image. It’s a similar feeling to the satisfaction one might have when they pull out a sheet of freshly baked cookies, all in lines and consistent sizes. As I explored the process and studied many traditional techniques to create woodcut prints I developed the complexity of the approach and became more and more thrilled by the detailed results that were possible.”
Multi-color wood cut prints are a challenging art form that Nick has perfected. Through reduction or multiple block printing, his final pieces are stunning, multi-colored works of art. Reduction printing is a grueling process where you start with the largest piece of color first, print that portion, carve it away and then continue with the next largest colored portion – the end result of wood is then unusable in the future so prints made during this are the only ones that will exist. If you you’d like to know more about his process you can here.
When asked about his favorite moments of working with Earth Rider he revealed that the Superior Pale Ale art process was one that stuck out to him and defined our partnership. “… It was the first image I made out of the gate, fresh full of ideas and briefings from brainstorming sessions with the crew. It was the image that all the others followed and in a way set up a potential storyline that could hypothetically be made up of scenes from each subsequent Earth Rider image. When this image was painted on the Tap Shack in large scale at The Delta Diner I thought what a satisfying full circle and effective capture of the spirit of the woodcut. There’s also that unique feeling to be had when one sees their artwork printed in multiples on towering pallets of hundreds of new shiny beer cans!”
Fast forward to 2025, Nick has now created commissioned pieces for an entire brand catalog of Earth Rider beers. From the art featured on our Flagship beer brand to limited time seasonal offerings, his is used to market Earth Rider on billboards, bar signs, posters and numerous marketing pieces.
Nick’s relationship to nature and how he captures Earth Rider Life in his art is uniquely suited to help tell our story of life at the in the northeaster Great Lakes region. Earth Rider greatly values our amazing partnership that has created a unique and highly recognizable beer brand.
Limited edition prints are available for purchase online. “Wake Up, Island,” and “Hush Hush, Forest,” picture books featuring Nick’s woodcuts, can be purchased here. Greeting cards can be purchased online at Artists to Watch. Visit an exhibition or gallery to view and purchase prints. Contact us for questions and payment options.