Like many artists, Joni Fizur’s craft is inspired by her life experience. What sets her apart is that experience: As a member of the U.S. Air Force, Fizur lived in England for three years and traveled across Europe.

While serving as an aircraft machinist, Fizur seized opportunities to fly glider planes in England, take aviation classes and use a metal detector in the Roman ruins. Still, she had to be available on weekends in case of aircraft emergencies. When she grew bored of hanging around the base, she took up painting. Thus began her lifelong passion for art.

After her military service, Fizur worked for General Electric Aircraft, retiring after 30 years. She chose the Lakes Region area for her home six years ago because “after all I have been through, I wanted a quiet place to live in the country,” she said.

Fizur, 63, recently opened the Fizur Gallery of Primitive Art at Sunrise Corner on Route 25 in Steep Falls. The gallery is nestled in a room at the Sunrise Corner gift shop, which features antiques and Christmas decorations. There, Fizur works on her art during store hours, noon to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Fizur operates her seasonal gallery through the end of October and will re-open it in May. The Lakes Region Weekly spoke with Fizur about her art and her new gallery.

Q. While serving in the Air Force you took up painting. Now you’ve moved beyond painting and use a lot of mixed media in your work. What are some of the materials you work with and what do you make?

A. I still oil paint. I try painting on different materials, such as my pottery. I use bisque-fired clay to handpaint designs with under-glazes. I became interested in pottery after visiting the Field Museum in Chicago and after seeing the native American pottery art in Arizona. By luck I met a women who had a pottery studio, where I worked with her for a year before buying my own pottery wheel. I also became interested in mask-making, and this is where working with different materials came into play. I use clay or wood and sometimes (I make) a ceramic mask. I love making tribal-type masks, and have many books on the subject that I refer to.

Q. Tell me about your new gallery space. What is being shown there?

A. I was offered a very large room to display a large varied collection of artwork made entirely by me. When one walks into my gallery they will feel eyes looking at them from all directions with my many different masks. Mixed in with it all are oil paintings on wood, wind chimes, weathervanes, wood crafts and handmade pottery. In my future I’d love to get involved with a major motion picture or design stage work.

Q. Besides being a catalyst for your painting, did the Air Force influence your art in any way?

A. The Air Force sent me all over. I was deployed overseas for three years. From my air base in England I traveled to several countries. They were Spain, Holland, Italy, France and Russia. And while there, I visited every museum I could and learned and enjoyed the experience very much.

Q. What influences your art?

A. My life experience. Things I have seen, things I feel. Sometimes music will set a tone. Sometimes if I can’t focus I sit at my piano and it just shows up.

Q. You mentioned that after completing a big project, you sometimes like to use leftover clay to make pinch-pots. Is that part of an effort not to waste materials?

A. Well, once you open a bag of clay, it’s not good to let it sit around. As far as wasting material, I raid yard sales for beads and things that I can use in my studio or on my masks. I take plastic plants and cut parts off them for other uses. Tree bark from dead trees, pine cones and seashells have been a handy tool.

Q. What do you do when you’re not creating art?

A. I love to swim. I am a U.S. Masters swimmer. I swim long-distance open water swims, usually across a lake or a river. I enjoy kayaking on a nice day. I also enjoy playing with my animals. I have a parrot, a dog, and a cat all in the same house. It’s a big house.

Joni Fizur of Limerick holds an Aztec-inspired mask in her gallery in Steep Falls. Fizur took up painting while working as an aircraft machinist in the U.S. Air Force and has been an artist ever since.