Patti (Trefethen) Goke, Saint Cloud, Minnesota, grew up in the Twin Cities and often visited the Ukrainian Gift Shop where her mom would buy materials for Pysanky. This was the beginning of her interest in folk arts. Over the years she found rosemaling, the painted folk art of Norway. She studied in the US and Norway with many American and Norwegian painters. In 2007, she earned the Vesterheim Gold Medal in rosemaling. She has been a tour guide for two folk art tours to Norway through Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa in 2014 and 2016. She also studies and paints the Swedish folk arts of Dalarna and the bonads painting of Southern Sweden. Her interest and study of the Russian Mezen painting was sparked when a cousin brought pieces home from Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. This new interest brought her down the rabbit hole of study, sketching, buying books, translating books, corresponding with the author of the books on Mezenskya painting. She teaches Mezen painting online for Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and Nordic Canvas Folk Art Studio.

Patti is joined at TMORA with her business partner and fellow folk artist, Kim Garrett, from Ely, Minnesota. Kim teaches folk art at North House Folk School, Grand Marias, MN and Ely Folk School in Ely, Minnesota.