FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April1, 2010
 
Contact: Karen Mobley
Arts Director
City of Spokane Arts Department
(509) 625-6050

Nan Drye, Bruce Hormann, Dirk Parsons,
& Mary Wheeler
At the Chase Gallery 
May 4—June 25, 2010

The artwork of Nan Drye, Bruce Hormann, Dirk Parsons, & Mary Wheeler will be featured at the Chase Gallery, May 4 through June 25, 2010.  The Chase Gallery is located in City Hall at 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. in Spokane.  An artist reception will be held in conjunction with First Friday, on Friday, May 7, 5pm to 8pm. Gallery hours are Monday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nan Drye has created a series of mobiles. Each mobile contains a blank molded cloth face with varying collages underneath. The mobiles explore concepts ranging from spending or squandering of time to feminism and female motivations in the 21st century. Nan is a graduate of the University of Missouri at Kansas City with a Bachelor of Arts.

Bruce Hormann creates epoxy resin and collage works which relate to marking time and explains his life experiences such as remodeling his studio or his recovery from being hit by a car and being unconscious. Bruce studied at the Art Institute of Seattle and Spokane Falls Community College.

Dirk Parsons (art above left) is an acrylic painter inspired by elements of the natural world. Brightly colored pallets and highly detailed contrasting lines define the color and form of Parsons’ primarily abstract work. Complex shapes and colors seem recognizable at first, but familiar images emerge upon closer examination. Parson’s work has shown in California and throughout Spokane.

Mary Wheeler employs texture and bright colors using paper mache, mixed media and acrylic paint to comprise 3-D wall pieces inspired by leaves. Wheeler discovers an endless source of ideas from daily walks around the city. Her work is an abstraction of the leaves, debris, cracks, etc. which form themselves into compositions that she finds intriguing. Wheeler holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New Orleans.

It's only Spring but Little Spokane River Artists Tour participants are already looking forward to Fall. Check out the lineup below and mark your calendar for September 25, 2010.

New from the NW Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC)

The Arts & Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest
March 13 through June 26, 2010

Don’t miss this feast of decorative art displaying how Northwest architects, craftspeople and artists expressed simplicity and beauty in their buildings, furnishings, metalwork, crafts and printing in the 20th century. This exhibit Includes exquisite pieces donated from the local Davenport family.
Cost: Free with museum admission.

NEW EXHIBIT OPENING ON MAY 1
Ruben Trejo: Beyond Boundaries, Aztlán y más allá   May 1 – November 13, 2010
A major one-person exhibition of Trejo’s work spanning over four decades. Ruben is one of our region’s most important and respected artists. His work is in many collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection. The exhibit includes the artist’s sculpture, mixed media constructions, paintings and drawings. A beautiful exhibition catalogue is available, published by the University of Washington Press. Lead Sponsors: EWU Foundation, Sterling Savings, The Spokesman-Review, Johnston-Hanson Foundation
May 1 Ruben Trejo Opening Day Celebration 3:00 – 4:00 pm Roundtable discussion and book signing followed by reception. Free with museum admission. MAC members no charge.

Special ArtFest Notice! Call for ArtistsArtFest June 4-6, 2010
The 25th annual ArtFest is upon us and we have openings for artists to participate in this MAC signature event. Deadline is March 12th. Download the prospectus here.

University of Idaho: Up-and-Coming Senior Exhibition

PRESS RELEASE
Memories in the Painting: MFA Thesis Exhibit at Prichard Art Gallery Opens April 16
          
MOSCOW, Idaho – University of Idaho master's of fine arts degree candidates will exhibit their works in an MFA Thesis Exhibit at the Prichard Art Gallery April 16 through May 8. An opening reception will take place at the gallery on Friday, April 16, from 5-8 p.m.

“This year's candidates provide a great variety of work” said Roger Rowley, director of the Prichard Art Gallery. "Painters, printmakers, sculptors in glass, metal and more are included. It’s a great representation of the depth of creative activity in the program."
 
Melissa Bixby’s sculptures create a contrast between the perceived weight of the material and the form’s sense of flow.
 
Courtney Brockett's paintings (right) of interior spaces portray remnants of human activity; images of a bedroom, an office or hallway act as portraits without people. The performance of daily routine becomes a trace of human interaction, and the chaos and clutter become the evidence of narrative in these interiors.

Hanna Clark’s installations of found objects and works on paper draw attention to the material residue that suggests a sense of collective memory. The capacity of detritus to expose repressed realities in cycles of decay is embodied in waste objects.
 
Coping with issues of parenthood and isolation from people her own age, and people in general, informs Rachael Eastman’s prints. It allows Eastman to speak when words cannot express the situation. The physical process of creating through printmaking makes possible a type of contemplation that becomes part of the work.
 
Pairing surreal dreamlike images with ideas of home, Danielle Feige seeks to portray the notion of the “uncanny.”

Sarah Gilbert’s work (left) explores the boundaries of the human, as both a physical form and an ideological category. Her works examine the formation and deformation of categories through everyday interaction with visual information.
 
The Prichard Art Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Gallery is closed Monday. The gallery, an outreach facility of the University of Idaho, is located at 414/416 S. Main St. on the corner of Fifth and Main streets in downtown Moscow. Admission is free. Additional information is available at www.uidaho.edu/galleries.

Whitworth University Up-and-Coming Student Art Exhibits

deFINEart
Whitworth Class of 2010 JUNIOR Exhibition
April 13-April 23, 2010
Opening Reception: April 13, 5-7 pm, Lied Art Center

Stains
Whitworth Class of 2010 SENIOR Exhibition
April 27-May 15, 2010
Opening Reception: April 27, 5-7 pm, Lied Art Center

NIC Student Art Show to showcase student art in the Corner Gallery

North Idaho College Student Art Show will showcase original artwork created by students in NIC art classes

April 12 through May 7 in NIC’s Boswell Hall Corner Gallery. The opening reception for the exhibit will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 13.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information: (208) 769-3276.
 

“This is a great opportunity for our students to exhibit the pieces they’ve created throughout the year and to experience the last cycle of the artistic process,” said NIC Boswell Hall Corner Gallery Coordinator and Art Instructor Allie Vogt. “It’s also a wonderful showcase to the community on the quality of work our students produce.”

The Student Art Show will feature a variety of original works created by students in their art classes. Disciplines include graphic design, photography, two- and three-dimensional design, illustration, sculpture, ceramics, drawing and painting.

Annual NEW WORKS Exhibit at The Art Spirit (Coeur d'Alene)

The Art Spirit Gallery at 415 Sherman Avenue in downtown Coeur d’Alene opens the 2010 ArtWalk season with “New Work by 12 Artists.”  The opening reception is on Friday, April 9 from 5-8. Everyone is welcome. The show runs from April 9 through May 8.


12 Participating Artists: • Harold Balazs • Victoria Brace • Kathleen Cavender • Tim Ely • Mary Farrell • Viky Garden • Del Gish • Robert Grimes • Maurice Nespor • Kyle Paliotto • Brad Rude • Steve Sauer

By Steve Sauer, who will co-curate the upcoming Clay Invitational at the gallery with Al Tennant.

By Victoria Brace

By Timothy Ely, who will return in the Fall for a collaborative exhibition with Ian Boyden.

Blanchard Arts Calendar: Arts in the Country

Sandpoint Scene through April

Robens Napolitan and Tom Kramer will continue to show their abstracts (right) at Evans Brothers Coffee in Sandpoint (524 Church Street). Open 9-3 Tuesday-Friday, 9-1pm Saturday.

The "Annual Student Art Show," featuring work by area public, private and home-schooled young adults is ongoing at the Old Power House Building. Sponsored by Pend Oreille Arts Council.

Also sponsored by POAC, the work of 20 local photographers is on display at Panhandle State Bank at 4th and Church Streets. Entitled "Scenes of the Northwest," the exhibition runs through June 10.

And look for expanded arts exhibitions in the community of Sandpoint with POAC's “Out and About” exhibitions at seven different local locations: Panhandle State Bank, Northern Lights, Starbucks, Bonner General Hospital, University of Idaho Extension Services, Taylor-Parker Motor Company, and Spokane Teachers Credit Union.

If you haven't yet been in there, check out First Light Gallerie, a new studio/gallery by Scott Kirby and Marie-Dominique Verdier (www.sandpointphoto.com). They're in the former Stage Right Cellars space, adjacent to the Panida Theater. Currently on display are Kirby's watercolors and Verdier's photography. Bookmark the website to find out more about exhibitions and events.

A new round of arts classes starts April 26 at the Arts Alliance. Check out their website for more information or visit the Sandpoint Center for the Arts (located inside Redtail Gallery, 6th & Oak Streets) for samples of student work.

Mark your calendar for the May 7 opening of Catherine Earle at Redtail Gallery. Her abstract watercolors and encaustics have taken on new forms and figures, building a layer of personal and archetypal narrative into her characteristically color-saturated imagery.

 

Upcoming Schedule, New Artist at Tinman (Garland District, Spokane)

Wish I had an image to show you all... Here is the press release from Tinman:

TInman is pleased to announce a new show "At the Edge of the Sea" by Lou McKee to open with an artist's reception on Friday, April 2nd from 5 to 9 PM.  The exhibit will feature works in several media including oil pastel on board, watercolor and pen and ink.  The show is inspired by the coastal geology of western Vancouver Island where artist Lou McKee spends her summers hiking and kayaking.  The main body of the show features up close and personal "portraits" of the surf polished stones that catch McKee's eye.  Once chosen, each stone is examined for its patterns and basic colors which are then magnified with layer upon layer of oil pastel.  "While painting on to the larger boards, layers of our planet or images of our vast universe seem to emerge," says McKee.

The artist was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and attended college at Western Washington University as an art major.  She worked for several companies in the Seattle area as a graphic illustrator and designer while also showing her work in group juried shows at the Frye Art Museum and other galleries on the west side.  She and her husband, David VerWolf have made their home in Spokane for many years now.

"We are pleased to have an artist of Lou's seriousness and sincerity at the Tinman," says owner Sue Bradley.  "Lou is clearly following in the footsteps of other major Canadian painters who recreate their visual explorations of the Canadian landscape."  The painter is inspired by Emily Carr and the Candian Group of Seven.


And the upcoming schedule:


April 30th – May 30th                  
Ric Gendron, Acrylic paintings
Artist’s Reception, Friday, April 30th, 5-9 pm

June 4th – July 3rd                    

George Flett, Ledger paintings

Artist’s Reception, Friday, June 4th, 5-9 pm

July 30th – Aug 22nd                

Alice in Wonderland Invitational

Artists’ Reception, Friday, July 30th, 5-9 pm
Garland Street Fair, August 14th

August 27th – Sept 26th             
Leonard Heid, Oil paintings, Kay O’Rourke, Mixed Media
Artist’s Reception, Friday, August 27th, 5-9 pm

October 1st –  31st                   
Harold Balazs, Mixed media, enamels, and sculpture
Artist’s Reception, Friday, October 1st, 5-9 pm, Visual Arts Tour
Halloween on Garland, Saturday, October 31st
                                              
November 5th – Nov 28th
Gordon Wilson, Oil paintings
Artists’ Reception, Friday, November 5th, 5-9 pm
5th Annual Handmade Ornament Show, Nov 26 – 28

December 3rd – Dec 31st
Best of 2010
Small paintings, sculptures, and mixed media
Artists’ Reception, Friday, December 3rd, 5-9 pm  

New Artists Emerging: Travis Masingale

I wonder if young artists are taught the finer arts of marketing while in art school. Travis Masingale probably was, ergo the email to my editor which eventually filtered down to me. We briefly discussed the possibility of an "emerging artist" series, which may be as far as the conversation goes. In the meantime, here's emerging artist, Travis Masingale.

Showing at the Globe Bar and Grill through April 28, opening Friday April 2, 5-7:30. "No Reservations" features reconfigured pieces from Masingale's portfolio (a few years each at SFCC and EWU), as well as new work. Shown are Reasons (below right) and Pieces of Me (bottom left).