Something Unique Seeking Out The Perfect Gift Is All Part Of The Fun At Artist Home Shows And Art School Sales
Like many of us, L.R. Montgomery spent the week prior to Thanksgiving in a power-free house.
Unlike many of us, however, Montgomery didn’t opt for a friend’s spare bedroom or for motel accommodations. Instead, he merely dressed in extra layers, fired up his propane lantern and continued to work.
He had an art show to prepare for.
Along with a number of other area artists, and at least two art schools, Montgomery will be holding a holiday art sale this weekend. These shows are part of the pre-Christmas rush that helps balance the checkbooks of the participating artists and organizations.
As such, they not only offer art patrons the chance to pick up some fine artworks at good prices, but they also offer the artists themselves a chance to connect with their fans.
And depending on the show, what’s for sale may have little or even nothing to do with Christmas.
“It is juried so it’s an art show and sale. It’s not just Christmas crafts,” says Nancy Lindberg, marketing and special-events coordinator for the Spokane Art School, whose threeday Yuletide ‘96 began Thursday night with a pre-sale opening gala. The 48 participating artists, Lindberg says, have “worked pretty hard to have a representation of everything they do.”
The art school’s annual Yuletide show is one of its three major fundraising events (the others are the birdhouse auction and ArtFest). Funds raised help pay for classes, community outreach and scholarships.
In contrast, the funds raised by inhome shows such as Montgomery’s go directly to artists themselves. But the contrast doesn’t end there.
“When I was growing up, part of what influenced me to become an artist was going into an artist’s home and seeing his studio and seeing his work hanging on the walls,” says Spokane artist Stan Miller.
“As opposed to a gallery,” Miller adds, “which I think is a little bit colder setting, the home show is for people to come, sit and talk, look at art work, listen to music, enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a glass of wine.”
Not to mention spend money.
But, of course, Miller’s right on at least one account: Part of the charm of a home show comes, in fact, from seeing the artists in their natural setting. Take Marianne Figgins, for example, and the location of her Hangman Valley studio.
“It’s right next door to the sheep barn - who model for me,” she says.
Still, there’s always something special about attending a show where a number of artists’ works are displayed close together. And that’s especially true when the show is being held in a setting as beautiful as that offered by the Corbin House.
“What we feel makes us unique is the fact that it’s a historical home, and (our sale) is in a gift-shop setting,” says Lynn Mandyke, director of the Corbin Art Center, which begins its 21st Annual Fine Arts and Crafts Christmas Sale on Saturday.
“So it’s not a booth set-up,” Mandyke says. “And you have the ambience of the decorations, because the house is decorated for the holidays.”
The Corbin sale offers the best deals for budget-conscious buyers. Prices top out at about $100, with most items costing less than $25. Funds go directly to help defray operating costs of the Corbin Art Center Association.
But whether you choose to attend one of this weekend’s in-home shows, either of the two major school shows, or any combination of them all, you’re likely to enjoy something that - not that long ago - most of us, artists and art-buyers alike, couldn’t have bought at any price: a warm and well-lighted setting.
Montgomery, who didn’t get power back until the day before Thanksgiving, made the experience of Ice Storm ‘96 count for something special. After carving a Manito Park scene on a block of wood, he printed 20 copies of a work titled “Willows at Manito Park.”
In the chill of his own home, Montgomery ended up expressing the warmth of a summer day.
“Each day as I stayed in the house, I started to develop the colors,” he says, “As I would do each one, they kept getting brighter and brighter. the time I got through, they looked like fire.”
Go and see for yourself.
After freezing for a week or more, you won’t regret it.
Following is a select list of special art shows that are being held this weekend:
L.R. Montgomery (428 E. 21st): Montgomery, 49, a painter and printmaker, will have some 120 different works for sale. They range from woodblock prints to watercolor life studies and landscapes. A series of woodblock prints titled “Willows at Manito Park,” done during the recent ice storm, are priced at $95 apiece. This is the sixth year that Montgomery has done a home show. Hours: Today 1-10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m. Phone: 624-0261.
Marianne Figgins (10217 S. Hangman Valley Road): Figgins, 49, is known for her watercolor renderings of animals and, come the holidays, her Father Christmas series. She’ll show more than 50 original works, plus various prints, greeting cards and place mats, ranging in price from $85 to $2,200. This is Figgins’ fourth holiday home show. Hours: Today and Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Phone: 448-7119.
Donald Clegg (1527 W. 13th): For the last year, Clegg, 39, has concentrated on watercolors. But this show, his third in a row, will feature about 30 new works, half of which are oil landscapes (he’ll present some 60 works in all). His smaller works will range in prices from $100 to $500, but his larger oil studies cost as much as $8,000. Hours: Today noon-8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Phone: 747-3249.
Stan Miller (3138 E. 17th): Miller, 47, specializes in watercolor and egg tempera paintings. His sale will include 35 original works, plus some limited-edition prints. A 20-year veteran of home shows, Miller figures his average price to be about $250. Hours: Today 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday noon-6 p.m. Phone: 535-5257.
Spokane Art School’s Yuletide ‘96 (920 N. Howard): Some 48 artists from all over the Inland Northwest will sell their artworks, in every conceivable medium, at this annual art school fund-raiser. Boasting no admission fee, the event offers food and drink for sale (music for free) and even something Nancy Lindberg, marketing and special-events coordinator, calls an Imaginarium, where children can do hands-on art for up to two hours while their parents shop. Prices range from $3 (for napkin holders) to $400 (a ceramic pot) to assorted items in the $1,000 range. Hours: Today 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. (Imaginarium hours: Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Sunday noon-3 p.m.). Phone: 328-0900.
Corbin Art Center’s 21st Annual Juried Fine Arts and Crafts Christmas Sale (507 W. Seventh): Some 67 regional artists and craftsmakers are participating in this year’s Christmas sale. There’s no admission fee to both days of the event, which features Christmas-oriented items such as ornaments, dolls and wreaths to works appropriate for gift-giving - jewelry, birdhouses, paintings, pottery, etc. Prices range from less than $25 up to $100. Hours: Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Phone: 625-6677.
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