Three artists featured at Grant
Subtle watercolors, mixed media sculpture and realistic landscapes are all part of the show opening Saturday at the William Grant Gallery.
On view through Oct. 12 at the North Spokane gallery are the works of Carolyn Haugen, Aileen Staley and Melissa Swann Wagner.
Haugen’s background in interior design influences her style of painting.
“I want to create art that can be hung and enjoyed by others in their homes,” she said in a news release. “Color and light are the two goals that I try to capture and hope to attain every time I put brush and watercolor to paper.”
Wagner is a versatile artist who works in a variety of mediums including clay, cement, papier mache and acrylic.
“Figures, animals and the great outdoors have always been my subject matter,” she said in her artist statement. “Evolving these ideas into shape and line I try to express the feel of motion, color and depth in my art.”
Staley picked up a brush more than 25 years ago. Over those years she has painted in a number of mediums but favors oils. In this show she is displaying wildlife, landscapes and portraits in both oils and acrylics.
Meet the artists during a reception on Saturday between noon and 4 p.m. at the gallery, 820 W. Francis Ave.
‘Purely POAC’
The second annual “Purely POAC” exhibit of work made by more than 30 Pend Oreille Arts Council members opens Friday.
Among the artwork are sculptures by Dan Earle, photographs by Steven Lazar and paintings by Katherine Haynes, Jessie Townsdin and Dottie Wilson. Other objects include baskets, tables and ceramics.
Stop by the free opening reception on Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the POAC Gallery, in the Power House, 120 Lake St. in Sandpoint. The work is up through Nov. 15.
Diversity in pastels
Pacific Flyway Gallery’s September show, “Diversity the Spice of Life,” features the latest work of the Passionate About Pastels artists.
The six Spokane pastelists showing work are Ethelynn Coleman, Irene Dahl, Beverly Blumel, Barbara Hamman, Shari May and Dela Favaro.
An artists’ reception is Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the gallery, 313 E. Sprague Ave. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WSU visiting artist
Visiting artist Alicia Wargo of Brooklyn, N.Y., will talk about her work on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center auditorium adjacent to the Museum of Art on the Washington State University campus in Pullman.
Wargo’s artistic practice is comprised of repetitive processes utilizing feminized materials, according to the Gallery II Web site. Her work often references the labor of the hand and is made from ephemeral materials such as glass, snow, feathers or thread.
“Delicate objects are tenuous because one is inherently aware of how easily they can be destroyed,” Wargo said in her artist statement.
An exhibit of her work runs in Gallery II of the Fine Arts Center between Sept. 27 and Oct. 22. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.
Cole at Colville
Melissa Cole of Spokane is an artist, author, wildlife photographer and world traveler.
On many of her trips with her husband and partner, underwater photographer Brandon Cole, she takes her painting supplies to capture her impressions of native subjects.
Inspired by native artists who use bright colors and intricate patterns to bring life to their paintings and carvings, Cole says she strives “to capture, in my own unique way, that same raw energy in my work.”
Her latest show, “Paintings and Ceramics by Melissa Cole,” opens Wednesday in the Colville Arts Foundation Regional Gallery, 287 E. Astor St., on the corner of Elm and Astor in downtown Colville.
The gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free exhibit will be on display until Oct. 16.
Sharing space with the gallery is The Artisans, an artists’ cooperative with pottery, paintings, stained glass, jewelry and other handcrafted items made in the region.
Other galleries
• On view through September in the Liberty Café are the paintings of Nancy Wilding. The café, adjacent to Auntie’s Bookstore at 404 W. Main Ave., is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• “Asian Passions” is on display at the Flour Mill Art Gallery, 621 W. Mallon Ave., through September. The show includes Nan Drye’s wearable art, Patti Osebold’s Japanese dolls and the paintings of Ho Lan, Betty Eaton-Rhea, Marsha Marcuson, Emma Randolph, Shirley Hackett and Susie Snider.