Members of artisan group create works for others

They are an army of artisans. Brandishing paint brushes, sponges and other tools, they infiltrate homes and businesses, indoors and out, and leave their marks.

They are the Inland Northwest Decorative Artisans, a local chapter of the national nonprofit organization Stencil Artisans League Inc., who complete one or two philanthropic projects a year.

Their latest project was completed in May 2005, and adorns the walls in the obstetrics ward of Valley Hospital and Medical Center. Stephanie Naccarato designed the project and painted the walls along with Peggy Best, president of the INDA, and member Priscilla Froelich.

Barb Fatzinger, maternal child manager of the ward, just wanted some artwork around the nursery. Naccarato was a family friend who ended up offering more than just a little artwork. The group agreed to do the project. “She showed up with these sketches. I accepted them, and she took care of it from there,” says Fatzinger.

The adornments are from one end of the corridor to the other as well as in the nursery. A yellow daisy and a butterfly decorate the hand-washing area, and an array of impressionistic flowers soften the black and white Anne Geddes photos that line the walls. They leave one wandering through the ward with a peaceful feeling. “People come from other areas of the hospital just to look at it,” Fatzinger says.

Another project they did in 2005 was an intricate grouping of murals on the Spokane House in Riverside State Park. It is a representation of fur trading in the Pacific Northwest in the early 1800s.

Formed in 2003, the group has 16 members. While some are artists and others are hobbyists, they are all artisans. Scholars might debate over the different definitions of artist and artisan but it comes down to this – an artist creates something and then shows or sells it. An artisan does something specific for a customer.

Their purpose is to network with other artisans, support each other, learn new techniques and promote their services to the community. Open to members and nonmembers, they meet on the third Saturday of the month at Artworks Spokane in the Valley. In the meetings, they take care of business and have a short lesson or demonstration to get their creative juices flowing and to open discussions about the craft.

Best enjoys the camaraderie the meetings and group projects allow. “It’s fun working with other artists, because usually art is done in isolation.”

Artist and artisan Judy Minter has been a member for about a year. She calls herself a chameleon. She does faux finishing, murals, tiles and papier-mâché. “I actually did my first mural in oil pastels when I was 5, but I got in a lot of trouble,” Minter said. She has shown her work in many galleries.

All group members have transformed spaces to create worlds. A dragon encircles a boy’s room, a rustic fort fills a stairwell, a Tuscan vineyard is in a kitchen and a sunset and waterfall cover a 5-foot tall rock somewhere in Post Falls.