Drawn to North Idaho
North Idaho is alive with fine arts and crafts.
New shows are opening this weekend in Coeur d’Alene, Harrison and Priest Lake. In addition, the 17th annual s.m.ART by the River Festival of the Arts returns to the St. Maries area.
Coeur d’Alene’s Second Friday Art Walk turns the spotlight on the Painter’s Chair Fine Art Gallery. Owned by nationally exhibited painter Stephen Charles Shortridge and his wife, Cathy, the gallery carries the work of more than 50 artists.
During July the gallery is featuring new whimsical still lifes by Cathy Lamb, landscapes and wildlife paintings by Jennifer Batey, contemporary paintings by Hayley Shortridge and bronze sculptures by Marian Flahavin.
Flahavin will demonstrate pastel portrait painting at the gallery on Friday during the art walk between 5 and 8 p.m.
“I’ve been drawing people as long as I can remember,” says Flahavin. “I am fascinated with the human figure.”
More Second Friday
All of the downtown Coeur d’Alene Art Walk galleries are open Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. The majority of shows are up through July.
“ Angel Gallery of Fine Art and Antiques, 423 Sherman Ave.: Robert Krogle s romantic, impressionistic oils.
“ Art Spirit Gallery, 415 Sherman Ave.: “Elaine Green: Landscapes/Fleshscapes,” charcoal drawings.
“ Coeur d’Alene Galleries, Coeur d’Alene Resort lobby: Paintings by two-time Prix de West winner and member of the Cowboy Artists of America, Martin Grelle.
“ Devin Galleries, 507 Sherman Ave.: Oil landscape and still life paintings by master impressionist Ovanes Berberian.
“ Eclectic Artisans Gallery, 211 Coeur d’Alene Ave. No. 101: Handcrafted items, oils, acrylics, watercolors, photography and ceramics.
“ Erlendson Art Glass, 116 E. Lakeside Ave.: Works by glassblower and sculptor Spencer Erlendson.
“ Frame of Mind Gallery, 119 N. Second St.: Raku pottery by Bill Meehan; paintings by Carrie Stuart Parks, Carl Funseth, Barbara Peretti, Jim Carkhuff and Nona Hengen.
“ Northwest Artists, 217 Sherman Ave.: Nature-inspired raku and functional ceramic pieces by Hilda Bradshaw, and works by artist Carol SinClair.
“ Summer’s Glass, 211 Sherman Ave.: Funky, fun, colorful fused glass fish by Clark and Cindy Summers. Free fused glass workshop.
“ Texture, 107 N. Second Ave.: Acrylic paintings, sculpted jewelry, painted glassware, handmade clothing, specialty costumes, throws and sweaters.
“ “Fountains of Wishes” community art project, along Sherman Avenue downtown.
Additional venues on Sherman Avenue displaying artwork include All Things Irish, Boucle’s Yarn, Casa Savie, Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra and Art Association, Figpickels Toy Emporium, Poppy, Sweetpea Home Interiors, Tiffany Blue and Worthington’s Fine Antiques.
Downtown restaurants featuring art include Barrel Room No. 6, Bella Rosa, Brix, The Beacon, Cafe Doma, Crickets Steakhouse, Pita Pit, Toro Viejo and The Wine Cellar.
s.m.ART festival
The 17th annual s.m.ART by the River Festival of the Arts is this weekend at Cherry Bend Boat Park on the St. Joe River three miles north of St. Maries.
There will be 50 arts and crafts tents and kids’ art projects along with food and free live music.
Stroll through the festival marketplace on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; music runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sunday booths are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with music from 8 a. m to 6 p.m.
For those who arrive early and hungry, there is a ham, egg and pancake breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. on both days.
To reach the festival take Exit 34 off Interstate 90 and travel south on Highway 3 to the Cottonwood Point turnoff and follow the signs. There is a dock on the St. Joe River for those who arrive by boat.
Sunset Gallery
If your trip to the s.m.ART festival takes you through Harrison, Idaho, stop by the Sunset Gallery to see the new abstract paintings of Lynn Hanley.
Hanley’s oils and pastels posses “ethereal dark and light,” says gallery owner Carol Muzik in an e-mail. She says the “lines and color fashion a fantastical, soft journey into (Hanley’s) world.”
An opening reception is Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. in the gallery, 200 S. Coeur d’Alene Ave. (above One Shot Charlie’s Bar and Restaurant)
Also in the gallery are Vicky Bishop’s painted linoleum rugs and painted and beaded brooms: Robert Swidergal’s blown glass grail, goblets and bowls; Rhea Giffin’s papier mâché story bowls; dichroic glass jewelry by Mike McCoy, Louise Telford and Roy Lammer; chunky beaded bracelets by Denise Oliver; and bright contemporary art by Michael Jones and Mark Brown.
Gallery hours are daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Entree Gallery
“Natural Wonders,” featuring the pastel-on-bark paper work of Monica Stobie, opens Sunday at the Entree Gallery at Priest Lake, Idaho, with an artist’s reception from 2 to 4 p.m.
“Monica’s pastel imagery captures the mystery and magic of the earth,” says gallery representative Kathleen Martin in an e-mail. “Her depictions of animal forms and primitive imagery, inspired by rock art, reflect a reverence for her surroundings – both past and present.”
Stobie’s show runs through Aug. 20. The gallery, located less than two miles east of Nordman, Idaon, on Reeder Bay Road, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information call (208) 443-2001.
WSU art walk
Long time University of Washington Museum of Art docent H. Clare Wiser is leading free public art tours of the WSU Pullman campus on Wednesday and Sept. 13.
The tours start at 11:30 a.m. on the plaza outside the Museum of Art, located on Wilson Road, and will end at approximately 12:30 p.m. The tours vary, offering a unique experience for participants each time.
“Since the tours begin outside the museum,” says Boone Helm in a news release, “participants will enjoy a perfect opportunity to expand their art experience by visiting either the ‘2006 Curator’s Choice: From the Palouse’ exhibit through July 23, or the ‘Francis Ho: Faculty Focus’ exhibit, Aug. 18 to Sept. 24.”
For further information, call (509) 335-1910 or visit www.wsu.edu/artmuse.