Visual Arts: Grimes’ work conveys mystery

Artist Robert Grimes is a bit of a surreal storyteller.

The characters and settings in his latest bas-relief constructions are strangely familiar, somewhat puzzling and at times bizarre.

Grimes’ show, “Quicker than the Eye,” opens Friday at the Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d’Alene.

“My goal is simple: to make an original expressive experience without describing one,” he says.

“The Forest,” one of eight new pieces, is more bucolic than his other wall sculptures, which lean toward architectural or figurative.

Grimes’ “Forest,” while not quite a backdrop for a Stephen King novel, conveys tension and mystery with its dominant, dragon-like tree; single, tempting red apple; and unnatural landscape.

“I like to give clues to unexplainable mysteries and make imagery believable enough to draw the viewer into what is not believable,” he says.

For this series of work, Grimes took the concept of a “shadow box” and turned it around into a “light box.” Each piece advances from a flat, painted background to as much as six inches in depth.

“It’s similar to a museum diorama where animals stand out against a painted background,” he says.

“The Forest” has at least six layers of “advancing spaces.”

“By leaving the sides of the construction open, light penetrates the depths from all angles, creating a dramatic interplay between light and shadow,” says gallery owner Steve Gibbs in a news release. “This in turn gives the piece an organic, stereoscopic quality.”

As with many of Grimes’ three-dimensional pieces, “The Forest” started with an early automatic drawing.

“I liked the sketch so much,” he says, “that I thought it would be really fun to carve such a forest.”

Carving and painting each piece takes “quite a while” to achieve the exact result Grimes wants. Often they take months to complete.

“For some reason I have to live with the work a long time,” he says. “I need that time to figure out what problems a piece may have and make it better.”

Stop by the gallery, 415 Sherman Ave., on Friday between 5 and 8 p.m. as part of Coeur d’Alene’s Second Friday ArtWalk.

More Second Friday

Downtown Coeur d’Alene’s art galleries celebrate the visual arts the second Friday of each month. The majority of shows opening this week will be up through June.

“Angel Gallery of Fine Art & Antiques, 423 Sherman Ave.: Wes Hanson’s watercolors and Kathy Pierce’s stained glass “Angel” series.

“Coeur d’Alene Galleries, Coeur d’Alene Resort Lobby: Work by Western and wildlife sculptor Keith McMasters.

“Devin Galleries, 507 Sherman Ave.: “Nature’s Palette,” impressionistic oil landscape paintings by Tim Howe.

“Frame of Mind Gallery and Framing, 119 N. Second St.: Raku pottery by Bill Meehan, and paintings by Carrie Stuart Parks, Carl Funseth, Barbara Peretti, Jim Carkhuff and Nona Hengen.

“JD Gray’s Jewelry Design, 210 Sherman Ave.: Sculptured jewelry by Jon Gray. Eclectic collection of paintings and art glass.

“The Northwest Artists, 217 Sherman Ave.: Fused glass by Denise Willson of Coeur d’Alene, and a new group show, “Bicycles and the Bike and Walking Trails of North Idaho.”

“The Painter’s Chair Fine Art Gallery, 223 Sherman Ave.: Steve Gevurtz’s latest bronze works and contemporary works by Hayley Shortridge, plus a book signing by owner/painter Stephen Shortridge. Live music.

“Story Woods Gallery, 206 N. Third St.: Paintings by abstract expressionist Edward W. Gilmore. Also a blend of unique furniture and art, reclaimed wood that tells a story.

“ Studio 107, 107 N. Fourth St.: Abstract artist Michael Bacon with colorful works of acrylic on vinyl, plus urban-inspired custom jewelry and fine art gallery.

“Summer’s Glass, 211 Sherman Ave.: Funky, fun, colorful fused glass works by local artists. Free fused glass workshop.

Downtown restaurants featuring art include Barrel Room No. 6, Brix, The Beacon, Cricket’s Steakhouse, Pita Pit and The Wine Cellar.

Naples Gallery

North Idaho artist Diana Moses Botkin is showing “Postcards from Paradise” at the Naples Gallery, between Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry, Idaho, on Highway 95 at mile 495 ½.

Botkin is showing small paintings of Idaho landscapes and her travels.

“I love painting a variety of subjects, from faces to sunsets,” says Botkin in an e-mail. “I look forward to sharing the images that I’ve created.”

An artist’s reception is Friday from 4 to 9 pm. The show runs through June 26.

Regular gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information or directions call (208) 267-6575.

Artisans at the barn

Watercolorist Andrew Sewell of Pullman is having an artist’s reception today from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Artisans at the Dahmen Barn in Uniontown, Wash.

Sewell’s show, “Reflections of the River and Palouse,” features paintings of nostalgic scenes dotted with old barns, trucks and country churches.

Artisans at the Dahmen Barn is in the big white barn at 419 N. Park Way on Highway 195 in Uniontown, 16 miles south of Pullman.

Bank Left Gallery

“Topography of Time,” an exhibit of watercolor landscapes by Linda Fletcher, opens at The Bank Left Gallery in Palouse, Wash., on Saturday.

“My paintings map a record, in a way, of my wanderings, from northern England to the south of France, from our garden to the hills of the Palouse,” says the Tekoa, Wash., artist in a news release.

Meet Fletcher during a reception on Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. Live music will be performed by the Geoff Allen. Palouse historian Bob West will sign his book, “Hills of Home.”

The gallery, 100 S. Bridge St., is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call owners Nelson or Pamela Duran at (509) 878-8425.

Prichard auction

While in the Palouse area, stop by the University of Idaho’s Prichard Art Gallery in Moscow.

The gallery is hosting a silent art auction to benefit a memorial scholarship fund in honor of former UI student Shantelle Scott. The scholarship helps Native American women attend the school.

More than 40 pieces by 30 artists are up for bid. A few of the artists participating are George Flett, Ross Coates, Marilyn Lysohir, Louise Barber, Cheryll Halsey, Kay Montgomery, Flip Kleffner, Malcolm Renfrew, Ray Esparsen and Sarah Penney.

The auction continues through 8 p.m. on June 22 during the Moscow Artwalk. For more information call (208) 885-3586.