‘War on Want’ will offer range of artists

The public can get a glimpse into the minds, hearts and souls of more than 200 area artists in a show titled “War on Want” scheduled Oct. 27 to Nov. 25.

It’s a small glimpse – an 8-by-10 inch canvas, to be exact – serving as a window with a view of many styles and mediums.

The show is being overseen by Tom O’Day, artist and gallery director of Spokane Falls Community College Fine Arts Gallery where the event is taking place. Word has it O’Day saw a similar show in Ireland where the work was hung floor-to-ceiling (salon style) and proceeds benefited local philanthropic organizations. All sales from “War on Want” will be donated to Volunteers of America and the Union Gospel Mission.

Spokane Art Supply is selling the canvases at cost and has already sold more than 150 to both novices and well-established artists.

“Students, up-and-coming artists, and major players in the art community are all coming together for this show,” said Carolyn Stephens, a drawing teacher at SFCC. Stephens’ piece for the show will, she said, most likely be something different from what she usually does, perhaps disguising the fact that it is a small canvas.

Gordon Wilson, Art Department chairman at Whitworth College, said he is expecting to see crazy outlandish things as well as more refined work. Wilson works in two distinctively different styles.

He grew up in a rural area near Richfield, Wash., where he started drawing as a child. In high school he drew a lot of “potato heads” because his school mascot was a potato (Richfield Spudders) and he got “political” in the school newspaper. “I saw that I had the ability to change people’s minds and that my work could be influential. It became more than just making something interesting. It became a message.”

His mixed-media pieces reflect things like his series of work “Communities in Crisis” and his plein air paintings reflect the beautiful landscapes that surround him. For the “War on Want” show, Wilson will donate a Northwest landscape in metallic leaf, oil paint and collage. “I’m urging my students to submit work to the show. It will give them the opportunity to have their work displayed in a real exhibit for a month.”

Eric Eddy, 21, is a senior at Whitworth studying philosophy with a concentration in studio art. His work, he hopes, invites thought and discussion. The piece he will display at “War on Want” will probably be called “No Bombs, Yes Beer” and was inspired by a panhandler who was holding a sign that said just that.

“I saw him holding the sign during a peace rally in downtown Spokane last spring. I paid him $4 to take his picture. It was all I had at the time.” Eddy will be applying the photo to the canvas along with wax and oil paint.

The show is sure to be a feast for the senses, no matter the visitor’s palate. It will not be juried and everyone is welcome to share a glimpse, to catch a glimpse and to support a cause.