Two artists ‘Compare & Contrast’ prints and sculpture at D2 Gallery dual showing for July

D2 Gallery has been open for just over a year, featuring a different artist’s work each month. Their goal is to provide a professional gallery space that shows a variety of both local and national artists. For the first time this July, D2’s exhibit “Compare & Contrast” will feature two separate artists.

The two artists’ work is very different – Karen Rice’s pieces are muted cyanotype prints of natural images, many of which are printed directly onto teabags, whereas Cori Schuman’s work is vibrant mixed-media ceramic sculptures.

These sculptures, while primarily ceramic, incorporate a variety of materials.

“What I would typically do is throw the main form on the wheel when I had a form that I really liked. I would just let it go where I thought it would go from there,” Schuman said. She would then add the other components through a process she described as being intuitively led.

“I definitely had some themes that were leading me emotionally, but the specific piece, because it’s so abstract-slash-nonrepresentational, I was just going with what felt right,” Schuman said.

Many of Schuman’s pieces examine the difference between the internal and the external.

“For a lot of them, I was really kind of trying to create a juxtaposition between what we perceive to be beautiful and what the world might see,” Schuman said.

This show will likely be Schuman’s last.

“I’ve been feeling called to create in a different direction,” Schuman said.

Schuman plans to travel the country while recording a “spiritual talk show on wheels” called “Sacred Detours with Cori.”

While Schuman is taking a step back from the traditional art world, Rice is stepping back into it.

“In the last year or so, I’ve found myself with more time, and it’s been wonderful,” Rice said. “Specifically, you know, cyanotype printing isn’t something that I did five years ago.”

Rice’s cyanotypes in this show are of nature photographs she took on walks near her home in Missoula.

Rice described the process of cyanotype as “magical.”

“I mean, it’s kind of like an alchemy of sorts,” Rice said.

Rice is looking forward to the combined show.

“I love that Michael chose to pair our work together because it’s so different,” she said.

Michael Dinning, curator at D2, is also looking forward to the show.

“My challenge was to figure out how to balance the two to live in the same space for a month and to still highlight each,” he said.

Dinning didn’t initially plan to show the two artists’ work together.

“When we first opened the gallery, Cori submitted for an exhibit with us, and I wanted to show her work,” Dinning said. He planned to pair her work with another artist, but when circumstances changed, he decided to pair Rice and Schuman.

“I saw that (Rice) had a couple of these tea bags and I was like, ‘God, that would be interesting to put them together.’ Very, very different, but they both do unusual takes on standard form,” Dinning said.

The show opened July 3 and runs until Aug. 1. The opening reception will be 5 to 8 p.m. Friday for “Second Friday” instead of the usual “First Friday,” due to the Fourth of July holiday.

Dinning said he hopes all types of people will come to the gallery.

“You don’t have to know a thing about art to be delighted by this show,” Dinning said.