In the skywalk level of the Crescent Court, in a usually vacant retail space, something’s brewing. “When people walk by and glance in, their expression is ‘What the heck is that?’ ” Chris Selzler said. “They’re usually in a hurry so there’s no time to explain.” Panception Arts Collective’s “Cirque du Equinox” looks like a hippie’s living room but much bigger. There’s room enough for a band, dancers and an impromptu drum circle. The doors opened April 1, after members of the collective set up a stage with lights, a tent and drag furniture out of their own homes so visitors can lounge on fabric draped couches and oversized pillows. There is a station offering face painting and another where visitors can sit at a desk and write messages on a vintage typewriter. Art hangs on the walls, created by some of the 20 members of the collective that include visual artists and performers.

In his youth, Jason Lopez – who uses the name Tasko – wore a cape; running around in the night with a rattle can, adding color to the doldrums and seeing his efforts realized in the light of day. He did it while traveling between parents and struggling with his own identity and place in the world, leaving his mark from Eugene, Oregon, to Redding, California.

Being introduced to Joe Kimmel’s artwork is like discovering a stash of children’s drawings, ones that were created in an attempt to tell stories and make sense of experiences. The freedom within the drawings is apparent; simple yet complex observations without grown-up paradigms.

Megan Martens-Haworth can’t remember a time when she wasn’t creating art and exploring her world in a visual way. She grew up in Upton, Wyoming. A hefty scholarship brought her to Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. From there she went to Minnesota State University where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and ceramics. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting from Washington State University. She has taught art in Italy and France and is a tenured instructor of fine arts at Spokane Falls Community College.

It’s not hard to imagine artist Audreana Camm prancing in the woods as a child in Elk City, Idaho, a small (population 202 as of the 2010 Census) isolated town; without the distractions of a large social circle, she let her imagination and creativity take hold. When she moved to Lewiston at 14, used to being alone, she became the “loner artist.”

Barry Blackerby, the son of a military man, spent his youth traveling around the U.S. and overseas. His hobby was capturing his surroundings with a pencil. He created his first oil painting – a portrait of Eisenhower – at the age of 12. With the help of Walter Foster’s drawing books, Blackerby’s visual diary grew.

Many artists say creating art is therapeutic; it allows them to release emotions and express feelings that are difficult to handle or even understand. Some say creating art is calming, almost meditative.

On Nov. 29, more than a dozen artists will be stoking fires for visitors during the fifth annual Slightly West of Spokane Artists Studio Tour. Unlike the feel of a mall during the holiday season, visitors will be welcomed to shop at their leisure while enjoying a cup of something warm and perhaps a bowl of homemade chili. There are seven stops on the self-guided tour in the Medical Lake-Cheney area: the Cheney Historical Museum, the Cheney Library, and five homes with active art studios. Items for sale will include turned tools, stained glass, photography, paintings, fabric art, jewelry, cigar box guitars, garden statues, fabric coiled baskets and functional pottery.

Marion Flanary is mobile; she goes with the flow and embraces change. Her work embodies this notion, representing movement in color, shape and figures, some faceless, that appear to be dreaming, reaching, holding, breathing and growing. One piece, “Vibration of Voices,” shows half a dozen faces tilted toward the sky. Their mouths are open and they seem to be emitting or receiving something. “This work speaks to the energy created by people singing or praying together,” she said.

On Sept. 6, the parking lot surrounding Hopped Up Brewing Co., 10421 E. Sprague Ave., will be filled with art and music while glasses fill with beer brewed on site. The first Hopped Up on Art, Music and Beer Festival happened last year, and its success motivated organizer Jesse Swanson to make it an annual event.

On Sept. 6, the parking lot surrounding Hopped Up Brewing Co., 10421 E. Sprague Ave., will be filled with art and music while glasses fill with beer brewed on site. The first Hopped Up on Art, Music and Beer Festival happened last year, and its success motivated organizer Jesse Swanson to make it an annual event.

Brad Johnson’s thoughts go a mile a minute and his respite is three drawing tables on which he elaborately doodles in his apartment in the West Central neighborhood. “I live for art,” he said, “I’m addicted to it.”

Brad Johnson’s thoughts go a mile a minute and his respite is three drawing tables on which he elaborately doodles in his apartment in the West Central neighborhood. “I live for art,” he said, “I’m addicted to it.”

Robert LaMonte is a tinkerer, a scientist, an engineer and a forward-thinking artist. He creates gizmos that blend the past with the future; the Victorian era and art deco with fantastic inventions. His gadgets include what-not boxes, clocks, lights, and other accessories that inspire wonder.

Robert LaMonte is a tinkerer, a scientist, an engineer and a forward-thinking artist. He creates gizmos that blend the past with the future; the Victorian era and art deco with fantastic inventions. His gadgets include what-not boxes, clocks, lights, and other accessories that inspire wonder.

Mara Orenstein, 18, is only just beginning her creative ventures. She will be heading off to Seattle University in the fall with a sketchbook, an open mind and many questions.

Mara Orenstein, 18, is only just beginning her creative ventures. She will be heading off to Seattle University in the fall with a sketchbook, an open mind and many questions.

Jesse Swanson is a photographer and print expert who enjoys art, culture and nature. He can talk for hours about poetry, books, films, lectures, art and backpacking excursions that have made an impression on him in one way or another. He hopes to make an impression on others through his own work.

Jesse Swanson is a photographer and print expert who enjoys art, culture and nature. He can talk for hours about poetry, books, films, lectures, art and backpacking excursions that have made an impression on him in one way or another. He hopes to make an impression on others through his own work.