The
Art Spirit Gallery of Fine Art is a great location to visit in downtown Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho, a mere 45 minutes from Spokane. This space is known for hosting up-and-coming artists and
participation of the several Art Walks Coeur d’Alene hosts.
Arriving
upon Sherman Avenue on Dec. 7th’s Art Walk, I saw many other local
galleries open to the community. However,
the Art Spirit seemed to be hosting most of the attention. The two-floor space attracted several
art buffs and friends and family of the 14th Annual Small Artworks
Invitational. With 120 pieces, 34
artists were represented. Most
showcased 3-6 works characterizing their individual style and interests. Paintings, sculpture, pottery, iron
works, wood works and other art with mixed media decorated the space.
To
mention a few of my favorites, Peter Cox’s Female
with Red Drape and all of Austin Stiegemeier’s pieces stood out to me the
most. Cox uses charcoal, oil and
pastel to meld colors into a figure striking an odd pose. It almost looks like a watercolor from a distance because of
the use of transparent layers.
Stiegemeier’s etchings were some of the more abstracted pieces that took
use of off-balanced diptychs and layers of everyday items like a lawn chair.
Also, asking around about what others liked, I got a nice mention of
Whitworth’s very own Gordon Wilson’s Bruch
at Wasnicks. 
Small
artwork shows are a nice way to encompass the community’s creative minds all at
one time. Coeur d’Alene, and I’m
going to include Spokane, receive these shows and art walks with such a
communal acceptance and enjoyment, its not hard to see why so many galleries
are so close to each other. Do you think the community is in full support of emerging artist in the surrounding area?
For
more information on the schedule of the art walks or the Art Spirit Gallery’s
exhibit calendar go to http://www.theartspiritgallery.com/html/home.asp
I like the idea of small artwork shows - it definitely becomes a showcase of local or regional artists than about similar styles (or maybe they have similar styles, coming from the same place?) I think The Art Spirit has the right amount of space and configuration to make this sort of show work, too.
ReplyDeleteSpokane is supportive of emerging artists, though maybe not as frequently of a whole bunch of artists at once, like this sort of show. Stiegemeier and Gordon Wilson were both shown at the Tin Man Gallery at separate times this past year, and both are really involved in art in Eastern Washington. I do wish that there were more shows on the scale of this invitational, though. Thirty-four artists is amazing.
It was nice to see several artist at once, and you were right, most did have similar styles and even subject matters. Similar locations must play some part in the creative process. But I like small work shows because you can see their techniques and the way they use the medium compared to overwhelming subject matters, you know? It was a social event and a perfect light hearted event.
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