ArtWalk 2014

It's here! Pend Oreille Arts Council's 2014 Artwalk opens tonight with receptions all over downtown. Here's where I'll be, at Monarch Mountain Coffee - one of a handful of local coffee bean roasteries which also happens to have its own coffee shop. If you look closely, you can see murals on the side of the building.

Yes, I was a little worried that this venue might be a little too funky for my style of quilts. But last year it hosted a batik artist, nothing funky about her work, so what the heck. Come on in and take a look.

To the left is a wall broken up by a large window, making it easy to showcase some of my framed pieces. And yes, the walls really are that color of green. Here are the two Upward Ticks.

On the other side of the window, I've hung Tears of Mayo and an older piece, Jungle.

Which leads to where you can order something to drink and maybe a bite to eat. Why not have a cup of java?

Did you notice the coffee bean bags covering the ceiling?

And as I fiddle with my camera settings, the viewfinder brought my attention to the classic black and white tiled floor.

Turning to your right, perhaps you'd like to sit and sip that java. This is that space I talked about for the companion pieces, Energy and Rolling Along. And yes, the walls on that side of the room are that blue.

Or maybe you'd prefer one of these tables where you can really take in that mural on the back wall. This is more than a coffee cafe - it is a meeting place for all kinds of artistic endeavors: live music and open mic nights, movie night, "Conversations" (a gathering of local artists for discussion and networking) to name a few. Above that fake fireplace, I've hung two older pieces, Spring Runoff- Little Rogue and Culvert at Chuck's Slough.

Here's a closer look. This turned out to be such a good spot of Spring Runoff - it is quite encrusted with beads and the lighting makes them sparkle more than usual.

To the left of this main seating area is a cozy "L" with the only long unobstructed wall in the place. This is the space that motivated me to get to work on those wine-dark sea pieces. And then I filled in with other pinkish reddish purplish quilts, all but one not framed. Perfect!

Here's a shot from the other direction. Left to right are Twisted Tree, Dance, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea II & I, and Reverberations. I have to say, Dance has never looked better - something about this lighting shows it off well.

Thanks for coming on this little tour. As you leave, take note of this last bit of art - a miniature Strawberry Moon.

For all my misgivings about this space and my ability to fill it, in the end it motivated me to finish up 4 more new pieces than I had planned (8 total) so that the new pieces would outnumber the old - a very good thing. It's also nice to have the opportunity to get some of those older pieces out of the closet and on display again - 6 in all. As a whole, the exhibit is a little all over the place, if you are considering cohesive body of work. But because of the eclectic nature of the venue and the way the artwork is spread out in different areas, I'm not too worried that I'm showing the many sides of my artistic endeavors.

So if you find yourself in Sandpoint, ID, please stop by, have that cup of coffee and enjoy my work. The exhibit runs through September 12.

 Monarch Mountain Coffee

 208 N 4th Ave

 208 265-9382

 

 Hours:

	Mon - Tue: 6:00 am - 6:00 pm Wed - Sat: 6:00 am - 7:00 pm Sun: 6:00 am - 5:00 pm