June 4: Fused Glass Artist, Richard Parrish, at Jest Gallery.

Jest is pleased to welcome Richard Parrish whose exquisite kiln formed glass is a highlight in the gallery's collection. The show will feature functional objects as well as wall mounted panels and Richard's new tapestry series. Richard says of his work, "As an artist and an architect, I find inspiration in both the human-made environment and in the vast landscape of the American west where I grew up and live now. I am fascinated by the paradigm of the constructed and the natural. I find that it is critical to my existence to make things with my hands, using real materials. It is a way to access memories of past and future, both individual and collective." Please join us to meet Richard and find out more about his incredible work!

The Purple Pomegranate - June - Mimi Werner

The Purple Pomegranate, a fine craft specialty store, is featuring work by Finley Point ceramic artist Mimi Werner during the month of June. Mimi’s new work takes on two divergent paths. In the 30 years Mimi has worked as a ceramic artist, she has primarily focused on high fired, functional porcelain wares. Due partly to economic times and the ecological crisis facing the planet Mimi is experimenting with electric fired porcelain using discarded auto parts to stamp relief into functional plates and baking dishes.

The covered vessels in this show are a theme that Mimi keeps returning to in her work. These pieces are fired in a kiln using wood as fuel. The mark of the flame is left directly on the clay. By using copper wire, masking tape and other combustibles, unpredictable, smoky patterns are burned onto the clay. These pieces reflect Mimi's continued fascination with the chemistry of flame and clay as well as the ritualized act of incorporating these pieces into our daily lives.

Meet Mimi during Whitefish Gallery Night, Thursday, June 4, 2009 from 6-9 PM. Mimi’s work will be displayed during the opening and throughout the month of June.

Whitefish Goldsmiths

Whitefish Goldsmiths would like to invite you to this years first Gallery Nights of 2009, May 7th from 6pm-9pm. Vacation Memories will be the theme with original watercolors from Cabo San Lucas, Hawaii and many local river trips. Our featured artist will be Kathryn King. Refreshments will be served.

Stephen Isley Jewelry

Stephen Isley Jewelry welcomes you to the 2009 season of the Whitefish Gallery Nights. Be sure to stop by on Thursday May 7th during the extended hours 6PM to 9PM. While we are not featuring a particular artist this month, we represent many wonderful artists. Please stop by to see our fine jewelry, art and collectibles as well as Montana made furniture.

Our regular hours for May are 10AM to 6PM Monday through Saturday.

Jest Gallery - May - Laura Miller

Jest will be featuring new work by Laura Miller May 7-May 30. Join us for a Reception for the Artist during Whitefish Gallery Nights.

Sue Beardsley - May - The Purple Pomegranate

The Purple Pomegranate, a fine craft specialty store, is featuring work by Olney watercolor artist Sue Beardsley during the month of May. Sue feels that art, like life, is a journey, each following a path which she calls the creative process of discovery, exploration and choice. Sue chose watercolor as a medium for painting because it offers her the best opportunity to experience the complete process.

Sue has recently expanded her work into watercolor montage and collage which she especially enjoys because it creates an opportunity for visual impact with the element of shadow added to the versatility of the medium. Sue chooses to apply the montage and collage to still life paintings because of the varied approach that she can use. The use of watercolor allows maximum fluidity but at the same time can be explicitly controlled. Sue achieves the most visual impact by choosing to use all the characteristics that the medium allows.

Meet Sue during Whitefish Gallery Night, Thursday, May 7, 2009 from 6-9 PM. Sue’s work will be displayed during the opening and throughout the month of May.

The Purple Pomegranate, located in downtown Whitefish, features handcrafted artware from artists across the United States. Representing more than 150 American artists, the store’s eclectic offerings include jewelry, ceramics, musical instruments, turned wood, glass art, fiber art, prints and paintings. Look for us on the web at www.purplepomegranate.com .

Karen Leigh - October - The Purple Pomegranate

The Purple Pomegranate, a fine craft specialty store, is featuring work by Kalispell artist Karen Leigh during the month of October. Inspired primarily by the beauty and spirit of her native Montana as well as travels abroad, Leigh offers original watercolors and commissioned work. Karen states, “Always on the lookout for ‘accidental magnificence’, I am particularly interested in finding beauty in unexpected places and in painting the more intimate details of life around me.”

Karen is a fourth-generation Montanan who has lived in the Flathead Valley since 1970. A graduate of Montana State University, her primary interest has been transparent watercolor. Figures and portraits have recently become important subjects in her work. A full-time painter and signature member of the Montana Watercolor Society, she maintains a studio in the newly renovated Eastside Brick, formerly the local hospital. She also teaches privately and accepts commissions.

Meet Karen during Whitefish Gallery Night, Thursday, October 2, 2008 from 6-9 PM. Karen’s work will be displayed during the opening and throughout the month of October.

September - Marie Brittsan - The Purple Pomegranate

The Purple Pomegranate, a fine craft specialty store, is featuring work by Whitefish artist Marie Brittsan during the month of September. Marie’s bold, expressionistic artwork celebrates life and lifts the spirit. A former watercolorist, Marie uses layers of transparent acrylic glazes and applied texture to bring depth and intensity to her subjects. From abstract to representational, her colorful acrylic paintings carry energy and emotion.

Born and raised by the oceans and canyons in southern California, Marie developed a great love for the natural beauty surrounding her. She has painted since she was a child and the passion for painting has never faded. Marie speaks about her work, “When I am painting, my eyes become open again to the beauty around me. Color, light, shadow, form and energy are everywhere we look, always inspiring creative declaration. Music, emotion and Spirit have color, and I endeavor to capture those expressions in what I paint.”

Samarah Fine Art's September Show

Samarah Fine Art is proud to introduce new and original artwork by Chad Poppleton, Rusti Warner and Rolf Zillmer at their September show. Their pieces will be on display at Samarah throughout the month of September and a celebratory opening reception will take place on Thursday, September 4^th from 6:00PM – 9:00PM, as part of the 2008 Whitefish Gallery Nights. All are welcome to stop by and enjoy a memorable evening of wine and hors d’oeuvres by Ali Caters.

“Chad, Rusti and Rolf have been friends of the gallery for many years. Each of them has a unique style and voice as artists, so this show is a time for us to honor them and to showcase their talent.” Stated Rob Stern, Gallery Owner.

Chad Poppleton is a resident of Cache Valley, Utah, where his interest in art began at an early age. As a child, Chad spent most of his time at his family’s ranch where he was able to study and observe wildlife first hand. His respect for and affinity with nature has had the greatest creative influence on his artwork, and has made his paintings a true refection of his love for animals and the outdoors. Chad’s ability, not only to represent his subjects accurately, but to also capture their character, is what distinguishes Chad as a significant wildlife artist in his own right.

Rusti Warner is a Montana artist who grew up in Havre near several Indian reservations. Her time and friendship with those in the Native American community gave Rusti firsthand insights into the modern American Indian life. It was from this experience that Rusti’s interest in portraiture, artistic anatomy and oil painting began. Today, Rusti’s signature use of tonality infuses her paintings with a moody quality that makes her artwork so movingly sublime and peaceful.

Rolf Zillmer currently lives in Libby, Montana, and comes from a family of fellow artists. After spending the greater part of his life working in the arts, Rolf received an opportunity to photo-illustrate America’s national parks. This exposure to natural beauty refueled Rolf’s passion for painting and shifted his focus exclusively to fine art. Today, living in Montana, with its endless supply of reference material, has given Rolf the ability to develop and sharpen his skill as an acclaimed landscape painter.

August - Dixie Wajdic - The Purple Pomegranate

The Purple Pomegranate, a fine craft specialty store, is featuring work by Lakeside artist Dixie Wajdic during the month of July. Dixie uses the beauty of the Flathead Valley's lakes and mountains to help inspire her to create products which preserve the history of the Old West and Montana's Heritage. These items make great gifts for those who have a home with rustic decor, for those who love the outdoors and for the people who have everything.

The Boundry Line, Dixie’s company, specializes in creating one-of-a-kind wood items using the natural beauty of old juniper and cedar fence posts that have since been replaced. She creates vases, oil lamps, votive candle holders and lamps. Each piece is unique and some even still have moss growing on them. Dixie’s use of old fence posts is certainly a “green” way to create a beautiful work of art that is functional and eye catching.

Dixie’s work will be featured for the full month of July and on Gallery Nights which is August 7, 2008 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

Samarah Fine Art

Samarah Fine Art is proud to introduce new and original artwork by Harry Koyama, Charles Davis and Trent Gudmundsen for their August show. Their pieces will be on display at Samarah throughout the month of August and a celebratory opening reception will take place on Thursday, August 7^th from 6:00PM – 9:00PM, as part of the 2008 Whitefish Gallery Nights. All are welcome to stop by and enjoy a memorable evening of wine and hors d’oeuvres by Ali Caters.

This will mark an especially exciting occasion for Samarah, as it will feature pieces from both new artists to the gallery, and from those who have been cornerstones of Samarah's repertoire of western artists for many years.

“Harry Koyama and Charles Davis have been part of the Samarah Fine Art family since 2004,” stated gallery owner Rob Stern. “I have seen Harry’s paintings, with their bold color palette and impressionistic style, continually grow in acclaim and popularity, and the subtle elegance of Charles’ pottery become renowned throughout the state. To witness that kind of momentum and success in two of our artists is a truly exciting thing to see.”

For expressionist oil painter Trent Gudmundsen, this will be his first show with the gallery. Trent’s signature pieces are compelling interior landscapes and romantic portraiture that marry what he feels with the realism in what his sees. The show will highlight some of his latest pieces and will introduce Trent as a new and welcome addition to Samarah’s portfolio of artists.

July - The Purple Pomegranate - Elaine Gutierrez

The Purple Pomegranate, a fine craft specialty store, is featuring work by Whitefish artist Elaine Gutierrez during the month of July. Elaine started sewing 18 years ago when her husband bought her a sewing machine to repair a pair of his jeans. She has since developed many techniques in her exploration of fabric, textiles and fiber art.
As a self taught artist, Elaine uses a mix of appliqué, collage and free motion machine embroidery to create one-of-a-kind wall hangings. Inspired by the natural surroundings of her small ranch north of Whitefish, she often uses her own photographs for themes in her work. Elaine designs outdoor scenes; cutting small pieces of colorful fabric and appliquéing them to develop an intricate landscape. She dyes many of her background fabrics by hand and her palette ranges from earthy to vivid. She is currently moving into a new studio and is looking forward to having her own space to create her fabric collages.

Meet Elaine during Whitefish Gallery Night, Thursday, July 3, 2008 from 6-9 PM. Elaine’s work will be displayed during the opening and throughout the month of July.

Samarah Fine Art's Three Visions of the West Show

Samarah Fine Art will introduce new artwork by acclaimed western artists Rob Stern, Tara Moore

and Robert Krogle for their July show. An opening reception will take place on Thursday, July 3^rd from 6:00PM – 9:00PM as part of the 2008 Whitefish Gallery Nights. Additionally, the gallery will host an onsite painting demonstration by Coeur D’Alene artist Robert Krogle, from 10:00AM – 2:00PM that same day.

Samarah’s “Three Visions of the West” show highlights Stern, Moore and Krogle’s different interpretations of the west’s romance and mystique in their theme and composition. Yet despite their varying executions of the same subject matter, all three exemplify a commonality in their inherit interest and admiration of the cowboy genre. It is this identification with western art that allows all three artists to effectively reach the viewer on an emotional level with their powerful and compelling imagery – making this a truly memorable show.