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.”