The Loft of Missoula

Short Bio:
Jerry McGahan, 70, is a native Montanan and a retired beekeeper and lives with his wife in Arlee, Montana, where he writes short fiction and novels, gardens, and paints. One novel, A Condor Brings The Sun (Sierra Club Books), has been republished in Europe. He made a documentary film in South America featured in the National Geographic film-lecture series and shown on BBC in the “The World Around Us” series. He paints portraits, landscapes, and wildlife from settings all over the world. He has work featured in the fundraising auctions of the Missoula Museum of the Arts, the Yellowstone Art Museum, and the C.M. Russell Museum’s Masters In Miniature Exhibition and Sale. The Dana Gallery and other state venues have featured his work. Much of this can be seen on JerryMcGahan.com.

Artist Statement:
I try to paint every day. I think of it like I do walking, which I also do every day. I am a hunter of beauty. I let it fall on me, then I mess with it.

Description of this show:
About thirty oil paintings feature scenes, animals, and/or people in Montana, West Africa, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Cuba, and India.

Best,
Jerry

Show: “Creative Fusion”

Artists: M. Delight, Erinda S. Martin, Seth Martin, Tor Mortensen, Bridget Stoltz, and Xua Photezoemoe Ponzone

M. Delight’s stmt: Art has always been my favorite subject, which has led me to explore many mediums over the years: carving, basket-weaving, decoupage, journaling, scrapbooking, beading, collage, knitting, photography, and mosaics. In college I even experimented with digital media including Illustrator, Photoshop, and Final Cut Pro. I finally discovered the visceral quality I’d been searching for when I began oil painting after I broke my knee in the spring of 2009. My interest in perception and interpretation led to my current art paradigm which focuses on an idea I’ve termed “Visual Texture.” My goal with Visual Texture is for the viewer to be able to FEEL the texture of the piece simply by looking at it.

Artist Bio for S. Erinda Martin: Erinda is a young passionate life-artist carrying a wild spirit and a free mind. From her heritage and life experiences while growing up in fastly ever-changing environments, she has accumulated a multicultural background and creative thirst for life. She expresses her urge for creativity through different apparatus and mediums. One of them being photography, her love for it derives from her childhood memories and experiences when her father worked as a professional photographer using 35mm film and specializing in manual retouches and restorations of old photographic prints and capture lifetime moments. Erinda started out in the field of photography with 35mm film falling in her father’s footsteps, focusing in black and white darkroom photography. Soon she discovered and became fascinated by the boundless potential of digital SLR photography. She is captivated by the beauty of nature and the playfulness of the sunshine’s light, enthralling her to take breathtaking sunrise and sunset photos. Additionally she is likes to capture moments of silence and emotion, as well as abstract expression of the mixture of color, shadows, and texture.

Seth’s Statement: “I begin a drawing without any thought potential outcomes; the piece dictates it’s own essence. I am no story teller, each drawing uses me as a tool to tell its story. I may hold creative control over each individual shape, but the end result is beyond my control. ”

Tor Mortensen: I am originally from a small town on the coast of Oregon just outside of Tillamook. Both of my parents are foresters and this very nature-oriented upbringing has been a heavy influence on my art. My interest in art began with stencils and their ability to mass produce the same complex image. Recently that interest has led me to printmaking, sculpture, and metal casting. I have found that tactile mediums allow me a greater flexibility in the delivery of the message I’m trying to convey. Three dimensional work is constantly open for experimentation and this constant change and modification of ideas is one that I really enjoy. I have attended several iron casting conferences and workshops, including SLOSS as well as helping to host the 2010 Western Cast Iron Art Conference in Missoula, MT. I graduated from The University of Montana in 2011 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
My work draws strongly from my love for my home in the Pacific Northwest and my passion for music in its many forms. Growing up on the coast, I developed at a young age a deep appreciation for the natural environment in which I found myself. The lengthy lifespans and lushness of the temperate rainforests fascinate me, as does the slow degeneration in the ever changing landscape. This appreciation for nature influences the themes I work with.
Another theme is music. Music generates a heavy influence on my creative mind. Vibrant symbolism, associations with individuals, space, and past experiences are an inherent part of music. These constantly peak my interest both as an artist and in my life as a whole. Music has amazing ability to directly affect its immediate surroundings. I make use of this in my art by often creating pieces that feature not just a visual element but an auditory one as well. This allows me to affect the viewer on multiple levels. My conversations with music and nature are constantly changing with the space around them; this is reflected in my ongoing work.

Wanderlust Artistry Presents

Empowering Women & Honoring Their Spirits

            We exist in a culture that portrays the idealized female body.  Breasts have become objectified and their primary function of nourishing future generations has become obscured by excessive sexualization.  Change is needed for the sake of young girls, who will become the women of tomorrow.  Creating acceptance of self and empowering women is the purpose of this show.

A diverse array of artwork by local female artists will be on display.  The pieces themselves reflect many aspects that define femininity.  The spiritual, maternal, cultural, and individual woman will be seen in this artwork, as well as the joys and challenges women face.  Additional information and resources will be provided, so that women might empower themselves through knowledge.

Two pieces will be up for auction at the show, “Blossoms of Change” and “A Mother’s Gift.”  If you would like to place a bid, please write down your contact information and bid price on the ledger beside the piece.

* All proceeds from “Blossoms of Change” will be donated to the Planned Parenthood breast health fund in loving memory of Charmine BairdWright-McKinley, may she walk with Hope in eternity.  Planned Parenthood not only found the lump in her breast, but provided her with support and guidance in a time of turmoil.

* All proceeds from “A Mother’s Gift” will be donated to the Mother’s Milk Bank of Montana, which is a non-profit organization that is working to collect, screen, pasteurize, and distribute breast milk to infants in medical need.  Currently they are in the early stages of organization and are actively fundraising to purchase equipment to pasteurize and distribute milk.

We hope to see you at the first Friday in February and thank you in advance for your support.

Complete First Friday Schedule

“Splintered Glimpses”.

Splintered Glimpses is composed of several small bodies of work and ideas that have caught my attention. It represents my journey both as an artist and as a person over the past year – especially the past six months.
Iʼm interested in capturing a moment in time, whether that moment is happening outside of myself or within my own thoughts. The way I work is instinctive and physical. There is little planning involved, rather I jump in and use any materials at hand. I draw on abstraction and symbolism in order to bring these snapshots and events to life. At times I allow abstract collections of line, color, and form to resolve into a recognizable object, at others I let them fall away and tumble into a morass of ink blots and paint stains that while seemingly random, are still connected to the idea that Iʼm attempting to capture.

Thanks!
Sarah Widhalm

Sarah Widhalm is an artist living and working in Missoula, Montana. A native Montanan, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Montana in Missoula as well as a minor in media arts. Sarahʼs work focuses on making the mundane interesting and getting people to take a second, deeper look at the world around them. She has also worked with themes of family, memory, relationships, and nature using animal symbolism. She has participated in several group showings, including Fresh Paint exhibitions in November of 2011 and 2012, as well as the BFA Senior Thesis Show in May of 2012, as well as completing commissioned paintings, murals and designs for various people and organizations. Sarah has taught art to girl scouts in Montana and Wyoming as a camp counselor, and her next project will be contributing to a collaborative project dedicated to female poets and artists. Her goals for the future include, but are not limited to: starting a career in graphic design and illustration, creating more art, adopting a dog, coaching youth sports, and improving her pool game.

Hadley Ferguson Bio:

Hadley Ferguson is a prominent Montana artist who graduated from the
University of Montana in 1999 with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.
After graduating Hadley moved to Portland Oregon and began work as an
artist. Two years later Hadley returned to Missoula, Montana and developed
a successful full-time business painting commissions for private and
public entities.

Hadley is Vice President of Summit for Parkinson’s, a group she co-founded
soon after she was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s in 2010.
Curently, as she works through the process of new challenges with
difficult changes to her diagnosis, she is grateful for the people she has
met in the Parkinson’s community and her support group of new friends. It
is because of these people that she is determined to continue to fight and
help others with this disease so they can have as many tools as possible
to help them live their lives to the fullest.

Website link to raffle and paintings images

Raffle Info:

This raffle offers the unique opportunity to help people with Parkinson’s
disease (PD), and their supporting families, who face healthcare
challenges in the rural communities of Montana. The funds raised will go
to the Montana-based Summit for Parkinson’s and their newly inaugurated
Parkinson’s Rural Initiative.

Many people in the Montana Parkinson’s community face the challenges of
living in rural areas with few accessible resources, high medical bills
with low incomes, and difficulties traveling to reach the nearest doctor,
support group, or physical therapy facility. This population is
underserved and Summit for Parkinson’s is taking on this challenge.

The Parkinson’s Rural Initiative, is designed to reach everyone regardless
of geographic location, through educational materials and conferences
accessible via the internet, DVDs and books. The materials will provide
people with tools, exercise routines and training methods that address
life skills to maximize their quality of life and time spent with loved
ones as they deal with the daily challenges of PD. Summit for Parkinson’s
long-term goal is to develop a model in Montana that can then be utilized
to serve the 20% of Americans with PD in rural communities throughout the
United States.

By purchasing tickets, you have the opportunity to win artwork by Nancy
Dunlop Cawdrey, Kira Fercho, Hadley Ferguson, Carol Hagan, Echo Ukrainetz,
Ron Ukrainetz and Paul Waldum. We want to thank you in advance for your
support and generosity.

Show title:   Abstract Acrylic Mixed Medium

Statement:

As a young child I can remember creating art and feeling inspired by it. Comments from family and friends that I was an “Artist” fueled the fire within me to continue my journey in art.

I have explored different mediums including oils, which turned out to be to “fussy” for me, and took forever to finish without ending up with mud. I have learned that I need an immediate or very spontaneous result with painting many times to feel a sense of release and peace during the creative process. Acrylic paint has given me that satisfaction and teaches me to respect it as a complex yet flexible medium to co create with. Some of my art includes paper and Swarovski crystals for added depth and interest.

Being gifted with a talent for color, lines, depth and imagination is now how I bring joy and content into my life and hopefully to the lives of those who view my art.  Enjoy~

Karen Bergman
Lolo, Montana

Artist Bio: Sean Bryers

Born in 1988, Sean grew up in West Yellowstone, Montana, an area known for its magical beauty and Yellowstone National Park.  He now resides in Missoula, MT where he recently graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from The University of Montana Fine Art program with a concentration in Painting and Drawing. Bryers also plans to graduate in the fall of 2012 with an Art Education degree after student teaching k-12 art in Montana.

His artistic skills developed as an acrylic landscape artist.  He has always carried a sense of nature in his artwork. His work often carries a feeling of weight, bringing to fact that art is very much a physical specimen the same as it is a philosophical and conceptual one. In his most recent work he has surged into the realm of abstraction and conceptual art by focusing on spontaneous constructions made by natural and human processes.  His work has shown in many Missoula art galleries such as the Dana Annex, Union Hall Art space, Freddie’s Mercantile, Food for Thought, The of Gallery of Visual Arts, and the University Center. Sean’s artwork is heavily inspired by artists: Jonas Bergurt, Andy Goldsworthy, Jackson Pollock, Eva Hesse, Philip Guston, Banksy, Kandisnky, Alex Grey, and Jim Poor

Contemplating People

I have spent my life obsessed with the figure and what the figure says about humanity.  From the thoughts of our minds to the appearance of our many faces, I am constantly intrigued by humanity.  When I look at people I see the layers of their flesh separate into layers of paint; the reflection in their eye becomes a battle for which white is whitest, and I imagine the deep layers that would create the under painting.   The aesthetic style that unfolds in one of my portraits is a result of everything I’ve learned prior and the moments of chance that I learn from.  I find that when I allow myself to disappear in the moment, the freedom from all unnecessary mental tangents allows for each piece to take form in the most honest way.  I often feel my thoughts are accompanied by a certain amount of shame.  When I choose to paint pieces that have an allegorical relevance to me, whether or not this is apparent to the viewer, I tend to free myself from the correlated shame I would otherwise feel when expressing something vulnerable.

I have always found a therapeutic state of mind through the process of painting.  The final products are simply the destination, while for me the most relevant moments occur during the process.  My work evolves into a final product through a series of therapeutic brush strokes.  In my most recent work I have used the process of painting to organize my mind and focus on who I truly am.

When I look for subjects to paint, I normally look for an honest beauty that effortlessly escapes.   Willie Nelson once wrote, “Don’t confuse caring for weakness, you can’t put that label on me, the truth is my weapon of mass protection and I believe truth sets you free.”   I search for truth and honesty in my paintings, and for me raw honesty is what makes me feel free.  I seek to keep the integrity of my subjects in tact while hoping to convey the vulnerabilities that seem to exist in all people.  My intention for my future work is to simply move forward with the same momentum in which I’ve progressed; always searching for new ways to depict the human form and always allowing each painting to become its own individual piece.

Nature, My Muse

First Friday exhibition at The Loft by Ivette Kjelsrud.

I love Montana’s Nature. Its serenity and splendor reignited my creativity, which had been dormant for many years. I arrived in Montana in the fall of 2010 to visit an old friend, just another stop in a wonderful year of backpacking from the southernmost tip of the American continent, all the way through South and Central America, before heading back home. Little did I know at the time that this place would turn out to be Home, and more than finding a husband in Montana, I would find my calling, or my calling would find me. In hindsight everything makes perfect sense, as if the Artist in me was waiting for the right place and atmosphere to be unleashed.

This exhibition is dedicated to that muse, Nature. There are a few recurrent themes in my art: The Sea, Butterflies and trees, which represent my permanent longing for exploration and distance shores. The trees represent stability that I sometimes seem to lack, due to my adventurous nature. I’m a dreamer, and that is the essence of my art.
My artwork comes from a passion for photography, which taught me to observe and look at the world differently. Most of my paintings are named after songs, music being another great passion of mine, unfortunately one which I have no talent for. Nevertheless I can associate almost anything with a song. Creating art for me is like a microcosm of life: Some days the paintings paint themselves and it seems that I’m only watching as the colors jump right into place in perfect harmony, short, sweet, perfect. Other days it takes more effort until I see results, and some days, which are quite frustrating, no matter how much effort I put into it, it just doesn’t seem to come out right and the more I try the worse it gets. So either I walk away and try another day or… end up painting the canvas white and start over.

I was born in Colombia and raised in Guatemala and Israel. I moved to Montana in 2010, after spending a year living in England, 3 years in Italy and a year backpacking across South and Central America, to be reunited with a long-lost love. We got married in 2011. I am basically self-taught, although born to a very artistic family. My favorite pastime growing up was drawing, painting and sculpting and I began studies towards a BA in Fine Arts at the University of Haifa in 1996, however I felt formal art studies were stifling my creativity and I left after one year, not to hold a brush again for the next 15 years. I later returned to the University of Haifa and acquired a BA in Geography and Environmental studies. In the following years I worked as a shipbroker and in marketing in a biotech company, pursuing my other skills. In 2006 I moved to Europe. Most of the next fouryears were spent outdoors, camping, cycling, canoeing and traveling, with two major trips to Africa and China. I earned my living teaching languages and developed a passion for photography and the art and architecture of Italy.

Not feeling I had accomplished myself career-wise and lacking direction, I decided to follow a lifelong dream, and in January 2010 I set off to travel by myself back to the place I was born. I bused my way up from Tierra del Fuego in Argentina all the way up to Guatemala. That trip, through a strange twist of fate, brought me to Montana in the fall of 2010. I’m always creating something, although currently concentrating on acrylic paintings, I work in a variety of styles and mediums, which represent my taste for diversity, and like to use repurposed and found objects in my work. Nothing goes to waste; I see artistic potential in almost everything! I hope my art gives viewers a glimpse into my world and to the world as seen through my eyes.

~ Ivette
Cell: (406)241-8908 ● Email: ivette55@gmail.com ● Website: www.iveznaturalart.com