Art Chowder July | August 2016 Issue 4

CULINARY ARTS | PERFORMING ARTS | VISUAL ARTS

JULY | AUGUST 2016 . I S S UE 4

COVER ARTIST

Rod Peterson

Figurative Sculptor Spokane, WA

Artist Exclusives with cover artist

$5.95 US

$7.75 CAN

Steven Lang

Interview & Concert Review With

GORDAN GANO of

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the

July |August 2016 1

From the Publisher Dean Cameron

I

cannot begin to elaborate the excitement we have for this latest release of Art Chowder Magazine! We are so fortunate to live in a region with so much happening in our arts communities. The only drawback that I can see, is that we would have to have a 500 page magazine to cover them all. I wanted to touch on a couple of the events, but before I do I am reminded of a quote from Leonard Bernstein that I heard at an event I attended recently:

“The point is, art never stopped a war and never got anybody a job.

That was never its function. Art cannot change events. But it can change people. It can affect people so that they are changed… because people are changed by art – enriched, ennobled, encouraged – they then act in a way that may affect the course of events… by the way they vote, they behave, the way they think.”

I have had the pleasure of meeting a few of these people. Recently I was able to help a very generous woman with her bidding at the Spokane Valley Arts Auction. She was very excited to participate and purchased many items from the event. The proceeds from the auction go towards placing public artwork for all of us to see and her joyful generosity will be appreciated by many for years to come. The second event is called “The Bridge” and it was held at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane. The event featured 47 works of art from 47 artists who made up a mix of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures. The Art Installation is travelling around the world with a message of “Peace through Art” and is a true inspiration to see.

These are but just a couple of events worth noting. The Inland Empire has become a real hotbed for talented artists and worthy art events. Talented visual artists, invigorating performance arts and some of the best food on the planet, right here in your backyard.

We encourage you to get out and experience some of this talent among us and see just how “life changing” it can be. Maybe, we just might run into each other.

Dean Cameron Publisher 2 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

CONTENTS: 02 From The Publisher

Dean Cameron

08 Artist Exclusives

Steven Lang 18 Rod Peterson: Figurative Sculptor

By Karen Mobley

22 Interview & Concert Review With Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes

By Rebecca Lloyd

28 Spokane Watercolor Society

By Becky Gromlich 31 The Camera & The Canvas

By Dean Huggins 34 Shades of Summer Contest Winners

JR McCurdie & Tony Thurber

July |August 2016 3

4 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

CONTENTS: 38 Fakes, Copies & Mistaken Identities

S ome Probl e ms of Ar t Att r ibut ion

By Melville Holmes

44 Art About Town

Art Resource Directory 45 Art From Around The World

Yelena Revis | Sydney, Australia 50 Laura Read

Spokane Poet Laureate

By Karen Mobley

54 Let’s Stock About It

By Mariah McLaughlin

61 Art Chowder Marketplace

P.O. Box 141292 Spokane Valley Washington 99214 509-995-9958 ISSUE No. 4

www.ar tch o w de r.c o m

Publisher & Advertising Sales

Dean Cameron dean@artchowder.com

Editor In Chief & Creative Director

Rebecca Lloyd rebecca@artchowder.com

Contributing Writers Karen Mobley Melville Holmes Dean Huggins Rebecca Lloyd Mariah McLaughlin

Cover Artists Steven Lang Rod Peterson

Violent Femmes Photo Credit: Ebru Yildiz

July |August 2016 5

The Magic Palette Norval Morrisseau | 30” x 48” | Oil

Mitchell Pluto

www.mitchellpluto.com

Lost Trail | 30” x 30” | Oil

t o t e m t r a n s i t @ ya h o o . c o m

R I C H A R D WA R R I N G T O N

C o n t e m p o r a r y

S c u l p t o r

a n d

D e s i gn e r

Internationally known for his public,

corporate and residential creative projects; Richard Warrington just completed an international show in New York City where he was approached by a Gallery in Helsinki Finland to represent his work in Europe and Asia this coming fall. currently exhibiting locally: Pacific Flyaway Gallery –Spokane Valley, Art Current – Coeur D’Alene, Art on the Ave – Wenatchee, New Moon Gallery – Spokane, and East Sprague Art Gallery, Spokane.

www.rwarrington.com

6 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

| 509-979-0555 |

warrington@msn.com

July |August 2016 7

Artist

Exclusives W I T H S T E V E N L A N G - O PA M a s t e r

O I L PA I N T E R S O F A M E R I C A M A S T E R

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Truce Between Fighting Men What is your favorite piece of your own artwork to date?

“

I have many paintings that I’ve done that I really like and would like to have or see again. One painting that stands out in my artistic journey is “ Truce Between Fighting Men “. It is a painting with my father in it. That painting holds a special place in my heart.

I

have it from a reliable source, my mother, that I have been creative since I wore diapers. It’s amazing what you can do with a paint substitute.

When I was 12 years old I fell in love with a coffee table book on the works of Frederick Remington. My parents presented me with that book at Christmas. I studied his paintings for hours on

end and copied most of them many times over.

I think that was the catalyst for my desire to paint the Old West. That interest never waned throughout my adolescence. Putting pictures to the written word became my life’s pursuit. When I received my first professional illustration job at 16, I knew from that moment on, my career path was set for me.”

July |August 2016 9

Artist

Exclusives STEVEN LANG How long have you been creating?

For 55 years, however, as a professional oil painter,18 years. Before that I owned a graphic design studio in the Silicon Valley, CA and was an illustrator for numerous agencies.

Do you work in different mediums?

Which is your favorite?

Way back I started off in color pencil and dabbled in oil paints. I did a lot of watercolor and air brushing during that time as well, but I always preferred oil paints because it is such a forgiving medium. You can correct your mistakes easily and it does not affect the painting.

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Can you tell us a little about any upcoming exhibits that you are looking forward to? I have a painting on my easel every day when I’m in my studio. Upcoming shows, auctions and exhibits such as the Oil Painters of America National & Regional Shows of which I am a Master Signature Member are always on my calendar, so I’m always busy painting.

I have the Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show Sale coming up in Wyoming in July and I have five new pieces that I am exhibiting. The Cheyenne Frontier Days is always a great event and this one will be no different.

What is the name and location of the favorite place you have exhibited your work? There are many show locations that I have enjoyed. I enjoyed the Peppertree Ranch Art Show in the Santa Ynez Valley, California and the Buffalo Bill Art Show in Cody, Wyoming. I believe an Old West mystique lends itself well to the ambience of a great show.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

As a young boy with a brother and a sister I had many good memories. As far as I knew, I wanted for nothing. My parents were great parents who instilled a solid work ethic in us. As a family we believed in the adage “Live well. Laugh often. Love much.”

Are there certain subjects that you are particularly drawn to for inspiration?

I like the drama of high adventure. That’s why I have chosen to paint the Old West. Nighttime gun fights; horse thieves being chased by the law and Indians charging over a hill are all fun challenges. Quiet subjects like Indian camp scenes, cowboys on a mesa, or single portraits are different, but just as satisfying to paint.

Is there anything you wish was different in the art world?

I wish patrons could focus a little more on living artists than dead ones. Patrons buy art as an investment, that is understood, however many current lesser-known artists are struggling in this economy and their works are just as timeless.

Would you consider yourself to be a social person?

I’m social when I have a social event to attend.

Creating a painting is a very solitary occupation. I do not have time for interruptions during my workday.

It’s all about focus. That being said when I attend a show it gives me a chance to breathe some fresh air and catch up with my artist friends and patrons.

July |August 2016 11

Steven Lang

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Is there anything interesting, unusual or notable about you or your career that you feel comfortable sharing with our readers?

I had a stroke 11 years ago as a result of working long hours and day after day in my pursuit of that artistic goal. I’ve stepped back a little and learned to appreciate my time with my family more. It made me a more efficient painter of sorts in that though I’m doing fewer paintings (40 per year instead of 60), I feel they are of greater skill, composition and imagery.

Is there anything you wish you’d done differently in your own career as an artist? Do you have any advice for emerging talents?

I wish I had started earlier in my career as a Fine Western Artist. I would like to have gotten into this genre during the 80’s and early 90’s and I would love to have had those extra years of experience. As far as my advice goes, I think a western artist will know when they are ready. Have your drawing and painting skills down, know your history and develop a focus on what you want to paint.

Do you have an artist “bucket list” so to speak and what would you consider to be a dream project?

Simply speaking my artistic bucket list would be to establish myself with merit as a western artist. My goal is to be able to inspire future artists to depict the Western Frontier. My dream project would be to continue my career painting the Old West.

July |August 2016 13

Walking your Saddle, Hoss?

30�x 40�

What do you enjoying doing besides art?

I enjoy many activities including reading, learning new things and exploring the outdoors. Our existence should be an adventure in living life to the fullest and I try to do that as much as I can. As I get older, I try to maximize my efforts in that aspect of my life. I share that view with my wife LeAnn and that makes for an exciting and rewarding and blessed life.

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WAG N E R F I N E A R T

What are some of the most meaningful responses you have had to your work?

That question runs the gamut of compliments.

Patrons and the public are highly appreciative of the work that I do. Painting historical subjects allows me to depict a moment in time that people heretofore have only been able to use their mind’s eye. A couple years ago I did a painting called “Walking Your Saddle Hoss?” (page 14) depicting a cowboy waiting for a stagecoach in the middle of a desert. Young and old were drawn to the painting and they really liked the humor I depicted. The Phippen Museum in Arizona purchased the painting. I am happy that it will be viewed and enjoyed by the public for years to come.

You are known for your realistic approach to your subjects. How did that develop?

In 1995 I became involved with a group of individuals that would get together and reenact Plains Indian culture of the 1860’s. We would hold these events at various locations in Wyoming and South Dakota.

Our group members would come from all over the world to live the life of the Plains Indians for a week every summer. These were highly authentic events, complete with buffalo hunts, ceremonies, and the minutia of everyday camp life and U.S. Cavalry warfare. Our outfits were exactly in line with the look of the Cheyenne, Lakota and Arapaho of that period.

The cavalry and homesteaders were just as committed in portraying their roles. The imagery was spectacular. I wanted to put that imagery on canvas.

Unfortunately, after my career began to take off, I’ve had less time to stay involved, but have developed friendships that have lasted to this day and occasionally we get together for model shoots.

the art of brett wagner Instagram@wagner_fine_art_

July |August 2016 15

Steven Lang

What is your biggest fear when exhibiting your work? Que Sera, Sera (whatever will be, will be) is my mantra. By the time I have my work exhibited all my feelings of uncertainty and apprehension are gone. At that time my hope is that the public will appreciate the works that I display. I can only put forth my best effort and let it speak for itself.

If you had not become an artist what other career pursuits would you have?

I have been fortunate that I knew I was going to be an artist all my life and I have directed all of my energies towards that. The ability to create has always stirred my soul. I do have other interests like carpentry, cooking, auto mechanics and gardening. I can hold my own in any of those areas.

“TARNATION!”

3 2 ” x 2 0 ” o il o n c a n vas

In 1926 mail delivery was changed forever with the start of the transcontinental airmail service. East to west coast airmail took about 72 hours. Now that was fast.

One can imagine what crossed the cowboy’s mind as he looked up and saw an aeroplane for the first time... times they are a’changin’.

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Is there anything I didn’t ask that you would like to share with our readers about yourself, your work or your process?

It takes discipline, focus and a strong worth ethic to be good at anything one does. I have set my goals since I was a little boy and now I am fulfilling them.

Being able to paint everyday makes me realize how blessed I am and how much I love what I do. I think for anyone to be able to enjoy his/her passion and make a living at it is a dream come true.

Where can we see and find out more about your work?

www.langart.com

Facebook.com/Lang Fine Western Art

EAST SPRAGUE ART GALLERY 1812 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane, WA 99202 | 509.202.0850

Our Hours:

COME SEE WORKS BY ART CHOWDER COVER ARTIST

ROD PETERSON

Quinn’sCORNER

Tuesday – Saturday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm Closed Sunday and Mondays First Fridays 5 pm - 8:00 pm Email: dspano4323@aol.com facebook.com/eastspragueartgallery flootie.com

July |August 2016 17

Rod Peterson Figurative Sculptor | Spokane, WA

Karen Mobley _

phys·i·ol·o·gy fizē äl jē noun

the way in which a living organism or bodily part functions.

Rod Peterson works in a small converted ga-

rage filled with heads, portrait heads, torsos, and figures made of stoneware and terracotta. There is evidence of experimentation with glazes, paper, clay and other materials. It is a busy space with a model stand and works in progress cloaked in big plastic bags to keep the works damp as the work continues from day to day. On the day of my visit, two sculptures were under way – a near life size terracotta head of a running horse and a figurative piece of a seated woman with a twisting spine.

Rod describes the evolution of his work from woodworking to clay. Clearly, he is a man who has gone to his “shop” for respite and who has loved the craft whether it is woodworking or clay. Rod built a sailboat while he was in professional school and took it to Lake Powell. He has been fascinated by the process of making things since he was young. He was discouraged from drawing as a child but never lost interest in what he calls “the other part of life.” He built all the equipment in his studio – the model stand, sculpture stands, and shelving.

As a physician he trained in physiology. His work demonstrates his clear knowledge of the human 18 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

anatomy and his empathy for a person brings strength to his figurative and portrait work. “I like them to have a psychological presence,” he says pointing to the heads of two women on the worktable. They do have a psychological presence – the viewer has a sense that these are not just works about the lovely surface of the human body but the whole being – flesh to mind and spirit.

He works with models in his studio but also goes to the figure drawing group at the East Sprague Art Gallery organized by Daron Brunke with other Spokane artists. You can see his work at the East Sprague Art Gallery, 1812 E Sprague Avenue, Spokane. He also encourages visitors to his studio by appointment. He is a member of the Portrait Society of America and received their 2014 Merit Award. You can see more of his work at www.rodpetersonsculpture.com.

He has been sculpting for about 15 years. His favorite sculptures are by Henry Moore, Mexican artist Javier Marin and Grzegorz Gwiazda of Poland. Peterson lived for a year in Germany and spent time at the Rodin Museum in Paris.

While he has taken workshops from figurative artist, Paul Lucchese, and Jeff Buckner at the Gage Art Academy and others, it is clear he has learned from experimentation or trial and error. He started working with plasticine clay and wax and moved on to working with ceramics. He will go to the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT to participate in a workshop with well-known Puerto Rican ceramic sculptor, Cristina Cordova, this summer.

The work of Rod Peterson on display at East Sprague Art Gallery

July |August 2016 19

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July |August 2016 21

As I tirelessly circled and searched

to find somewhere to park, you could tell something was different in downtown Spokane. The streets were teeming with energy and the sidewalks were lined with fans walking from all directions, to one place, for one reason, The Violent Femmes.

I was fortunate enough to have jaw-dropping seats for that evening’s sold out show. With the venue filled to capacity, I looked out onto a sea of smiling faces, anxiously awaiting to be reunited with a band they loved and some of their favorite music.

spoKane, wa

Come along as we cover the live performance of theViolent Femmes in Spokane, as well as an Art Chowder exclusive interview with lead singer,

Gordon Gano.

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Music is amazing in that it can transport you to a time and a place in your life, like very few things can. What is even more incredible is what force and accuracy it is able to do it with.

A band like the Violent Femmes has been making these connections and weaving their way into the memories of the public for over 30 years now.

After the captivating opener from Phoebe Bridgers was finished and the stage crew began to prepare for the main event, you could visually see the crowd vibrate with anticipation.

It only took the faintest indication of light coming from the backstage door to set the crowd into an eruption of excitement.

Then it happened. They knew what we wanted and they gave it to us, opening with the ultimate crowd pleaser, Blister in the Sun. Over a thousand singing in unison, hands in the air, all without missing a beat.

Frontman, Gordon Gano’s signature voice casted out with the same intensity and strength; somehow preserved despite years gone by. At that moment, everyone lucky enough to be there knew that it was going to be a night to remember.

If you have not had the opportunity to witness the Violent Femmes perform live it is quite a sight to be seen. The stage crowded with instruments from acoustic bass guitars, a xylophone, to an actual charcoal grill, all played with skill and precision. Not to mention, the marvel of the subcontrabass saxophone, towering over six feet high. Every aspect of the show was truly a spectacle.

renely up towards the ceiling, eyes closed, singing each lyric in perfect sync. Finally the son, who appeared to be an early teen at the oldest, jumped tirelessly while clapping and cheering with unparalleled enthusiasm from the first chord to the last.

When the show closed the band generously threw picks and drumsticks into a well-satisfied crowd. After a powerful cheer for more the Violent Femmes They rocked hard for hours and they held the crowd returned for a memorable encore performance. Gano for every second. They intertwined songs we know performed one of his own favorite songs written by his and love with some from their new album like “Issues� sister Cynthia and spoke of his long history in Spokane which the mass of fans responded to with eagerness and his personal friends and family that were present and acceptance. I watched as episodes of moshing at the Spokane show. They ultimately closed with an surged below along with the occasional crowd surfer impressive performance of Add It Up. being tossed above the waves of outstretched arms.

Swaying and sweating the fans gave endless cheers The Violent Femmes are back and it was clear that for more. The audience spanned many generations, Spokane was ready and waiting. The band will continan eclectic mix of young and old, all with a common ue to tour throughout the year. Find more informabond. In the front row, a family; the father with his tion about their tour schedule and new album, We Can arms shielding the mother and son from the impact of Do Anything, at www.vfemmes.com the nearby turmoil, meanwhile her face was drawn seJuly |August 2016 23

Interview & Concert Review With

GORDAN GANO of

the Can you tell me a little more about your long time connection and history in Spokane?

Spokane to me goes back to even a preconscious memory. My family would take a trip every summer back when we still lived in Connecticut. We would make a big loop around the country and we would spend a week in Spokane, which is where my father was raised. The homestead in Spokane was actually built by my family. Even before I could remember much else, I remember that house in Spokane. That house is one of the consistent parts of my childhood because we moved quite often, but we would almost always spend Christmas and most holidays in that home. My family history there goes back to the beginning of the 1900s when people were moving West. I have a long history of many generations here in Spokane.

Do you recall your last performance in Spokane, apart from your recent show?

I do remember! I remember the last time because my cousin came up close to the stage and asked if I could make the reunion and I laughed and responded, no I’m on tour.

However, I don’t remember what year that was.

Why do you believe such a diverse audience is drawn to the music of Violent Femmes?

I don’t know for sure, but I do have a couple of ideas that occur to me. Besides that fact that I think it’s good music and that should be appealing to all types of people and backgrounds and ages. Aside from that, most people that I hear about first get introduced to the band and start loving the group either when they are teenagers or when they go off to college. It is usually sometime around that period in their life, whether it’s from an older sibling or on their own.

The person hearing the music is young. Even the people at the concert that are now around the age of the people in our group were almost certainly a teenager or early twenties when they first heard the music. I think there is something about the songs in that first album, which is also our overwhelmingly most popular one. I was eighteen when I was singing that. It is not someone that is at a different age trying to sing something that think is youthful. It was just my individual expression sung as honestly and passionately as I felt it. That is the amazing thing about art. With art, individuals will often express themselves and that passion can sometimes reach and communicate with a large amount of people; even though it started as something that is an absolutely individual expression.

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If someone were unfamiliar with the Violent Femmes, how would you describe your music in one sentence?

“It’s a mixture of a lot of forms of American music, a lot of people like it. I think you will too.”

Is this what you always dreamed of doing? What other career paths might you have pursued otherwise?

This is the only thing that I ever wanted to do. Recently I had it suggested to me that if it wasn’t this, I would be in some kind of literature linguistic comparison studies.

I think that’s because I like to do that in my spare time.

I never went to a university or college, but I really love languages and literature.

Can you speak any other languages?

I speak a little bit in I guess a few. I am certainly not fluent in any. However, I enjoy reading and trying to work in poetry. This brings up another connection that I have to Spokane, which is to the Church. I enjoy and benefit from reading scripture in other languages. This is because there is scripture that I was raised with and that I am very familiar with, yet when I attempt to read it in another language it slows down the whole process and I discover that there are other words that give new meaning.

Sometimes I find it very illuminating and inspirational.

July |August 2016 25

music and did so almost exclusively as a teenager. I got so much from that music and I feel like it’s within me. I love playing and singing it, but what I really get fed from is the music I wasn’t as familiar with or didn’t have an interest in for the most part in an earlier time in my life. That music would be classical and jazz. It’s what really excites me.

How important do you think it is for a singer to write his or her own songs?

What types of music are on your personal playlists?

Over three quarters of the time, probably 90% of the time, I listen to classical music. That would probably be a surprise to most people that love the Violent Femmes. Now I haven’t always, but for the last several years that is what I have enjoyed, along with listening to jazz. I have listened to so much rock and roll and other 26 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

Oh I don’t think it is important at all, not at all! Frank Sinatra comes to mind, immediately; but that was a different time. I think maybe from a business point of view it has been important. But just to be a great singer, a great song stylist, personally I don’t think it matters. However, maybe I wouldn’t have ever found out about a group if they didn’t write their own songs; so there you go.

What are some of your greatest influences?

My family and my upbringing are the greatest influences of all. That also involved music as a big part of it, whether it was hymns at the church or my father when he played guitar.

There was always a guitar in a corner of a room and whenever there was a lot of family around he would play; usually a lot of old country songs.

Also, my mother and father were both in theater and musicals. I was told I could sing the entirety of several musicals, one I actually remember doing.

Even without knowing what all the words meant I could do it after I had listened in repetition as children often do. I grew up with music completely intertwined with my experience. Music is still my life. Music is involved in everything.

Do you have a specific process as a songwriter and what was it like preparing for your latest album?

I don’t have a specific process. Preparing for this album involved a lot more than any other time in the past because it’s been a long time since we did a Violent Femmes album. I thought now would be a good time to archive all the songs I put on cassette tapes for decades and get everything down into digital before they deteriorated.

There were songs I remembered and some I completely forgot about.

There are many more than what is on this album. We really picked the songs we thought we could dive right into.

Most of this album was recorded on the road. A lot of what you are hearing on the album is from the first time we made it through the song.

We are really good at that, doing things without much planning.

What’s next? Can you tell me more about what fans have to look forward to and what’s ahead?

We did a swing in the West, the East and a Midwest swing with time to get to a lot of places and play music.

There have never been long range plans, and we have actually had success without doing that. We are all very happy with how this album turned out. We have been getting great responses from people and, we like it too. There are more songs to be written, so if we can just figure out how to keep things from getting in the way to the point that it stops the music then there is a lot more music we can do. Right now, we are just getting out and playing live. Which is a great and a wonderful way to share the music and experience it with others.

Rebecca Lloyd

Rebecca Lloyd is passionate about covering the arts and promoting the talents of others. She is involved with several businesses that support artists and she personally enjoys painting, writing, graphic design and traveling with her family and friends.

Tour Schedule: JUL 5 TUE First Ave Minneapolis, MN JUL 6 WED First Avenue Minneapolis, MN JUL 7 THU Summerfest Milwaukee, WI

JUL 9 SAT The Vogue Indianapolis, IN JUL 10 SUN The Fillmore Detroit, MI JUL 12 TUE Concord Music Hall Chicago, IL JUL 13 WED Vic Theatre Chicago, IL JUL 14 THU Pageant St Louis, MO JUL 16 SAT KRZZ Beach Ball Buzz Kansas City, MO JUL 17 SUN Cains Tulsa, OK JUL 19 TUE House of Blues Dallas, TX JUL 20 WED Stubbs Austin, TX JUL 22 FRI Newport Folk Festival Newport, RI JUL 23 SAT Kerfuffle 2016 Festival Buffalo, NY JUL 24 SUN Massey Hall Toronto, Canada SEP 24 SAT The Park at Harlinsdale Farm Franklin, TN

Violent Femmes Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz July |August 2016 27

Spokane

Watercolor Society E

By Becky Gromlich

very second Wednesday of the month, watercolor artists from all over the Inland Northwest converge on the Spokane Art Supply. There is a great deal of talking, lots of laughing, some snacking, and then the Spokane Watercolor Society begins their meeting.

SWS began in 1952 by a group of professional artists whose main goal was to improve their watercolor paintings. There was a limit of 12 members, only men were included, the rules were strict and the agenda was always the same. They were a very single-minded group, determined to improve. Each month they met to critique each other’s paintings. The critiques were honest and forthright, but sometimes hard on newcomers! There was a 25 cent fine for anyone who missed a meeting or came without a painting. If someone missed 3 consecutive meetings they were no longer considered a member.

In order to be a part of the group, you had to be juried in with 3 paintings.

JOEY FAVINO PHOTOGRAPHY JFWOA.COM

What a difference from today’s group of 50+ members. The rules relaxed to include women and to exclude fines.

SWS has also changed over the years and today has several yearly events for the community to look forward to, as well as variety in their monthly meetings. The central goal of improving their painting skills remains in place as well as the process of being juried in before becoming a member.

Each year in October the society has a juried show held at the Museum of Arts and Culture and juried by amazing professional watercolorists. A three to five day class taught by the juror and open to the public accompanies this show. These classes are not free but are so valued, due to the fantastic teachers that they fill up very quickly. Member scholarships are also available.

208-304-4656 artisangallery.biz 28 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

In April SWS presents a non-juried Member Show, held at the Land Conservancy Building on Main Street. It is complete with a First Friday event that not only includes an opportunity to view and purchase amazing art, but to meet artists and enjoy a wine tasting! The display remains in the building for several weeks for those who wish to browse the artwork at their leisure.

M

onthly meetings include professional critiques, professional artist’s demonstrations, and handson learning experiences. These exciting events are done by professional artists from within the membership or by professional artists brought in just for the evening.

While many SWS members have won local awards in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and Newport, several of the members have a broader claim to fame. Achieving signature status in a state society is a meaningful accomplishment.

The following members have achieved these honors: Peggy Conrad in the Idaho Watercolor Society, Chris Twardowski in the Idaho Watercolor Society and the Montana Watercolor Society, Jeanne Wallace in the Idaho Watercolor Society, and Bobbie Weiber in the Idaho Watercolor Society and the Montana Watercolor Society. Also of interest is Vicki West, who was featured by Marie Kazalia, a New York artist, for Artist Marketing Resources.

Spokane Watercolor Society exists for those who want to grow in their art, meet other artists, and learn from the best. They continue to promote excellence and learning in 2016, just as they did in 1952, but with a different twist on how that growth is accomplished.

July |August 2016 29

30 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

The Camera &The Canvas

Dean Huggins

P

hotography and art; sometimes we photographers feel a little left out of the art community. After all we don’t use paintbrushes, canvas, and other appurtenances that ‘regular artists’ use in their quest to express themselves. We don’t spend hundreds of hours making a single piece of art. Artists that paint have been around for thousands of years and have had much time to ply their trade and perfect the art of landscape, portrait, still life, and other genres. Some see a great discrepancy between the camera and canvas, as if it takes no talent or ability to make a photograph.

Enter the modern age. The invention of the camera has made such a momentous impact on world society that it is hard to find a place to begin telling the complete story and even more so the future of photography and its role in our daily lives.

When we consider the huge array of uses for the camera we may not be able to say that we will ever see the end of its applications. I ponder the uses of photography and I can almost say with a certainty that photographs have a value in our world that the painted canvas can never attain to. We often forget the uses that we find. One to consider is X-rays, which we must agree are invaluable to us in certain health situations like broken bones and tooth conditions among many. We also need to consider the science end of photography, such as shots of the moon and earth from space, the amazing images from the Hubble telescope, Google maps which allow us to see our neighbor’s back yards and forensic photography.

There is also the natural outgrowth of photography into the movie industry, which has taken the world by storm, the reproduction of painted art in digital format, to name just a few of its many uses. No one can deny that photography has changed the way we entertain others, prosecute in court, or record and grow data.

July |August 2016 31

T

he advent of the digital camera has hit us like a tidal wave. Virtually every American and millions of others around the world now have a camera in their cell phones.

Everyone has the ability to capture a memory for life or fame.

Even though the camera has proven itself the king of reproduction in terms of versatility and sheer quantity there are still those of us that think of this medium as art. We do not use a paintbrush or canvas, but then we see our camera as the canvas, the lens as our brush and as in all the arts except music, we use light to express our artistic side.

Photographers who have chosen to pursue the photographic medium and use their talents and creative juices to make art seem to be in the minority. On one hand, decorators are reluctant to hang photographic images in homes or offices because painted mediums still enjoy the luxury of being unique and one of a kind. Artist’s paintings show forth the personality and character of the creator and therefore garner more accolades and popularity with those who care to stare. On the other hand, we find it hard to fit in with many photographers who insist that the camera is only to be used as a medium to capture precisely what the shooter’s eye sees when taking the picture. Being stuck between these two classes can be disheartening and challenging. I cannot take a camera to a watercolor class and I cannot take an artistic rendering of an image on canvas to many photographic venues, as I would be disqualified as ‘too much processing’.

So it is that we artistic photographers must keep our chins up

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and forge ahead. The good news is that our work is beginning to be accepted by more and more in both communities. This is good news and brightens the way for more creativity. As we blend these mediums together we don’t know how this will shape the future of art the world around. Already we have seen some amazing strides in the photographic venue that seem to grow and become more popular

Dean Huggins

every year. With a camera in every hand we could envision that every man, woman and child would become a photographer. I don’t believe this to be possible, just as we have not witnessed every child that ever painted in 3rd grade or did paint by numbers become artists of renown. First of all, there is very little money in making art in the painting world or in the photographic world. Secondly you soon find out what the phrase ‘starving artist’ really means. It really means starving!

My hat goes off to those who continue on with this passion to create and mimic the hand of the divine.

We all strive to create emotion, beauty, décor, and put ourselves out there for better or worse. To all my starving friends I say, be a duck and let the comments run off your back. Be a sponge and absorb the amazing world around you.

You are better for it.

Dean Huggins is a local photographer, husband, father, and friend. Dean lives with his wife in Eastern Washington and finds inspiration from spiritual sources and other photographers. He applies these insights in his photography and art. www.deanhuggins.com

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PHOTOGRAPHER

JR McCurdie

“I

am a freelance and commercial photographer. It is a passion for me and I will continue doing it as long as that stays true. On the commercial side, I would be someone you would call if you needed something unique due to difficult lighting; difficult angles or you just needed someone who thinks out of the box.

I got started in photography with a brownie box camera that my grandmother got me at a garage sale, and I have never really stopped. Several years ago I decided to really step up my game. I figured that night photography would be one of the hardest things to do well because it has technical, creative and physical challenges.

That is when I jumped into the photography rabbit hole and have thoroughly enjoyed every second since.�

M

34 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

y submissions for the contest were all taken the same night while I was giving a night photography workshop. The goal was to understand how to take Milky Way photos and then, lo and behold the Aurora Borealis showed up. I had never photographed it here before and had only seen it twice on a photo trip to Iceland. After several hours on the bridge at Heyburn State Park, I told the group this is about as good as it gets and the rest of their night photography may be anticlimactic.

JRMCCURDIEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM | FACEBOOK JR MCCURDIE’S PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE WEST

What’s my favorite image? Well, I always hope my

beauty and many of us never take the time to really apprefavorite image will be the one that I will see with the ciate it. Life can be cut short next import; I am always looking to do better today than any time, as a motorcycle yesterday. Right now, my favorite is the above image of enthusiast I think about this, the False Kiva from Canyonlands National Park taken and we need to not just look, on June 2, 2016. I had seen photos from this place, but I but to see. had always wanted to take my own. As with most good photos there is always a story. This particular location My advice for future is not on any maps and is accessed by a rather perilous photographers is to find a trail (especially if you fear heights like me). Two of us subject that interests you and found the trail and did it in the afternoon. Prime Milky learn all you can about it.

Way time was not until about 2:00 am. We returned after Understand composition, sunset and had to hike in and out in the dark. Perhaps because it is an important not the smartest thing to do, but you do what is necessary building block of any good photo. Join a camera club to get the shot. where you can learn from others. Ask other photograWhat do I look for in an image? In my images I don’t want people to see one thing. I want them to see several things. I want them to wonder about the things they are not seeing. Why is that person looking out of frame?

What is in their hand? How did he get that angle? When and where was that?

What inspires me? Many things inspire me, but my biggest inspiration is the zest for life. We are surrounded by

phers how they do what they do. Some may not answer.

I believe that if I teach what I do to someone else it will only push me to be better. Follow some photographers that you like, but don’t try to be them. Develop your own style. Realize that you will take many bad pictures to get one good one. Learn from the bad ones. Know that your best picture today will most likely not even be close in a few years. Don’t try to be everything. Find your niche and the rest will come.

July |August 2016 35

“HAY THERE!” I was driving down a road where I’d never been before and I saw these hay bales that were freshly cut. The sun was setting and I saw the potential in the scene, so I quickly pulled over and decided to take a shot at it, no pun intended.

PHOTOGRAPHER

“M

Tony Thurber

y goal as a photographer is to bring raw, powerful and positive feelings to the viewer. We as individuals have a very large range of emotions, so I like to keep things simple and focus on one: the experience of awe. Why that feeling? Because its a fading emotion with my generation. We are so distracted that we have a hard time sitting still and enjoying a moment. Too often we find ourselves living our lives through technology, and so we are robbed of the moments and people around us. I use my work to inspire and motivate others to explore the beautiful creation that surrounds us. My hope is that these photographs will help people to venture out and capture their own moments rather then watching other people live out their moments through a screen.”

How did you get started in photography?

Growing up I was constantly surrounded by art. My mother was a stay-at-home-mom who also had an art studio in our basement. In my early teenage years, I liked the idea of art, but I wasn’t patient enough to sit down and paint something. We didn’t have a lot of money, so getting a camera was out of the question, except for those disposable ones. As I grew up and started living on my own, I found myself missing art so much that I decided I would give photography a real try. This was the first time in my life I could afford something that was better then a pointand-click camera. Turns out I wasn’t half-bad at it, and in recent years it has turned into a passion of mine.

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How long has this been an interest?

often look for broken objects. When life is peaceful, I often I have been interested in the art of photography for a number of look for peaceful environments to capture. years, but it wasn't until 2014 where I decided to get a good I enjoy capturing landscapes the most because I get to see camera to give this a try.

God's beauty - the enormity of it - in his landscapes. The What is your favorite moment that you have goal of capturing a lot of these images is actually to display God's creative nature and ability to design. I mean, I like captured to date? The moment I captured Broken Beauty. I took this photograph in July of 2014 just north of to capture moments, but I'm not the one who painted the Moscow, ID. At that time, I was fairly new to photography landscape. I'm just capturing it for others to enjoy. and was trying to learn as much as I could from other local photographers. One of them told me to never take photos I enjoy capturing those old broken down objects because from the backside of objects because people don't respond they all tell a story. We live in a culture where everything's to those kinds of images. Naturally I didn't listen, mainly always new and we neglect the old. Old is history; it's a because I didn't want to narrow my perception of photog- part of us. It shows where we came from, and it's unique because it can't be re-written, only retold. raphy, as I was so new to it. That next evening I decided I would take a crack at getting the "forbidden" shot. I set up Do you have any useful advice for emerging and liked the composition but I still had this little voice pushing back saying, "he's right you know, this isn't going photographers? to work." I captured it anyways.

The two pieces of advice I always give to other aspiring photographers are: Right away I posted the shot on social media and sadly, I didn't get the big response like I had hoped. It was a bit 1. People can spend loads of time researching the latest disappointing at first, but months passed and the more I fads and gear, but that does them no good if they aren't out showed this image to others the better response I got. To date, this is my most successful image and I’m glad I decid- there shooting and getting familiar with their gear and/or ed to take the risk that day to get it. In the words of the late subjects. The more familiar a photographer is with his/her Mohammad Ali, "He who is not courageous enough to take gear the more opportunities they will find. risks will accomplish nothing in life." It’s become a motto 2. Take risks and explore various types of photography. in many ways.

How can our readers find out more or follow What do you personally look for or try to capture in your images? What subjects in- your work? spire you most? I often try and focus on one subject, and make it the main object in the photograph. When I'm looking for something to photograph, I'm looking for a contrast between a subject (in the foreground) and the background. Also, all of my landscape images include clouds, as they provide interest in the background color that you often can't get with clear blue skies.

I frequently study the cloud formations before sunset to see if a scene will be worth capturing or not.

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram, and visit my website at: www.tonythurberphotography.com

I don't know if subjects inspire me as much as moods.

When life is hectic, I

July |August 2016 37

Fakes, Copies & Mistaken Identities

s o m e p r o b l e m s o f a r t at t r i b u t i o n Melville holmes

A

recent article in the Fort Worth Star-Tele-

gram tells the story of an oil painting purchased by a Texas collector in 2004 for $3,800. After picking it up from a Dallas museum where it had been on loan along with three others, he drove to Fort Worth to show them to the directors of the Kimbell Art Museum. Only one caught their eye: an Italian church interior signed “David Roberts” (1796-1864), a prominent painter of architectural subjects. But this rather exceptional piece didn’t fit with Roberts. The freshness and confidence of the brushwork spoke to the directors of another British artist, one of whose works the museum already owned: Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828). Through a set of fortuitous circumstances their hunch proved correct. The signature was a forgery, added on top of the varnish. The oil painting exactly matched a watercolor of the same interior by Bonington. The Kimbell happily bought it for an undisclosed sum “under $1 million.”

The monetary value of an artwork is tightly bound up with the name of its maker and, with relatively few exceptions; its ranking in the scale of historical and artistic importance. The topmost tier is occupied by household names: Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Leonardo, and Picasso, to name a few, and any others who constitute the pride of the world’s great museums and populate the art history texts.

At these altitudes the stakes are high. With recent auction records at astronomical levels, the emergence and sale of a long lost Caravaggio would make international headlines and amount to some serious money indeed. Equally serious is the need to make sure the name really goes with the picture. No museum director or collector relishes the thought of being taken in by a forgery or what turns out not to be by

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the master himself but an obscure follower.

There is a hierarchy to artistic celebrity and value made up of major and minor masters. While a given artist’s status may fluctuate according to the winds of fashion, one constant remains. It’s all attached to the artist’s name. If one peruses auction catalogs and labels on museum walls, one finds a series of categories. At the pinnacle are “autograph” works, signed by the artist and so well supported by historical documentation as to leave no doubt about their authenticity. Below this degree of certainty, however, the question of attribution becomes much more complicated and open to scholarly debate. Many masterworks are both unsigned and lacking adequate documentation.

In many cases there is enough evidence for art historians and connoisseurs to develop a persuasive case for inclusion among an artist’s works. When there is less convincing evidence pictures are often labeled “attributed to.” Works not deemed quite worthy of a particular master but which are similar to his or her work will be described, in descending order, as “workshop of,” “circle of,” “follower of,” “school of,” and even lower down, “after” (i.e. a copy), and even more vague, “French school,” “Munich school,” etc.

At the very bottom of the ladder is downright forgery, though this can sometimes get turned on its head. One famous example is the case of Han van Meegeren, who succeeded in duping experts and even Hitler’s second-in-command, Hermann Goering, with his fake Vermeers. Placed on trial for allegedly selling national treasure to the enemy in the latter instance, he had to prove that he was innocent of that by producing one of his fakes at the trial, with the result of becoming something of a folk hero.

I

receive a lot of calls to clean and repair damaged pictures. One brought to me was an exceptional beauty with quite interesting provenance, having once belonged to Count Alexander Buxhoeveden of Russia. It is a landscape nocturne lit by a full moon, with the silhouette of a cathedral in the distance. It measures about 3 x 4’. No signature could be found. The only school that came to mind was German Romanticism, of which a central figure was Caspar David Friedrich (1774 – 1840), who never signed his paintings. Excitement began to grow when a senior European paintings specialist for a major auction house declared his opinion that it is a rare Friedrich, seeing million dollar signs, and was champing at the bit to get hold of it. We needed a high-resolution digital image and the owner knew of a large flatbed scanner that could accommodate

the piece. When set up under the lights the owner noticed something peculiar: a signature in the bottom left corner. It had been examined under magnification in various types of light without detection, but here it was, visible in the unusual lighting angle: “Sörensen 1854.”

The artist is Jacobus Sörensen (1812-1857). The piece sold at auction for a profit but, beautiful as the painting is, this artist could come nowhere near a million dollar price. This is understandable. Artists’ reputations are largely measured by unique achievements. Great artists are seen as those who break new ground, the pioneers, not the followers. Sörensen was an obscure Dutch landscape painter. Friedrich is looked upon as one of the most important German artists of his age, on the vanguard of the Romantic Movement, and exercising wide influence on later artists.

Moonlit Landscape by Jacobus Sörensen Photo: Melville Holmes July |August 2016 39

A

different owner brought two paintings, much older and smaller to me, and they offered singular puzzles of attribution. Both were damaged and covered with grime and dark varnish. There is little doubt that they are 17th-century Italian paintings for stylistic reasons, materials used, and obvious signs of age, including old, inept repairs. Neither was signed and, after the death of the original Spokane collector, his heirs threw away whatever useful documentation there may have been.

One of these pictures, however, has two curious inscriptions pasted to the back assigning authorship to Italian Baroque painter Guido Reni (1575 – 1642), one of the most celebrated artists of his age. “The only portion intact of a picture by Guido Reni in a suppressed convent three miles from Prato,” reads one, followed in a different hand by “Angel of the Annunciation, fragment of an original oil painting by Guido Reni, formerly existing in the now suppressed convent of - near Figline - near Prato.” The former is signed in a flowery script, “JB Philpot.” Also on the back of the canvas is a label saying, “Sold by Philpot & Jackson Picture Dealers” with an address in Florence. What can be verified from the information in these texts?

Detail of the Annunciation by Guido Reni, (circa 1629), commissioned for the chapel of Santa Maria della Carità, Ascoli Piceno, now in the Pinacoteca Civica, Ascoli Piceno, Italy Photo: Public Domain

John Brampton Philpot (1812-1878) was an English photographer who settled in Florence to become a leading figure in the history of photography there. His subjects included views of the city and facsimiles of art works. Philpot’s establishment is listed in Baedeker’s travelers guide to northern Italy (1877) for “photographs from the drawings in the Uffizi” at the address given on the label. The author of the second inscription is unknown but could have been Jackson, another photographer who worked with Philpot.

Philpot and Jackson inscriptions & Philpot and Jackson label Photo: J. Craig Sweat Photography 40 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

F

igline di Prato is only some 30 km. from Florence, so it’s conceivable that the artifact could have easily reached Florence from there. While I’ve not been able to verify said convent of San Domenico, secular authorities did suppress convents in Tuscany and elsewhere and confiscated their properties during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Comparison with other works by Reni reveals some compelling but puzzling similarities. A general similarity can be observed with the angel of his Annunciation (circa 1629) in Ascoli Piceno, which was commissioned for the chapel of Santa Maria della Carità.

But the drapery is different and the Philpot version seems to lack the delicacy of the Ascoli Piceno picture. A closer relationship can be found with an engraving by Sir Robert Strange (1721–1792) after an angel of the Annunciation in a painting said to have been by Reni. It belonged to a certain Charles Chauncy, M.D. (1706–1777), a surgeon remembered as a collector of paintings and other art objects. The print shows the subject in reverse but when rotated it seems to demonstrate a closer affinity with both the physiognomy in Reni’s 1629 painting and the drapery in the Philpot and Jackson fragment.

While the present location of the Chauncy picture remains elusive, its popular influence is evident in numerous Victorian cameos that were produced in that period.

Where the painting in question here fits in the Annunciation lineage, though, remains a mystery.

It seems more closely derived Engraving by Sir Robert Strange after Guido Reni from the angel in Strange’s engrav- Photo: Public Domain ing, but whoever painted it could not have seen that. Guido Reni had a large workshop to meet the demand for his work. Leading experts in 17th century painting whom I have contacted have expressed skepticism over attribution to Reni, suggesting that this is more likely “Workshop of.” Could it have been modeled after a drawing by the master in preparation for the painting in Sir Robert Strange’s engraving? The jury is still out.

July |August 2016 41

P

ier Francesco Mola (1612-1666) was another prominent Italian artist of the Baroque period. Because his painting The Vision of St. Bruno in the J. Paul Getty Museum shows similarities in subject and composition to the other 17th-century picture mentioned above, his name has been suggested as a possible author for it. Both pictures show a recumbent hermit saint in a wilderness experiencing a heavenly vision.

The sentiment expressed in these two pictures, however, is entirely different.

In Mola’s painting the founder of the Carthusian monastic order reaches forward to welcome the celestial vision. But compare the men’s body language. The man in the other painting is utterly awestruck and overwhelmed. Here the scene is not set in daylight, in a bucolic landscape, and in an atmosphere of calm. It is night. No happy cherubs look down. An eerie, supernatural light illumines the dark sky and the clouds are dynamically in motion, as if something is about to happen. The mood of Mola’s St. Bruno strikes me essentially as an artistic confection, lacking in the gravitas one would associate with an event of this importance. By contrast, the serious mood of the nocturnal vision seems to carry the heartfelt spirit of Counter-Reformation mysticism, such as that found in the writings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, as if the man on the ground could be coming out of his “dark night of the soul.

Pier Francesco Mola, The Vision of St. Bruno, J. Paul Getty Museum | Photo: Public Domain

One Mola expert I conferred with, who was recommended to me by the Metropolitan Museum, felt sure this was not by Mola but agreed with my assessment of its unique poetic spirituality. His opinion was that the subject probably is St. Bruno, and that it was from the Roman school, in the “orbit of Pier Francesco Mola.”

Hermit Saint by unidentified 17th century artist Photo: J. Craig Sweat Photography

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There has been much revision in attributions in recent decades. A running joke used to be that, of the 3,000 or so paintings by Corot, 10,000 are in the United States. One artist whose body of work has come under intense scrutiny is Rembrandt. The Rembrandt Research Project, founded in 1968, has significantly reduced the number confidently ascribed to him, including several that have been considered among his finest works. One of these especially stands out. The Man with a Golden Helmet in Berlin is one of the most reproduced paintings in the world. Recent opinion, backed up by very persuasive scientific evidence, places its authorship with an unidentified student among Rembrandt’s circle. It’s a strange situation. No one is saying it’s not a great picture. The intrinsic qualities that made it so beloved are still there. It’s just not a “Rembrandt” anymore. What does that make it; a painting in search of an author? Or does its value still hang on its association with a household name?

Melville Holmes

Melville Holmes (b.1950) is a fine artist devoted to doing “new paintings like those of the old masters. He has deeply studied the history, technology, and chemistry of the materials of oil painting, and has written several published papers on the subject.He lives in Spokane, WA.

Unidentified artist, Man with a Golden Helmet Photo: Public Domain July |August 2016 43

Art About Town

ART RESOURCE DIRECTORY 29th Avenue Artworks 3128 East 29th Ave. Spokane, WA 99223 (509) 534-7959 Angel Art Gallery 423 Sherman Ave. Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 (208) 665-7232

Avenue West Gallery 907 W Boone Ave, Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 838-4999 Bozzi Gallery 221 N Wall St Suite 226, Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 290-5604 Cello 415 W Main Ave #101 (509) 315-9579 Opens at 11:00 AM Chase Gallery 808 W Spokane Falls Blvd (509) 625-6050

East Sprague Art Gallery 1812 E. Sprague Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 202-0850 Emerge 208 N 4th St, CURRENT ADVERTISERS 44 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 (208) 818-3342 Hatch Gallery 9612 E Sprague Ave, Spokane Valley, WA, 99206, SUITE 201 509-598-8080 Jundt Art Museum 200 E Desmet Ave Spokane, WA 99202 (509) 313-6843 Kolva Sullivan Gallery & Trackside Studio 115 S Adams St Spokane, WA.99201 (509) 462-5653 Kress Gallery / River Park Square 808 W. Main River Park Square, Third Level Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 456-3413 Marmot Art Space 1206 W Summit Pkwy Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 270-5804 Magic Craftsman Gallery 18209 E Appleway Ave Spokane Valley, WA 99016 (509) 475-2390

McCarthy Art Company 601 W. Main Spokane, Washington 99201

New Moon Art Gallery 1326 East Sprague Spokane, WA 99202 (509) 413-9101 Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture 2316 W 1st Ave Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 456-3931 Painters Chair 223 Sherman Ave. Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 (208) 667-3606 Saranac Art Projects 2910 E 57th Ave # 5-282 Spokane, WA 99223 (509) 954-5458 Spectrum Fine Art 21 W 34th Ave Spokane, WA 99203 (509) 747-5267

Spokane Gallery 409 S. Dishman Mica Rd Spokane Valley, WA 99206 (509) 747-0812

Spokane Falls Community College Fine Arts Gallery 3410 W Fort George Wright Dr, Bldg 6 Spokane, WA 99204 (509) 533-3710

Steven A. Scroggins Fine Art Gallery 110 N 4th St, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 (208) 659-8332 The Art Spirit Gallery 415 Sherman Ave Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 (208) 765-6006

The Artisan Gallery 53 Wisconsin Street Priest River, ID 83856 (208)-304-4656 The Liberty Art Gallery 203 N Washington, Spokane, WA 99201

Urban Art Co-op 3017 N Monroe St. Spokane, WA 99205 (509) 720-7624 William Grant Gallery 1188 W Summit Pkwy Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 484-3535

ART FROM AROUND THE

WORLD Yelena Revis | Sydney, Australia

Yelena Revis is a professional artist and art

educator. The creation and refinement of her unique style has been something she has spent decades perfecting. Her craft and unique style is filled with whimsical humor, textural sensitivity, and a vibrant sense of color. She currently resides in Sydney, Australia, but she was born and raised in Omsk, Russia. As a result of this mixed culture, her aim has been to blend her eclectic background in European art classics and experiences, with the fresh Australian colors of both life and nature that she’s come to find while living there.

Her work has been featured in prominent exhibitions and art gallery representation in Russia, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. She also commented on a successful exhibition at Art Revolution Taipei 2016, Taiwan in April. She has successfully exhibited at Art Revolution Taipei in Taiwan each year since 2011.

In addition, her paintings have also been featured in several Taiwanese publications.

“I am a passionate artist and my ultimate aim is to focus on the quality of my work rather than the quantity of it and to impart a small piece of myself as an artist into each and every one of my creations.”

July |August 2016 45

Yelena Revis | Sydney, Australia YELENAARTSTUDIO.COM | INFO@YELENAARTSTUDIO.COM

“P

ainting is not what I do; it is who I am. Artwork is, by its very nature, a by-product of the way we think and feel. I am a ‘creative type’; I feel truly balanced only when immersed in the creative act. I believe that artistic creativity is an innate character trait rather than an acquired skill. In this sense, I was born an artist.

The Art…is my soul and with this soul I inspire and become inspired.

The Art…is what we all aspire to create and this art speaks a multitude of languages. My paintings represent an outward expression of the blend of my inner thoughts and emotions with the physical world in which we all live. Vibrant colors and a strong design sense co-exist with humor and compassion to create varied pieces with a universal and timeless appeal The Art…is all I am and proudly all I shall remain.”

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Out of all the work you have created, which piece is your favorite?

This is a hard question. It is like asking a mother who is her favorite child. I’d choose ‘Angel on Holiday’ an oil on canvas I completed in 2015.

How long have you been creating art?

I’m very passionate about painting and drawing and have been involved with both since childhood. I’ve always loved the experience of losing myself in thought and diving into the world of art and imagination.

Does it matter to you what happens to your art after you sell it?

Yes. I would like to see people enjoying my art, as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Would you rather have a solo show or a group show?

It doesn’t matter. I have been successful in both solo and group shows. They both work well.

Do you have another job besides being an artist?

No.

“Each and every one of us loves to have a vacation. All of us like to relax somewhere, explore and visit new places. This piece features the subject of angels. Why shouldn’t they also have a rest? Yes, it is like a fairy tale. Your angel is very tired; day and night protecting you. In this piece, he has removed his wings, hung them up on a hook and he has left on leave.

This time he doesn’t differ from the ordinary people, but can also take on an appearance of any small animal. He wanders in different cities, but through the dark glasses he still watches you. After all, he is your guardian angel, and he never forgets it, even on holidays. “

What is your greatest fear when showing your art to others?

I have none. I’m confident in my art and I know that you can’t please everyone.

Do you tell people that you are an artist upon introduction?

There are a number of artist categories, including writing, painting, photography, performance, sculpture, music, calligraphy and dance. So I would tell people I’m a painter.

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July |August 2016 49

Laura Read

Spokane Poet Laureate 50 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

LSpaura R ead oka ne Poet L au re at e KAREN MOBLEY

S

pokane Poet Laureate, Laura Read, has been writing since she was a child. She says of her beginnings, “I wrote poems and stories as a child. When I went to graduate school to get my M.F.A. I thought I would be studying fiction, but I found what I really enjoyed was describing small moments, and these moments didn’t always add up to a plot. One of my professors gave me a book of poems by Dorianne Laux called What We Carry. I loved how Laux could describe a moment so closely that you were experiencing it with her and also looking back on it with her and arriving with her at what that moment, through reflection, could mean.”

Laura Read was named Spokane’s second Poet Laureate in October 2015. Thom Caraway was the first, in case you’re scratching your head. The Poet Laureate serves for two years and helps the Spokane Arts Commission promote and support Spokane’s vibrant literary community.

As part of her role as Poet Laureate, Read is organizing a project called “I am a Town” based on the 1992 Mary Chapin Carpenter song. This song tells the story of a town in Carolina, a place illustrated through quiet moments and descriptions. A workshop was conducted at Ink Art Space in Spokane in May to begin the body of poems. Anyone can submit works, which may be excerpted and included in a public art project on city sidewalks in 2017. Submissions to the project can be made through https://spokanearts. submittable.com/submit. Please submit poems about particular places in Spokane, WA about which you have a personal memory that you would like to share. If you are selected for this project, you will be notified in advance. These poems may also be considered for publication in a book published by the Spark Center.

Karen Mobley is free range, but not a chicken.

She earned the Dabbler badge in Girl Scouts and has been working at it ever since. She is a visual artist, poet and arts consultant. She lives in Spokane, Washington with a cat, Mary Mouse Cassatt. She was also an artist in residence at the Jentel Foundation in January. www.karenmobley.com

Laura Read has published poems in a variety of journals, most recently in Kahini and Sow’s Ear Review. She received the CrabCreekReview Poetry Prize in August 2015. Read received the 2011 AWP/Donald Hall Prize for Poetry for her book, Instructions for My Mother’s Funeral published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Her chapbook, The Chewbacca on Hollywood Boulevard Reminds Me of You, was the 2010 winner of the Floating Bridge Chapbook Award. She has demonstrated commitment to the local poetry community through her service to The Wire Harp, the Beacon Hill Reading Series, and Get Lit. Read works as an Instructor of Composition, Literature, and Creative Writing at Spokane Falls Community College and teaches Creative Writing to Native Youth Mentors at the Salish School of Spokane (SSOS).

Read encourages would-be writers to make their way. “Finding a community of writers is very important. I am in a poetry book club right now that meets once a month, and I am reading poets whose work I would not discover otherwise. Also, I am part of a private blog called “Three Poems a Week” whose goal is just that: we take turns posting prompts every Sunday and then each of us tries to generate three new poems that week… I’ve been writing much more frequently as a result. We have a very vibrant literary and arts community in Spokane, and going to readings and other arts events helps me get excited about the great people and art around me and makes me want to contribute to it.”

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Laura Read | Spokane Poet Laureate

Laura says, “Some of my favorite poets are Dorianne Laux, Sharon Olds, and Tony Hoagland.

Those are poets whose work I have loved and admired for years. But I am always finding new poets to add to my list as well: last year, I read Revising the Storm by Geffrey Davis, which is an excellent first collection, and I also really liked Dianne Seuss’s Wolf Lake, White Gown Blown Open. Read says,

“Poetry is for everyone; it is not an elite art or a secret code. It is the artful shaping of small moments in language, moments that are particular to our own experiences, but which also connect us deeply to each other.”

Ferguson’s It’s a diner so we order burgers and fries, we drink milkshakes from the milkshake glasses and they bring the metal containers they made them in.

Everything tastes good here, and I stare out at the January sky, and think of all the grey days we’ve eaten here with your mother tucked into her coat, drinking her coffee, waiting for you to say something.

What will we do next— go to Rite Aid or Walgreen’s?

Buy hard candies for her to suck on while she looks out the window and thinks about how we went to Ferguson’s, stared out across the street to where her dad used to cut hair, used to shave her boys’ heads as if hair was a sign of weakness. Hair is what girls have, this way a man could lift them by the scruff, like her dad gripped them, teaching them about pain and how to stand it, how to open the door and walk bare-headed into the cold.

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When You Have Lived a Long Time in One Place things start to vanish. Like the old Newberry’s where I used to buy earrings that looked like tacks, six pairs for a dollar, and then go sit at the lunch counter with the old people eating patty melts and drinking black coffee.

They stared in front of them like the women on the bus with their plastic rain scarves that they took from their purses when the bus lurched towards their stop. They wore dresses from the old country. Now I wonder if they have nowhere to go. The building stands empty like a mind that can’t remember the words that stick things to their places, pants, chair, toast. How can we remember if they keep taking things down, like the house where I lived when I was young and waiting for love? I lay there in the yard in my bathing suit pink as a poppy and I could feel his shadow when it touched my body.

Now there is only a clean slate of grass where that house stood, the same grass that covers the spot in Lincoln Park where there used to be a wading pool. where I took Ben until the day I turned away to get a toy for him and then he was face down in the water, and I pulled him out and we looked at each other and I could see in his eyes that he couldn’t believe the water was heartless, that it didn’t know who he was.

Hara Allison Hara Allison grew up in Miami, Florida, the youngest of six kids. Her mother fascinated her — turning heads whenever she entered a room, captivating everyone’s attention. What Hara admired most about her, however, was her talent.

Her amazing paintings filled the walls of their family home. Many of them are hanging in Hara’s home today.

Tragically, Hara’s mother passed away when she was only 18. Her mom was 46.

Art has always played a major role in Hara’s life.

The desire to pick up a brush overwhelmed her.

The thought of painting consumed her. But it wasn’t until she crossed the threshold of her 46th birthday that she finally succumbed to her inevitable calling.

Now…she paints.

GINGER

S HOWS

SMOKIN’ HOT

SURRENDER

SHADOW

July 2016 Rocket Bakery Holley-Mason August and September, 2016 Mizuna Restaurant and Wine Bar October 2016 Gordy’s Sichuan Café November 2016 Beautiful Grounds January 2017 Nectar Tasting Room March 2017 Spokane Public Library July |August 2016 53

Let’s Stock About It BONES, ART & HARMONY

By Mariah McLaughlin, student at the Inland NW Culinary Academy

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s our series continues, explore the world of the made-from-scratch stock, from the eyes of a student at the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy. Mariah McLaughlin describes the ingredients, the many uses and finished products that come from a basic stock, but will also take you along her personal journey as a student of culinary arts and the impact of the Bones, the Art and the Harmony of a simple stock‌.

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The Bones To the French it is appropriately named “fonds de cuisine” or the foundation of cooking. Stocks play an important role in the culinary arts and are one of the most basic preparations in the professional kitchen. They are the perfect complementary companion in the kitchen and become the base of almost everything we do at the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy (INCA).

A stock is the essence of flavor dispersed into water. Simmering bones, shells or parts from beef, veal, poultry, seafood and vegetables, prepare this flavorful liquid. Over time, the flavor, aroma, color, and nutritive value are extracted, resulting in a universally versatile start to so many wonderful kitchen creations. It is used as a base to prepare sauces and soups, as a braising and simmering medium for vegetables and grains, and the very foundation of so many additional dishes.

Stock making is an art. Once you master the process it opens up thousands of cooking possibilities. There are essentially four types of stocks utilized in classical cooking: white, brown, seafood and vegetable stocks. The basic ingredients include bones, mirepoix (French term for the combination of onion, celery and carrot), sachet d’ espice (peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf and parsley stems wrapped in a cheesecloth bag), and water. Always remembering the final outcome will help you create the most flavorful stock. Stocks should have body, flavor, color and clarity. Body is achieved through the process of bone collagen turning into gelatin that thickens and enriches the stock. Browning and caramelizing the bones and/or vegetables prior to simmering achieve flavor and color.

Clarity starts with cold water and clean bones that are gently simmered but never boiled. The vegetables and spices should be added during the last hour of cooking and then strained of all solid particulates.

Timing is just as

important depending

stock you

on which are making.

•Fish and vegetable stock take up to 1 hour •Chicken stock can take up to 4 hours •Beef stock requires nearly 10 hours

The Art Making stock is similar to comparing my journey through culinary school – the costly and time-consuming process, and ultimate reward at the end. As a young culinarian with less than three weeks left of my schooling it seems like just yesterday I was getting my first lessons in stock making. Chef Peter Tobin was the intimidating and educated instructor at the head of the class with the tall white toque. He is a great teacher for young (or not so young!) students that have come to INCA to learn the basics. I’ll never forget one of his first lessons, “the true success of any chef could be measured in the ability to make a good stock”.

One of the very first rotations in this class is the “stock team”, which carries with it tremendous responsibility where the art of teamwork is not only necessary but also required! Decisions must immediately be made – how many pounds of bones are needed? Which stockpot will hold all the ingredients and take into consideration the space needed to simmer, settle and evaporate? Oftentimes, the process starts before class begins and continues to work its magic overnight. The Stock Team will huddle in the corner of the kitchen, like a coven, to stir the bubbly cauldron with a big wooden paddle and skim the top for impurities with a spider wand. You need to be “at the ready” to drain the stock with big pots and china caps. All these new terms and tools!! An ice bath at the ready is necessary to cool the stock for safe and proper cooling and storage. After label, dating and initialing your creation for storage comes the Chef Instructor evaluation. Oh, the pressure!

Giant 40-gallon steam-jacketed kettles hold the chicken and beef stocks overnight, and the smaller shellfish and vegetable stocks are reserved for single usage in more “normal” sized pots. Once made, we use the various concoctions when learning how to make soup, stews, sauces and individual recipes. In this beginning class, we use the stocks to create sauce techniques, cooking vegetables, potatoes, cooked pasta and rice dishes and learn firsthand how much that giant cauldron enhances the final taste from the inside.

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nto my next class/adventure in the production kitchen with Chef Joshua Martin, I can clearly hear to this day, his opening “Let’s GO” cheer echo throughout the kitchen every morning.

Enter INCA Teamwork…we were no longer making the stocks, but using the creations made by Chef Tobin’s class nearly every day for banquet meals, competencies, openers and plated entrées.

The soup team makes up to 3 gallons of daily soup for Orlando’s service each day from the various stocks left to us by the previous class. From Chef Martin, not only did we learn the art of butchering a whole animal, but also were able to utilize the bones in making a brown stock. In this class we learn how to derive flavor from bare bones, using vegetables (from countless knife cut practice!) in order to make a rich, flavorful sauce to complement a dish. There is very little waste in our INCA kitchens, and our instructors instill pride in using all parts of your work or process in one way or another.

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The Harmony Modern American Cuisine is where “squirrel stock” will be forever engrained in my brain. Taught

by Chef Curtis Smith, this little anecdote (and subsequent test question) provided the perfect avenue for remembering the ratio for making stock. Each stock type may differ in preparation and ingredients but the process stays the same. All you need to remember is 8:1:1. For every 8 lbs. of bones you need to have 1 pound of mirepoix and 1 gallon of water. Whether you are making beef, chicken, and seafood, squirrel or unicorn stock, the ratio is 8:1:1! Got it! I don’t think I’ll ever forget that example as long as I live. With Chef Smith, we also learn advanced techniques such as stock infusions. Infused stock can be used to impart deeper flavors for a menu item that may reflect a certain culture’s cuisine. For example, using curry powder, garlic and chili pods for Indian cuisine, or an African flavor imparted with the addition of fennel seeds, cloves and coriander.

Our talents (and educational comprehension) are tested with “mystery basket” practical exams, where students are required to prepare a meal with only the ingredients pre-selected and set out in baskets on a prep table, in a pre-established amount of time. Pressure!! What does stock have to do with this? Everything, it seems! You will need it for your soup, sauce(s), poaching liquid; or all of the above. This defines the harmony of the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy. The stocks utilized in your practical finals are not made by you – those first- or second-quarter students learning the basics in the beginning of the program lovingly make them.

I have loved every step of my journey through the kitchens of INCA. One of the very last classes you get to experience is Fine Dining Service, where it all comes together as a plate in front of the guest, lovingly prepared and “touched” by the many hands and levels of experience throughout the program. Aside from normal “guest interaction” jitters, there is a definite advantage to knowing more about the menu items being served, having had a hand (or many hands, actually) in preparing that dish throughout my 2 year INCA journey. Before you ever approach a paying guest in Orlando’s Restaurant, hours are spent learning the history (or “story” as Instructor Julie Litzenberger likes to say) of the food before it landed on your plate. As a culinary student, we talk about food every day, and we encourage everyone around us to do the same. It doesn’t make you a “foodie”, it makes you educated and informed. We travel around the world and introduce techniques and menu items to our guests in Orlando’s as various parts of the curriculum. I can see the manipulation of ingredients that once were so simple that are now part of a finished dish, beautifully plated and pleasing to the pallet.

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o you see, I too, was once basic and simple like the stock in my first quarter at INCA. Through all the countless lessons gained, and experiences shared, I have added ingredients and procedures that I can take out into the world to create endless possibilities for the family and friends sitting around my own kitchen table. I am walking out the door of INCA with a newfound pride. Not just from wearing my graduation jacket and being a card-carrying member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), but pride in my heart for I too, know “the foundations of cooking” that began with a simple stock. And I relied on so many of my school colleagues to contribute to my success.

Stay tuned for further student written articles in our quest to bring you “The Journey of the Plate” as we take the readers through our educational program, and complete the journey with a beautifully crafted entrée served to the public in our student-run Orlando’s Restaurant, located in Building 1 on the Spokane Community College campus. For more information on the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy, or to receive our quarterly newsletter, please visit our website at http://www.scc. spokane.edu/Hospitality/INCA/Home.aspx or call Program Coordinator Janet Breedlove at 509-533-7283. We are “closed” from mid-June through mid-September, but look forward to seeing and feeding you our passion in the near future. For any “off season” information requests, please do not hesitate to email Julie Raftis-Litzenberger at Julie.Litzenberger@scc.spokane.edu.

Your inquiries, suggestions and comments are most welcome!

MARIAH McLAUGHLIN

Mariah McLaughlin was born and raised on a cattle and wheat ranch in Montana. She moved to Spokane five years ago, where she enjoys being a mother of three children: Darien (20), Logan (15) and Ethan (10) with her husband James of 22 years. Mariah is 3 weeks away from completing her two-year AAS degree in Culinary Arts from the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy at SCC. In addition to her full time kitchen management at the Black Diamond restaurant in Spokane Valley, Mariah manages to volunteer for nearly every extracurricular community event opportunity through INCA, and is the proud recipient of the Albert Kowitz Sustainability Scholarship, Washington Restaurant Association Spokane Chapter scholarship, Chef Biordi continual scholarship and the Quillisascut Education Foundation scholarship. Mariah and her family enjoy playing and competing in disc golf, along with camping, fishing and gardening.

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The swoopy shape of New Zealand is split in two and repeated here, outlined in such a way as to give a sense of slow, oozing rotation to the piece. The lush greens of North Island and South Island contrast well with the large areas of untouched canvas and with the blue-to-violet-to-pink outline.

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a r t c h o w d e r . c o m

Every Artist Was FirstAn Amateur.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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