October 19 – November 24, 2018

It’s Our 5th Anniversary … Come Celebrate with Us!

Our second annual Wood & Wax exhibit opens Friday evening, October 19th and runs through November 24. Seven artists come together in this exquisite group show that features art made from wood and art made from beeswax, pigments and resins.

Who: anyone who likes art, particularly really cool art
What: opening reception to celebrate Wood & Wax exhibit AND our 5th Anniversary
Where: 1+1=1 Gallery at 434 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena, Montana
When: Friday Oct 19 from 5 to 8pm
Why: cuz you like art, good food, and we like you!

Our 5th Anniversary Month — a Perfect Time to Bring Back One of Our Most Exceptional Exhibits: Wood & Wax

Since our beginnings five years ago, we have proudly represented some of the best Montana woodworkers, at 1+1=1 Gallery. Helena artists, Dan McArdle, Tim Carney and John Andrew, are back at the gallery with all new finely crafted carvings, furniture and turned wood vessels. This year we welcome another wood turner, Boyd Carson of Bozeman. This year, we are also introducing encaustic artist, Erika James, from Portland Oregon.

All seven of the artists in Wood & Wax 2018 are talented, mature artists and we are delighted to show their work! Although we show their work year-round at the gallery, seeing it in exhibit and meeting the artists is an experience not to miss!

Boyd Carson Vessel

Joyce Watts Coolidge

Boyd Carson Vessel

John Andrew

Curious about encaustic art?

Come to our opening to find out more about encaustic. What it is. How to care for it, how these three artists have explored the wax medium in their unique ways.

Darla Myers of Bozeman Montana, returns to Wood & Wax with a series of sumptuous yet whimsical forest paintings. Myers’ emotive abstracts are distillations of nature’s colors, light and shadows. She spends many hours outdoors, hiking, sketching, camping and walking her dogs. When you see her encaustic images of forest trails, filtered light and seasonal color, you’ll be reminded of some of your favorite Montana places.

Joyce Watts Coolidge, a former fiber artist from Anchorage, Alaska, joins us for a second year with contemporary encaustic and sculptural mixed media pieces. Coolidge uses hundreds of layers of fused wax and pigment with horsehair, handmade paper and wood to evoke stories any of us might imagine. Joyce will be at the opening all the way from Alaska. Please give her a hearty Helena welcome!

Erika James’ dramatic encaustic landscapes are inspired by the fog, rain, gorges, coasts and crusty mountains of her native Oregon. She seems to have an emotional, even profound connection to gigantic earth forms that dwarf humans, yet the wax and pigment medium she uses give an intimate experience when viewed up close in person. Don’t miss seeing Erika’s work in Helena! We are betting you will love it.

Curious about woodworking and wood carving? 

Woodworkers have a saying that they “make sawdust.” Well, I think our woodworkers make “elegance.” Consider the wood objects you live with: wouldn’t your life be more lovely if some of those useful objects were elegantly made by an artist? If your answer is yes, don’t miss this exhibit! 

John Andrew, a long-time Helena resident who has been turning gorgeous bowls from local trees for many years and there are hundreds of folks in our town who are proud to own one of his masterpieces. Many of John’s wood bowls are truly functional though they must be given care. Every bowl John turns is a work of art!

Tim J Carney, one of Helena’s masters of fine furniture design and woodworking is displaying a stunning Cherry and Ebony dining table with chairs; a live–edge walnut bistro table with stools; and other fabulous pieces of live edge exotic and local woods. Tim has the reputation of making the most comfortable chairs in Helena. Come try one – you’ll agree!

Boyd Carson’s sensual turned wood vessels drew me in from my very first sighting. Our newest gallery artist, Boyd is a retired furniture maker and building contractor now living in Bozeman. His sculptural vessels are remarkable art pieces — and each one has a fascinating story. Come hear his stories!

Dan McArdle, an incredibly talented artist, makes gorgeous relief carvings on wood and stains them with dyes. His inspiration comes from the many hours Dan spends outdoors, fishing, mountain biking and back country skiing. Our customers have loved Dan’s ravens, wolves, trout streams and prairie scenes since we began showing them three years ago. You have to see what Dan made this time!