FOREST STREAM PRAIRIE (Oct 7th and runs through Nov 14th) features new works by two Helena artists. Dan McArdle will show his latest sculptural relief wood carvings of stream bottoms with trout, prairie grasses and Big Leaf Maple leaves. Maureen Shaughnessy has been working on a new series of delicately detailed monoprints inspired by Montana grasslands and forests.
Please join us at 1+1=1 Gallery for another fabulous performance of original music — this time, Bozeman composer and performer extraordinaire Bob Nell performs his own jazz piano solos.
The MASTER is coming to town. Bob Nell transcends genre. He is one of the most gifted composer/performer’s to come from Montana. Music lovers of all stripes – this concert IS NOT TO BE MISSED! ~Bob Packwood
Where: 1+1=1 Gallery 434 N. Last Chance Gulch
When: Sunday, Sept 25 7:00 to 9pm
What: from 7 to 7:30, complimentary beverage & snacks served.
MUSIC STARTS and the house lights go down — promptly at 7:30.
How much? No ticket charge for the concert. Pay-what-you-can donation.
Sound Gallery concerts have no charge, but we gratefully accept donations large or small, so we can pay the musicians and tune the piano. We appreciate your generosity. Thank you!
Seating is very limited. We strongly recommend that you call, text or email us to reserve your seat(s). Call/text the gallery at 406.431.9931 or email [email protected] to reserve your seats.
… original, new, sometimes experimental music performances although occasionally we feature artists who mix pieces by other composers and musicians into their program. We have also featured poetry and spoken-word performances and hope to expand our offerings to performances of any kind that fit the mission of Sound Gallery. We appreciate all of you folks who continue to support live music and this venue for performing arts in an intimate setting such as our art gallery.
To start off our 2016/2017 season of Sunday afternoon art sessions, I am offering a 3-part series to explore the art of the self portrait with different media. We'll use a DSLR camera, Iphone camera and processing on both the Iphones and a laptop computer. We will also make dry-point-etching self portraits and make a series of monoprint etchings on a tabletop press.
You may remember high school or junior high art classes when you were assigned to draw your self portrait. How did you feel about the drawing you made? Mine never really looked like me, and at the time (way back in dinosaur days) that was the message we got from our art teacher - that our self portraits were supposed to be as accurate a likeness as we could make them. If I still had that selfie, I'd show you! BIG Sigh...
This series of Sunday afternoons is for anyone who wants to explore their own sense of self and how you might express the different aspects of *you.* Whether you are an artist, are just getting started making art, or are interested in letting your creativity blossom, I know you are going to love this self-portrait series.
Self portraits are a form of creative, artistic expression that dates back to the first mud-paintings on cave walls, and from classical painters and sculptors to contemporary artists. Most artists don’t create self portraits to sell. But it is an incredibly useful way to practice the arts of introspection, observance, self-knowledge and self-expression. For kids ages 9 to 13, introspection isn’t something they admit to doing regularly. I expected my students to be challenged, maybe uncomfortable, certainly pushed outside their comfort zones. They did some beautiful expressive work and I am sooo proud of them. Two students who could not attend today’s sesh will do this same project in one on ones with me later.
Watch for announcements and invitations to the 2nd Annual Young Voices exhibit opening November 8th where you will be able to see their artwork in person and meet the artists.
Today in our Kds Creativity Sesh we learned about self portraits and created two types of portraits.
First we watched a slideshow/collection of self portraits by artists both well known and unknown, including some by other students. Then we looked at some of the more unusual or creative self portraits and talked about why artists make self portraits and what they might be trying to express about themselves.
I gave my students an assignment to take lots of photos of themselves ( using a digital remote and an iPad on a stand) with the end result of 8 different emotional portraits. They chose their favorites to work with.
Next, the kids used either Photoshop or a mobile app to distill the color portraits to a black and white, posterized, sketch-ized or comic-ized image. We printed those on Bristol paper, glued them to very large sketch Bristol and they added paint and papers to create self portraits.
The students used some of the remaining expressive self-portrait photos to learn about enhancing the emotion of an image by the way one chooses to process the photo. Some of their photographic results are above.
Also, please check out some of their mixed-media self portraits below and let them know through comments, how you respond to their endeavors. Thank you!
Some of the photo-enhanced selfies:
We are excited to announce the publication of our first online art catalog for the current exhibit at 1+1=1 Gallery, “Elements: Water Earth Air Fire.” It was a monumental task for us! We are a very small business and it is our first attempt to get an exhibit into an online format so folks from near and far can “see” the art show in it’s entirety.
Of course, there is nothing like seeing the artwork in the context of the brick and mortar gallery, in person. Viewing art pieces online isn’t the same as being able to touch Tim Carney’s satiny smooth art furniture and John Andrew’s glossy turned wood bowls; walk around Peter Shaughnessy’s intricate wood sculptures, or see all the textures in Trudy Skari’s ceramics and Elizabeth Hughes Bass’ impasto oil paintings up close. Susan Mattson’s figurative vessels covered with hundreds of human faces are exquisite in real life. Choosing a favorite whiskey or coffee cup from Gregg Edelen’s wood-fired functional ceramics pieces is so much easier if you can pick them up and feel them …
Some folks just can’t make it in person. And … we have had hundreds of requests for a way to inquire online about our exhibits. This time we took the plunge and here it is. Below are two screenshots showing what the catalog looks like. Click on a piece to see it larger. Then, if you want to purchase a piece, click the “Inquire about Piece” button. An email form opens up. Let us know you are interested in purchasing and we will contact you via email with options to buy — and we’ll put your red dot on the piece in the gallery.
Above, screenshot of a page in our online catalog for the exhibit titled “Elements.”
Above, a screenshot of an individual piece page showing more views, and an “inquire” button. Thank you for trying out our online catalog. If you notice any issues, please let us know.
We are using Artwork Archive, an inventory software for artists, collectors and galleries, to keep track of our gallery collections. In the future, we hope to have our exhibit catalog complete online a week in advance of opening nights, and will send a link to all of our customers who have purchased work from us. That way customers are able to put a hold on a piece before the general public sees it. If you would like to receive a link to our pre-exhibit catalogs for future shows, please make sure to give us your email address when we process your purchases.
Our next exhibit at 1+1=1 Gallery is “Elements: Water Earth Air Fire,” featuring seven artists from Montana, and British Columbia. The work of these artists fits harmoniously into our theme of the natural elements of which all things are made. Each artist has been working on pieces for this show that embody one or more of the elements in some way. Some pieces have a elemental theme, others by the nature of the medium, represent an element such as clay/fire; wood/earth.
Tim Carney, a master woodworker and artist, creates one-of-a-kind furniture that reminds us of a swift river current, a leaf floating on a stream, ocean waves or steam rising from a caldera. His signature “urban organic”style looks great in an elegant lodge, a midcentury modern home or an urban loft.
John Andrew makes earth vessels from local hardwood trees that have been scarred by beetles, fungi and other natural forces. Peter Shaughnessy is inspired by his love of the environment and uses various woods, bone and glass in his philosophical biomorphic sculptures.
Elizabeth Hughes Bass‘ oil paintings in this body of work, depict luminous skies, approaching storms and the color of the air and land with luscious palette knife and brush strokes.
Gregg Edelen’s raku and wood-fired vessels are simple organic reminders to live with beauty everyday. With bodies covered in human faces and life-size heads, Susan Mattson’s birds, mammals and human figures are provocative and strangely compelling. Trudy Skari tells visual stories and makes ceramic poetry with her delightful animal sculptures and wall pieces.
Watch for updates here on our website or on our Facebook page. We’ll be posting sneak peeks of the artist’s work as we receive photos. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive an invitation to the opening reception.
Thank you to everyone who came out last night for our opening night of B&W+1. We were pleasantly surprised to have such a large crowd for the talks and throughout the evening. Really appreciate the support of our community –and for our artists! It was a wonderful evening.
Patty Ceglio and Maureen Cole gave interesting talks about their processes, backgrounds and inspiration. They were interviewed and filmed earlier on Friday, by Jeanie MacLean of HCTV and will be featured in one of Jeanie’s documentary-style programs on Studio Tour. I’ll make a blog post when I have times and dates for the broadcasts.
If you missed the opening, not to worry — the exhibit will be up until July 19th. We welcome you to browse and enjoy the art anytime we’re open. Monday through Saturday 10 to 6.
For “B&W+1” we invited four artists to contribute pieces created in black and white with just a pop of one (optional) color on some of the pieces. The result is a striking combination of styles, subject matter and diverse artistic vision. From April Coppini’s expressive realistic charcoal drawings of birds, insects and mammals … to Patty Ceglio’s Tree Series porcelain vessels filled with the blue of the sky … to Mary Beth Shaughnessy’s charming botanical paintings on wood and Maureen Cole’s delicate white porcelain pottery with intricate black designs, the entire exhibit hangs together beautifully. It’s definitely worth stopping by for a look.
Where: 1+1=1 Gallery 434 North Last Chance Gulch
When: Friday June 3, 5 to 8 pm
What: Door opens at 5pm (come early for best choice)
Artist talks from 5:30 to 6pm
Reception with wine, appetizers and dessert 6 to 8pm
What else? June 3rd is also First Friday — yep, we know. Come to hear the artist talks from 5:30 to 6:00, enjoy some delicious food, then stroll down the rest of Last Chance Gulch to see what else small downtown businesses have to offer! Most of us are open til 8:30 or 9pm.
With this exhibit, we welcome April Coppini and Maureen Cole to our roster of gallery artists, and are very excited to present their fabulous artwork to the Helena and Montana community.
Patty Ceglio has made an incredible new series of black and white plus cerulean blue ceramic vessels and sculptures enlivened with sgraffito trees and quotes from favorite naturalists, poets and writers. These pieces with sky-blue interiors are to fall-in-love-with; to give as gifts; to be inspired by!
Maureen Cole is new to our gallery, and has pushed herself beyond what she has done in the past to produce a gorgeous body of delicate porcelain pieces. Her patterns and compositions decorate the trays, small dishes, tumblers and vases in a range of sizes.
April Coppini is well known in the Pacific Northwest, especially her hometown of Portland, for her sensitive yet powerful charcoal drawings of animals and plants. Hummingbirds, insects, foxes, rabbits, deer, raptors and chickens come alive on her large pieces.
Mary Beth Shaughnessy usually works with brilliant color and lots of scribbly details in her paintings. For this exhibit, she limited her palette to just black and white and one other color. The results are simpler, almost-graphic paintings that recall mid-century modern wallpaper or Scandinavian textile patterns. She used garden plants as her subject matter in these whimsical pieces.
check out some pics from the night before the show opens:
OPENING NIGHT PHOTOS:
If you can’t make it to the opening, please stop in to see B&W+1 anytime from June 3 through August 8, during gallery hours. We are open Tuesday 10 to 6, and Saturday and Monday 10 to 5pm. The gallery is located at 434 North Last Chance Gulch in Helena, Montana. We have fabulous art by 18 artists in the gallery. “B&W+1” will be exhibited in the front gallery and works by all of our other represented artists are exhibited in the Back Gallery.
One of these days, we are going to have to have a solo exhibit for Gregg Edelen. He is the most prolific artist on our roster, and the best selling. His work spans many moods from whimsical to serious; from illustrative to contemplative. Gregg has been making pottery and taking community ceramics classes at the Archie Bray Foundation for 20+ years. He is also the main (volunteer) glaze-master for the Bray students and residents.
Gregg has recently truly found his “thing” with his most recent work, and for me it’s like opening Christmas gifts when he delivers boxes of new ceramics. Some of the latest work will be set aside to show in an exhibit later this summer titled, “Elements: WaterEarthWindFire.” But there are dozens of new small ceramic pieces perfect for Mother’s Day gifts, or any kind of gift. From $20 to $150, there is something of Gregg’s for anyone. Stop by the gallery and see what Gregg’s been up to. He just keeps getting better and better every day! Thank you, Gregg. We love having you here at 1+1=1.
Nancy Goughnour, sculptor and ceramic artist, recently completed a stunning sculpture depicting St. Francis of Assisi leaning over talking with (or listening to) a tiny bird. The sculpture stands about 12 inches high and 11 inches long. It is ceramic with a bronze patina.
