Saturday, November 13, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., a reception will be held at Foster’s Crossing, 504 Oak in Sandpoint, celebrating the art produced during the 2010 Scotchman Peaks Plein Air Paintout. The numerous paintings made during the September 24-26 event were recently moved from the Outskirts Gallery in Hope and are now hanging in Café Bodega in Foster’s Crossing.
Foster’s Crossing owner David Luhrs will provide hors d’oeuvres for the reception and Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness will bring the wine. “We’re excited to host this great show,” Luhrs said. “It’s good for the artists and the art community in Sandpoint, and good for our tenants, also.” Foster’s Crossing houses a collective of antique and craft dealers, as well as Café Bodega.
Central to the show at Foster’s Crossing will be the best of show paintings from both 2009 (Jared Shear’s “Bull River Valley”) and 2010 (Robert Bissett’s “Sam Owen”). Both paintings were purchased from the artists by Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness and will be soon be offered for sale by FSPW via auction. FSPW and Luhrs
This will be a chance, also, to view the trailers for two upcoming films made in and around the proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, one specifically about the efforts of FSPW to achieve wilderness designation for the Peaks and the other about the annual FSPW Extreme Plein Air, which took place July 9-13 this year.
Both Plein Airs are multipurpose events designed to highlight the work of local artists and galleries as well as the beauty of the Scotchmans. Sales of art are split three ways wit the major portion going to the artist and 25 percent going to each the gallery and the FSPW. “That makes it a triple win,” says Sandy Compton, FSPW program coordinator. “On top of that, both the Extreme Plein Air and the more traditional fall event are lots of fun for everyone involved, from artists to FSPW volunteers to art lovers who come to see the results.”
The Paintout, in its third year, has been steadily gaining exposure on the regional art scene. This year, 17 artists produced 66 paintings during the three day event, and over 200 hundred people visited the Outskirts to view the art during the event, including nearly 150 on the final day, when all paintings were displayed and judging was held.
Outskirts Gallery owner Kally Thurman, has been instrumental in all of the Plein Air events, offering her gallery as headquarters for 2010, as well as setting up other shows for the plein air paintings, including the one currently at Foster’s Crossing. In the works are also shows at Laughing Dog Brewery and Evan’s Brothers Coffee.
