Art exhibit brightens CFVH hall

Patients and staff members of Clark Fork Valley Hospital now have some new scenery in the building's main hallway with a new exhibit.

It took Joy Nelson and Ilene Paulsen of the Paradise Center only one and a half hours to hang the 29 pieces of the newest Art on the Wall artistry last Thursday morning. Nineteen of the pieces are photographs, said Nelson, who headed the Sanders County Arts Council before it recently merged with the Paradise Center. The rest are oil, watercolor, high flo, and acrylic on deli paper. The sizes range from a 10x12-inch watercolor called "Creek in Montana" by Barbara Mullins of Noxon to a 24x30-inch oil painting called "Self Initiation to Healing, Wakefulness and Love" by Mitchell Poor of Plains, her only piece in the show. Mullins has four watercolors and an oil painting in the show and with the highest price tag of $800.

"The quality of the work we receive keeps getting better and better," said Nelson. "It's really exciting to see the knowledge and skills of our artists and photographers keep growing over time," she added. All of the exhibitors have shown work in the past.

One of the veteran nature photographers is once again showing images, but with a unique presentation of his photos. Rod Stamm has five photos in the exhibit, all framed in wood from a barn from around 1908-1911. The Plains resident retrieved six pickup loads of the old wood from a barn that blew down on the property between Lonepine and Niarada during the windstorm in January. It took Stamm about an hour and a half to make each frame. With a variety of wood colors, he tried to match the colors in the photo with the color of the wood.

He put his image of a painted bunting he shot in Texas in a reddish/orange looking 20x26-inch frame, which came from the most weathered part of the barn. He went with gray wood for a 18x24-inch frame around a shot of a bighorn ram, which he put a $100 price tag on it.

Stamm has participated in the Art on the Walls program a handful of times, but doesn't do it for the money, he said. "Primarily I participate to help the hospital and arts council, but also to just hear the comments that I receive from patients in the hospital, staff and visitors," said Stamm, who's been a nature photographer for about 10 years. He also said that it feels good to share his photographs with others and he hopes they enjoy them.

"The photography in the show is beautiful," said Paulsen, who nabbed the People's Choice Award in the last show with her three-foot long watercolor of horses called "Teamwork." This was one of the few times Paulsen didn't have artwork in the exhibit. She's participating in an art show in Anaconda September 17-19. Paulsen was impressed with the black and white deer photos shot by Jamie Betts of Thompson Falls. She also liked the "beautiful wildlife, including birds with outstanding framing, the unique horizontal log in the water and the brilliant florals, plus the original paintings really make the show striking," she said.

Nelson said all but one of the exhibitors put a price on their work. The hospital gets a 10% cut from the sale and the Paradise Center gets 30%. Nelson was particularly taken with the photographs of Douglas Wilks, a Plains resident with images on canvas and metal, including a 15X30-inch photograph he titled "Reflections," which features an old tree trunk floating on a pond. Nelson is unsure if this was the lowest number of pieces in the Art on the Walls program, which started in 2007 with the Sanders County Arts Council and Clark Fork Valley Hospital co-sponsoring the show. The exhibit will remain until Dec. 15.

The January exhibit is usually set aside for students from the county's schools, but Nelson said that due to Covid she's not sure the program will continue. The program usually includes a reception with treats and a meeting of the artists, but because of COVID, the hospital is on a type of lockdown.

"Although we would love to invite community members in to view the art, the hospital is continuing to limit traffic in and out of the organization due to continued Covid precautions," said Tonya Revier, the Marketing and Community Relations coordinator at the hospital. "We appreciate our local artists who have contributed to the current exhibit. It is truly a great addition to the hospital for both our patients and employees who walk the halls," she said.

Nelson said she hopes to someday get back to having a reception. Except for the student show, they were usually small, but she said they provided a time for the artists to meet and visit with each other and for the public to meet the artists. In addition, those at the reception would have the opportunity to submit their votes for the People's Choice Award.

"It's so rewarding to be able to make this happen for our artists, the hospital staff, patients and their visitors and for the community at large," said Nelson.