Artists show off creations at fairgrounds

For the second year the local artists who form the Antler Creek group held their show at the Sanders County Fairgrounds in Plains. Twelve vendors set up for a one-day event to sell their artwork.

"There are a few outsiders," founder Ellen Childress said. Other artists have been invited over the years so that there are enough for a show, she added. Now, she consults with other artists before inviting someone new into the fold. Liz Smith from Trout Creek who has been with the group for years, and Karen Thorson from Plains are her helpers with that decision, Childress said. Both women have their own genres and styles to add to the mix. Smith does most of her work with copper and rocks. She makes downspout chains, jewelry and wind catchers with cow bells. Thorson makes glass art and paintings in acrylic and watercolor. She has not been as involved in recent years, but has participated in the Paradise Center Art Show recently, according to Childress.

Originally, when she began the group over 20 years ago, there was a set of local artists. "Most of those original artists that participated have moved away," Childress said. Over the years the shows have moved from Ellen's living room to other living rooms, and places such as the VFW in Plains, and the strip mall near the Circle restaurant, in Plains. After COVID, Childress decided to try the fairgrounds location.

Janella Crawford from Libby has fiber art pieces. She uses wool to create wall hangings that range from country scenes to abstract creations. Some are faces with long beards. Some are dolls or owls to hang on the Christmas tree. "I've been working in fiber for about five years," Crawford said. This was her second showing in Plains. Some of this year's vendors were from St. Regis and the Sunflower Gallery in Thompson Falls.

Local artists included Raquel Gonzalaz, who passed away in 2022. Her son Andy from Plains brought in several of her pieces to sell. "I have many more at home. They are all original paintings. Mom did not want to make prints of her paintings," he said, adding that several paintings are in the Clark Fork Valley Hospital for sale. There were paintings on saw blades that were collected from the bank of the river near the old mill in Plains. "We went down by the bank and found band saws buried in the mud," Gonzalez said. His mom cut them into pieces and painted scenes and wildlife on them. This is the first year of her art showing with Antler Creek.

Kathy Logan, a Plains artist, recently began painting watercolors. "I taught myself how to paint from an internet class," Logan said. Saturday was her first show. She had a friend sharing her booth. First-timer Dawn Watson displayed her "Gothic Gardens" pieces that she makes out of things found in nature, mainly animal bones, mosses and feathers.

Other local artists included Brad Stacy from Plains. Brad's woodworking pieces have been around the county at shows in Paradise and Trout Creek's Huckleberry Festival. Stacy had a basket full of rolling pins that he says are big sellers. A new item at this show were the planters. Wife Diana came up with the idea of drilling a hole in the bottom of the wooden cylindrical vases and bowls, putting coconut fiber in the bottom and filling with soil and plants. The wood used has been coated in an epoxy glaze that can handle the moisture.

Ilene Paulsen, also from Plains, paints with acrylics and prints her paintings on canvas. Her eclectic genre includes animals, still lifes, and portraits. "I can paint to order," Paulsen said.

Photographs printed on metal, and calendars, are Ed Moreth's passion. Originally trained as a photojournalist for the Coast Guard, Moreth developed his style and now captures wildlife and nature with a lens to further share his passion.

"We are a mixed group of artists that changes every year, but the name originated when we wanted to call it something that didn't associate us with a certain area. There were lots of Swamp Creeks, Mill Creeks, and Rock Creeks, but no Antler Creeks," Childress said. She makes pottery and has taught pottery classes at the Paradise Center. Her Whistle Creek pottery has been seen all over Sanders County and in Libby, among other places. She takes orders from gift shops around the region. Her signature pieces include coffee mugs with huckleberries on them. Childress's repertoire includes bowls for many uses, plates, and urns.