Three mediums, three local artists, one art show

Three local artists will weave oil, steel and silk into one art show at the Bigfork Art and History Museum starting this Friday.

Darrell and Lael Gray of Bigfork and Julie Wulf of Lakeside bring a combination of paint, sculpture and dye together for “Metal, Silk, Canvas and Beyond,” a two-month show that ends Sept. 29.

“We’re friends and we thought that the three different styles would be interesting,” Darrell said.

His portion of the show is a retrospective of his body of work, while both Lael and Wulf have worked on pieces specifically for the show over the last year.

Darrell is showing 18 pieces, the biggest of which is a six-and-a-half-foot tall motorized phoenix with hand-blown glass that lights up.

“He’s always pushing the envelope,” said museum director Marnie Forbis. “He learned to blow glass just because he wanted his sculpture to have a fire element.”

Glass, steel and wood are just some of the materials Darrell uses to forge his sculptures which are generally animals, mythological creatures or iconic images.

He brings a three dimensional aspect to the show, while his wife Lael brings an impressionistic view of the landscape onto a two dimensional canvas.

She is presenting 15 new oils at the show. They encompass the world from landscape to portraits.

Forbis said that when she first saw Lael’s work, it was fiber-sculpture. Over the years Lael has moved to the canvas and Forbis said Lael’s work with oils is so accomplished, she considers her a painter rather than a sculptor.

“Painting gives me the opportunity to express and share on canvas what inspires me in my life,” Lael says in her artist statement.

Lael and Wulf are painting buddies and because of that Forbis said their work is often complimentary.

But Wulf prefers silk and dye to oil and canvas.

“I just like the way the colors flow on the silk and there are always surprises. It’s a challenge to create representational art on silk,” Wulf said. “The dye kind of does what it wants, you kind of have to go with the flow.”

She brings a summer worth of green, colorful inspiration to the art show, as she completed the main pieces that will be showcased over the last few months. Wulf said getting work done this summer has been hard, since she because a partner at the newest gallery in Lakeside, ARTrageous.

All three artists show and sell their work at the Lakeside gallery. Wulf said she’s excited to show her work alongside the work of the Grays.

“I enjoy their energy and they’re both very creative and dedicated artists,” Wulf said. “I’ve been trying to do some fresh new stuff and I think we compliment each other.”

It’s a collective body of work that is constantly changing, according to Forbis. She said each of the three artists is always trying to explore the way they create and that’s part of what makes them unique and interesting.

“All three have expanded the scope of their art since I met them,” Forbis said. “Whenever I see a new piece that they’re working on, it’s always a little different.”

The opening reception runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The museum of art and history is open Tues. through Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun. from noon to 5 p.m.

To find out more about upcoming shows visit www.bigforkmuseum.org.