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More than a dozen artists from Sanders and Mineral counties gathered in Paradise for three days last week to show their work and hopefully make some sales.

The return of the Artists in Paradise show was a success, said Plains resident Ilene Paulsen, who coordinated the show at the Paradise Center auditorium Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Paulsen was one of eight individual artists to have a booth at the event, showing acrylic and watercolor paintings, including a 2x4-foot painting of mules peering from a barn with a $3,900 price tag, a project that took her months to finish. It was Paulsen who in 2018, along with Rick Harter, painted two large murals on the outside wall of Garden, Gift & Floral in Plains.

"We had a good variety. I think there was something for everybody," said Paulsen. "There's functional art and eye candy art," added Paulsen, who especially likes the camaraderie between the artists. "The Paradise Center goes all out to make comfortable accommodations for the artists and the public."

This is the seventh year for the event, though it has not been done for the last two years due to the pandemic. The art ranged from a quarter of an inch earrings by Liz Smith of Trout Creek to 30x40-inch oil paintings of Karen Thorson of Plains. The participants included members of the Plains Wood Carving Club, most of which were there to show the club colors and recruit new members, said club president Tom Collins. Club members worked on their carvings during the show and displayed several of their pieces, including some that were winners at an annual carver show in Missoula. Twelve-year-old Shay Nelson of Plains, one of the newest members, worked on a tree carving. Darrell Sorenson was the only member to put any of his carvings up for sale. The club meets 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the VFW in Plains.

The show included various paint mediums, art fashioned in jewelry, photographs, pottery, glass, metal and decorative wooden bowls and vases by Brad Stacey of Plains. Stacey also had two custom coffee tables, one of box elder and the other of river birch. He has participated in the show as a member of the carving club and with his own booth to highlight his wood turning products.

The event had two first-time showers - Kristen Cole of Plains and Sue Hummel of Superior. "I don't talk art with a lot of people, so it was nice to talk shop with the other artists," said Cole, a Plains School art teacher for the last 26 years. Cole had more than 30 watercolor paintings and numerous ceramic pieces. She also sold Pysanky Ukraine egg art painted on goose eggs in vibrant colors of landscapes, crosses, flowers and patterns.

Hummel, a professional artist of 45 years, had samples of her work in oil, ink, pencil and egg tempera, a medium in which the artist mixes egg yolk and watercolor for the paint. Hummel said she loves the results of egg tempera and worked on a fox egg tempera painting during the show. She said that the process is comprised of several layers of paint. She likes to use photos, most of which she shoots herself, as a reference. For her fox painting, she used a game trail camera photo from a friend. "I love the colors of tempera paint. You have layers and layers of color. It takes awhile, but it's worth it," said Hummel, who especially likes making paintings of bison.

This is the fifth year for Smith, who had a tent-like booth filled with jewelry, rain chains and wind chimes of bears, butterflies and bunnies. Smith started out with rock planters and rock chimes. This year, the Trout Creek resident had over 50 copper chimes, which she prefers because of how they change colors so easily when heated. She had numerous functional type art in her jewelry products. People will often justify their purchase, even if it's expensive, when it's useful art, according to Smith, who started out with rock art, but eventually switched to copper for much of her pieces. Sales were good for Smith, but she likes talking with people about her art even if they don't buy anything.

"I do a lot of big shows and you don't have the community feeling that the Paradise show has," said Smith, who sells more items on her website, but likes the human interaction of doing a show. "It's also an ego thing because on the Internet you don't have people coming up to you and saying, 'I love this' or 'I love that,'" said Smith.

Paulsen believes the Artists in Paradise show is a great venue for local artist. Paulsen does three or four shows a year and is now preparing for the Anaconda Wildlife Art show

Plains resident Ellen Childress and her Whistle Creek Pottery participated with over 100 pieces of art in the form of cups, bowls, vases, plates and "yarn bowls," a bowl that helps keep yarn clean and untangled as a person works on a project. Childress was one of the few vendors with functioning art. She also participates in several art shows in Montana.

Thorson displayed her work from Art Studio 376. Her three 40-inch-tall scenic oil paintings in custom made frames were the largest, but she had a variety of watercolor paintings and fused glass pieces, some functional and some just to admire the texture and pretty colors. Thorson serves as the Paradise Center secretary and was one of the people who came up with the idea for the art show in 2014.

She showed for the first time a multi-layered fused glass weave with over 200 individual pieces melded together with heat. "They're fun to do, but they just take a lot of time. You have to have patience," said Thorson, one of the grant writers for the numerous projects at the center. She didn't put a price tag on the piece - though she did have offers - but wanted it there more for a conversation piece. "People asked questions about it and they wanted to touch it because it has texture," said Thorson, who felt the three-day show was a success.

"The artists put their hearts into this and when the public comes in and gives them nice compliments, that really encourages them," said Paulsen, whose first show was in 2005 in Homer, Alaska. She co-founded the Valley Fine Arts Association in Palmer, Alaska, and is a board member of the Montana Watercolor Society. She has won numerous awards for her artwork. "I feel like they all really enjoyed themselves. We really appreciate all the volunteers and the folks who took the time to stop in a visit with us."

Ed Moreth

DETAILS – Plains Carving Club member Shay Nelson works on a new project during the Artists in Paradise show at the Paradise Center.

Organizers also held a scavenger hunt for visitors, who searched for nine items – one in each booth – and if they found all the items, their name was put in for a drawing for $50 and a pencil drawing of the late Duke Nielsen. Monte Turner of Superior was the winner. He donated the cash prize back to the center.

There was no admittance charge and no one kept track of the number of people, but there were visitors from Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, including several that attended the Quinn's Hot Springs Resort annual baroque musical festival. Thorson estimated that about 250 visitors stopped in to see the show. They also had the opportunity to tour the center. Organizers felt it was a successful event, but still want to look at ways to improve on it. Paulsen said she'd like to get a few more artists and there was talk about extending it a day or two next year.