ARTS + CULTURE MAGAZINE
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YVETTE GAGNON JAN | FEB 2021 - ISSUE 31 www.artchowder.com January | February 2021
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os i d u t s ps s k e h t m fro
A program that brings home from around the Northwest and Western Canada some of the most talented musical artists and performers. From local emerging talent to our own well known performers — music, song-writing, poetry and spoken word — we’re excited to bring all this amazing talent into the comfort of your home.
Join us every Monday at 7.30pm on KSPS scan & start stream i ng at
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
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CONTENTS: 04
from the publisher
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not out of the woods with artist lr montgomergy
By Dean Cameron
By M.J. Hudon
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picking up the pieces with multi-media artist yvette gagnon
By Sue Eller
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art galleries
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an interview with author ian pisarcik
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By Karen Mobley
the gnarly saga of the world’s
most expensive painting: a cadenza By Melville Holmes and Kathryn Brogdon
January | February 2021
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From the Publisher Dean Cameron
We want to help: These times are hard on almost everyone right now. I know very few who are not affected in some manner by shutdowns, job loss, anxiety and more. So, what do we do? We band together and help each other! If you know an artist, buy artwork for your honey for Valentines Day instead of chocolate. If needed, ask the artist if they will take payments. If you can afford it, order takeout from a local restaurant. Shop in local stores, to make sure we support those who have taken the risks to start their own business, thereby adding to our quality of life in the Pacific Northwest. We have a beautiful community filled with beautiful people and amazing talents. Art Chowder is using all the resources at our disposal to help keep the artists of our community in full view with radio and retail promotion, as well as our new partnership with KSPS TV. We have to grasp the things in life that we treasure with both hands and not let go. We will all come through this time — changed maybe, starting over maybe, or even possibly stronger. I love our Pacific Northwest region. I have seen many times the true nature of the people who live here and I could not be prouder. “When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” – Peter Marshall Dean Cameron
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CONTENTS: 36
in praise of taste
By Eric Cook
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14 BUCKET LIST ACTIVITIES AROUND SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
By Spokane Eats Team
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regional report News and Updates From Regional Art Associations
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WHY WE SHOULD SUPPORT THE ARTS NOW MORE THAN EVER
By Ali Shute
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TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK: THE FAMILY BUSINESS THAT IS ART VANCOUVER
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1312 N. Monroe St. Suite #246 Spokane,Washington 99201 509-995-9958 ISSUE No. 31
www.artch o w d er. co m
By Nathan Durec
art chowder marketplace
Publisher Dean Cameron dean@artchowder.com
Advertising & Sales Ginny Brennan ginny@artchowder.com
Creative Director & Editorial Designer Rebecca Lloyd rebecca@artchowder.com
Photography Credit Creative Life Spokane Shane Young
Editor & Proofreader Ann Contois ann.contois@gmail.com
Contributing Writers: Dean Cameron Karen Mobley Melville Holmes Sue Eller
Contributing Writers: Kathryn Brogdon M.J. Hudon Eric Cook Spokane Eats Team Ali Shute Nathan Durec
Cover Artist: Yvette Gagnon
January | February 2021
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JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2021 ISSUE NO. 31
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MEET THE ART CHOWDER TEAM Dean Cameron - I like to tell people I am a “Serial Entrepreneur in need of a 12 step Program.” I have a passion for business as long as it helps people grow and produces a positive result for the clients. My deep admiration of the artists and the often therapeutic benefit I get from their talents inspires me to work with this amazing team and build our arts community into a world class destination.
Rebecca Lloyd, is the founder of Art Chowder and currently holds the Creative Director position for the publication. She is passionate about sharing the talents of artists and creating opportunities for art enthusiasts to connect with art within our communities. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, traveling and painting — primarily working with acrylic on canvas.
Denny Carman was born and raised in Spokane, Washington, where he had a long career as a Journeyman Plumber. His career ended because of injuries, so Denny turned heavily to his painting. He has shown his art at many venues and sold around the country. Denny is the past President of River Ridge Association of Fine Arts; Co-Founder of Charts, Child Humanitarian Arts; Resource Manager of Art Chowder Magazine and current member of the Spokane Arts Commission. Denny is involved with many art fundraisers and he truly loves what he does.
Ann Contois is Editor/Proofreader for Art Chowder; she is a stained glass artist, writer, web designer and arts marketing consultant. With a curious spirit and myriad interests, she has traveled widely, visiting European castles and Asian temples ... always feeding her artistic vision. She earned a BA in Fine Arts/English from University of California, Berkeley and is co-owner of Contois Reynolds Art Glass Studio, creating fine art glass for gallery, residential, and liturgical markets.
M.J. Hudon is a Pacific Northwest native, art lover/blogger, and writer. A member of Spokane Authors and Self-Publishers, the Tin Pencil and St. Francis writers groups, she specializes in urban fantasy and personal interviews.
Ginny Brennan - Life and career allowed good fortune of living in the West, Midwest and Southeast all the while painting and exploring art as well as studying the works of favorite artists — Winslow-Homer, Charles Reid and Richard Taylor. Ginny has been associated with co-ops, galleries and art associations across the country. Returning to Spokane in 2013, Ginny is actively involved in the arts community, with her own art and Art Chowder magazine.
Karen Mobley is a visual artist, poet and arts consultant. Her poems have been published in WA129, Spokane Writes, and Lilac City Fairytales. She was a artist in residence at Laboratory (2018). She serves as a Program Contractor for Spokane Arts. She served as Arts Director for the City of Spokane from 1997-2012. She holds an MFA from the University of Oklahoma and a BFA with Honor from the University of Wyoming. For more information: karen@karenmobley.com 509 499 0784
Melville Holmes is a traditional artist and published scholar versed in historic techniques and the chemistry and technology of painting materials. His subjects include still lifes, figure paintings, landscapes, and architectural pieces. He is best known for his major role in Davenport Hotel renovation and the new Davenport Tower. Other work has included the Post Street Alehouse, the Great Western Building, Riverview Corporate Center, the Patsy Clark Mansion, and private painting restorations.
Eric Cook is a Certified Specialist of Wine who loves wine, sharing it with others and exploring the regions in which it grows. This fascination earned him the title of Sommelier in 1991. Since then, he has taught classes for local wine retailers and community colleges, opened historic hotels, and traveled to Europe’s most renowned wine regions having bought and sold millions of dollars in wine. This happy responsibility finds its next expression in writing about wine to make it more delicious for readers at CorkJockey.com and Art Chowder.
Chandler Baird - When I moved to Spokane in 2014, I had two questions: “What is there do in Spokane, Washington?” and “Where can I buy a raincoat?” Three years later, I can say I have found a raincoat and I have fallen in love with this city I call home. I am an almost six-foot-tall Texan girl who found myself in the Pacific Northwest. I discovered my passion for food and travel in college when I studied abroad in Europe and Asia. This allowed me to master the art of multimedia storytelling. Now, living in Spokane, my curiosity allows me to continue to seek out the food, communities, and businesses that make this city unique.
Photo Credit: Creative Life Spokane
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join us!
Our non-profit teaching studio shares knowledge of the ceramic arts with quarterly classes and two annual fundraisers
TEACHING SPOKANE SINCE 1998
SpokanePottersGuild.org 509.532.8225
January | February 2021
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Not out Of the
woods
An Interview with LR Montgomery
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
By Sue Eller
January | February 2021
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LR Montgomery is no stranger to the woods. Nor does he want to be. Montgomery grew up near Potlatch, Idaho, and spent happy hours of his childhood hunting and fishing with his dad and his uncle. He still enjoys being outdoors and has a love of nature that shows through in his paintings. The Dishman Hills is one of his major passions. He has been painting there for 30 years and has donated some of his art to auctions to spark interest in the area. He would love to try to get people to join and be members of the Dishman Hills Conservancy. “I see so much beauty there, and it is so easy to get into conversations with people who love it as much as I do.” Named Dishman Hills Conservancy’s artist-inresidence, Montgomery tells me he knows lots of artists who would like to have that residency.
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ut his love of the outdoors is not confined to the Dishman Hills. “There is a man who is always bribing me to paint his woodlot. Then there is the St. Joe River, which I also love to paint. To me, you get down on the riverbank and there it is. How can you go wrong with all that beauty right in front of you? I think I have sold every piece I have done on the St. Joe. It takes your breath away. There is a magnetism that draws people to it.” Looking at nature, again and again, he sees that each time is a little different. Every nuance depends on the day, the time, and the weather, and he wants to share each of those experiences with others. Montgomery paints mostly with oils. His love of the outdoors and the beauty he finds there are evident in his many paintings. “I do a lot of plein air painting, where I go outside and paint. There is only so much time in which to finish. I try to make observations and do as much with notes and color notes as I can. Later, I might make a big painting from a little one. “I try to do a painting in about four or five hours. We believe what we see, and we paint it and don’t question it. Then I let it sit for a few days. Sometimes I’ll throw a painting away, and my wife will rescue it out of the trash. I am my own worst critic. I have a little round mirror that I use to get a second opinion of what I do.” There are heroes in Montgomery’s own journey in art. He admires and is inspired by some of the masters like Renoir, Monet, and Van Gogh, and he holds Spokane artists in the highest esteem. “I think the artists in Spokane are the best artists in the world,” he says and praises each one for the willingness to share, to encourage other artists, and to help others succeed in any way they can. January | February 2021
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“We have so many talented people right here. It’s a great place for the arts. I have so much fun in what I do. There are so many projects and sites to paint and other things I like to be involved in that sometimes it feels like there are not enough hours in the day to get them done.” His wife, Carole, receives his praise for being the one who works behind the scenes to help him do what he does. They do shows all over the West, and she is the one who puts it all together. She is also his business manager, which frees him to do what he does best ― what he loves ― and that is to paint. Montgomery has a passion for conservation and preserving outdoor wonders for kids and adults to enjoy.
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“Kids need more time playing in piles of dirt and being outside.” He would like to see everyone working to preserve places like the Dishman Hills for kids of all ages to have adventures. Recently, he did a project with the Latah Creek area. He says he wants to see it preserved so people can go there and enjoy it.
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hare with other people. Whether you are an artist, a musician, or a writer, support from others makes the creative career possible. Gardening, farming, and being a craftsperson are the hardest jobs in the world.” Montgomery values hard work and persistence, and most importantly, the faith that you will realize the fruits of your labors. He listens to Mozart while he paints. The volume of the composer’s works impresses him because his prolific creativity motivates him and encourages exploring what he can do. Montgomery is also a fan of Ernest Hemmingway. After all, Hemmingway shared his life experiences in the stories he wrote, and all because he lived life to the fullest. “People commission me to paint their farms, and they become friends, and in a way part of my own family. And definitely become a part of my life. I enjoy meeting the people who collect my paintings. I love my collectors; they are so kind to me.” Circumstances of the COVID19 outbreak have changed the paradigm of how to market artwork. However, Montgomery and his wife have found ways to stay connected. For example, in previous years, he has done many art shows throughout the area, but this year was different because of the pandemic. They have a studio in their home and participated in an art tour that accommodated considerations for the virus this year. “Carole is the brains of where we can go and where the audience is,” he is quick to say and gives thanks to Denny Carman for organizing the event. You can find examples of LR Montgomery’s art and a wealth of further information about the longtime Spokane artist at: http://www. LRMontgomery.com. 14 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
W itness to artime W
The Painted Diary of Takuichi Fujii January 23 – May 16, 2021
northwestmuseum.org Witness to Wartime: Takuichi Fujii is curated by Barbara Johns, PhD, and the traveling exhibition is organized by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions, Pasadena, California.
Self-portrait, 1935
2020-2021 New online creative offerings available for ceramic artists all ages & stages. What could you create at GO Art? Relax & play with clay from the comfort of your own home.
Group clay parties Zoom studio time Gift Certificates
Curbside pickup of supplies & virtual guidance included. To learn more, visit:
goartstudio.com January | February 2021
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Picking up the Pieces By M.J. Hudon
with multi-media artist, yvette gagnon
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
January | February 2021
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A
ccording to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word “vivacious” means — attractively lively and animated; spirited or full of life — and I can think of no better word to describe multi-media artist, Yvette Gagnon. A French-Canadian firecracker, she is an energetic, fun-loving woman with a strong work ethic and frugality that lead her into using shattered glass to enhance her already beautiful paintings. Keep reading to learn more about Yvette and the beauty she creates from chaos.
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M.J.: Yvette, where are you currently located and how did you get there? Yvette: I am currently located in East Vancouver British Columbia, Canada and it’s not far from where I was born. I’ve lived in B.C. all my life and moved into Vancouver about four years ago with my partner. We live in a very cool neighborhood called The Drive. Vancouver is very like Spokane. It has all the lakes, trees, and beauty. We’re so lucky! M.J.: Yes we are. :) Did you go to school to learn art; are you self-taught, or a blend of both? Yvette: I am completely self-taught and being creative comes very intuitively. I grew up surrounded by family. There were six of us kids and our parents who were hard-working, passionate, frugal, and very creative. They (my parents) were all selftaught, if anything broke down or needed repair, they figured out a way to make it last longer, and they passed that ability down to us kids. M.J.: What got you started using glass as a medium? Yvette: I was picking up glass shelves for a client — I used to be an interior decorator — and my order wasn’t finished so I decided to walk around the building. I turned the corner and I couldn’t believe how much shattered glass there was on the ground and my first thought was “what can I do with this stuff?” All excited, I asked if I could take some and the owner laughed. He said, “It’s like sand on the beach, take as much as you want!” I still didn’t know what I was going to do with it but I ran to my car, got all my grocery bags, and filled them with different thicknesses of shattered glass. I went home, washed all the glass, put it in a closet, and very soon started dreaming about what to do with it. That was 30 years ago and since then I haven’t stopped creating with glass. It’s just so unique and it has endless possibilities.
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M.J.: Was it colored glass or clear? Yvette: I only work with clear glass. I don’t know why, but I do not want to work with any colored glass. I paint everything. If you visit my Instagram you’ll see that I paint the glass but I also leave a lot of my glass natural, especially with a black background. It’s wicked and totally gorgeous! I use the glass for texture to give depth and realism to my pieces. When I paint the glass, I glue it all into place. Then I start painting on top of the glass to give it more depth. M.J.: What kind of paint do you use? Yvette: I use acrylics, and ink, as well. Alcohol ink on glass is beautiful because it becomes transparent. So the color is there but you still see the glass. It is a really cool effect! M.J.: Sounds like you’re having a lot of fun. 20
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Yvette: *Chuckling* Yeah, I’m having a good time. It’s like having a sandbox with all the toys in it. M.J.: *Now I’m chuckling* that’s great! Yvette: Yeah, I have lots of toys. I love to have toys and what I mean by that is I have paints, and pencils, and inks, and glue... So I’m really, really a mixed media artist but my focus is to make sure that I put as much glass on the piece as possible.
M.J.: The dimensional quality of your art is dreamy and beautiful. What inspires your work? Yvette: I am inspired by all sorts of things. With my new series — French Cottages — I was going through some old pictures of my trip to the South of France. I couldn’t believe how many pictures I took of windows, doors, stairways, and flowers!
It was gorgeous and the pictures reminded me of what I experienced over there. I started to laugh because I realized they were all of the things I absolutely loved! I also love how I can create a 3D effect and tell a story visually. So, I thought, why not do them? That’s how the French Cottage series was conceived.
M.J.: What drew you to France, beyond the obvious? Yvette: Over the years, my ex and I took in students from all around the world. And my “host-daughter” from France invited me to go spend time with her. So I spent one month in France with her and we walked and walked and walked. We would go to garage sales every weekend in these old villages and I just went nuts taking those pictures. M.J.: Sounds lovely. Have you done a lot of traveling?
Yvette: I’ve done a fair amount of traveling. Again, because of being a host mom, I had kids from all over the world: South America, Germany, France, and the U.K. So I’ve had opportunities to go see them. It was kind of like payback time. Yeah, ya know, I would call them and say, “Okay, it’s payback time! I’m coming to spend a week or two weeks with you.” We made great memories because not only did I get to visit my kids again but I got to know their parents too. It was a lot of fun. M.J.: So when the pandemic is under control, is there any place you’d like to go? Yvette: Um, you know I’d like to go to Thailand. I’m drawn to the amazing art there and I’d love to go see what might inspire my next series. M.J.: So, when you are starting a new piece, do you plan it all out or create as you go? Yvette: My process is both organized and disorganized. I definitely envision my glass pieces before I start...Sometimes, for me, it can be inspired by a dream, a picture, or even just a canvas. Then I have a mini-plan. A starting point. I usually work on several pieces at a time because I get bored. So I work on three or four at a time and I am definitely keeping in mind that it has to work with shattered glass. I usually don’t sleep well for the first night because my brain is working out the details. The next day I start a rough sketch; then the work usually just takes over. I follow my impulses and all hell breaks loose. I go nuts! Some would describe it as a zone you cross into and I totally agree. I start with painting, then usually hours of gluing glass to the piece. It’s the process I love the most about glass art. It’s very meditative and the pieces of glass just fit right. When I emerge from my peaceful daze, I am a little out of myself. The final touch is usually adding more details and then VOILA! It’s finished. Thankfully, my partner, David, takes care of the business end of things. All the paperwork, finances, and stuff so I can do what I do. He’s great! January | February 2021
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M.J.: What was the most challenging piece you’ve done to date? Yvette: The most challenging piece for me was a triptych I made for my son as a gift. He gave me a set of three canvases and they had a painting on them already. They had texture too, so when he asked me to create something on them I decided to do a large tree and had to make sure that the texture didn’t interfere with my painting or ideas of the branches. The trunk was the most difficult but, as it turned out, the texture added to the effect and it turned out beautifully. Especially the glass leaves and tassels. In a certain light, it kind of has a sort of luminescence to it because I pearlized a lot of the surface top layers so there’s kind of this glow when you’re at a specific angle in the room. It’s very unique.
M.J.: 2020 has been challenging, to say the least. What do you do in your spare time, or do you have any? Yvette: I have created a lot of art in 2020 ...a hobby I really enjoy is cooking and reading. M.J.: What is your go-to comfort food? Yvette: I’m a bread-a-holic. I LOVE my bread. That is so French Canadian. My mother made bread all the time and there were so many meals with bread. I think my next favorite is popcorn. I love it even though my teeth don’t. *lol* I grew up with popcorn because it was a cheap snack for a family of eight. 22
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M.J.: What do you like to read? Yvette: Positive books, books that inspire, and anything unique and different where you can’t guess the ending. I don’t watch TV, read the paper, or listen to the news or radio. It’s an awful way to start a day. It’s like getting on a scale to check your weight every morning and it’s like an f-you if you’ve gained weight.*I’m laughing so hard right now in total understanding and Yvette laughs along* I avoid all of that, which is funny because I end up hearing about it eventually anyway. Instead, I just focus on what I need to do, what I love to do.
M.J.: So your art is somewhat therapeutic Yvette: Yes, it keeps me sane. Creating, for me, is like breathing. I need to express that true part of me, the part I love. M.J.: If you could meet any two people — living or dead, real or fictional — who would it be, and why? Yvette: It would be my parents and grandmother. I would love to tell them how much I appreciated the gifts they passed along to me especially my creativity, their hard work ethic, and their frugalness. Because of it I saw possibilities in the shattered glass sitting on the ground waiting for me to figure out what to do with it. My grandmother I would love to thank for her never throwing anything away and her endless art projects that she included me in. M.J.: If you weren’t an artist, what do you think you’d be doing instead? Yvette: I definitely think it would still be artistic because I can’t stand paperwork. I’ve always fantasized about being a window dresser...I love the idea that it has endless possibilities. They are only limited as to how they use the space plus they have a roof to suspend things from. It’s like a room full of creativity, plus you have a whole store full of stuff to choose from. M.J.: Where can all of us fans find your art? Please list any galleries, upcoming shows, or websites. Yvette: Find me on Facebook @ Yvette’s Glass Art or Instagram @ Yvettesglassart You can also see me in a YouTube video by Bonnie Kilroe at: https://youtu.be/p-p2npmN7tY and I have several pieces at Hollyburn Country Club. All events are canceled due to COVID. M.J.: To finish up, do you have any advice for artists just starting their careers? Yvette: Yes ...create every day. There are no mistakes. If you hate what you painted, paint over it. Have fun; give your art away as gifts, for raffles, or donations. And most of all, be thankful for your gift. January | February 2021
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SHOP LOCAL GALLERIES
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Angel Art Gallery Pat Kovatch 208-665-7232 423 Sherman Avenue Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 angelgallery.co gangegallery.co@gmail.com
Emerge Jeni Hegsted 208-828-3342 208 N. 4th Street Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 emergecda.com emergcda@gmail.com
Anzelini’s Frame & Art Gallery 314 W 4th Ave A Moses Lake, WA 98837
Entrée Gallery 208-443-2001 1755 Reeder Bay Rd Nordman, ID 83848 entreegallery.com info@entreegallery.com
Artisans At Damien Barn Julie Hartwig 509-229-3414 419 N. Park Way Uniontown, WA 99179 artisanbarn.org info@artisanbarn.org
Essential Art Gallery 203 S. Main Street Moscow, ID. 83843
Avenue West Gallery Artist Co-Operative 509-838-4999 907 West Boone Avenue Spokane, WA 99201 avenuewestgallery.org avenuewestgallery@gmail.com
Gallery One Monica Miller 509-925-2670 408 N. Pearl Street Ellensburg, WA 98926 gallery-one-org director@gallery-one.org
Blackwell Gallery Calie Wendlandt 208-699-2116 205 Sherman Avenue Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 blackwellgallerycda.com blackwellgallerycda@gmail.com
Coeur d’Alene Galleries Buddy Le 208-667-7732 213 E. Sherman Avenue Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 cdagalleries.com buddy@cdagalleries.com Drew Boy Creative Davin Diaz 509-619-4116 285 Williams Blvd Richland, WA 99352 drewboycreative.com davin.dbc@gmail.com
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The Art Spirit Gallery Blair Williams 208-765-6006 415 Sherman Avenue Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 theartspiritgallery.com info@theartspiritgallery.com
The Gallery Tedd 509-684-4571 Tri County Economic Office Colville, WA - Tri County Economic Office The Old Hotel Art Gallery 33 E Larch St, Othello WA 99344 The Prichard Art Gallery 208-885-3586 414 S. Main St. Moscow, ID 83843 uidaho.edu pagallery@uidaho.edu - University of Idaho Trackside Studio 509-462-5653 115 S. Adams St Spokane, WA 99201 Two Rivers Art Gallery 509-888-9504 102 N Columbia St Wenatchee, WA 98801 2riversgallery.com 2riversgallery@nwi.net Urban Art Co-Op 509-720-7624 3017 N. Monroe St Spokane, WA 99205
Spectrum Fine Art 509-747-5267 21 W. 34th Ave Spokane, WA 99203
Spokane Falls Comm. College 509-533-3710 3410 W. Fort George Wright Dr. Spokane, WA 99224 Thomas.ODay@sfcc.spokane.edu -Fine Arts Gallery, Bldg #3
Telander Gallery Todd Telander 509-540-0068 34 S. Colville St. Walla Walla, WA 99362 toddtelander.com toddtelander@gmail.com
The Liberty Art Gallery 203 N. Washington St Spokane, WA 99201
New Moon Art Gallery Michele Mokrey 509-413-9101 1326 E. Sprague Spokane, WA 99202
Spokane Gallery & Framing 509-747-0812 409 S Dishman Mica Rd Spokane Valley, WA 99206 spokane-gallery.myshopify.com MFAspokane@gmail.com
Steven A. Scroggins Fine Art 208.659.8332 P.O. Box 1164 Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 stevenascroggins.com -Fine Arts Gallery
The Jacklin Arts & Culture Center Darla Dryer 208-457-8950 405 N. William St. Post Falls, ID 83854 jacklincenter.org director@thejacklincenter.org
Museum of North Idaho Dorothy Dahlgren, Director 208-664-3448 115 Northwest Blvd Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 museumni.org dd@museumni.org
Sarah Spurgeon Gallery 509-963-2665 400 E. University Way-Randall Hall Ellensburg, WA 98926 cwu.edu/art/sarah-spurgeon art_dept@cwu.edu - Central WA University
Jundt Art Museum 509-313-6843 200 E. Desmet Ave. Spokane, WA 99202
Look for these galleries in this issue
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Saranac Art Projects 509-954-5458 2910 E. 57th Ave #5-282 Spokane, WA 99223 thesaranacartprojects.org
Jordan Schnitzer Museum 509-335-1910 Public Safety, WSU Pullman, WA 99163 bobjamisonart.com jamisonart@wavecable.com - of Art WSU
Kolva Sullivan Gallery 509-462-5653 115 S. Adams Street Spokane, WA 99201
Marmot Art Space Marshall Peterson 509-270-5804 1206 W. Summit Pkwy Spokane, WA 99201
Pottery Place Plus 509-327-6920 203 N. Washington St Spokane, WA 99201 potteryplaceplus.com
Jones Gallery James T. Jones 509-548-1077 220 9th St. Ste.A Levenworth, WA 98826 jamestjones.com
Kingfisher Gallery & Custom Framing 509-529-6963 11 S. Spokane Walla Walla, WA 99362 kingfisherwallawalla.com shanna@kingfisherwallawalla.com
Larson Gallery 509-574 4875 S.16th Ave & Nob Hill Blvd. Yakima, WA 98902 larsongallery.org gallery@yvcc.edu
NW Museum of Arts & Culture 509-456-3931 2316 W. 1st Ave. Spokane, WA 99201 northwestmuseum.org mailtothemack@northwestmuseum. org
Jan Cook Mack Gallery Jan Cook 509-662-8383 529 Easy Street Wenatchee, WA 98801 jancookmack.com jan@jancookmack.com
Cedar Glen Gallery Jerry Ferrara 208-304-5393 300 N. First Ave. Ste. #1 Sandpoint, ID 83864 ferrarawildlifephotography.com
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Moses Lake Museum & Art Center 401 S Balsam St Moses Lake, WA 98837
Jamison Art Studio Bob Jamison 360-271-7171 703 Front St Levenworth, WA 98826
Blodgett Gallery 726 Main Ave E Soap Lake, WA 98851
Chase Gallery Spokane Arts Program 509-615-6050 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd Spokane, WA 99201 spokanearts.org artshelper@spokanearts.org 509-321-9614
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Gallery at the Park 509-943-9815 89 Lee Blvd Richland, WA galleryatthepark.org info@galleryatthepark.org
Basalt Collective Fine Art Gallery 114 E 3rd Ave Moses Lake, WA 98837
Ciscos Gallery Sam Kennedy 208-769-7575 220 N. 4th Street Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 ciscosgallery.com info@ciscosgallery.com
Kress Gallery 509-456-3413 808 W Main Street Spokane, WA 99201 River Park Square - 3rd Level
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Wenaha Gallery 509-382-2124 219 East Main Street Dayton, WA 99328 wenaha.com art@wenaha.com William Grant Gallery 509484-3535 1188 W. Summit Pkwy Spokane, WA 99201
January | February 2021
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Ian Pisarcik An Interview with Karen Mobley
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By Karen Mobley
ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
Please tell me something about Before Familiar Woods. What would you like the reader to know about this book?
“REFLECTION” BY CONNER JACKSON
Before Familiar Woods takes place in a small town in Vermont and grapples with the heroin epidemic, toxic masculinity, individualism, and loss. The book has been described by reviewers as “dark,” “gritty,” and even “brutal,” and I suppose all of that is true. But for me, the book is unquestionably a hopeful book. I’m uninterested in writing about brutality for the sake of brutality. I’m interested in writing about brutality because I’m interested in how kindness and hope can exist in a brutal world — how much stronger these traits are among people who have suffered. I understand you have moved to Spokane from New England. How does geography inform your work? Are you exploring new territory in your writing as well as in community? Place always comes first. I agree wholeheartedly with what Annie Proulx said: “If you get the landscape right, the characters will step out of it.” We are all shaped by our landscape. I don’t think some people like to admit it because it makes them feel small and maybe even inconsequential. But there is beauty and peace in understanding our connection with the natural world. On a more personal note, being born and raised in New England has probably equipped me with a certain degree of skepticism, brevity, and stick-to-itiveness than I might not otherwise have. Of course, New England doesn’t have a monopoly on these traits. My wife, a professor at Gonzaga University, was born and raised in Spokane and she has stick-to-itiveness in spades. Would you describe your trajectory as a writer please? Has the development of this book, Before Familiar Woods, changed your focus? What are you working on now? I wrote short stories and poems before writing a novel and I’d like to return to those forms someday. However, I’m working on another novel at the moment. Superstition prevents me from saying too much about it, but while doing research for Before Familiar Woods, I learned that the suicide rate among farmers is nearly twice that of veterans. This statistic really stuck with me and ultimately served as a spark for the novel in progress. I don’t know that Before Familiar Woods has changed my focus as a writer, but I like the idea of pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. As a consequence, I’m playing with a new structure and some new themes in the current novel. John Irving once said to “write what you’re scared to write.” I think that’s good advice.
SPOKANE’S OFFICIAL COMING UP JANUARY 1, 2021 presented by downtown spokane
January | February 2021
FirstFriSpokane | FIRSTFRIDAYSPOKANE.ORG
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Who are your favorite publications, or events?
writers,
Kent Haruf has probably inspired me more than any other writer. I’m in awe of his ability to write powerfully about place and people with such economy. The National Book Foundation described his novel Plainsong as “ambitious, but never seeming so.” I think that’s the best thing that could be said about a book. When I need to be inspired to write strong sentences, I turn to Cormac McCarthy. When I need to be inspired to write pitch-perfect dialogue, I turn to Annie Proulx. When I need to be inspired to experiment with time, I turn to Alice Munro. When I need to be inspired to experiment with structure, I turn to William Faulkner. When I need to be humbled, I turn to Marilynne Robinson. And of course there are so many other writers that serve as constant sources of inspiration: Larry Brown, Eudora Welty, Brad Watson, Daniel Woodrell, Robin MacArthur, James Welch, Jesmyn Ward, Mark Spragg, Kim Zupan, Peter Geye, Denis Johnson, and everyone else I’m forgetting.
Do you have any new publications or recognition? Before Familiar Woods was recently released as an audiobook. I had the privilege of selecting the three narrators. They’ve narrated some terrific books, including Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers and Jean Craighead George’s My Side of the Mountain (a favorite as a kid). I felt so grateful that they took on Before Familiar Woods, and they did an absolutely brilliant job with it. 28
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What other interests do you have and does this inform your work? I’ve always been interested in the visual arts. In high school, I had a tendency to skip class and hang out in the art room with a kindhearted — and probably perpetually stoned — art teacher who motivated me to apply and get accepted to the Savannah College of Art and Design. The visual arts have informed my work in the sense that I think all art is interdisciplinary. My love of art has had a more direct impact on Before Familiar Woods as well. In elementary school, I took private art lessons from a couple who lived across the street from the school. The woman was a thoughtful and eccentric illustrator, and her husband was an equally thoughtful and eccentric potter who studied under the Master Sculptor Charles Reuchaud of Paris. They taught art but they also taught socio-emotional development, and they inspired the character of Ruth in Before Familiar Woods.
Do you have another form of employment or avocation, community involvement that shapes your life? I’m an attorney who, before moving to Spokane, worked with abused children. The work impacted my life (and probably my writing) considerably. I like to think that I’ve always been an empathetic person, but working with abused children served as a constant reminder that you never know what people are going through and this understanding should guide your interactions with people.
Ruth Fenn sat on the porch chair with her husband’s deer rifle laid across the caps of her knees and the steam from her black coffee rising up beside her and listened to the sound of studded snow tires splash the water from the bottoms of the ruts. She watched the Ford with the broken side mirror come up the gravel drive and stop a good twenty feet from the house. She watched Della Downing get out of the truck and put her boot on a spot of gravel where the snow had stuck. “You can stop right there,” Ruth said. Della closed the driver’s side door. “How are you doing, Ruth?” “Ain’t any of your damned business how I’m doing.” Della pulled the lapels of her jacket close together and took a step toward the house. Ruth tightened her grip on the rifle just enough to let Della see her do it. Della paused. “It’s not you I’m here to see.” “Should I assume you’ve gone senile and forgot who’s living in this house?” “It’s your husband I’m here to talk to.” Snow clouds covered the sky over the southernmost portion of the Green Mountain range. The birches that crowded the ten-acre property were tall and white and shedding their bark. A low morning fog clung to everything as though the trees had gotten themselves caught up in cobwebs. Ruth, fifty-two, her face rigid enough to unlock a keyhole, round rimless glasses and gray hair that rested on her shoulders, faced the cold and blinked against it. “What is it you want with Elam?” “Horace didn’t come home last night. It was Elam he said he was going out with.”
What do you want people to know about your writing or your life?
“Why would that be?”
I want people to understand and appreciate the importance of books in general. A couple of years ago a study designed and commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts concluded that active readers are markedly more civilly engaged than nonreaders in the same socio-economic class and are in fact four times more likely to perform charity work. Reading broadens our perspective by forcing us into the shoes of people whose lives are different from our own. So, I want people to know the importance of supporting their local authors, their local libraries, and their local bookstores (shoutout to The Wishing Tree and Aunties Bookstore). Finally, I want people to elect presidents who don’t brag about not reading books.
“I didn’t have a chance. He left a note.” Della took another step forward. She wore ten-inch muck boots and a wool coat. Her dark hair came straight down under her snow hat. Dark as night. Not a thing like Ruth’s, which had turned the color of wood ash. “Can I assume Elam didn’t come home neither? Can I assume that’s why there’s no truck in the drive and you’re sitting there with that gun in your lap?”
Ian’s work is available in local bookstores, Wishing Tree Books and Auntie’s. For more information about his work, https://www.ianpisarcik. com/.s
“I don’t know exactly.” “And you didn’t wonder to ask him?”
“Just ’cause I had it out for him don’t mean I won’t use it on you.” Somewhere in the distance a truck drove by on the road, and then there was silence. “Both our husbands are missing, then,” Della said. “Your husband’s missing. I got a pretty good idea about where to find mine.” “He ain’t at the Whistler.” Ruth took a sip of black coffee and set the mug down on the wooden side table. “Horace’s truck is still there. Parked in front of the bar. But Elam’s ain’t.” “Maybe Horace went home with someone, then.” Della shook her head. “That ain’t like him—that ain’t like Horace.” “I don’t know nothing about what Horace is like.” “You know him. He’s not somebody different than the man who grew up three houses down from here. The one that used to take your boy to Little League practice when you had to work late.” Ruth took the rifle from her lap and leaned it against the clapboard. “I’m not sure why you’re here.” “I came here to talk to Elam.” “He ain’t here.” “I understand that now.” “And yet you’re still in my drive.” “I figured you might have some thoughts on the two of them being together.” “It’s Horace who said they were together.” Flurries landed on the steps. The wind blew some onto the porch, and some clung to Ruth’s arms and legs. There had been no flurries the night Ruth’s boy and Della’s boy went missing. It was three summers ago. The middle of a hot July. Della had shown up in the same truck. She had driven right up to the house, though. Come up the porch steps and let herself inside like she had done a million times. Ruth met her in the hall and sat her down at the kitchen table and put her hand over Della’s hand and told her that it would be okay — even though it didn’t turn out that way.
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Stan Miller Salvator Mundi 2020 egg tempera and watercolor on panel 27.8” x 19.8” Collection of the artist
By Melville Holmes and Kathryn Brogdon
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I have been asked a number of times . . . why do this painting? . . . [W]ith a virus sickening our world this mystical, spiritual figure offering a blessing, holding an orb . . . our world? . . . in his hand, seemed most appropriate.
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— Stan Miller, artist Spokane, Washington
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hen the Salvator Mundi appeared in a landmark exhibition devoted to Leonardo da Vinci at the National Gallery, London in 2011, it was rolled out as an autograph da Vinci with an impressive list of scholarly luminaries in support of the attribution to the great master, taking the international art world by storm. In 2017, the picture sold at Christie’s, New York for 450,300,000 dollars, by far the highest price ever paid for any painting. But thence ensues a knotty tale of controversies and abiding peculiarities.
Not all Italian Renaissance and Leonardo specialists support the Leonardo attribution. Contrary opinions run along two lines: a) it’s mainly by one of Leonardo’s workshop assistants, Giovanni Boltraffio or Bernardino Luini, with some touches by the master, b) it’s not by Leonardo at all but by one or the other of the artists just mentioned. Objections revolve around a lack of solid contemporary documentation such as we have with da Vinci’s Battle of Anghiari or The Last Supper. The Salvator Mundi is undated, so art historians speculate concerning when and where it might have been painted or whether it was commissioned and by whom? While not at all unusual for a 500-year-old painting, sound provenance is spotty. There is a lot of “maybe this, but then maybe that.”1
The Salvator Mundi photographed in 1958, called “a free copy after Boltraffio,” with the clumsy overpainting before cleaning.
After touring the London National Gallery exhibition, one critic wryly remarked that it “. . . looks like nothing else in the show … All I can say is that if Leonardo did paint it, then I’ll bet a fiver he’s also the joker behind the Turin Shroud.” On the face of it, the picture didn’t quite look like, or reach the quality of, the Leonardos we’re accustomed to.
For another matter, the painting that sold for an astronomical sum had been severely damaged in the past. Its walnut panel was split and deformed, with many paint losses, followed up by clumsy overpainting. No wonder that another observer would cynically offer the attribution, “85 percent by Dianne Modestini and the rest by Luini.”
Esteemed art conservator Dianne Dwyer Modestini had undertaken the delicate final phase of the extensive restoration the Salvator Mundi required. Highly trained, skillful conservators who have worked intimately on old master works, especially when working in tandem with scientists, know paintings in ways few others can.
The Salvator Mundi after consolidation of the damaged panel and cleaning. Jagged golden brown passages reveal the naked wood panel that had been scraped down in a previous restoration to level it.
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odestini’s essay in the lavish booklet put out by Christie’s for the picture’s upcoming auction offers interesting observations that tend to support a Leonardo attribution, “. . . in comparison with paintings by Leonardo’s followers, studio assistants and even other autograph works, is the complex build-up of the paint layers. The flesh tones are perhaps the best example.” She also notes that, “. . . for the most part, the passages not affected are well preserved, retaining all of their glazes and scumbles. It is immediately apparent in a photograph of the painting in its cleaned state that, apart from the areas of loss, the subtle transitions created by Leonardo’s complex process survive intact. Many passages are perfectly preserved, notably the curls on the right, and the blessing hand.”2 Concerning the accuracy of photographic representations and ensuing commentary on the restoration, Modestini had this to say: “I have refrained from commenting on some of the recent articles about the restoration. However, in light of the fact that no one can now see the actual painting, various digital images are standing in for the original, all of which can be manipulated any way one wants and are a sort of falsification of the original. It is very difficult to photograph any painting accurately, this one especially, because of the many thin layers, subtlety of skin tones, delicacy of transitions etc. Most paintings have three dimensions, not two. That affects our perception of them. I hardly recognize the image that now passes for the ”Salvator Mundi.” The photo lamps or strobes (in the case of the Christie’s images) produce a simulacrum of the actual painting, more vivid, sharper, snazzier, if you will, than the actual battered image that I restored as carefully as I could, trying not to invent anything. These flashy images cannot include the nuances and problems created by the three dimensionality of the corrugated surface and are being compared with an only slightly more accurate scan of a good 8”×10” transparency of the cleaned state, which was more honest.”3 32
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Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), attrib. Salvator Mundi oil on panel 25.8” x 19.2” Location presently unknown The restored painting in the frame, as sold by Christie’s, New York in 2017.
Artist Stan Miller in his studio, 2020.
Stan Miller (b. 1949) Charles 2002 egg tempera on panel 24” x 36” Private collection This award-winning portrait exhibits Miller’s high level of competence as a portraitist.
If it seems a bizarre twist that the auction was not held at an Old Masters sale but at a “Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale,” that is nothing compared to what happened next. The painting vanished and nobody knows where it is. Or at least whoever does isn’t saying. According to a Reuters report,4 after the November 15, 2017 sale, the painting was purchased via a Saudi intermediary for the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism. It would be placed on public view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a collaboration between the Louvre, Paris and the United Arab Emirates. So here we are three years later and it has yet to see the light of day. The reason(s) why, and whether it is in the UAE or in a Swiss bank vault, remain a matter of rumor. Stepping back from marketplace intrigues, the debates seem more about the name of its artist than the painting’s intrinsic qualities and merits. It’s too good not to be a Leonardo. It’s not good enough to be a Leonardo. Some parts are good enough but there are not enough of them. But there’s real big money at stake here! Whew! Other versions of Salvator Mundi (“Savior of the World”) can be found among the old masters, including Titian, El Greco, and Albrecht Dürer, usually with the right hand of Christ held up in a conventional gesture of blessing and the left holding a symbolic orb.5 With its High Renaissance pyramidal, near-symmetrical composition, this one stands apart. Closeup of the hand of Christ, with the thumb adjusted from the awkward shape in the original. The cleaned painting revealed a pentimento, where the artist moved the position of the thumb. It would | February have been a violation of professional ethics for the conservator toJanuary alter or “improve” on the2021 original.
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he unwavering, direct and penetrating gaze (no matter where the viewer stands, the eyes follow), together with the benign, non-menacing yet enigmatic facial expression, both confident and serene, combine to serve an impression of the monumental and sublime. The artist’s choice of blue for both the mantle and tunic, at least in terms of Christian iconography, suggest an intention to convey that this is no mere earthly man, but a heavenly one.
At first I tried the Italian musical term coda for the addendum to the sometimes zany tale described above, to refer to beloved Spokane artist and teacher Stan Miller’s pictorial essay, his own version of the Salvator Mundi. A coda is, however, an end piece, a “tail.” A better term might be cadenza, which is found especially in piano concertos where the pianist improvises outside the written form.
During the first COVID-19 lockdown that began in March 2020, Miller, an award-winning watercolorist and tempera painter, began improvising his own version of the anomalous painting after pondering some things that did not strike him as quite right about the original. He would spend some 225 hours, give or take, on the project before completing it in mid-May. The intent was not to replicate the restored version of the Salvator Mundi, but to use the cleaned, naked version of it as a baseline to adjust certain elements he had found unworthy of a true da Vinci, if in fact, that’s what it was.
Modestini may have been bound by strict conservation ethics from re-creating her own idea of how the original painting ought to look, but Miller was not and he made a number of subtle alterations. Starting with the hand raised in a gesture of blessing, he found the thumb awkward (as I do; it’s too straight) and adjusted it. It seems a decided aesthetic improvement. He also enlarged the composition slightly to give the hands more “breathing room,” for he felt certain the old master would never have put them so close to the edge of the frame. (Or perhaps the panel had been cut down at some point to fit into an existing frame, which is not uncommon among old paintings.) 34
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Stan Miller, closeup of face
Unlike with the original painting, Miller used no black pigments for the dark parts, but a combination of modern and earth pigments instead. True ultramarine made from lapis lazuli had been the basis of the heavenly man’s blue garments, but Miller used Pthalo, cobalt, and cerulean blue pigment to make the color for his own re-creation. Whether the orb was intended to be a solid crystal ball, as some scholars contend, is also debatable, since the image behind it would appear inverted and bent. As was the case with some other old masters’ versions of the subject, Miller opted to render it as a hollow glass sphere. His deepening of shadow areas gives the figure a more overall sense of sculptural solidity. The orb here also carries an increased sense of sphericality and transparency.
The discontent of some observers with the da Vinci attribution may partially be explained in terms of the Italian Renaissance, especially Florentine, concept of Disegno.
The word is often translated “design” or “drawing,” but it carries a deeper, neo-Platonic dimension. The reality is the Idea in the mind of the artist; the Disegno is the embodiment of that Idea. The Idea behind the Abu Dhabi’s Salvator Mundi is a powerful one but more weakly realized and somewhat pallid, perhaps even washed-out, by comparison with da Vinci’s masterworks. For my part, Stan Miller made improvements to the manifestation of the guiding Idea, but readers can come to their own conclusions.
Next to the last step in the development of the Spokane Salvator Mundi.
Endnotes 1. The whole rigmarole can be found online. For example, Christie’s has a timeline here: https://www.christies.com/features/Salvator-Mundi-timeline-8644-3.aspx Much more detailed and provocative accounts of the ins and outs of the whole affair can be found at this link to a New York Magazine article from 2019 (vulture.com is part of the New York group): https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/salvator-mundi-leonardo-da-vinci.html And here: http://artwatch.org.uk/how-the-louvre-abu-dhabi-salvator-mundi-became-a-leonardo-from-nowhere/ 2. . The link can be found here. https://www.christies.com/zmags?ZmagsPublishID=7baedae9 It can be downloaded by clicking the Print icon just right of center at the top of the screen. 3. . https://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2018/11/leonardo-canards-conservator-dianne-modestini-debunks-doubts-over-the-elusive-salvator-mundi.html November 6, 2018 by CultureGrrl 4. 5.
. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-art-auction-da-vinci-abudhabi-idUSKBN1E22IN . For examples go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvator_Mundi_(Leonardo)#Gallery
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In Praise of
Taste e By Eric Cook
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aving “Taste” is much lauded, yet left to the long road of experience to develop. In the worlds of wine, and art, here are a few “road signs” to speed up the process. Chefs know that we eat with our eyes first. Once we understand that taste happens in our brain before our mouth, we begin to develop personal taste.
Taste makes a poor audience but a fantastic student. Well-asked engages more deeply than well-heard. Of wines that make a noise, tasty sparkling wine is made by the Argyle winery in Oregon. Their “NonVintage Brut” ($24. - argylewinery.com) defies the taste of Francophiles by creating a dry, flavorful, effervescent, fruit-driven white wine — to ramp it up, try Argyle’s “Extended Tirage” ($80.) Musicians know that we feel music before we know it. Taste is also more feeling than thought, more like melody than lyric. Like resonance or attraction, taste is not always collapsible to reason. In Latin, the saying goes: “De gustibus non est disputandum,” roughly — “There is no arguing with taste.” Tolerance for novelty is a part of taste. A high tolerance is wishy-washy; low tolerance is blind. The “Raconteur White Blend” from Washington State is made of two left-field varieties — Chenin Blanc and Grüner Veltliner ($21. - wtvintners.com) Despite their lack of fame, they make up for it with a spicy, dry and refreshing blend that surprises the palate with honeydew melon, peppery green apples and chamomile impressions. This is the paisley of white wine. Visual artists say that balance can be color or line, font or exposure. Winemakers talk about balance as the interaction of alcohol, acid, fruit, sweetness and tannin. On that note, preferring sweeter wine is a matter of taste — not of quality. Being able to describe a preferred balance of elements offers clues to finding more of anything that is to one’s personal taste. January | February 2021
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Taste is one way to read the world — and narrate your story. One wine that defies its expectations is the “Gewurztraminer” from Navarro out of Mendocino, California. ($25. - navarrowine. com) This dry wine seems richer and more “off-dry” just for its textural richness. Never mind the textbook lychee, yellow roses and bergamot impressions, those are all there — this wine is worth having a half dozen around so that the hearty bowls of Pho and buttery crab have a white wine go-to in the middle of winter. Taste is “visible” everywhere. Clothes, music, cologne and diet — these all express taste. From one›s closet, choosing clothes for “taste” rather than feeling makes an intentional way to dress. Try this with the music you play and the wine you drink. Taste empowers more taste. We learn taste the way we learned language — from our parents, friends, colleagues — then, with purposeful experience and literature to develop precision and breadth. J. Lohr Valdiguié “Wildflower” ($10. - jlohr. com) from California is ripe, straightforward, berry fruity, juicy and just lip-smacking light red wine for the price. I am not even sure one would have to like wine to enjoy this wine. It’s that appealing. Taste builds from attentive experience. Attentive experience comes from engaged participation. Engaged preparation arises from thoughtful preparation and reflection. Alcohol is no friend to memory. A journal accompanies taste in wine, whisky or beer. 38
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“Idilico Garnacha” ($23. - idilicowine.com) makes a medium-textured and mildly spicy red wine that enjoys a better than normal concentration of dark plum, white pepper and tobacco — all lifted by some barrel aging to offer the wine a complex vanilla, fennel, and caramel undertone. In food and wine, taste comes with that which we are willing to put in to our bodies.
It can be nutritious and well-made. Of our physical senses, taste is the most intimate. “Amavi Cabernet Sauvignon” from Walla Walla, Washington ($28. - amavicellars. com) offers a glimpse of this stylistic wine without breaking the bank. Classic cassis and roasted blackberry notes complete with a roasted vanilla and smoky impression that lend depth to this moderately tannic wine.
Built for beef and game roasts in the near-term, age the 2018 until 2025 and get a ripe Gorgonzola or Camembert to enjoy alongside. Emerson wrote, “Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.” Good winemakers add that beautiful wine is art.
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14 Bucket List Activities Around Spokane, Washington
By: Spokane Eats Team
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he Inland Northwest is a hot spot for bucket list activities. With downtown’s recent facelift, there are tons of ways to spend your day wandering around the city. Or, take a drive out of town and experience beautiful skiing, biking, and hiking trails at Schweitzer Mountain. Go north and find the beautiful sunflower fields and Green Bluff farms. Whatever way you are looking to spend your day, these activities are a MUST for exploring Spokane to the fullest. Make a mental note of these happenings and let us know which ones are your favorite!
Pick Fruit at Green Bluff | greenbluffgrowers.com Green Bluff’s promise of an old-fashioned farm experience brings thousands of visitors each year to the rolling hills of northeast Spokane. Over 30 farms within the relatively small area (about 12 square miles) grow hundreds of different crops varying by season. Take a trip to the Bluff and you’re are bound to have fun with the whole family!
Downtown at Riverfront Park | Instagram: @riverfrontspokane Taking a walk along the Centennial Trail around Riverfront Park is a bucket list activity in itself; the beautiful bridges and views of the river take you into the heart of the city. Grab lunch downtown and take a seat on one of the many public benches and enjoy the view. At sunset, ride the gondola with a beautiful view of the Upriver Dam. Ice skating at the Ribbon and walking below the lighted pavilion are a must and kid-friendly!
Bowl & Pitcher Hike at Riverside State Park | 4427 N Aubrey L. White Parkway, Spokane Has one of your friends ever taken an extremely gorgeous photo on a hike in the Spokane area? With a majestic backdrop of the river? They probably went to Riverside State Park’s Bowl & Pitcher in north Spokane. Most of the trails are easy and fun for all ages. The views are gorgeous, relaxing, and peaceful. The main loop trail can either start near the Spokane House of Riverside State Park, or near Bowl and Pitcher. A paved road is available for running and biking, but hiking trails also run along the side river. A Discovery Pass is required to park near the trailhead.
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Hiawatha Bike Trail |Instagram: @ridethehiawatha The Hiawatha Bike Trail is a brilliant 15-mile-long, mostly downhill, biking trail on the border of Idaho and Montana. Rent a bike and explore 15 miles of an old train track with ten train tunnels and seven sky-high bridges. The scenery is unparalleled; this is how it has gotten the reputation of being one of the most scenic stretches of railroad in the country! Tickets are sold online.
The Coeur d’Alene Resort | Instagram: @cdaresort The Coeur d’Alene Resort is a place to enjoy lakeside surroundings and a wealth of activities. Explore, stay, play, dine, and relax at their beautiful lakeside getaway. Make memories paddle boarding, walking the boardwalk, relaxing at the spa, and attending some of their awesome events like the 4th of July Parade.
Spokane Hoopfest | Instagram: @spokanehoopfest Spokane Hoopfest is the largest three-on-three outdoor basketball tournament on Earth — that means 6,000 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 225,000 fans, and 450 courts spanning 45 city blocks! Can you say bucket list? Beyond being the best basketball weekend on earth, Hoopfest is an outdoor festival with shopping, food, and interactive entertainment. Whether you’re a baller or just a fan, attending Hoopfest in July is a Spokane rite of passage. 42
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Explore Manito Park | 1702 S. Grand Boulevard, Spokane Manito Park is THE place to see in Spokane! A public park located in the beautiful South Hill neighborhood, Manito has five gardens, a conservatory, and a duck pond toured by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The 90-acre park includes spacious manicured lawns to sit and enjoy lunch, playgrounds, walking and biking paths, flowers, and multiple picturesque gardens. You simply must go.
Schweitzer Mountain | Instagram: @schweitzer_mountain Are you a skier? A hiker? A biker? Maybe just a walker? Whichever way you prefer to spend your time outside, you will find a beautiful way to enjoy the outdoors of Schweitzer Mountain in all seasons. Find fun on the mountain, activities in the village, or relax and spend the weekend at their beautiful mountain resort.
Cat Tales Wildlife | Instagram: @cattaleswildlife Tiger King anyone? Connect with nature and help make a better future for animals by visiting Spokane’s only big cat and wildlife sanctuary. The company’s goal is to educate people on the endangered species of the world, and share their love for the animals, hoping that future generations will do their best to see their survival. You really can’t get more bucket lists than seeing these wild cats in person.
Visit the Sunflower Fields | Facebook page: Deer Park Sunflower Fields The Deer Park Sunflower Fields are a seasonal activity, with full bloom occurring in early-mid August. Make sure you go during golden hour (right before sunset) to get that perfect picture. **Please be respectful when taking the photos and do not enter the fields. The flowers are private property and we want to keep them looking beautiful and intact! January | February 2021
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Arbor Crest Winery | @arborcrestwine The Inland Northwest’s premier family-run winery, wedding, and event facility is simply gorgeous. Perched 450 feet above Spokane, you’ll experience a visit full of lots of laughter, good wine, and great company. Make a reservation and enjoy your meal overlooking stunning views. You won’t regret it.
Kendall Yards, Veraci Pizza and Hello Sugar | Instagram @kendall_yards and @hellosugar Spokane’s premier urban neighborhood along the Spokane River gorge (Kendall Yards) features scenic views, diverse businesses, and follows the Centennial Trail. Make a stop at Veraci Pizza and finish off your trip at Hello Sugar for some delicious mini donuts and Indaba coffee. 44
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Farmer’s Markets | Spokane Eats Blog: Spokane Farmers Market Schedule 2020 Say yes to local, fresh products and community support! One of my favorite summer activities is visiting local farmers markets and browsing all the products vendors have for sale. Switch up your weekly routine and support local by doing your shopping at one of the many markets in our area.
Spokane Indians Baseball Game | 602 N. Havana Street Spokane While we cannot enjoy America’s favorite pastime right now, we can still enjoy ballpark food on the field at the Spokane Indian’s Avista Stadium. It’s a great way to spend the afternoon and let your kids work off all their energy running the bases. Fingers crossed that next year we will be able to enjoy a low-key baseball game with hotdogs, fun entertainment, and Cracker Jacks. The Indians are a minor league baseball team whose season goes from June to early September.
JORDAN SCHNITZER MUSEUM OF ART WSU
ON CAMPUS OR ONLINE
museum.wsu.edu @WSUArtMuseum FREE! SIX GALLERIES OF ART The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU is more than a place to view art, it increases cultural access for the Inland Northwest region, inviting visitors to experience the vitality of art for themselves. The museum houses six galleries exhibiting preeminent artists from around the globe, and is located on Wilson Road across from Martin Stadium on the WSU Pullman campus. During COVID, please check our website for open days and hours. January | February 2021
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Welcome
to an escape from the ordinary
See our video!
SpokaneGallery.Com.
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509-747-0812
REGIONAL REPORT News & Updates
From Regional Art Associations
Ali Shute COEUR D’ALENE ARTS & CULTURE ALLIANCE Why We Should Support The Arts Now More Than Ever
NATHAN DUREC ART VANCOUVER Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: The Family Business That is Art Vancouver
January | February 2021
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WHY WE SHOULD SUPPORT THE ARTS NOW
MORE THAN EVER
Photo credit: Shane Young
A Ali shute ARTS & CULTURE ALLIANCE COEUR D’ALENE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
www.artsandculturecda.org Photo Credits: Ali Shute, Andrea Jensen, Joel Riner
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s we all struggle to deal with this pandemic, I have been inspired by the impact of how creatively the arts have helped us cope by providing opportunities to smile, sing, dance, and give us those personal experiences that enable us to connect. The arts persist, and, in fact, are even more valuable in difficult times.
We need the arts to renew our spirits after months of isolation due to the collective trauma from the tumultuous year we have had with COVID-19, a divisive election, and the anxiety of witnessing racist acts of violence. Boosting our capacity for compassion makes us a stronger kind of humanity. Art experiences foster that compassion, and our ability to imagine different ways of being, enabling us to thrive and be fully human.
“The country is so wounded, bleeding, and hurt right now. The country needs to be healed—it’s not going to be healed from the top, politically. How are we going to heal? Art is the healing force.” ~ Robert Redford
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REGIONAL REPORT
Cd’A ARTS & CULTURE ALLIANCE
his means that those of us working in the arts and culture sectors are the primary caretakers of this very essential public value. And, as we continue on, we need to evolve to further celebrate and cultivate the creative power in everyone. Arts participation really does improve lives. The Americans for the Arts each year posts a list of the top reasons to support the arts. The following is based on much of their 2020 list: The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. The arts bring us joy, help us express our values, and build bridges between cultures. The arts also are a fundamental component of a healthy community—strengthening socially, educationally, and economically— benefits that persist even in difficult social and economic times.
The majority of Americans believe that the arts unify our communities regardless of age, race and ethnicity.
The arts are a positive experience that lifts our spirits, improving our everyday reality.
Photo credit: Shane Young
Students engaged in arts learning have higher GPAs and lower dropout rates, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Nationally, the nonprofit arts industry generates 166.3 billion dollars in economic activity annually. In Idaho, arts and culture supports thousands of jobs and generates millions of dollars in state and local government revenue. January | February 2021
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REGIONAL REPORT
Cd’A ARTS & CULTURE ALLIANCE Attendees at nonprofit arts events spend an average of 31.47 dollars per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission. The arts attract visitors and produce valuable commerce for local businesses.
Creativity is among the top five skills employers are seeking when hiring.
A higher concentration of the arts leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, and lower poverty rates.
The healing benefits through arts programming for patients leads to shorter hospital stays, better pain management and less medication.
And, the arts heal the mental, physical and moral injuries of war for our military servicemembers and veterans. “The arts empower. The arts give a voice to the voiceless. The arts help transform American communities and, as I often say, the result can be a better child, a better town, a better nation and certainly a better world. Let’s champion our arts action heroes, emulate them and make our communities everything we want them to be.” ~ Robert L. Lynch, President, Americans for the Arts
As we leave this challenging year behind us, let’s move forward to a better, more positive and hopeful 2021. Recognizing that the arts have a way of bringing people together, providing new experiences and inspiration, please consider for the performing artists, visual artists, authors, photographers, art galleries, musicians and even the culinary artists, offering your support today! 50
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“It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance... and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process.” ~ Henry James, Writer
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January | February 2021
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TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK: The Family Business That is Art Vancouver
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rt Vancouver has grown rapidly into the largest international art exhibition in Western Canada in just five short years. But its beginnings are rather humble, with a couple of young girls selling homemade candles on the street corner to their neighbours. Art Vancouver — and a lifelong career as an artist, curator, fashion designer and businesswoman — was not even a thought. However, the seeds had been sewn long ago and fostered in a home that encouraged creativity and following one’s impulses.
NATHAN DUREC — ART VANCOUVER —
“My sister and I, instead of selling lemonade, we sold candles at the corner,” founder Lisa Wolfin said. “We didn’t even think of selling lemonade.” But while Lisa is the director for Art Vancouver and the Vancouver Visual Arts Foundation that runs it, she was not the only person behind its conception and implementation. It took a family. Her family. From its inaugural year in 2015, Art Vancouver has steadily grown in both the number of artists and galleries exhibiting and the number of people attending. More than 100 individual artists and galleries from all over the world participate in the four-day show. Over 10,000 people, both local and abroad, flock to the city to catch some or all of the exhibition, its unique and innovative programming and for the chance to talk to the artists and purchase their artwork. Art Vancouver is much more than an exhibition. It is an opportunity to speak with artists and like-minded people about art. The point of the show is to place artists front and centre, even going so far as to give them their own runway show, the Face of Art.
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REGIONAL REPORT ART VANCOUVER
The idea was born out of Lisa’s time as a fashion designer for Christian Dior, and she felt that everyone gets to know the art; the artist often remains a mystery. “Nobody knows who the artist is,” she said. “You never see them in the gallery. No one sees who they are.” And while Art Vancouver is commonly used to describe the international art fair, it has grown into so much more than that. Through the VVAF, they now host an entire yearly calendar of events, each with dedication to the promotion of connecting various communities through art. One of the first to be introduced was Art Masters. Born out of Art Vancouver, it has become an event in its own right, hosted separate to the main exhibition at different times and locations throughout the year. Lisa imagined Art Masters like a cooking show on television. “It’s going to be eight artists, and they’re going to have one hour,” she said. “You don’t know what you’re getting to paint with. It’s a mystery box, no paint brushes.” Art Masters has gone on to great success, packing in venues wherever it has been held. “The beauty of it was there were 19-year-olds to 85-years-olds. It didn’t matter.” Art Vancouver was also the venue where Art Talks was tested. It too has blossomed into its own event, held locally in Vancouver separate to the exhibition. “They were starting to get more and more popular, so that’s why we decided to do a speaker series outside of Art Vancouver,” Lisa said. Art Talks is a speaker panel series. Artists are invited to speak about their journey through their career, and business-minded individuals come to speak about how artists can market themselves, handle their books or operate themselves as a sole proprietorship or collective. The global pandemic has also pushed VVAF, like all over organizations and businesses, to be creative in how they reach an audience. This past summer, Art Downtown was the answer. Art Downtown took over two busy plazas in the downtown core of Vancouver and set them up with live painting and music, an Art Masters event and numerous spaced-out exhibitions. Lisa said it was her time living in Paris during her early adulthood that gave her the idea. She wanted to create a space that mirrored Montmartre, which has famously had live outdoor art for hundreds of years. It was in Paris where she worked for Christian Dior, learning not only the fashion world, but the business of creative pursuits as well. It also exposed her to a culture that thrives on art. January | February 2021
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“Being in Europe, I started going to the museums and galleries — museums more than galleries — and ended up getting inspired,” she said. Finally and most recently, a space in Bentall Centre, a block of office towers with a mall and outdoor plaza, invited Art Vancouver to create a gallery. It opened in October 2020 and features a rotating exhibition of artists. But none of this — not Art Vancouver or any of the other events that have grown from it over the years — would have been possible without the support, work and dedication of her family. Skyla Wayrynen, youngest daughter and managing director for VVAF, said art was simply a part of everyday life. “I forget that most people don’t live like that and don’t have an art store in their basement,” Skyla said, “because we have absolutely every single supply from all over the world.” Taisha Teal, Lisa’s eldest daughter and the public relations and volunteer manager for VVAF, concurs. She said they had one wall in their house dedicated to art. Anyone could write or paint on it and as it accumulated, it has become a family artifact.
“When I went to my friend’s houses, we weren’t painting on the walls. It was neat and tidy. Our house was not the cleanest because there was art everywhere,” Taisha said. Talin Wayrynen, Lisa’s son, said every birthday was full of art. The entire house would be transformed into stations full of painting, cake making, jewelry, sewing and more. And while this served the family’s creative needs as the children grew, Lisa was always searching out new ways to bring art into other people’s lives. Her introduction into the art business world was somewhat by accident. It began small, or relatively small. Lisa is the curator of Hollyburn Gallery, a country club with approximately 50,000 square feet of space.
REGIONAL REPORT ART VANCOUVER
“I got the idea to ask Hollyburn if they would be interested in monetizing their walls by putting art up,” Lisa said. “And they said, ‘Yeah.’ And I wasn’t planning on doing it myself. I thought they would do it. I was just giving them the concept. And then they didn’t have someone that would be able to figure it out, and they asked me if I wanted to.” To date, this has turned into an 11-year partnership. Lisa has been able to exhibit hundreds of artists at Hollyburn, including many that have gone on to exhibit at Art Vancouver. It was Lisa’s experience in running a gallery and working as a fashion designer and artist that gave her the big idea for Art Vancouver and VVAF. But it was her children that helped make it possible. Each comes with their special skill set. Skyla is the organizational and analytical one, who helps make sure everyone knows where they are supposed to be and that the books are balanced. Taisha works directly with the many volunteers, who share an equal passion for the organization. Talin brings in his expertise from years working on Vancouver film sets to help make sure the physical needs are met. And Lisa’s husband, Matt, runs the front of house, welcoming people into the exhibition and working as security to ensure everything runs smoothly. Each has been influenced by art. Taisha and Skyla both paint and Talin is an accomplished photographer. Together, they have made Art Vancouver possible. At the heart of Art Vancouver is the desire to connect people through art. “When you go to a gallery, it’s usually just the gallery. You don’t get to meet the artist. But more people fall in love with a piece of artwork when you’re talking to the artist, and hearing the story behind what made them create what they did.” Just like those two girls selling candles and talking with their neighbours on the side of the street, the goal of Art Vancouver is to foster that relationship. They are not finished yet. Not by a long shot. “We’re literally just getting started, that’s the amazing thing,” Skyla said. “Because they say overnight success takes at least ten years and we’re only at seven, so, we’re just getting started.” January | February 2021
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Nora Egger
noraegger.com |509-991-0041
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“Peonies” Oil on canvas 16”x 20”
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$150.00
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January | February 2021
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