A warm and homey atmosphere will imbue Confluence Gallery this fall when it is filled with art by oil painter Mary Powell and woodworker Rick Swanson.

Powell will be exhibiting new paintings, predominantly scenes of the Methow, featuring horses, rodeos, and portraits of various Methow people and characters. She will also be showing new landscape paintings. “This show will represent all that interests me as an artist,” she said.

For Powell, painting is closely aligned to music. The artist focuses on an overall theme, finding within it a harmony of color or notes and accents for drama. Her painting, like music, contains a rhythm or calligraphy.

Powell’s style, with its loose, unrestrained brushstrokes and focus on the mood created by the effects of light and shadow on her subjects, is influenced by Russian impressionism.
“The emphasis of this technique was to hide the academic underpinnings with lush color and emotional appeal,” she said. “The appeal of this style is the challenge it presents. It is insistent on the basics, but also insistent that the basics remain hidden. One should perceive only a mysterious, sympathetic response to the finished product.”

Rick Swanson has been applying his artistry to fine woodworking for years, incorporating a background in architectural and industrial graphics and cabinet making. He is a founding member of the Northwest Guild of Fine Woodworkers and the Northwest Gallery of Fine Woodworkers.

Whether he is creating small accessory items or designing a complete interior remodel, Swanson puts an immense amount of personal care and craft into his work, emphasizing the grain of the wood, the shape and form of the object, and the beauty derived from its inherent functionality.

Swanson’s initial focus was on furniture design and construction, but over the years he has expanded into more extensive work, doing entire interiors with fine interior cabinetry and finish work. He has overseen projects that include structural changes and complete interior remodels with new cabinets, trim and his own furniture designs, all executed with the same attention to detail and an enduring respect for the integrity of his materials.

The exhibit runs from September 22 through November 3, with an opening reception for artists, members and guests on September 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. Confluence Gallery & Art Center is located at 104 Glover Street in Twisp. Regular hours are Mondays through Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm.