New Whitefish gallery showcases area artists

A new art gallery has opened in Whitefish, encompassing the second floor of the prominent Piney Creek Interiors building at 100 Central Ave.

The Gallerie at Piney Creek is a natural progression in offering a related service to customers, owner Deena Brenden said.

She opened Piney Creek Interiors in 2002 and a year ago moved the business to the Central Avenue facility, which was built in 2000 as a sports bar and nightclub. After the Western Montana Real Estate Fund, the owner of the building, completed an extensive facade redesign two years ago, the building has become an attractive centerpiece in downtown Whitefish.

“This is wonderful space,” said Bigfork artist Tom Lewis, who collaborated with Brenden in organizing and establishing The Gallerie. “This seemed like a heck of an opportunity, so we put our heads together.”

Brenden said Lewis was instrumental in helping gather a group of remarkable Montana artists who will display their work at The Gallerie.

“Tom and I have the same values and work ethic, which has made everything else fall into place quite smoothly,” she said, adding that Lewis will “continue to be a driving force.”

Lewis’ paintings will be among the featured artwork, along with work by Kelly Apgar, Toni Whitney, Brandon Wiese, Mary Kelley, Clint Walker and Eric Thorsen. Their work runs the gamut, including oils, watercolors, alkyds, pastels, photographs and sculptures, “all depicting the experiences we love about Montana,” Brenden said.

Artists were chosen through a selection process conducted by a committee of the Montana Art Guild.

“This committee is ultimately responsible for who is invited to display their works in our gallery,” Brenden said. “We’ll be featuring each artist with events such as artist-in-residence, where we’ll have them here at the gallery painting.”

Another feature of The Gallerie is a display of the late Joe Abbrescia’s work.

“It is such an honor to include Joe’s work in our gallery,” Brenden said. “Though he was best known for his works of Glacier [Park], his subjects were numerous, and we plan to showcase them throughout the years.”

Abbrescia’s son, Joe Abbrescia Jr., will represent his father’s work at The Gallerie.

While the Abbrescia display occasionally will contain some of the artist’s original work, many of the pieces are giclée reproductions of his work.

“What’s neat about giclée is that it’s the closest reproductions of the originals,” said Abbrescia Jr., who is an art conservator and will do hand embellishments on some his father’s giclée pieces to add texture.

“I think this is great,” he said about the new gallery. “My father was a diverse artist” who painted cityscapes and scenes from Vail, Colo., Mexico, Italy and other places in addition to his Glacier Park scenes. “I’d like to keep the legacy of his work going.”

Kelly Apgar is another of the local artists who said she’s “thrilled to be represented in a new gallery.”

Apgar’s pieces at The Gallerie show her versatility in both technique and imagery.

She’s also a prolific artist, painting every day. Last year she posted a painting a day for her online blog, and ended with a total of 500 pieces for the year.

“It’s a passion,” she said, adding that if she’s asked about the volume of her work, she tells them, “that’s like asking a cobbler if he’s made too many shoes.”

Brenden is in the process of putting together a calendar of events for the gallery that will help showcase the artists.

The Gallerie at Piney Creek will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. through the summer.

Showings also are available by appointment.

Call 862-7463.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.