3 artists on exhibit at Bigfork museum

Darrell Gray, Lael Gray and Julie Wulf will show their recent works in a new show, “Metal, Silk, Canvas and Beyond,” at the Bigfork Museum of Art and History.

The show will hang in the main gallery from Aug. 10 through Sept. 29. An artists’ reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 10; the public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

The museum is located at 525 Electric Ave. For more information call 837-6927 or email info@bigforkmuseum.org.

Darrell Gray spent 35 years in creative employment. Much of that time was spent designing and building luxury homes in Sun Valley, Idaho, but he also worked for a company that converted jets into flying palaces and as a cruise ship refurbisher.

His wife talked him into taking a bronze casting class in 2000; after that, Gray was hooked on sculpting and soon expanded to other media.

“My work experiences gave me many of the skills I needed and gave me the fundamentals for learning new ones,” he said.

Gray’s sculptures often combine four or five different media. He works with copper, brass, forged and welded steel, stone, glass and other materials. He also incorporates light and movements into his projects.

Lael Gray has always been interested in art. Art was encouraged from an early age; her mother nurtured the freedom of self-expression with children’s art. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in design with a minor in art from the University of California at Davis, she went into commercial art.

A few years later, she opened her own business designing and silk-screening T-shirts. While running the business, she started studying painting with local artist Joe Abbresscia. That led to more workshops at the Scottsdale Artist School and with other local teachers.

“Painting gives me the opportunity to express and share on canvas what inspires me in my life,” Gray said. “I love many aspects of Planet Earth, such as the mountains, animals, flowers, rivers and oceans, as well as people. I have spent the last 35 years in Montana, where nature surrounds me. Living in such a beautiful natural area gives me an endless amount of inspiration and subject matter for my paintings.”

Julie Wulf is a fourth-generation Montanan. Her work in watercolor, batik and silk painting is colorful and awe-inspiring.

“Growing up in Montana showed me a world wide open and richly colorful,” Wulf said. “I was always delighted by color, whether it was the orange and purple streaks of rust on an old truck or in the sky at sunset.

“Those vivid colors are what spoke to me of the magical spirit of nature and excited me to paint. So today, whether mixing dyes for batik and silk painting, or glazing with pigment on a watercolor, I am always attempting to convey that brilliant interplay of color and light I see around me. Happily, my paintings allow me to share what I see and feel with my friends and fellow art enthusiasts.”