Keri Keefe watercolor exhibit at Phillips Studio
“Anthology in Watercolor” will be the first exhibition at Phillips Studio & Gallery to explore the work of Montana artist Keri Keefe. An artist’s reception will be held on First Friday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Keefe‘s work has a natural luminosity featuring a variety of subject matter infused with elements of playful storytelling, delight and wonder.
A third generation Montana native currently living in Columbia Falls, Keefe grew up in Trego in an artistic home. Her earliest memories were painting Christmas ornaments and sewing her own dolls. Several members of her immediate family are professional artists in a wide variety of mediums.
Keefe was first introduced to watercolor nearly 15 years ago in a Flathead Valley Community College class taught by nationally recognized artist and instructor Karen Leigh. She instantly fell in love with the loose, flowing medium and its meditative practice. Since then, she has taken numerous workshops and classes, but is mostly self-taught.
She has also been exploring the use of watercolor on non-traditional surfaces such as Aquabord, Encausticbord and homemade panels composed of a unique blend of house paint and watercolor grounds.
“Watercolor is such a unique medium.” Keefe said. “It’s known to be difficult and finicky, but the reality is that it just needs room to work its magic. It’s exciting to me to be working in a medium that is so rooted in tradition.”
Keefe also teaches introductory watercolor classes. She belongs to the Montana Watercolor Society and the Northwest Watercolor Society, and is a member of the Hockaday Museum of Art. She was recently juried into the Montana Watercolor Society’s annual juried exhibition, which is currently showing at the Hockaday. Keefe displays and sells her artwork at local eateries, including Montana Coffee Traders in Columbia Falls and Bigfork Arts and Cultural Center gift shop, and online.
The “Anthology In Watercolor” exhibit will be on view through Dec. 23 at Phillips Studio & Gallery in the Kalispell Center Mall. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
