Just for crafts
Inland Craft Warnings, for 22 years the leading contemporary craft show in the region, is set to open Friday at noon for its three-day run in the Spokane Convention Center.
“It is an absolutely astounding show this year,” says Inland Craft Warnings president and fiber artist Louise Kodis. “We have 80 of the Pacific Northwest’s finest crafters.”
The annual sale and exhibit has come a long way since 1983, when seven local artists conceived of the event as a way to market their work.
“At the time,” says ceramist Gina Freuen, “there were no viable contemporary craft galleries in Spokane. We needed a venue to show our work and to educate the public about fine crafts.”
Today, she says, “many of the area’s galleries are coming to Inland Craft and are recruiting artists to exhibit in their galleries.”
Over the years Inland Craft Warnings has maintained its reputation as a premium Pacific Northwest event by annually subjecting each artist to a critical jurying process to assure the inclusion of only the best-quality work.
“We jury for excellence and diversity of crafts,” says Kodis.
This year’s diversity includes jewelry ranging from delicate to bold designs; handblown and lamp-worked glass; finely crafted furniture; fiber works of hand-woven and painted clothing; abstract and landscape photography; plus a wide range of sculptural and functional clay objects.
While there are items in all price ranges, most objects are priced from $100 to several thousand dollars.
“Everything is one-of-a-kind and reflects a high level of skill,” says Kodis. “The majority of our exhibitors are full-time, professional fine craft artists.”
Among the 55 returning artists are master ceramists Donna and Jeff Tousley of Deer Lake, Wash. The couple recently moved their home and studio to Stevens County from their 30-year location on Vashon Island.
“We were beginning to feel closed in on Vashon,” says Jeff Tousley. “We’ve come over here for both ArtFest and Inland Craft and liked it. We decided to move here after looking at places up and down the coast.”
The Tousleys, each with their distinctive style, produce finely crafted stoneware, perfected from “40-some years of making it,” says Jeff Tousley. “Ceramic is all we have really done. I started in high school and Donna started as an undergraduate.”
Both have exhibited nationally and internationally.
With a very strong functional pottery background, Jeff Tousley’s work relies on wheel-thrown forms and techniques.
“I like to alter the forms slightly by pushing, pulling and cutting the fresh, plastic clay, yet retaining a certain amount of functionality to the piece,” he says.
His “clean and direct” vessels are embellished with subtle scratching, combing, incising, stamping and layering of different glazes.
Donna Tousley’s work has a more highly decorated quality achieved by working on greenware with no preliminary sketching.
“In a nutshell, anything in our display that has a very fine filigree, Asian-type decoration is Donna’s,” her husband says.
Returning after a long absence from Inland Craft Warnings is basket maker Shannon Weber of Cottage Grove, Ore.
“Shannon is bringing both traditional baskets and others that have rich colors and unique, contemporary looks,” says Freuen.
Also returning are Gregg Graff and Jackie Pouyat of Sequim, Wash., with their wall assemblages and wreaths in colors and textures found in nature. They toured Europe this past summer giving workshops on the construction of large-scale wreaths from natural origins.
New exhibitors include fine art photographer Charles Phillips of Caldwell, Kan., who works in large-scale, silver gelatin black-and-white photography.
Phillips produces huge prints, in the 32-by-40-inch to 56-by-72-inch range, using computer-controlled enlargers. The results are remarkable images of nature that sell for thousands of dollars.
“To my knowledge this is his first show in the Pacific Northwest,” says Freuen. “We’re thrilled to have him among all the fine artists in this show.”
While touring through Inland Craft Warnings visitors will be able to watch continuous demonstrations in pottery, papermaking, woodturning and jewelry fabrication.
The event again includes live music and continuous craft informational videos, and $100 gift certificates are awarded daily. Refreshments and light lunches are available.