8 Jim Stevens - landscapes and still life oil paintings

1802 11th Ave., Helena

She likes the flexibility of having differ-ent mediums to choose from when she has a penchant to create. Bobi is dedicated to sharing her arts and crafts: in workshops, at the Lewis and Clark Public Library where miniatures of her work are on display in her dollhouse in the children’s area, at “Ranch Days” at historic Grant-Kohrs Ranch in Deer Lodge, passing on basket making tradi-tions to Virginia City History Camp par-ticipants, and sharing historic craft tech-niques at the National Folk Festival in Butte.

Working out of her historic family home, “The Rosy Roost”, at 739 8th Avenue, where six generations of the Harris fam-ily have lived since 1926, Bobi finds the connection to the past and the motiva-tion she needs to create. Both her tex-tile workroom and her basket and broom making area will be open during the tour. Artist’s Statement: Bobi appreciates history, especially the artisans of yester-year. In studying designs in the material culture they have left behind, she finds inspiration for her baskets, quilts, and dolls.

Jim Stevens paints in an impressionistic realism style, which describes the paint-ers that influence his work - the early 1900’s impressionist painters and Payne, Hibbard, Dunn, Homer and John Singer Sargeant. He started oil painting 1957 in Bozeman where he spent 15 years as an interior designer. He has taught oil painting classes, held work-shops, and juried art shows.

He managed an art supply and frame shop for 11 years before owning his own gallery and frame shop for the past 22 years. Artist’s Statement: To me the creative process is one of learning the control of values, the consistent use of natural light, subject placement, balance of dark passages and maybe a bit of personal creative glitz. But if the overall composi-tion doesn’t work – all else has failed. He has been known to trade his paint brush for his fly rod quite often.

9a Jim Gilman - pottery 1012 Billings Ave., Helena JPGilman@bresnan.net 442-1744

Jim Gilmans’s artistic background is varied and has been making and selling his work since 1985. He keeps sketchbooks of pencil drawings. He has painted with oils, made and designed jewelry, created stained glass pieces, and taken thousands of photos.

9b Jo Lee Hawkins – Ukrainian eggs made with a wax relief process (Pysanky) Tour Location: 1012 Billings Ave., Helena joli@mt.net 431-6576

But then there is clay. As soon as he touched clay he knew he had found a medium that connected with him. He could, with clay, make his two dimen-sional drawings in 3D. Artist’s Statement: The best days I have in the studio are when I make something that speaks to me. If I am lucky it will speak to others as well. The process of creating pottery, shaping and forming clay into forms is an exciting process for me. The act of firing these pieces; subjecting them to high tem-peratures... brings in an uncontrolled element and a chance for the piece to take on a characteristic beyond mere touch. I work with high fire clays.

I throw pieces on the wheel and I hand build pieces from slabs. I try to create simple functional forms for everyday use. Many are altered in some way through deliberate distortion, assembly, shaping, incising, or stamping. My large vases, built from slabs, are shaped until I capture the idea in my head. Some are spontaneous, others are from drawings. Most often the large platters are forms for drawings; some-thing to hang on the wall until it is needed for food preparation or presen-tation. Glazing is important. Each piece re-quires the right glaze. Cups not only need to fit the hand, but also feel good to the touch. I continually experiment with glazes. I have two goals in this process... 1. Create functional ware that is visually intriguing, and maybe challenges us to slow down and and enjoy the moment, and 2. Create work that captures the es-sence of the moment in time which it was created... be it whimsical, serious, or whatever.

Jo Lee Hawkins has been an art dabbler since high school and an art major at Western and MSU. Enjoys watercolor, pen and ink , and is a member of the Big Sky Scribes calligrapher’s guild. Jo’s paternal grandmother was a Ukrainian from the

old country that made Ukrainian eggs

for her family for years. These eggs were dyed with regular Easter egg dye, on hard-boiled eggs that the families ate every Easter. Jo has now taken up the family tradition & tradi-tional art form. Designs are “waxed” (beeswax) with the “kistky” (keest keh) tool onto raw egg. The egg is dyed several times after each layer of wax going from light colored dyes to darker ones. When the design’s waxing and dying layers are complete the egg is blown, the wax is melted, wiped from the egg and then varnished.

Artist’s Statement: Ukrainian Egg Decorating has been handed down through generations. Ukrainian are famous for their colorful Eggs. Over 2000 years ago, before the time of Christ, people decorated eggs. Believing that great powers were embodied in the egg. To them, eggs symbolized the re-lease of the earth from the shackles of winter and the coming spring with its promise of new hope, new life and pros-perity. With the advent of Christianity, Easter eggs symbolize the resurrection and a promise of eternal life. Legend has it that as long as pysanky are decorated, goodness will prevail over evil through-out the world.

10 Upper Missouri Artists Gallery – bronze sculpture, rock mosaics stained glass, watercolor paint-ings, pastel paintings, oil paint-ings, drawings and art photogra-phy, featuring mostly original art with some limited reproductions of work by member artists 7 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena sangove@bresnan.net 457-8240

The Upper Missouri Artists Gallery opened for business in February 1997 on the south Walking Mall and moved to its current location in November 1999. The gallery is a joint venture, member-owned and -operated business. It was founded for the purpose of selling original art only and informing the pub-lic that they can purchase original art at reasonable prices. Original art is still the gallery focus; however, some limited editions by member artists have been added. Artist’s Statement: Currently the Up-per Missouri Artists Gallery includes 7 award-winning artists.

Watercolorist Sally Angove and multi-media artist Louis Archambault are founding members. Other member artists are pastelist Kathyrn Fehlig; Paul Graham who creates sculpted, fused stained glass pieces; rock mosaic artist Russell Ratcliff; Linda Roberts, limited edition photographer; and bronze sculp-tor Lyle Schwabauer. Guest artists are former members custom furniture-maker Dave Carlson and potter Jim Gil-man. Several members also teach classes.

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11 The Parrot – confectionery 42 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena http://www.parrotchocolate.com 442-1470

The Parrot, a name that speaks for itself, is a family-owned business located in downtown Helena since 1922. It has gained a worldwide reputation for qual-ity hand-dipped chocolates made from fresh, natural ingredients and utilizing up to ten tons of chocolate each year. The Parrot produces a selection of more than 130 different types of candy, using recipes devised by its original owners. Favorites include a turtle-like confection called a Parrot, Chocolate-Covered Cara-mels, Almond Butter Toffee and other delectable Creams, Nuts and Chews.

The Parrot prides itself on its original, authentic, traditional soda fountain where it serves its delectable, home-made ice cream, Helena’s best milk-shakes, sundaes, traditional sodas and famous habit-forming chili. Meet me at The Parrot! Artist’s Statement: Quality is a very important factor and always has to be exceptional. Quality is achieved by pay-ing attention to details, not cutting cor-ners and using the best materials. It is an honor and a privilege to continue to carry on the Parrot’s fine tradition.

12) Signs Now – graphic design

323 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena

signsnowhelena@gmail.com

422-1065

Signs Now was formed at the end of 2009 as a partnership between Trevor Parrish, former production manager of a commercial printer who has been in the graphics industry for over 15 years, and Archie Broadbent, graphic designer , photographer and filmmaker. Archie has received numerous awards for his commercial photography work. Signs Now produces everything from com-plete brand identities to vehicle graph-ics, stickers, banners, magnets and pretty much anything. Artist’s Statement: “Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.

Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all.” From the preface to “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde