Page 38 - Flathead Beacon // 5.18.16

EVENTS 40 MOVIE REVIEWS 41 SIDE DISH 44 PAWS & CLAWS 46 Arts&Entertainment
A Perfectly Timed Debut
Artist Leanne Shepherd’s paintings focus on clocks and color, and are featured at the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center
Leanne Shepherd, pictured with a grandfather clock that inspires much of her artwork.
GREG LINDSTROM FLATHEAD BEACON
SBY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
OMERS – A DOZEN CLOCKS tick-tocking away at their own respective paces. Hundreds of
Beanie Babies arranged just so and hang- ing from ribbon along the walls in an explo- sion of fuzz and color. Wrapping paper from Christmas encases the door and part of a wall. Woven throughout, cat gurines sit in orderly lines, while medals and ribbons won at Montana Special Olympics events create blocks of blue and gold.
And standing in the middle of it all, with a proud smile and a quick explana- tion for each item, is Leanne Shepherd, a sort of artist-in-residence here at Light- house Christian Home.
The room could be cluttered, but the order instead makes it feel like standing inside a vision board, those collections of pictures and images that represent our dreams and desires. Here in Shep- herd’s room sit the inspiration behind her unique paintings, which are part of the focus at the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center’s Spring Member Show, which held its opening reception May 6.
Shepherd’s love for color lives here, as well as her devotion to clocks. Empty canvases await brush strokes, and tubes of bright-colored paints sit ready. But brushes, paint, and canvases are not the only necessities for such creative endeavors.
“The most important tool of all that I use is the imagination,” said Shepherd matter-of-factly.
Lighthouse Christian Home is a non- pro t organization dedicated to provid- ing lifelong care for adults with devel- opmental disabilities. The main house,
located in Somers, is home to 12 individ- uals who received around the clock assis- tance and care. Four individuals in sup- ported living also reside there.
It’s a bustling home, full of activity
and sound. Shepherd’s basement apart- ment space allows for a modicum of peace while she paints, and her creations ll a wall. Most of the clock paintings are in Bigfork, where Shepherd gave a talk about
her work on May 6 for the show’s opening reception.
Valerie Homer, the interim director at the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center, said the show has been a success, and another
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MAY 18, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM