Happy Friday, Beacon readers! Lauren Frick here, and as I sit at Beacon HQ on this sunny close to the work week, I’m wondering one thing: what did you want to be when you grew up?
If you’ve picked up on any of the personal tidbits in my previous newsletters, it’s no surprise that my main answer to this age-old question is simple: a professional soccer player. One of my favorite characteristics that nearly all kids possess, however, is that they’re a little weird — as someone with a very active imagination, I put myself at the top of that list. This means I also considered even less conventional career paths during my days of wearing my sparkly, light-up velcro shoes.
As a lifelong history nerd, at one point little Lauren thought it would be fun to be a queen — think Cleopatra, minus the tragic ending (it’s important to note that the thought of overseeing an entire country has become especially unappealing in recent years). The prospect of being part of the Secret Service also intrigued me (I told you, weird). I’d be lying if I said 6-year-old Lauren really felt called to lay down her life for our nation’s politicians, but instead felt the itch to know some of our country’s most confidential information and observe powerful decision-makers in action — translation: I was nosy. Is it any surprise I became a journalist?
For Melissa Lakey, Kalispell’s Good Luck Gallery’s newest solo exhibitionist, her childhood dream was to be a cowgirl.
Born in the small mountain town of Idyllwild, Calif., Lakey spent much of her youth drawing, painting and enjoying nature. However, like many of us, life unfolded, and her connection to visual art began to drift away.
Moving to the Mojave Desert a decade ago proved an artistic reawakening. She left realism behind to embrace colors and subjects that prompted joy. Lakey’s work now is not only an homage to her desert home, but a return to the dreams of her childhood self — the child who wanted to be a cowgirl.
Her paintings put a spotlight on an idealized version of the American West, where cowboys ride under starry skies, and there is always time to stop and pick flowers or swim in every creek passed. These colorful paintings explore the magic of night, nature, and music, springing from both actual memory and the imagination.
Lakey employs a broad approach to creation; she works with a variety of mediums, including gouache, ink, acrylic, oil, pastel, colored pencils and even dabbles in fiber art. This mixed media approach not only provides a compelling range of textures but lends itself to the freedom with which she conducts her practice.
“Making art this way feels like exploring a world made of dreams, filled with characters I’d like to meet from folktales that never existed,” Lakey said in a press release from the gallery.
Kalispell’s Good Luck Gallery, 127 S. Main St., will feature 20 of Lakey’s new, original pieces in its newest solo exhibition, “Under These Stars With You.”
A public opening reception with Lakey will be held at the gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18. The show will be on view through Nov. 20. Good Luck Gallery is open Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment.
I don’t know about y’all, but I’m definitely ready to ride off into the sunset, as well as a beautiful weekend in the Flathead Valley. Before you saddle up, though, make sure to check out the rest of today’s Daily Roundup.
Whitefish Native Selected as Finalist in Nationwide Songwriter Festival Contest
Tim Torgerson will perform alongside nine other finalists as part of the Whitefish Songwriter Festival’s first-ever “It’s All About the Song” Songwriting Contest on Sept. 18 at the O’Shaughnessy Center
Flathead Land Trust Secures New Easement on Stillwater River
With multi-generational roots, the Rooney family placed a 57-acre conservation easement on their property, permanently barring subdivision and development
The team that brought you the smash hit tour The Simon & Garfunkel Story and R.E.S.P.E.C.T. – The Aretha Franklin Story has done it again with an all-new docu-concert: The Phil Collins Story! Chronicling his remarkable chart-topping time with Genesis to his multi-Grammy winning solo career to his Academy Award-winning work for Disney, The Phil Collins Story brings the artist’s distinctive music to life in a way that resonates with audiences both visually and emotionally – up close and personal. This fully produced immersive musical journey stars talent from around the world and features intricate lighting design, state-of-the-art audio and dynamic projections.
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