Gallery Nights opens season featuring fine art, ice cream

The Whitefish art community hosts an evening of featured artist exhibitions the first Thursday of the month.

The next Whitefish Gallery Night is May 3. Events take place at 13 participating galleries from 6-9 p.m.

The participating galleries include: Dick Idol Signature Gallery, Frame of Reference Fine Art, Going To The Sun Gallery, Group B Galleries, McGough & Company, Nancy Cawdrey Studios & Gallery, Stephen Isley Jewelry, Stumptown Art Studio, Sunti World Art Gallery, The Purple Pomegranate, The Walking Man Frame Shop & Gallery, Underscore Art and Whitefish Pottery & Stillwater Gallery.

Gallery Nights occur through October. For more information, visit www.whitefishgallerynights.org or on Facebook at Whitefish Gallery Nights-First Thursdays.

A few of the galleries are presenting featured artist or exhibits on Thursday.

- Nancy Cawdrey Studios & Gallery will feature Rosella Mosteller, a Kalispell-based black and white fine art photographer, capturing moody, evocative landscapes and micro-scapes of her surroundings, and Tina Milisavjlevich, who creates beautiful sculptures from found Flathead Lake driftwood, with color and texture accents provided by pieces of thick scrap steel from antique cars.

- The Walking Man Frame Shop & Gallery will feature mixed media collage work from Mary Jean Martin and Olivia Stark. The evening includes live music by Lee Zimmerman.

- The Purple Pomegranate is featuring work by Columbia Falls resident Tatiana Zolotareff. She’s dabbled in oils and acrylics, spinning and weaving, pottery, beads, and music.

She makes soaps, jewelry, knitted hats and scarves. Her molded soaps are made with natural vegetable oils, essential oils, fragrances and natural coloring.

- Whitefish Pottery and Stillwater Gallery presents Whimsical Wood, an exhibition of work by local woodworking artist Scott Nagel. His work has an Asian influence, owing to his studies of Asian cuisine and starting Wasabi Sushi Bar, which he sold in 2008. In the past he was also a professional ice sculptor, at which time his major influences were Japanese sculptors who dominated the competition circuit. He enjoys experimenting with using different species of wood such as Douglas fir and larch found on his property, to attain an assortment of color and texture, and finishes his work with clear finishes to allow the wood’s natural colors to shine through.

- Stumptown Art Studio’s popular Annual Spring Show and Ice-Cream Social takes place on Thursday. This family event features the artwork of students taking part in this year of Stumptown Art Studio classes. From 3-year-old preschool age children to teens that take part in After School Art Club. At the reception everyone is also invited to create their own unique ice-cream treat.