Two artists are being featured for the September exhibition line-up at Stumptown Art Studio. The opening reception for Beads of the Art and Bare Spirits takes place on Thursday, September 1 from 6-9 p.m.

In Beads of the Art, jewelry artist Traci Staves translates her passion using seed beads and other mediums into works of art. “There is something so powerful about these tiny little objects,” says Staves. “Their magic is spellbinding and it can take total controal of one’s mind and soul. Ask any serious beadher and they will tell you it is a passion, an addiction, an obsession.” She explains how she utilizes the three months of glorious inspiration all around to fuel her creative spirit for the next nine months of winter. Staves also loves teaching and sharing her love of creating and making beads with others. Beaded necklace by Traci Staves

Matthew Springer’s Bare Spirits capture many of the activities and landscapes that inspire him by living in this corner of Montana. “There is something majestic in big mountainous silhouettes when the graduated layers slip into one another and the world becomes a vaguery of two-dimensional color,” he says. “Black into blue. Yellow slipping behing a curtain. It is happy hour at its finest and the extended twilight periods in the Flathead are one of the reasons I love being here.” To capture the spiritual rise of these moments, Springer has paired this series with depictions os “Raven” to encapsulate the appropriate energy of his artwork.

Oil painting by Matthew Springer

Stumptown Art Studio is a non-profit community art center in the heart of Whitefish, Montana. It was founded in 1995 to offer art opportunities for all ages and art interests including: classes, workshops, art camps, art parties, a clay cooperative, pottery painting, glass fusing and mosaic-making in the Ceramics Annex, art gift, retail art supplies and exhibits.

Exhibits hosted at Stumptown Art Studio feature guest artists, group displays, student works, new works and provide exhibit space for emerging artists. Each month during Whitefish First Thursday Gallery Night season from May through October, the work of a different artist is on display.

Open hours to view exhibits and take part in the many other art offerings are: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Please check the web site at http://www.stumptownartstudio.org/ for continued updates.