A little over 33 artists gathered under one roof over the weekend to display their art from every medium imaginable.
The 33 Artists Market hosted 35 artists at the Wonder Building on Sunday, with 39 artists in attendance at the previous day’s market at The Hive. Founded by local Spokane artist Gwyn Pevonka, she created the market to give the art community in Spokane an outlet to interact with one another and showcase their work.
“The atmosphere of having all these different artists with all their names under one roof is inspiring,” Pevonka said. “A lot of times for my own work, to look to other people, not like a copying thing, but everyone in here has their own way of expressing themselves. And it’s exciting to see that Spokane actually has an art scene.”
Each artist had their own station, spread throughout to fill the space so attendees could walk in a circle and view the art and engage with the artist. Pevonka herself had a station that displayed her abstract and acrylic paintings, as well as her colorful resin earrings.
Many other paintings were exhibited, ranging from acrylic, watercolor, etc. One artist, Nicole Nutt, comes from a family of painters. It wasn’t until the pandemic when she decided to incorporate embroidery into her paintings of flowers.
“The embroidery part was a pandemic project that took off,” Nutt said. “I was trying all of these new mediums then and I chose flowers because of the pandemic as well. I just really wanted to make art that makes me happy. Flowers are my favorite; I love their bright colors.”
Flowers were a common theme among a few artists’ work, like Melanie Mercer’s botanical jewelry. Named Wild Grace Jewelry, Mercer creates earrings, necklaces and rings that all contain wildflowers that have been pressed and dried. Mercer said that her background in silversmithing and picking wildflowers with her daughter inspired her to start her own commercial line of jewelry.
Many other artists had handmade jewelry for sale, and a few had clothes for sale that featured their chosen medium. Hailing from a background of graphic design, Emma Sheldon of Cecil Studios began to experiment with printing using a letterpress after experiencing fatigue with using a computer.
“It’s a very hands-on medium,” Sheldon said. “Letterpress is very tactile; you can feel the impression and the paper. It’s a fine craft, but it’s an old school technology that people are losing. I value it so much and it’s been really cool to share it and educate people so they have a little bit more understanding.”
Prints were another popular art form displayed by many, with the subject matter varying due to the artist’s personal experience. Hal Generao had recently created a character named “Ghost Chef,” which was present in multiple prints and stickers.
“I think that he was kind of just like a little part of me or something that I had inside of me,” Generao said. “I think that those characters that I create kind of embody some element of myself in one way or another, but my focus really latched on to the idea of him. I think creating him, creating his world and still continuing to develop him is fulfilling some part of me that I don’t even know how to explain.”
Pottery, glass, paper collages, pencil art and woodworking were also on display at the market. Food and drink from local places such as Uno Más Taco Shop, Victory Burger, coffee and baked goods were available to those in attendance. There was also a station where attendees could take pictures with their newly purchased artwork. Lisa Freeland, a frequenter of artists markets, said 33 Artists Market surpassed other art shows she has attended.
“There’s lots of talent in the world that I didn’t know,” Freeland said.
Those who wish to engage with these artists are encouraged to check out the 13th annual Slightly West of Spokane Studio Tour, a self-guided artist’s studio tour that takes place on Nov. 25, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Marissa Conter is a news editor. Follow her on X: @marissaconter.
