The artwork of Nan Drye, Bruce Hormann, Dirk Parsons, & Mary Wheeler will be featured at the Chase Gallery, May 4 through June 25, 2010. The Chase Gallery is located in City Hall at 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. in Spokane. An artist reception will be held in conjunction with First Friday, on Friday, May 7, 5pm to 8pm. Gallery hours are Monday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nan Drye has created a series of mobiles. Each mobile contains a blank molded cloth face with varying collages underneath. The mobiles explore concepts ranging from spending or squandering of time to feminism and female motivations in the 21st century. Nan is a graduate of the University of Missouri at Kansas City with a Bachelor of Arts.

Bruce Hormann creates epoxy resin and collage works which relate to marking time and explains his life experiences such as remodeling his studio or his recovery from being hit by a car and being unconscious. Bruce studied at the Art Institute of Seattle and Spokane Falls Community College.

Dirk Parsons is an acrylic painter inspired by elements of the natural world. Brightly colored pallets and highly detailed contrasting lines define the color and form of Parsons’ primarily abstract work. Complex shapes and colors seem recognizable at first, but familiar images emerge upon closer examination. Parson’s work has shown in California and throughout Spokane.

Mary Wheeler employs texture and bright colors using paper mache, mixed media and acrylic paint to comprise 3-D wall pieces inspired by leaves. Wheeler discovers an endless source of ideas from daily walks around the city. Her work is an abstraction of the leaves, debris, cracks, etc. which form themselves into compositions that she finds intriguing. Wheeler holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New Orleans.

The work of local metal artists will be featured at the Chase Gallery, March 2nd through April 30th, 2010 in an exhibition of metal furniture and architecturally related objects. The Chase Gallery is located in City Hall at 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. in Spokane. An artist reception will be held on Friday, March 5th, 5 to 8 p.m. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday from 5:30 p.m. through the City Council meeting.

The Metal exhibit will feature works by artists Tim Biggs, Peter Jagoda, Karma Lloyd, Jason Sheldon, Bill Simmons, Sean Smith, Steffan Wachholtz and Rik Willmering.

Tim Biggs came back to his hometown, Spokane, after working in Los Angeles for two years. He started a company, Biggs Metal Art, and makes custom furniture, business signs and architectural features. Biggs uses salvaged metal, chunky hinges and industrial-worthy rivets to create his trademark style of blending modern edginess with an antique flair.

Peter Jagoda is from Arizona, where he received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from Arizona State University. Now he lives in Spokane, and works as a studio artist and teacher of sculpture, metalsmithing and bladesmithing. Jagoda currently teaches at Spokane Falls Community College and creates limited edition and one-of-a-kind knives, custom jewelry and metalwork.

Jason Sheldon is resident of Spokane. He recently created a new sculpture for the Shadle Aquatic Center with his wife, Deborah Sheldon. He uses recycled metal from scrap yards for his sculptures. Sheldon’s sculptures reflect the twists and spirals of objects in nature.

Bill Simmons studied at Colorado State University. He has 25 years of experience as a sculptor. He creates and builds artwork for Lloyd Simmons Design with his wife, Karma Lloyd. She is an entirely self-taught designer and artist. She builds outdoor sculptures and showers from tile and exotic stone. They created a new sculpture for the Comstock Aquatic Center.

Sean Smith creates metal furniture with a contemporary, urban, industrial look at Fox N Bear Furniture with his mother who creates tiles for the table tops. He has his own company, Bear Industries, where he creates and installs custom cement counter tops.

Steffan Wachholtz is a Spokane native. He received a bachelor of fine arts from Fort Wright College of the Holy Names, and a master of fine arts in design at the University of California at Los Angeles. Currently he is the owner of Wachholtz Designs. In his sculptures, Wachholtz redesigns discarded objects to give them new life, beauty and vitality.

Rik Willmering is the owner of Moderna, a custom architectural and decorative metal arts company in Spokane. He studied the history of design and architecture at Spokane Falls Community College. His goal is to create unique, inspirational and though provoking art that promotes cultural diversity and interconnectivity.

The 100 Year Anniversary of the Looff Carrousel will be celebrated with an exhibition of artifacts and artwork at the Chase Gallery, January 5th through February 26th, 2010. The Chase Gallery is located in City Hall at 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. in Spokane. An artist reception will be held on Friday, February 5th, 5 to 9 p.m. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday from 5:30 p.m. through the City Council meeting.

The Art of the Carrousel will include artwork by Michael Gass, Nona Hengen, Betty Largent, Loraine Krank and Jessie Swanson. The exhibit will also display artifacts from the Looff Carrousel, including several antique horses and figures. Horses and horses under construction by Mark Blomhagen will also be exhibited. A history of the Carrousel will be displayed, and brochures will be available.

Built in 1909, the Looff Carrousel located in Spokane’s Riverfront Park is one of only 154 operating, hand-carved carrousels from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. It is typically in the top 5, and has one of the highest numbers of riders of any carrousel. The Carrousel is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is considered to be the last operating carrousel created by Charles Looff.