wood strips table by Hal Tangen

The Inside Out exhibit takes a close look at the objects we surround ourselves with and how they fit into the environment we inhabit. Starting August 3^rd Confluence Gallery hosts a fabulous array of beautifully designed objects, artwork and furniture within a setting that emphasizes spatial design too.

Inside Out is contained within the gallery but the exhibit offers art and ideas for the courtyard, deck and garden too. Artists were asked to focus on the aspects of design that affect their work so viewers can be enlightened as well as delighted by what they see. Jessica Dietz is creating stunning copper weathervanes for the top of a house or as a decorative object in the home. Jessica speaks eloquently about design as it relates to function: “a finished vane serves not only as identification from long distances but its functionality relies primarily on its form. Weathervanes must be balanced just right so that the front part or arrow points directly into the wind and gives the most accurate reading when positioned on the highest point of a structure. The size of a piece is often deceiving to the viewer below and the distance of a vanes admirer gives an illusion of it’s size as being much smaller than it actually is. So design is essential in relation to the size of any building it rests upon.”

At the heart of the matter is the fact that good design enriches our lives and makes the world a better place. A well designed space is beautiful, comfortable and harmonious. It takes into account functionality, artistic composition, rhythm and movement. Objects have their own design qualities to consider based on whether they are functional or decorative, on the aesthetics of the setting and how objects relate to each other. Imagine walking into a room with a hunky, low Joe Doggett cement table in the middle with an exquisite Phil Ager turned maple bowl on it, then your eye moves up to a Cliff Schwab natural edged side table and a superb Ciancibelli/Newman glass piece, then up and around to some wildly imaginative Terry Hunt found object wall art. Then you ease into a couch with a smile on your face, put your feet up and read a book. Functionality and beauty can and should live hand in hand.

DATES: Through Sept 21. LOCATION: Confluence Gallery, Twisp. CONTACT: 509.997.2787, www.confluencegallery.com