The nagging sense of fear filling the hearts of many during the economic downturn finds a shape in the hands of Lewiston artist Diane Worth Doty.
Doty's faceless wax nesting dolls huddle together in aimless clusters. Inside their cloudy bodies one might see a trapped coin, thermometer or bundle of string. Some are broken and lie on their side. Their armless and legless companions are unable to help or see them.
"Maybe it gives (viewers) a starting point for thinking about those feelings," says Doty, an art instructor at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston and Washington State University in Pullman. An exhibit of her work opens with a reception from 5 to 8 tonight at the Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts & History.
The wax and glycerin soap dolls were formed while Doty, 35, contemplated the idea of fear as people lose jobs and retirement funds. This is the first time they have been publicly displayed and she continues to work on the series.
Doty's work, on display in the upstairs galleries of the center, is best viewed at a variety of ranges to reveal the subtle details and overall scope. The exhibit also features a series of her paintings and drawings of birds in their natural environment, whether it be a Palouse hill or an Oklahoma mall playground. The delicate paintings issue from moments of clarity when the natural world overlaps with memories of the everyday world, she says.
Doty grew up in Texas wanting to be an artist. She believes good art is an experience requiring effort and time from the viewer as well. She has been teaching art since 1998 and has taught at Lewis-Clark State College for two years.
She came to the area when her husband, Timothy, took a job teaching communications at LCSC. Her work is on permanent display at Texas Tech University as well as exhibited nationally, including Syracuse University, and the annual Rude and Bold Show in Binghamton, N.Y. She teaches art through the distance degree program at WSU.
The center's Main Gallery will feature new works by Ray Esparsen, a professor of fine arts at the college. Esparsen has taught painting, drawing, design, and contemporary art topics since 1995. His work represents years of theory and consideration of what constitutes and questions the sublime, merging craft and light-hearted experimentation.
On the Net: www.lcsc.edu/museum
Bauer may be contacted at jkbauer@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2263.
If you go
What: Exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculpture from Lewis-Clark State College instructor Diane Worth Doty and professor of fine arts Ray Esparsen
When: Opening reception with the artists is from 5-8 tonight.
Where: Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts & History, 415 Main St., Lewiston
Admission: Donation
Of note: The exhibit runs through April 8. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
