Nobody likes deprivation, being without, suffering a lack of something needed.

But sometimes, our very hardships are what make the difference, prompting us to wrack our brains for a creative solution. This is the option Walla Walla artist David Partridge took 60 years ago when his 4th grade teacher assigned the class to each carve a buffalo out of Ivory soap.

"My family did not have the money for a bar of Ivory Soap," Partridge recalls. "The teacher, Mrs. Hill, wanted to know what I was going to do for a grade. I told her I was going to do a painting of a buffalo."

So impressed was Mrs. Hill by the completed watercolor that she framed the picture and displayed it in the school's trophy case for a year. So struck was Partridge by her reaction that he added art to his elementary and high school curriculum. Every opportunity he could, he learned more about painting, drawing, and sculpture. During his two six-month tours for the Navy in Naples, Italy, he sought out teaching from skilled local artists.

Through the years, which encompass a 33-year career as a journeyman millwright for Boise Cascade, Partridge has created hundreds of paintings. They have found homes with individual collectors throughout the Western states, as well as with various corporate offices at Boise Cascade. One painting of a large elk was displayed at the former Walla Walla Elks Lodge on Rose Street for many years.

When management and colleagues at Boise Cascade discovered Partridge's aptitude for art, they approached him with projects, ranging from a commission to do as many paintings as he could in a month to decorate the new human resources building, to developing the face and persona of Gus the Goose, the Wallula Paper Mill's mascot. Engineers asked him for drawings giving them an idea of what their completed projects would look like.

Now retired, Partridge focuses full time on art: oil painting, wood carving, leather tooling, and welding, with the season dictating what he does next. When it's cold outside he paints, carves, works with leather. Warm weather finds him creating metal sculpture.

"I enjoy the beauty of the world around me," Partridge says. "It gives me great pleasure to create the things I see. As an artist, it is very rewarding to be able to challenge myself to do new things and create something people enjoy."

Through June 1, Wenaha Gallery (219 East Main, Dayton) is featuring a wall of David Partridge's western and wildlife paintings. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.