The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

The new art event at the Wenaha Art Gallery features sculptures and paintings by Nancy Gresham. The artist from White Bird, Idaho, works in various traditional and non-traditional mediums. In this exhibit, Gresham features her work in polymer clay and on painted rocks.

Gresham discovered polymer clay ten years ago when she discovered a block of the material she had in her studio for a long time. She decided she needed to give it away or use it up. Always up for a challenge, she began researching what could be done with polymer clay.

The flexible material led her to create whimsical figures that inhabit a world of her creation. Her clay dolls include two friends picking mushrooms together, a doctor and patient having a deep discussion, or a flirtatious cowboy. The finished tableaus include the dolls and the accessories that make up their worlds

"It's important to me to tell a story with my dolls," Gresham says, "so they come with enough accessories to take you along."

The artist began painting detailed and realistic images on rocks after being commissioned by a client. Gresham's painted stones feature detailed and colorful hummingbirds, flowers, and butterflies for gifts and outdoor décor. She also takes commissions to create pet and memorial paintings on rocks.

More of her work is available on her website at http://www.ngreshamart.com

Gresham's Art Event runs through July 18.

The gallery, located at 219 E. Main Street, Dayton, WA, is open 9-5 Monday through Friday and by appointment.