Faithfully Drawn and on Display!

I have some very exciting news to share with you, my art blog friends - I got a show! A selection of my drawings and paintings are currently on display at Lyfe Coffee Roasters & Public House in lovely Coeur d’Alene Idaho. And as if that wasn’t exciting enough, all of the pieces on display are works that I have created and shared with you on this very blog! 

Lyfe Coffee Roasters & Public House is a wonderful establishment. Owners David and Brooke Miller have transformed the iconic shop, formerly known as Calypso’s, into a vibrant hub of community gathering with really good coffee. This is no ordinary coffee shop. You never know what you’re going to find going on there. Case in point, Lyfe recently hosted a Country Western Night where they had line-dancing! 

Video by Lyfe Coffee Roasters & Public House 

(Still frame retrieved from FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=872568930396240)

The shop’s slogan “live your freedom everyday” is an open invitation to the community to come and celebrate freedom. The shop is also home for many local church/prayer meetings; a place where Christians can come and be openly Christian. Coffee, prayer, and freedom, you can see why I like the joint. Lyfe Coffee Roasters & Public House is also a wonderful friend to the local art community. Every month, the shop features work from artists in the area… including, drum roll please, yours truly :). 

I was beyond excited when I got the call from David that they had an available wall with my name on it! Putting one’s art out into the world for public exhibition is always a thrilling endeavor. Art shows are exciting, and scary, and wonderful, all at the same time. Everything from the point of framing to the point of hanging is an adrenaline filled rollercoaster. It is like preparing to send little pieces of your heart out into the world, ambassadors of your feelings and experiences, just hoping they will touch someone.  

On the Trail, 2020

by Angela Durst

Oil pastel

It has been a very long time since I have participated in an art show and this is my first time publicly displaying my work at a gallery since I became a Christian. God has taken me on such an amazing journey. He has grown me as a person and as an artist in new and exciting ways, ways that I never even imagined were possible! The opportunity to show my work at Lyfe is an incredible milestone along that journey and another wonderful answer to prayer. Needless to say, I was excited to show the world: “hey, look what the Holy Spirit helped me do!!!!” 

Sunflower Worshiping, 2022

Watercolor & watercolor pencil

18” x 24”

(From posts: Lessons From Sunflowers: Part I ...and Lessons From Sunflowers: Part II)

I carefully curated specific pieces for this show. The drawings and paintings that I have selected all share one common theme and it is the overarching message of this blog - God’s art is all around you and it is BEAUTIFUL!  

Twisted Pine, (Tubbs Hill) 2021

Oil on canvas panel

12” x 16”

(From the post: Something Beautiful)

What Remains, 2020

Oil on canvas

20” x 16”

(From the post: What Remains After the Storm)

Yirah, 2020

Oil on canvas

20” x 16” 

(From the post: God's Art is Awesome)

It is a pretty universal convention, at gallery shows, for an Artist Statement to accompany the body of work presented. This “statement” is intended to impart some sort of useful information that enriches the viewer’s understanding of the art and thus enhances their experience of it. This was it! My opportunity to use words, not just paint, to shout my message from the mountain top! The Artist Statement that accompanies my display at Lyfe reads as such:

Hi, my name is Angela Durst and I am an Evangelical Artist. 

God’s art is awesome and it is all around us! His glorious brush strokes can be seen on every flower, every mountain, every starry night, and every sunset. All of Creation boasts the glory of God and bares His fingerprints.

It is not uncommon in the art world, for one artist to draw inspiration from another artist’s work. As God is the creator of the “every-everything,” I consider Him to be the original Master Artist. I am blessed to live and work in the gorgeous wilderness of Northern Idaho and the beauty of His creation inspires me on a regular basis. I love creating outside in the fresh mountain air and, whenever possible, I drag my easel outdoors. The goal of my artwork is to share this beauty with others so that they might be inspired, encouraged, and perhaps even encounter God in the process. If my work stirs even one of those things in someone’s heart, then I consider it a success …and if I have managed all three, then it is a red-letter day and a cause for celebration!

The beauty of God’s goodness is literally everywhere, especially in the gorgeous landscape of Northern Idaho. So I encourage you, new art friend, go outside, seek His beauty. God has incredible gifts waiting just for you, you need only open your eyes to find them.

God bless and enjoy!

Mission accomplished.

Mountain Bluebird, 2020

Graphite pencil on paper

11” x 15”

(From the post: Bluebirds and Pine Bugs)

Northern Flicker, 2020

Graphite pencil on paper

11” x 15”

(From the post: Bluebirds and Pine Bugs)

The Faithfully Drawn exhibit will be on display through the end of October. If you happen to be in the Coeur d’Alene/ Spokane area come on down! Lyfe Coffee Roasters and Public House is located at 116 E Lakeside Ave, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814. All of the works on display are also for sale. To inquire about a specific piece online, please email me at faithfullydrawn@yahoo.com. Also, if one of those little ambassadors of my heart has touched yours, let me know in the comments section. I would love to hear about it!  

Have a great week, guys! God bless you and never forget “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1 NIV) so go out and enjoy that freedom and the beauty of His creation!

Video by Lyfe Coffee Roasters & Public House 

(https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=471369501690823)