As the fall approaches, students and locals alike have the opportunity to bring a piece of Moscow”s unique spirit into their homes.
Limited edition prints of the vibrant “Athens of Idaho,” a painting commissioned by the University of Idaho, have been made available for the first time at Essential Gallery and Fine Arts in downtown Moscow.
Michael McCoy, founder of Essential Gallery and Fine Arts, said the rights to the original painting, which hangs in President Staben”s office, are exclusively owned by the university. This is the first time reproductions of it have been made available to the public.
Whitney Hillard | Rawr
Limited edition prints of the painting “Athens of Idaho” by Portland artist Daniel Ng are on display at Essential Gallery and Fine Arts.
The university asked Portland artist Daniel Ng to create the painting in celebration of the university”s 125th anniversary as well as Staben”s inauguration.McCoy said the painting has drawn a lot of attention to the region, and the university has also started to discuss putting the celebratory piece on items, such as T-shirts, to be sold at the Vandal Bookstore.
Ng said for the painting, he chose to create a map of “caricatures” using an extensive spectrum of color that captures many of the campus”s most familiar locations.
McCoy said Ng has worked with the gallery since before he was commissioned to create the painting and his art has been well received among the Moscow community.
“We like things in our gallery that are playful and elegant,” McCoy said.
McCoy said not only is Ng”s work playful and elegant, but it is also timeless and worth being collected.
Ng said since he had never done a painting for a university before he extensively studied the university”s rich history and even visited the campus to get a feel for the layout of the painting.
Ng found beauty in the surrounding wheat fields and said that he used his artistic license to incorporate them into the background.
He said he also put a large amount of time into working on the campus”s buildings and facilities.
“I put a lot of energy into the Administration building,” Ng said.
Ng said not only did the surrounding foliage made it difficult to capture specific details of each building, but it was also difficult to get a clear aerial view of the school.
Despite these logistic challenges, Ng said he enjoyed designing the painting and that one of his favorite aspects was his rendition of Hello Walk.
“This section of the painting was especially fun to work on,” he said. “The color and overlap of the trees and the way the trees moved reminded me of women dancing.”
In order to complete the painting, Ng said he worked closely with the university and collaborated with individuals about what the best design would be.
He said the painting was originally designed to be vertical, but both parties agreed that a horizontal design would capture more of the campus.
“It was a pleasure to work with the university,” Ng said.
Ng said he has received a great deal of positive feedback from the community, and is currently working on more original paintings that capture various icons around Moscow.
The Essential Gallery and Fine Arts is located at 203 S. Main St. and has 25 of the 11-by-14 inch prints priced at $135 each.
Whitney Hillard can be reached at [email protected]