Bozeman Magazine

Old Main Gallery is pleased to feature Wax & Wool by Bridgette Meinhold and Meghan Purcell. An Opening Reception will take place on Friday, March 1st from 5-7PM. Bridgette Meinhold is an artist and freelance writer based in Park City, Utah, where she lives in a small A-frame cabin in an aspen grove with her husband and dog. From her front porch she has access to backcountry skiing, biking, hiking and a whole world of inspiration. Meinhold’s encaustic process begins with time spent outdoors. Taking inspiration from a mountain, a ridgeline, a stand of trees or a wisp of fog. Using natural material like beeswax, tree resin and milk paint, Meinhold distills a landscape down into it’s bare elements. Meghan Purcell studied fine art at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and Montana State University – Bozeman.  She earned a BFA in Art Education at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in 2011. Through the ancient technique of wool felting, Purcell explores ideas of genuine connection, sustainability, and the integrity of the human hand in an industrialized society.  From sourcing wool locally, to assisting with sheep shearing and felting each piece entirely by hand, every step of the process is highly intentional. Purcell’s work is an expression of Montana’s identity in landscape and ranch heritage. Through every stage of the sheep-to-wool cycle, these felted wool works aim to connect the viewer back to the source; to Montana’s agricultural resources and the surrounding wild, vast landscapes.