Stories from the heart

COEUR d'ALENE - Hanging on the wall, inside the Steven A. Scroggins Fine Art gallery in downtown Coeur d'Alene, is a painting, one of many. And part of that particular painting is several silver spoons hanging in a row next to each other.

Scroggins takes one of the spoons in his hand and smiles, because smiling as he talks seems to come naturally to him.

And then, he speaks with conviction as he explains just why those spoons are there, what they represent.

"That's about nurturing. Right now what we're doing is we're really feeding one another. We're sharing. We really need that. Now, a lot of people would want to thump you with that instead of helping, loving and being kind," he says with a big laugh as he whacks the spoon into the palm of his hand.

The passionate artist goes on as he gives a quick tour of his gallery at 110 N. Fourth St., where he just doubled his space to 2,000 square feet by expanding into the next door unit.

Oils, acrylics, collages, photos, watercolors and ceramics all peer out from behind the yellows and reds and blues and greens and blacks that he uses.

There are solid blocks of colors, swirling blends of brights and darks and a mixture of squiggly and straight lines painted on cardboard, plywood, doors and even a drop cloth. Sticks, cans and rocks may very well end up part of his art.

"This was a found object out in my street. It was part of a pool cue box," he says.

After a moment's pause, he adds, "If it doesn't move, I'll paint it," he says with a laugh.

He displays such an abstract array of his work "so people can get to know who I am or the depth of my art."

The man with the gray beard and the gray hair tied in a ponytail knows well it's not your traditional art. It's an eclectic collection, in a way a portrayal of Scroggins himself and life's paths he has walked.

Some looks carefully planned, organized and thought out. Others, the result of too much caffeine. Either way, he wants them to inspire, uplift, and motivate.

"For me, it just comes natural, all this variety. For most folks, it's an oddity," he says. "To the untrained eye, it's a bunch of jumbled stuff."

In the end, behind each piece of Steven A. Scroggins art, is a story he wants to share.

"That's what I am, a story teller," he says. "Others tell with words, with poetry. I tell stories with my heart."

Many voices

The 30-year resident and lifetime artist has clients in North Idaho, across the United States the East Coast and in Italy and France.

His artwork ranges from smaller standard paintings up to monstrous efforts that cover 9 feet long and 6 feet wide. Their cost ranges from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

The gallery looks to have a lifetime of work, but Scroggins estimates it's just a fifth of what his hands, eyes and imagination have produced. Much of his work is stored in a warehouse/studio in Post Falls.

"My work has many voices," he says. "If you saw all of my work in one place, it looks like 20 different people did it."

He compares it to cooking and trying to create different meals in the kitchen so they don't taste the same.

"I just cook up different looks," he says with a laugh.

Such as the one with a few small windows.

"These represent little windows to the heart and soul and mind, " he says with a grin.

There is more to the 60-something Steven Scroggins than you'll see at his shop. He's a musician, a sculptor, a dreamer, a poet, a man of faith. He speaks of "art from your heart."

It comes back to sharing something positive with others, with leaving a lasting mark on the people we meet.

"One of the best things I find that blesses my heart, there are so many things in the world that push people apart and cause pain and suffering," he says. "Art pulls people together."

And perhaps, he says, it will help us come to understand those we don't yet know.

"You learn to appreciate the different kinds of art, just like we ought to appreciate one another, black, white, red, yellow. We ought to appreciate each others' heart."

Artist at heart

Scroggins, born in Indianapolis, was raised by a "hillbilly" grandfather and a Cherokee Indian grandmother. Both were spiritual, caring and adventurous, he says, and he loved them.

They ignited the boldness inside him.

"Grandpa gave me my first rifle when I was 7 years old, so I was a crack marksman by the time I was 10," Scroggins says.

Shooting was just one of life's lessons he would learn young.

He began drawing and creating with clay. When he was 9, he received a Kodak Brownie camera and fell in love with photography.

"I had this dream of working for National Geographic," he says.

For a time, he ventured into the music world, toured professionally and played the harmonica.

"I used to sign my name, 'Harmonica Steve,'" he laughed.

But it wasn't enough.

"I came to find out, I could do much more than just that," he says.

War, meanwhile, came calling.

Scroggins was drafted into Vietnam, and had a tour of duty with the Air Force.

"I said I would like to be a photographer, but they made me a cop," he said with a laugh.

When he returned he studied kinetic sculpture, music, fine art, horticulture and graphic design. It led the living he hoped for over the past 12 years.

But he says this isn't about money, although it's nice to have it.

What really counts, and what he would really love, is if one day he could share his messages of hope, generosity and bravery with the world.

"I want my art to be discovered so I have a worldwide platform," he says.

It's one of the reasons he makes art 10 hours a day, seven days a week. On some sunny, summer days, you'll find him outside his studio and in front of the Fourth Street masses, hoping someone notices, stops and asks about his work.

"One of the fun things is working in front of other people. There's a shared energy, I think," he says.

Encouragement, he says, is huge.

He would love it if parents grabbed some cardboard and paint and turned their kids loose in the backyard. They might be surprised at the outcome of a little inspiration and belief in something better.

"With a little encouragement, you can do way more than you think," he says.

Steven A. Scroggins Fine Art gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or by appointment.

Information: www.stevenascroggins.com