Embark on an aesthetic adventure
DEVIN WEEKS/Press Coeur d’Alene artist Jimmy Magnuson is hosting his first solo show in the former Kmart building at Highway 95 and Neider Avenue. About 100 of his colorful abstract works are on display from 5 to 9 this evening.
Jimmy Magnuson finishes labeling his works Saturday night during the grand opening of his first solo show. He works mainly in acrylic and oil, but also creates with pastels and nail polish. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
DEVIN WEEKS/Press This nail polish artwork is titled “Black Rose Jellyfish.”
DEVIN WEEKS/Press One of Jimmy Magnuson’s earlier pastel pieces, “Chicken Birth.”
COEUR d’ALENE — If you tilt your head one way, you might see city lights reflecting on the water.
Tilt your head another way, you’ll see something completely different.
This is the effect of the abstract works of Jimmy Magnuson, a Coeur d’Alene artist who is not afraid to use plenty of paint and color to create an aesthetic adventure.
“My art’s all about experimentation, trying different things,” Magnuson said Saturday evening. “The process I do, I’m so physically involved in it. I throw paint around, I’ve about ruined all my clothes, paint on every light switch in my parents’ house, my house.
“It’s not something I think about. I just make it, man. That’s what I really enjoy.”
Magnuson, a 2002 Gonzaga Preparatory School graduate, opened his first big solo show in Coeur d’Alene through the weekend. Today is the final day of the show.
He has nearly 100 pieces on display, canvas and glass masterpieces with names like “Chemical Burn,” “Yellow Curd” and “Stink Bug” that are brilliant mishmashes of hues and patterns that transport viewers to new places in their minds at every angle.
“Some of them I just immediately love,” said Jimmy’s mom, Nita Magnuson. “I encourage him because it’s so good for him. It’s a place where he can get into the flow of a completely different activity.”
Jimmy has always been artistic. He has degrees in jazz composition and audio engineering, but he discovered his love for abstract painting six years ago when he enrolled in a drug rehab program and was introduced to art therapy.
“I always drew like chickens and stuff. I never did an abstract painting before, and the lady said, ‘I want you to try abstract,’” Jimmy said. “I just fell in love with it. No rules. Music is so confining, you know? There’s 12 notes, whereas art, there’s no rules, and I love that.”
This art form also helps Jimmy manage severe depression. He said he has his paintings all around his house because they just make him happy. They keep him busy, too — he’s painted at least 300 pieces in six years, although some of them have only taken about 10 minutes to make.
“This is such an outlet, a creative outlet that’s kept me sober,” he said. “It’s my way of feeling better, helping my self-esteem.
“I just do this for myself, for therapy. My mind just works so much better when I’m doing this stuff,” Jimmy said. “The therapeutic aspect of it is what I do, and the fact that people enjoy it is great.”
Guests are invited to view, purchase and enjoy Jimmy’s works this evening when the show continues from 5 to 9 p.m. in the west end of the former Kmart building at 201 W. Neider Ave. in Coeur d’Alene.
Info: www.jimmymagnuson.com