Fine art in invented spaces

For the past several years, longtime Anchor Point artist Dan Coe has been creating in a variety of mediums, from mixed media and digital imagery to painted signs and furniture. Eager to return to his passion for fine art acrylic painting, his latest pieces are represented in his exhibit, “Invented Spaces,” viewable at the Art Shop Gallery through the end of the month.

On display are paintings from this year and recent years, all inspired by the beauty of the southern Kenai Peninsula and especially Kachemak Bay.

In his painting, “Thread of Light,” a full moon is reflected in a body of water.

“The full moon casts its reflection like a golden ribbon across the tranquil waters of Kachemak Bay, guiding the eye toward a solitary fishing boat adrift in the stillness,” Coe said. “Framed by towering spruce and delicate birch, the foreground reveals a figure in red standing amidst a sun-dappled forest, caught between shadow and light, observation and longing. The mountainous backdrop looms in hushed blues, anchoring the scene in quiet grandeur, while the interwoven foliage and gentle sky suggest a world both seen and unseen. This painting becomes a meditation on presence and purpose — a moment where earth, water and sky are bound together by a single, silvery thread of light.”

The exhibit title “Invented Spaces” is Coe’s reference to the idea of one working from their mind’s eye.

“For example, color juxtapositions that don’t occur in nature and one- and two-point perspectives that are mostly ignored,” he said. “I find David Hockney’s ideas about destroying perspective inspiring. In short, the invented space is in my mind.”

No matter the scene he is painting, Coe’s creative process begins with intuition.

“Loose strokes of light and shadow arranged without premeditation and deliberately sidestepping the frameworks of photographic perspective,” he said. “Like the landscapes of Japanese scrolls and ukiyo-e prints, I intend for my work to bend horizons and flatten space, inviting a more direct encounter with form and feeling, painting to preserve a sense of childlike wonder.”

His painting, “Quick and Fresh,” depicts a fox in the middle of the woods, drinking from a stream.

“A lone red fox crouches at the edge of a tranquil forest stream, caught mid-drink as it laps the cold, clear water,” Coe said. “The scene unfolds in layered depth — lush undergrowth, tangled branches and a gentle waterfall that spills from a hidden bend above. Sunlight filters through a dense stand of trees in the background, casting dappled light across the mossy banks and rippling current.”

Painted with vibrant, textured brushstrokes, the composition evokes a quiet moment of wild stillness, both intimate and alive with movement.

With his painting, “Mischief or Menace”, Coe explores the way our experiences, biases and emotional states inform our perception of the world around us.

“The way we view the world around us isn’t as objective as you may think,” he said. “What we see mostly has to do with what goes on the inside. Our perceptual framework acts as a filter through which external reality passes.

”This artwork explores this cognitive phenomenon by presenting visual elements that can be interpreted differently depending on the viewer’s internal landscape. The piece challenges us to recognize how our preconceptions influence what we perceive, inviting contemplation on the subjective nature of reality and the complex relationship between observation and interpretation.”

Coe began creating out of a studio beneath Bunnell Street Arts Center in 2004 before moving to a space on Lake Street, then the Yurt Village on Pioneer Avenue and, finally, to a private studio on his family’s property in Anchor Point. He has exhibited locally at the Art Shop Gallery, Fireweed Gallery, Ptarmigan Arts and the Kannery, as well as at the former Picture Alaska Art Gallery and Alaska Wildberry. He has also participated in statewide festivals, including the Girdwood Forest Fair and the Sacred Acre Festival in Ninilchik. Today, his home gallery is the Art Shop Gallery, where he sells his original paintings, mixed media, prints and painted furniture year-round.

His mixed media piece, “Cable Knit Mermaid,” is a repainted canvas print depicting a mermaid resting on a rock wearing a white sweater.

“This is a new take on an old standard,” Coe said. “Rather than deal with controversial body appendages, I figured just do the obvious. Besides, who doesn’t love a good cable knit on a chilly shoreside evening?”

Coe’s paper prints include themes of octopuses, mermaids, ocean swells, salmon, trees, boats and more, and are inkjet prints on coated cardstock that are individually signed and dated. His painted furniture can be found in businesses around town and private homes, as can his signs and other installations, like his fireweed fence, located across the street from the Bunnell Street Arts Center.

With this exhibit, Coe is excited to share his skills as a fine artist. Find his work year-round at the Art Shop Gallery and online at Dan Coe Art on Facebook, @dancoeart on Instagram and on his website, dancoeart.com. “Invented Spaces” can be viewed at the Art Shop Gallery through the end of June.