BY KAREN BOSSICK

Bellevue artist Anne Jeffery recently received Honorable Mention for her photomontage “Summer Feathers” in Idaho Falls’ 16th Annual National Juried Exhibition.

“Summer Feathers” is a photomontage of photographs of found feathers. Jeffery colored the feathers and wove them together against a blended background of moody blue clouds, fog and crumbling mosaic from a wall in Santa Fe. Look carefully and you might be able to spot a small owl.

The 16th Annual National Juried Exhibition is hosted by the Idaho Falls Arts Council and exhibited at the Willard Arts Center in downtown Idaho Falls.

They received 417 submissions from artists throughout the United States. Fifty-four pieces were accepted into the exhibition, which runs through June 2.

Jeffery’s piece was one of eight artworks that were awarded—four of them being Honorable Mentions and one being Curator’s Choice.

Juror Maggy Rozycki Hiltner said the 400-plus entries impressed her with their breadth and inventiveness, not only in their physical execution and technique but in the ideas and emotional conveyed.

“The artworks seemed to communicate with each other,” she added. “Look for powerful color, poignant black and whites, strong horizons, saturated hues, rhythmic shapes and billowing volumes—along with quite a few birds. I found mystery and beauty and I chose work that attracted me from afar and kept me fascinated in its details.”

The Willard Center is easy to get to and well worth a visit for those who happen to be passing through, said Jeffery.

Jeffery, who captures much of her subject matter while hiking and cross-country skiing, has had her work accepted in numerous prestigious exhibitions across the country and in Europe. Locally, she has shown her work at the Sun Valley Arts and Crafts Festival, Ketchum Arts Festival and the Studio Artists Tour.