Durrie returns to Belfair Self-Storage 'art wall'

One month after the works of her wife and "muse" made a second appearance at Belfair Self-Storage, multimedia artist Alice Durrie has followed suit, with her artwork returning to manager Barbara Treick's art wall in December.

Durrie's pursuit of Asian art techniques has continued - her fascination with bonsai miniature tree cultivation has evolved into a new form of self-expression.

"I live alongside the Tahuya River, which provides an ever-changing beach canvas of sand, gravel and rock," Durrie said. "To get there, [wife Teresa "Tree" Smith] Tree, our dog Leera and I traipse downhill, from the Douglas fir woods to the bamboo grove I planted years ago, through our meadow, then onto that shifting sand beach."

Durrie said she delights in the "wonderful array of stones" on that beach, many of which she carries back to her and Smith's home to enjoy.

"But lately, I've been absorbed in finding the best rock homes for some small Chinese mud men figurines that I've been collecting," Durrie said. "Lucky for me, the Tahuya River that runs along my property provides a huge assortment of gorgeous stones, especially those with a natural shelf, or the right crevice on which to place figures and some foliage."

Durrie said she feels as though she's "homing" her miniature sculpted fellows to make up for them being "so far from home." As her daily walks result in her bringing more rocks home, she admitted she might have developed a benign but self-perpetuating "fetish," because "then I need more mud men, for which I need more rocks, so before too long, it's become time for another beach walk."

Durrie has spent much of her retirement creating art, and she sees no need to set goals for herself as she does so.

"Honestly, I have no plans for myself, in relation to my art," Durrie said. "Different things just keep drawing my interest, and I just let myself begin again, and see what happens. Usually, I'm happy with the results."

During her April exhibition at Belfair Self-Storage, two of Durrie's collages were purchased, "which pleased me immensely." One was selected by a boy whose grandmother had brought him in to pick out a Mother's Day present for his mom.

"Another was purchased by a dear friend," Durrie said. "We're both in a writers group, where we write in one another's homes, so it's very moving for me to see my piece on her living room wall."

The Belfair Self-Storage's art isn't the only place you can catch Durrie's art this December. Some of her paintings and "rock homes" are on display at the "Interwoven Beliefs" exhibit at Museum Contempo, at 68 SE Lynch Road in Shelton from Dec. 10 through Jan. 29.

"I was honored to co-curate this show for Museum Contempo's marvelous owner Andrea Mastrangelo," Durrie said, adding that Mastrangelo comes up with two subject-themed shows per year, which provides Durrie with additional outside inspiration when she needs it.