portfolio • 51
kira
fercho
art
show
handmade silk scarves featuring
select pieces of her artwork
available for sale at the show.
Leatherwork artisan Bekah
O'Shea will be on hand with
a collection of her originally-
designed Ride Free Montana
handbags and purses. O'Shea's
work reflects nature's fine details
and its rugged lines in the rawest
elements of leathers, metals,
bones and stones that transform
rustic materials into a refined
simplicity. Ride Free Montana
blends the untamed wildness of
the west with couture elegance,
resulting in "rocker-cowgirl"
perfection you can carry with
you everywhere you go!
A collection of authentic,
handmade Navajo jewelry
curated by Kelly Pates of
Montana Nest will also be
available at this year's show.
"These are beautiful, unique
pieces," Fercho says. Most are
vintage, but Pates will also have
some contemporary styles up
for grabs.
Pates says she has been drawn to
Native American jewelry ever since
she had the opportunity to interact
with the women of the Miss Indian
America pageant who stayed with her
godmother in Wyoming when she was
a child.
"Listening to the drums, watching
these beautiful women dance in their
gowns, turquoise, quills, beads, feathers,
all of the colors and sounds involved in
the pageantry of the event was magical
to me as a little girl," she recalls. "I could
be a part of this through the jewelry."
Fercho, O'Shea, and Pates are
grateful for the opportunity to meet
with visitors face-to-face in the laid-
back atmosphere of the Darkhorse
Hall and Wine Snug. Fercho also hopes
to intermittently work on a new piece
during the show, giving guests a glimpse
into the creative process at work.
