R. David Wilson is a textile artist and impressionist painter. His work is suffused with vibrant hues and bold textures—influenced by the clean, clear colors of the Flathead Valley where he was raised, Glacier Park where he has spent countless hours since childhood, and Latin America where he lived for several years. His paintings have long been a staple of local galleries and are found in a number of private and museum collections across the Pacific Northwest and in Mexico. To make the textile works in this exhibition, Wilson employed a punch needle technique which became popular in the late 1800s and is used primarily to speed up the process of rug hooking. The threaded needle is used in a continuous motion allowing the artist to practice a kind of slow-motion 'drawing.' Traditionally it is the looped side that is presented to the viewer, while the verso remains hidden. But in Wilson’s pieces we see the verso, which offers a clearer rendering of the image and is often embellished with embroidery and beadwork. "After decades of painting," says Wilson, "these textile pieces provide new and exciting ways to interpret and recreate my experiences in the world."