BY KAREN BOSSICK

Christie Graham looks around the new Graham Galleries on Sun Valley Road and gestures to a giant bison that evokes thoughts of Picasso, a shiny surfboard boasting an image of two wild horses, a shiny metal sculpture twisted various ways and colorful oil paintings with big brush strokes that speak to the adventure of skiing.

“I feel like we have something for everyone—fine art, oil paintings, abstract works, sculptures,” she said.

Cliff Graham, her husband, agreed: “No one has the pieces we do We wanted to bring unique art and sculpture here—works that can excite young people, as well as older collectors.”

Christie and Cliff Graham recently opened their new art gallery in the space formerly occupied by Topnotch Furnishings. And they are looking forward to introducing themselves during the March Gallery Walk from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 7.

“Cliff and I both have loved art since we were children,” said Christie. “Cliff had designed a piece representing Bald Mountain and Sun Valley and he was thinking: What am I going to do to get this out there? He said, ‘Let’s not live with regret. Let’s open a gallery. We both love art, we love people.’ And, as you can see with the Scottish travel agent who was just in here, we can connect with the world through our gallery.”

Both Cliff and Christie believe that art is an adventure. Both know what they like, and both want to share what they like with others.

Cliff might be best known in the Sun Valley area, where the couple have had a home since 1996, for the poster he made of the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse that crossed over Sun Valley. He sold more than 800 of those posters with some of them going home with astrophysicists to places like Harvard and Yale universities and even Melbourne, Australia.

His art career spans more than 40 years utilizing a wide range of mediums, including acrylics and watercolors. His “Afterglow,” which features Bald Mountain, came to life with the help of Chris O’Rourke, a sculptor from Las Vegas.

He has also designed concepts for a myriad of cafes and restaurants, youth facilities and afterschool programs. Some may remember his work at Ketchum’s Bob Dog Pizza where a ski chair dangled from the ceiling, Albert Einstein hung on the wall and Bald Mountain was moved inside.

“I didn’t study art—it was a gift,” he said.

He has created a host of murals, one based around the front of a fire truck sticking out. Another took Route 66 and wound it through a children’s facility; still another depicted the mountains of Kauai throughout a residential home.

“He’s about enjoying the process,” said Christie. “I’ve tried to pass that on to our daughters—the idea that it’s not about perfection but enjoying the process.”

The artists whose work is currently featured in Graham Galleries includes that of Las Vegas sculpture artist Chris O’Rourke. O’Rourke uses metal as his medium, creating shapes by cutting, bending and welding the metal to convey an aesthetic that is otherwise difficult to express but often mesmerizing to look at.

Chris Mantle is based in Tulsa, Okla., where he draws inspiration from the state’s iconic imagery such as the bison and imbues it with influences from Picasso and Basquiat. He dotes on his can of black spray paint, calling his art “controlled chaos.” And he’s ventured out of the natural world to create pieces like “Bike Polo” which, polo players have noted, accurately reflects the way the bicyclists hold the handlebar while playing.

Heather Mehra-Pedersen of Sandpoint paints skiers in works that embody the thrill and spirit of the sport of skiing. She was inspired by her daughter, who is an extreme skier who skis Sun Valley. Her father, from India, is 90 and has been skiing in Sun Valley for 30 years.

Bobbi Bennett, who lives in Malibu, transforms surfboards into collectible art, blending her photography with high-fashion and vintage designs. Her work has ended up in the homes of such celebrities as Dennis Quaid and Bruce Johnston, and one even found its way into the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The Grahams hope to expand into the upstairs floor in time for the 2025 Audi FIS World Cup Finals held in Sun Valley March 20-27.

“We hope to make a it a place where people can relax, maybe spend time in dialog,” said Christie.