A painter who has spent nearly five decades capturing the natural beauty of North Idaho is being recognized this month with one of the region’s top arts honors. Connie Scherr has been named the Pend Oreille Arts Council’s 2026 Artist of the Year, and a solo exhibition celebrating her work is currently on display at the POAC Gallery in downtown Sandpoint.
The exhibition, titled “Artist of the Year: Connie Scherr,” runs through the end of July at the gallery located at 313 N. Second Ave. in Sandpoint. Visitors can reach the gallery at 208-263-6139 for hours and additional information.
A Lifetime of Painting the Panhandle
Scherr’s connection to North Idaho is a long one. Born in Minneapolis and raised in Southern California, she made Bonner County her home in 1977 — a move that would shape the entire arc of her artistic career. The rugged shorelines of Lake Pend Oreille, the pine-covered slopes of Schweitzer Mountain, and the rolling countryside surrounding Sandpoint became her subjects, her studio, and ultimately her identity as a painter.
For more than three decades, Scherr worked primarily in watercolor, building a reputation among North Idaho art lovers for her sensitive eye and command of light. In the years that followed, she made the transition to oil painting, developing what is known as an alla prima style — a technique in which a painting is completed in a single session while the paint remains wet, demanding a decisive and confident hand. The approach suits her impressionistic vision, allowing her to capture the fleeting quality of light on water or snow in a way that feels immediate and alive.
Her canvases range across the seasons and landscapes that define life in the Idaho Panhandle: the still blue waters of Lake Pend Oreille at dusk, the wide open countryside stretching beyond Sandpoint, and the mountain terrain that draws skiers and outdoor enthusiasts from across the region every winter.
Decades of Service to the Local Arts Community
Scherr’s contributions to the arts in Sandpoint extend well beyond the easel. She has been a longtime member of the Pend Oreille Arts Council and has given back consistently through volunteer work at POAC events, including the organization’s annual Arts & Crafts Fair. Her participation in the Artists’ Studio Tour has brought her work directly into homes and studios, giving the public a closer look at her process.
She has also shown her paintings through the Schweitzer Artists’ Studio Gallery and various POAC exhibitions over the years, building a body of work that now spans multiple decades and mediums. Among her more visible contributions to the community is the creation of Festival at Sandpoint poster art — a visible symbol of Sandpoint’s broader cultural life that tens of thousands of residents and visitors encounter each summer.
The Artist of the Year honor from the Pend Oreille Arts Council reflects both the quality of her painting and the depth of her commitment to the local arts community. For an organization that depends heavily on member participation and community engagement, Scherr represents exactly the kind of figure the recognition is intended to celebrate.
What Comes Next
The “Artist of the Year: Connie Scherr” exhibition continues at the POAC Gallery at 313 N. Second Ave. in Sandpoint through the end of July 2026. For those who have followed her career across the decades — or for newcomers to North Idaho art discovering her work for the first time — the show offers a rare opportunity to see a concentrated collection of her impressionistic oils in one place. The gallery can be reached at 208-263-6139 for details on viewing hours.
For more on community events and local life across Bonner County and the Idaho Panhandle, visit the latest community coverage from Bonner County News. And for a look at local youth sports making their mark this summer, check out the Sandpoint Sasquatch 10U tournament run in Montana.