The Lake City’s newest big event, the Heart of the West art show, kicks off at noon today at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Featuring 70 artists, the three-day show and auction will offer art lovers and collectors a wide range of what Morgan Cawdrey, the show’s director, calls “the art of the American West.”

“It could be an artist who lives in the West and paints florals, or it could be an artist who lives in Maryland who paints cowboys,” Cawdrey said.

While the exhibiting artists’ works will offer traditional Western art themes — buffalo, Indians, teepees and wildlife — Cawdrey said he encouraged more contemporary, young and emerging artists to participate as well.

Cawdrey, of Whitefish, Mont., said his mother, Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey, is a professional artist who falls into the latter category.

“She does very colorful contemporary artwork that stands out in the western world,” said Cawdrey, an artist himself.

This is not Cawdrey’s first foray into running a large art show. For four years, with his father, Steve, Cawdrey helped run the Western Masters Art Show and Sale in Great Falls, Mont.

Last summer, they decided to find another venue, and settled on Coeur d’Alene.

“Coeur d’Alene is such a great art community, and it’s a desirable place for people to visit,” Cawdrey said.

Local artists will be featured at The Resort, along with artists from many other states. Cawdrey said show participants are roughly 50 percent male and 50 percent female.

“I think that’s a higher percentage of women artists than are found at most art shows, especially high-end ones,” he said.

The majority of the artwork will be displayed in hotel rooms. There will be 40 artists featured in some of The Resort’s Park Tower rooms, and about eight artists will be exhibiting in Lake Tower rooms.

“It’s a really intimate setting for collectors and lovers of art to meet an artist and be around their body of work in this way,” Cawdrey said. “It’s very much a one-on-one experience.”

In several of The Resort’s convention bays, 14 booths will offer additional artists’ works.

All the events are free and open to the public.

The exhibit rooms will be open from noon to 10 p.m. today, with a “Quick Finish Artists’ Demonstration” from 5-7 p.m. in the Convention Center.

The exhibit rooms will be open again from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with artist demonstrations and discussions scheduled at various times.

From 4-7 p.m. Saturday, the show’s art auction will be held in Bays 1-3 of the Convention Center.

For more details and a peek some of the works that will be on display and available for auction, visit heartofthewestart.com

There are also volunteer opportunities available for community members who would like to get more involved in the event by helping on the customer service desk or serving as art auction attendants, live auction clerks and art handlers. To volunteer, visit: www.signupschedule.com/heartofthewest.