Large black crows oversee women tending to chores beneath darkening skies.

One woman wields an ax. The other pumps water into a pail.

In her artist's statement about these works of graphite and oil on wood panel, Stephanie Frostad, of Missoula, quotes a Zen proverb: "Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood and carry water."

"This means that whatever our achievements or challenges, we still have to complete everyday tasks," the artist writes. "'Chop Wood, Carry Water' is a reversible diptych, meaning the panels tie together in either arrangement. I have used this format not to suggest different interpretive possibilities, but to reiterate the routines of tending hearth fires and working for sustenance and cleanliness.

"Few of us need to literally chop wood and carry water these days, but we all have basic responsibilities to sustain health and well-being."

Frostad's pieces are joined by those of ceramic artist Laura Nuchols of Spokane, Seattle pottery artist Deb Schwartzkopf and fellow Missoula resident, pottery artist Julia Galloway, in the Art Spirit Gallery's "Fresh Perspective" exhibit, on display now through Oct. 3.

"Fresh Perspective" is filled with art that will make viewers take a second look.

Gallery manager Chelsea Cordova said while at first Frostad's pieces may seem historical, "her underlying message is meant to reflect the challenges we all face for survival as individuals and a collective."

"In these uncertain times, her work especially resonates as a reminder that we are all striving for reconciliation, healing, sustenance and consolation," Cordova said.

From Julia Galloway's pieces featuring urns dedicated to the endangered species of the United States to the tactile experiences brought forth by the Schwartzkopf and Nuchols, "Fresh Perspectives" allows the mind to quietly reflect on the world, without and within.

"This particular show has a sense of peace and calm that it’s bringing a lot of people," Art Spirit owner Blair Williams said. "We have a lot of gratitude that we can offer that."

Art Spirit is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 415 Sherman Ave., Coeur d'Alene.

Info: www.theartspiritgallery.com