Jeff Hughart is a self-described ‘outsider artist” who creates boldly expressive abstract paintings in his basement Bonnerport Building studio in Bonner’s Ferry. He also has several paintings on display for sale at the Groove Studio, an artist-run cooperative gallery owned by Carolyn Testa. There is an unmistakable raw edginess in Jeff’s creations, works which have been compared to both cave paintings and children’s art. The colorful, primitive, and visceral pieces seem to demand an instant reaction from the viewer, and Jeff himself will be the first to admit not everyone is a fan. ‘At one gallery event I overheard a lady (pointing to one of my paintings) say her kid could paint better than that” Jeff recalls. ‘I thought to myself I hope they can, and I really don’t mean that in a vindictive way. People have different tastes and their own understanding about what is and what isn’t art and that’s fine.”