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Tag: Rob Schouten Gallery

Rob Schouten Gallery wins ‘Best Art Gallery’

Nov. 19, 2014

“It was a happy surprise to find we had been nominated for “Best Art Gallery” in King 5 TV’s Best of Western Washington contest. Once we knew, we let our customers and community know. It was great, everyone was so enthusiastic, more than willing to vote and spread the word,” owner Rob Schouten said.

Paintings by Jacob Kohn and ceramics by Dan Ishler (photo courtesy of the gallery)

“It was a nice way to connect with our patrons, and it got exciting as we saw our rating rise and rise! Two hours before voting closed we were thrilled to see our gallery at #1. Shortly after that the site removed all data, so we had to wait two weeks, until Nov. 14 to learn the final voting results.

The official announcement from King 5 came last Friday: “Voters named Rob Schouten Gallery the Best Art Gallery in Western Washington for 2014. More than 185 other nominees competed for the title, but in the end there was only one winner. Thanks to all who voted, and congratulations to the Rob Schouten Gallery.”

Photo of the announcement as it was made on TV (photo courtesy of the gallery)

Not only did the Schouten Gallery garner enough votes to win over Chihuly Glass, the Seattle Art Museum, and more then 180 other top area galleries, over 100 voters left glowing comments as well. Comments like:

“This gallery is truly exemplary of all the artistic talent on Whidbey Island. We are presented with glass, wood, jewelry, woven art, sculpture, bird carvings, in addition to Rob’s internationally respected paintings and the welcoming greetings from Victory, Rob, and their staff. How lucky we are!”

“Have traveled the world and never found such an eclectic, wonderfully presented, diverse and premier buying opportunity as Rob and Victory Schouten’s wonderful gallery on Whidbey Island.”

“This is a beautiful gallery run by wonderful owners. I go here whenever I am in Washington. Never a dull wall! Love it!”

“Highly skilled artist, Rob Schouten, has created a small, yet always visually stunning gallery with an array of fine artists. This gallery is a”schlock-free” environment.”

“Flower,” steel sculpture by Dan Freeman (photo courtesy of the gallery)

“Art that evokes a feeling of real life; an unpretentious gallery. Down-to-earth folks are Rob and Victory. The place is a spirit lifter.”

“Artist-owned with an amazing and eclectic mix of Whidbey related and general interest beauty. A must-visit gallery and a great supporter of the Whidbey arts community.”

Established at Whidbey’s Greenbank Farm in 2008, Rob Schouten Gallery and Sculpture Garden’s showcases top-quality painting and sculpture as well as fine art glass, jewelry, ceramics, encaustics, woodworking, printmaking, woodworking and fiber arts created by some of the region’s finest artists.

Blown glass by Robert Adamson (photo courtesy of the gallery)

“Victory and I really love our gallery,” Schouten said, “and we are proud to represent the 30 world-class artists who show with us. We also very much appreciate our wonderful customers and community with whom we very much value a warm connection.”

“We also feel extremely lucky to be a part of Whidbey’s thriving arts-loving community. Whidbey has a number of terrific groups and individuals supporting the arts in myriad ways, and a good representation of top-notch studios and galleries exhibiting and promoting the island’s many fine artists. We would not want to be anywhere else.”

“We are particularly happy to be a part of Greenbank Farm with its other fine galleries, shops and cafe. We hope our win as “Best Gallery in Western Washington” adds to the buzz making the Farm, and Whidbey Island itself, even more of a destination place, as it so deserves to be.”

The Rob Schouten Gallery is having a party from 1 to 4 p.m.on Sunday, Dec. 14 to celebrate their wonderful year and the holiday season. There will be refreshments and the wonderful music of Keith Bowers and Kristi O’Donnell to add to the fun. The Schoutens hope you can join them!

The gallery lit up at night (photo courtesy of the gallery)

November 19, 2014
Keiichi Nishimura: ‘I Just Went in for the Pie’

BY MARTHA McCARTNEY
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
October 1, 2014

“I just went in for the pie,” said Japanese artist, Keiichi Nishimura, about his recent visit to Greenbank Farm. “And before I came out,” he continued, “I had a show.”

Rob Schouten Gallery in Greenbank (near Whidbey Pie Café) is pleased to be the first to introduce this amazingly accomplished artist in his first show on Whidbey Island. The show will run from Oct. 1 to Oct. 30, with a reception from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12.

“Twilight Wave,” mixed-media on silk by Keiichi Nishimura. (Images courtesy of the artist)

Nishimura was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1949. His father, Jintaro Nishimura, was a master in the style of painting on silk for the traditional kimono. The younger Nishimura was initially advised against becoming an artist by his mother. He tried, for a while, to follow her wishes, but found that he had a natural ability. “I was born to it,” he said. “I felt as if I didn’t have to learn it—the skill was already with me.”

Nishimura at work in his studio (Photo by Martha McCartney)

Finally, at the age of 27, Nishimura began his formal study with his father as master. He describes that time as one of observing and learning the basics. An apprentice lives with the master, learning first about the materials and tools of the art and spending years learning to mix colors and make paint the correct consistency. Everything about the process is painstakingly exact.

The paint, Nishimura said, is made from a mixture of pigment that he calls “mineral” or suihigofun and melted pine sap or nikawa—the binding agent that allows the paint to adhere to the silk. The mineral must be ground very finely before being combined with the heated sap.

“Peaceful Morning,” mixed-media on silk by Keiichi Nishimura.

Standing in his studio, one sees dozens of small jars holding varying colors of minerals that look like grains of coarse salt. He picked out one that was half-full of a gray color. “This is gray,” he said. He then picked out four other jars containing four other colors. “This is what I may mix to get a shade of gray. The colors I make have no names.”

He paints at a low table while seated on a tatami on the floor. After the grinding and mixing on a sheet of glass, he places each color in its own small porcelain dish. He begins each in charcoal and then renders them onto silk that is stretched on wooden frames.

“The first time I tried to stretch the silk was very difficult,” Nishimura said. “I did not even think I would be able to do that part.”

Nishimura demonstrates mixing the paint (photo by Martha McCartney)

“The background is the most important part of the painting,” he explained. “It has to be exactly the right shade in order for the rest of the painting to begin.” He uses a wide brush for applying the background.

In addition to paint he applies gold leaf, which is wrapped in tidy paper-covered packets as it comes from Japan. He also uses a spattering technique to apply tiny chips of metal leaf to the surface, which lends an additional texture and source of light.

After Nishimura completed his apprenticeship he lived in San Francisco for several years and then in Hawaii where he exhibited in many galleries and became quite successful. Now from his light-filled Whidbey Island studio overlooking a mesmerizing view of Puget Sound, he is working on designs that are being reproduced on fabric by a textile manufacturer.

“Flower Waves,” mixed-media on silk from the artist’s private collection. (Image courtesy of the artist)

I bent low over one of Nishimura’s paintings to examine closely his technique. In one section of the silk was (in my ignorance of his skill) what I would have thought was a collage—a piece of patterned paper applied to the surface.

As I looked more closely, I understood that it was entirely hand-painted, and the portion I was examining was a repeating pattern of small flowers. “But these flowers are all exactly the same,” I said, as I looked towards him for confirmation and explanation.

“Yes. That is how they must be,” he answered.

Keiichi Nishimura with a fabric panel using his art. (Photo by Martha McCartney)

To see more of the art of Keiichi Nishimura, visit his website at www.nishimuraart.com.

Rob Schouten Gallery, is located at 765 Wonn Road, #C-103 at the historic Greenbank Farm. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and closed Tuesday, or available by appointment.

Image at top: Keiichi Nishimura and one of his silk paintings (photo by Martha McCartney)

Martha is a poet, photographer, mixed-media artist, persistent gardener and candle-maker. She has never really gotten over not being photographed for a Richard Brautigan book cover. Currently she is learning to navigate by using her inner compass, which she keeps pointed towards her own true north.

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October 1, 2014
Rob Schouten Gallery presents Keiichi Nishimura’s mixed-media paintings on silk through October

Sept. 24, 2014

Come see the moon and the sea in a whole new, elysian light.

Rob Schouten Gallery presents “Keiichi Nishimura, Mixed-Media Paintings on Silk” in this longtime artist’s first Whidbey Island show from Oct. 1 to 30.

Nishimura is known for his unique approach to wave imagery and his use of metal leaf within each of his original, one-of-a-kind paintings on silk.

Nishimura’s work is a modern interpretation of traditional images and techniques. He understands deeply both the discipline of his Eastern culture and the freedom of Western expression—a combination he strives to integrate into his work.

“When I came to this country 30 years ago, all I saw in California was an old style of Asian art,” Nishimura said. “I wanted to show people a new style of painting; I wanted them to see more of what was current art in Japan.”

Nishimura began taking what he saw as a traditional Japanese style of art to a new place, adding his own semi-abstract style on familiar themes.

“Quiet Storm,” triptych, mixed-media on silk by Keiichi Nishimura. (photo courtesy of the artist)

The medium he uses is a water-based pigment derived from suihigofun (a mineral), which the artist grinds to a finer consistency and then mixes with a delicate balance of nikawa (melted pine sap). The nikawa is what gives the pigment its deep rich color and also enables it to adhere to the silk. Variances in color and tone are created by hand with wide brushes. He may incorporate a color resistant technique using flour or sand, sumi (charcoal), gold leafing, ink and other techniques all in a single work.

Now a resident of Whidbey Island, Nishimura was born in Kyoto, Japan, where he began his training as an artist in 1976 under the apprenticeship of his father, Jintaro Nishimura, a master artist for more than half a century. Nishimura has shown his work extensively in the San Francisco Bay area and in Hawaii.

The artist said he is excited to have the Whidbey community see his work and is curious to know what people here will make of it.

“I’m just so glad to have this opportunity to show my paintings on this beautiful island for the very first time,” he said.

The gallery will also feature Anne Belov’s original drawings from her children’s picture book “Pandamorphosis” for two weeks only, from Oct. 1 through Oct. 15, with an artist book-signing from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct.11.

Please join us for light refreshments and a chance to meet both these artists from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12 during Greenbank Farm’s “Second Sunday at the Farm” event, when the Farm’s galleries, shops, cafe and market welcome visitors to enjoy a relaxed afternoon of fine art, good food, natural beauty and lively conversation.

Pictured at top is “Peaceful Morning,” mixed-media on silk by Keiichi Nishimura. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Rob Schouten Gallery, a premier showcase for Whidbey Island and Northwest artists, is located at 765 Wonn Road, #C-103 at the historic Greenbank Farm. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends; closed Tuesday or by appointment. For further information, call 360-222-3070 or email info@robschoutengallery.com.

September 24, 2014
‘Still Life, Still Water—Paintings by Anne Belov and Jacob Kohn’ continues at Rob Schouten Gallery

August 12, 2014

Step into the realm of the seasoned painter.

Rob Schouten Gallery presents “Still Life, Still Water” featuring the paintings of Anne Belov and Jacob Kohn continues through August 27.

As island artist Belov moves along the continuum of her long painting life, her work, she says, “is the same, only more so.” In other words, in more than 35 years of painting, Belov gets deeper into the style and skill that is undeniably her own.

Belov continues to explore the ancient medium of egg tempera, using egg yolk to bind powdered pigment in order to create her colors. The paint is applied in many thin, translucent layers, using small brush strokes. The finished painting achieves a lustrous quality, which she finishes with oil glazing to bring an additional richness to the finished painting.

“Considering Vermeer” is an egg tempera with oil glaze painting by Anne Belov. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Tipping her hat to the great Dutch masters, this artist admits a fascination with depicting everyday life. “The still moment becomes the still life and everywhere I go, everything I see, becomes a subject for painting,” she said.

Whether it’s a street scene from home or Europe, or a naturalistic still-life of a kitchen sink filled with dirty dishes, Belov captures the authentic moments of the human condition.

This painter can also be playful. In her painting titled “Considering Vermeer,” Belov sticks her modern toe in traditional waters.

“This painting portrays two women, studying a Vermeer painting of a woman pouring from a pitcher of milk, in the Rijksmuseum,” Belov said. “They appear to be taking notes or sketching, as you can see the corner of a notebook in one woman’s hand.”

Rich color, a stunning use of light and a natural affinity for the subjects of everyday life combine to make Belov’s paintings an enjoyable and wholly relatable viewing experience.

Speaking of experience, Seattle artist Jacob Kohn has long experience as a professional painter, in addition to his continued work as a professor in the Department of Design at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. In this show of new works, Kohn dives ever more deeply into his myth-like theme of water and its dreamy, floating, flowering plant-life.

“I have returned time and again to the realism of nature as a subject because it provides me with a visual language that best expresses the abstract energy and emotional color that I find essential in my art,” Kohn said.

“Earl Grey” features the colorful plant-life on water that is the delightful subject of Jacob Kohn’s work. (photo by Bret Corrington of Artist Eye Studio)

The shifting forms created by moving water, the vibrant plant-life colors, the rich contrasts of pattern and hue in nature and the effects of light on water give this artist plenty of elements for inspiration.

“I’m a colorist,” Kohn said. “I love color and create my own colors, of which I use about eight to make-up my palette for all the paintings.”

Those colors are further emphasized by Kohn’s playful titles for these news paintings, some of which reflect his tea lover’s sensibility, including “Lemon Zinger,” “Darjeeling,” “Earl Grey” and “Vanilla Spice.”

“Still Life, Still Water” opened Friday, Aug. 1 and runs through Wednesday, Aug. 27.

Rob Schouten Gallery, a premier showcase for Whidbey Island and Northwest artists, is located at 765 Wonn Road, #C-103 at the historic Greenbank Farm. Gallery Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For further information, call 360-222-3070 or email info@robschoutengallery.com.

Pictured at top is Anne Belov’s “Radiance,” oil on linen. (photo courtesy of the artist)

August 10, 2014
‘Watercolors in the Garden — paintings by Kay Parsons’ reception Sunday, July 13

July 9, 2014

‘Watercolors in the Garden’ paintings by Kay Parsons is the July show at the Rob Schouten Gallery. The special artist reception is 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 13.

Climb into Kay Parsons’ rabbit hole of flowers, a watercolored wonderland of botanical delights in which Alice herself would feel at home. “Painting is a conversation with my garden,” Parsons said.

“My garden stands as a chapel to my belief in everything: Life, death, dying back, renewal, exuberance, sadness, acceptance and beauty. I am tied to the land.”

Indeed, Parsons paints closeups of flowers and garden life that smack of a hot aromatic exuberance. A painting of a moth sporting velvety brown and white Appaloosa wings is drenched in a satisfying pool of saturated color. For the flowers, she brushes on light and color in a way that reveals the heady lusciousness of the plants, filled as they are with her evident passion for all that her garden grows.

As for process, Parsons says she doesn’t dwell too long on that white sheet of paper, but instead lunges at that creative moment that transforms what she sees into potential for a new painting.

“Tiger Moth I” by Kay Parsons is one of the paintings featured in “Watercolors in the Garden” at Rob Schouten Gallery in July. / Photo courtesy of the artist.

“A moment of a petal moving in light; a moth lightly holding its wings at rest waiting for night; or a fish gliding in quiet serenity,” she said, describing scenes from the garden that inspire her. “There is a moment that moves like visual poetry across the horizon, percolates insistently and I paint.”

“Watercolors in the Garden” runs through Thursday, July 30. Please join us for light refreshments and a chance to meet the artist from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 13 during Greenbank Farm’s “Second Sunday at the Farm” event, when the Farm’s galleries, shops, cafe and market welcome visitors to enjoy a relaxed afternoon of fine art, good food, natural beauty and lively conversation.

Rob Schouten Gallery, a premier showcase for Whidbey Island and Northwest artists, is located at 765 Wonn Road, #C-103 at the historic Greenbank Farm. Gallery Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For further information, call 360.222.3070 or email info@robschoutengallery.com.

Pictured at top, “Glad Tidings,” a watercolor by Kay Parsons./Photo courtesy of the artist.

July 8, 2014
Birding and art events through May for “Taking Flight” at Rob Schouten Gallery
April 28, 2014

On any given day at Greenbank Farm there’s a good chance you’ll see a variety of birds, with more than 80 species identified on the farm throughout the year. Geese and ducks dominate the pond and are never shy about greeting visitors. Resident blue herons wander the far field and command attention each day as they spread their broad blue wings and take flight. Falcons and eagles are easily spotted, while hummingbirds entertain everybody as they dive-bomb the flowers. In short, there’s always an abundance of birds on the island and many artists take note of their ample grace and variety of personalities.

“Robin,” watercolor on paper by Frances Wood will be at the Rob Schouten Gallery through June 2. / Photo courtesy of the artist

Sculptor Sharon Spencer and watercolorist Frances Wood are two Whidbey Island artists who are very much inspired by birds. Both artists have an intimate knowledge and deep respect for these creatures, which brings out special and lovingly rendered works of art.

The birds of Spencer and Wood will be featured at Rob Schouten Gallery at Greenbank Farm through May with “Taking Flight,” an exhibition devoted to each artist’s love and respect for these feathered friends. The show opens Friday, May 2 and runs through Monday, June 2. Several special events for bird enthusiasts and art lovers alike have been planned to coincide with “Taking Flight,” including:
- Opening night reception with light refreshments at First Friday at the Farm from 5 to 8 p.m. on May 2 at Rob Schouten Gallery.
- Birdwatching with Whidbey Audubon members Frances Wood and Phyllis Kind at Greenbank Farm from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, May 6, with refreshments at Rob Schouten Gallery to follow.
- “Whidbey’s Favorite Birds,” an illustrated talk with Frances Wood at the Langley Library from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10.
- Frances Wood talks bird art at the “Saturday Salon” at Ryan and Friends Fine Art in Coupeville from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 17.
- “Taking Flight,” a short talk on art and process with Sharon Spencer and Frances Wood from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25 at Rob Schouten Gallery; light refreshments served.
Please come and see us at Greenbank Farm in the heart of Whidbey Island. Enjoy the gorgeous views and trails as well as all the galleries and shops at the farm including the famous Whidbey Pies Café.

Rob Schouten Gallery, a premier showcase for Whidbey Island and Northwest artists, is located at 765 Wonn Road, #C-103 at the historic Greenbank Farm. May Gallery Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For further information, call 360.222.3070 or email info@robschoutengallery.com.

Pictured at top, “Solitude,” bronze sculpture by Sharon Spencer. / Michael Stadler photo
April 28, 2014
‘Stones and Scrolls—Willow and Wax,’ new works by Kathleen Otley continues at Rob Schouten Gallery

April 16, 2014

Rob Schouten Gallery is proud to present “Stones and Scrolls — Willow and Wax” showing new works by Whidbey artist Kathleen Otley. The show opens April 2 and runs through April 28.

“In this show, I explore the idea of creating new works of art that I hope invoke in the viewer a sense of objects preserved and valued from the past,” Otley said.

Otley’s is a show of lively contemporary works that simultaneously create a feeling of antiquity by way of the artist’s use of ancient scrolls, a primitive painting style, and her clever use of other unexpected materials in her encaustics. Otley also makes new explorations in her bundled-willow wall art. The artist notes that this show will contain an element of surprise, and that she’s doing some different things for this show.

“The willow constructions will feature encaustic work and the encaustic paintings will feature willow,” she said. Otley’s use of mixed elements, including willow sticks, smooth stones, ancient Chinese scrolls, copper wire, feathers, fabric, colorful threads, wax and sweetly painted, colorful birds make her work one-of-a-kind and a pleasure to see. She creates pieces that emit an antique warmth, while also remaining lively and current, making her work suitable for both the modern luxury home, as well as the comfortable country cottage or beach house.

The exhibit runs through Monday, April 28.

Rob Schouten Gallery, a premier showcase for Whidbey Island and Northwest artists, is located at historic Greenbank Farm on scenic Whidbey Island. April Gallery Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends, open Tuesdays by appointment only. For further information, call 360.222.3070 or email info@robschoutengallery.com.

Photos by Kay Parsons.

April 16, 2014
Spotlight | Encaustic artist Kathleen Otley brings her past forward with new works at Rob Schouten Gallery

BY PATRICIA DUFF
April 1, 2014

Everything once found becomes new again—at least for artists such as Kathleen Otley.

Her most recent show, “Stones and Scrolls—Willow and Wax,” opens April 2 and runs through April 28 at Rob Schouten Gallery at Greenbank Farm.

This Greenbank artist creates mixed-media works that reflect a modern take on ancient and earthly things. As someone who uses a predominance of willow sticks, smooth stones, nests, painted birds, eggs, wire, feathers, colorful threads, the scrolls of Asian texts and various other treasures in her encaustics and wall shields, it’s no surprise that Otley has always been a hunter and gatherer of interesting objects.

As a child, she especially enjoyed family outings to Indian reservations and roadside attractions.

“I loved the roadside craft stores where I wet my taste for the mixed-media creations of the local tribes. I wondered at the dolls, blankets and rugs. I collected special turquoise rocks and beads and trinkets, planning things I would create myself when I got home,” the artist said.

Although she dreamed of one day owning such store of her own, it seems her studio is the place that has come to reflect that love of roadside whimsy, mixed with the influence of tribal earthiness.

Just like her trips in the car as a child, she said she always has her eye out for that special object.

“I collect these treasures or simply ruminate on them and find my inspiration eventually leading to a work of art,” Otley said.

“From that first piece of work comes inspiration to the second, where changes will lead to the next evolution, and so a body of work distinguishes itself to the next body of work.”

Kathleen Otley’s encaustic mixed-media sculptures often include painted birds, old scrolls with asian texts, nests, eggs and twigs. | Photos courtesy of the artist

And so has evolved this newest body of work for Rob Schouten Gallery where she regularly shows her art.

A reception for the artist will be held on Friday, April 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. during Greenbank Farm’s “First Friday at the Farm” event. Come in and enjoy light refreshments while viewing “Stones and Scrolls—Willow and Wax,” when all the galleries and shops at the farm welcome patrons to enjoy an evening of art and conversation, and when the Pies Café serves a special dinner. The exhibit runs through Monday, April 28.

Rob Schouten Gallery, a premier showcase for Whidbey Island and Northwest artists, is located at historic Greenbank Farm on scenic Whidbey Island. April Gallery Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends, open Tuesdays by appointment only. For further information, call 360-222-3070 or email info@robschoutengallery.com.

March 31, 2014
New book launch party and reading by poet Lorraine Healy is March 27

March 18, 2014

The Rob Schouten Gallery at Greenbank Farm presents Whidbey Island poet Lorraine Healy at the release party for her latest chapbook “Abraham’s Voices,” a series of 10 poems accompanied by an assemblage of black-and-white photographs, also created by Healy. The artist will read from the book at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 27 at the gallery.

“Abraham’s Voices” is Whidbey Island poet Lorraine Healy’s latest book. / Book cover photo courtesy of the artist

The poet, whose previous published collections include “The Habit of Buenos Aires,” “The Farthest South” and “The Archipelago” said that “Abraham’s Voices” is a complete departure from her normal experience of writing poems. The poems were spurred by a comment she heard on the radio; something along the lines of: “If 1.2 billion people on earth claim to be the descendants of Abraham, then why can’t we all get along?”

“It was like nothing that has ever happened to me before,” Healy said. “I immediately had the thought: What if Abraham was a schizophrenic and the voices he claimed to hear were just hallucinations? Had we built 4,000 years of civilization on the schizophrenic thoughts of one man?” Healy said when she sat down at her desk, the poem “Abraham” just flowed out of her in one sitting. She also realized that, although she was raised Catholic, she had none of the historical facts of the Bible, only what the priests of her childhood had interpreted for her. She sat down, read Genesis, and began researching its stories.

In the feminist “midrash” tradition espoused by poets such as Lucille Clifton and Alicia Ostriker, Healy reimagines the biblical story of Abraham told with the voices of those who are silent in the Bible, including Abraham’s wife Sarah, his sons Ishmael and Isaac, Hagar the slave, the nameless Lot’s wife, and even the ram, which gets sacrificed instead of Isaac.

“The poems came to me as if they were channeled,” she said.

“I don’t know where they came from; they are unlike my usual poetry and are more fragmentary, with a different style of syntax. It was just a wild ride. It freaked me out a little, to be quite honest.”

The books came as 10 poems, not quite large enough to complete a chapbook.

“I couldn’t control the process. When they stopped, they stopped,” she said.

Here’s one of the poems from the collection:

sarai, close to Egypt

he said—and there were stars
heard him—
you are beyond lovely

and I fear for my
life—how can the powerful
abstain from you?

let us say this:

let us, he said,
us
and it was night
and the moon heard it

his god allowed this

© Lorraine Healy from “Abraham’s Voices,” published by World Enough Writers Cooperative Press, 2014

Knowing that Healy is also a photographer, the publisher at World Enough Writers Cooperative Press, asked the poet if she had some photographs that could accompany the poems in order to make the book complete. Healy coincidentally had a cadre of photographs from a recent trip to Paris, where she had photographed countless statuary in the cathedrals and at the Louvre Museum.

She began playing with the photos, superimposing the iconography of Europe with the walls of Fort Casey and other spontaneous and disjointed collages.

“I wanted the photos to be as wild as the poems. I allowed myself to play with them—superimposing negatives, playing around with them freely,” Healy said. The result is that the photographs riff on Abraham’s Sumerian origins and these characters’ presence in the visual iconography of Christian Europe.

Light refreshments will be served and the author will be signing books. Admittance is free and everyone is welcome. Any donations made will go to Ms. Healy. For more information about the poet and photographer, visit www.LorraineHealy.com.

Rob Schouten Gallery, a premier showcase for Whidbey Island and Northwest artists, is located at historic Greenbank Farm on scenic Whidbey Island. March Gallery Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends, open Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment only. For further information, call 360-222-3070 or email info@robschoutengallery.com.

March 17, 2014
Duff ’n Stuff | Glorious artists, gratifying process

BY PATRICIA DUFF
March 14, 2014

Lately I’ve been charged with paying close attention to the work of other artists. I work part-time these days at Rob Schouten Gallery at Greenbank Farm where I spend time talking to patrons about 30 or so fine artists whose works and processes I’ve come to know fairly well. It’s a happy job, selling art. It’s kind of like selling the best spirit of someone else, selling a product that brings joy and beauty into the lives of others. It’s a positive pursuit, and when I sell a piece of art I feel somewhat as if I’ve done a good deed for the day—something that adds to making the world a better place. I know, kind of schmaltzy, but true for me.

I also continue to write part-time about artists. Currently I am writing a story for the first print edition of WLM about a handful of young artists who grew up on Whidbey Island, all extremely talented and each an inspiration to me as I follow the trajectory of their artistic careers. When I write about artists, I absorb a bit of vicarious satisfaction from knowing that here is still a segment of the population that will go out into the world with music, art, entertainment─all those things that come back to beauty and truth, things that add alacrity and grace to the world. Don’t worry, I tell myself as I turn away from yet another disconcerting story in the news, here are more of the saviors coming up in the world, those who will push back against a culture somewhat overwhelmed by technology, climate-change, poverty, wars and extinction. Here are the positive ones, the “interestings,” the non-cubicled, the beauty-makers. I thank my lucky stars every day for them and those like them.

All this focus on other artists makes me pine for the days when my life was focused on a purely artistic career. I spent about 12 years after college seriously pursuing a life as a working actor. I miss the days of marginal living, when memorizing scripts, rehearsing late into the evening and pounding the pavement for that next part were the focus of my youthful self. Although I must admit, my memory is selective and romantic, and if I force myself to remember the whole picture, much of it was drudgery. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t hack such a life and I went back to school for writing. But the memory of the pleasure of being preoccupied by a pure artistic pursuit remains.

Becky Ann Baker, Frances McDormand and Estelle Parsons played the leading roles in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2011 production of “Good People.” / Photo from www.thelmagazine.com

I’m happy to bring back some of that happy countenance when I plunge myself into a play at a local community theater, as I do now with a part in David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Good People” for OutCast Productions in Langley. I often tell my friends that I’m happiest when I’m creating something; acting is my anti-depressant of sorts and I’m grateful to playwrights who give women such juicy parts. I play Margie Walsh, a blue-collar, middle-aged woman who has lived all her life in South Boston, and who has lost yet another job and now faces eviction. There’s more to it than that, but for now my main goal is to memorize, get the dialect right and think about how a woman who has spent her entire life trying to stay one step ahead of debt collectors would walk, sit, laugh, stave off misery and endure. Oh joy, oh process!

Hopefully I will add my own bit of positive artistic something to the world as do those I admire most.

(“Good People” opens May 9 at the Black Box Theater at the fairgrounds. Visit www.outcastproductions.net for more info.)

Patricia Duff is a freelance writer and journalist, seller of art and sometime actor.

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March 14, 2014