Tag: Whidbey artists

Pigments, Perspectives, and Pandas || Pssst. Can I interest You in A Vermeer?
This weekend marks the fifth year of Forgeries@Froggwell and, in my not-so-humble opinion, it’s going to be a doozy of a show. What began as sort of a visual bón mót has grown to be a much-anticipated biannual event.

From small, quiet sketches to all-out virtuoso feats of painterly brilliance, this show has something for everyone. The exhibition features more than 30 artists, with works ranging from Ernest H. Shepard’s sketches for “The House at Pooh Corner,” to Vermeer’s “Woman in a Red Hat” and a Francis Bacon self-portrait.

From “The House at Pooh Corner” by Anne Belov after E H Shepard; pencil on paper

The question of “why” always comes up when I talk about the show. One answer is that it’s a whole lot of fun, not to mention a challenge. I can’t answer for every artist in the show, but for me, it boils down to a couple of things: I think that visual artists learn by looking rather than reading about how to do something. Trying to replicate what they see visually requires lots of trial and error, decision-making, and experimentation.

Self-portrait by Bruce Morrow after Francis Bacon; oil on canvas

One might ask, where is the challenge of copying something that another artist has done, something that already exists. I say, go ahead and try it, then get back to me about how easy you thought that was. (Hint: It’s not.) You have to try to enter into another artist’s mind: How did they mix that color? What kind of brush did they use? How did they make that line? Is that color achieved by layering or mixing? What decisions did they make to achieve that mood?

Portait of Berthe Morisot by David Maclean after Edouard Manet; Oil on canvas

For centuries, artist training was a process of apprenticeships and making master copies. You trained your eye as well as your hand to translate what you saw onto the canvas. You learned color theory and how to work with specific materials in a way that transcends those materials. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

You won’t want to miss this year’s show. It celebrates the diversity of artistic expression as well as the varied influences that have inspired, instructed, and excited the participating artists. It may give you added insights as you view this year’s exhibition and think about each artist’s own original works.

Not to mention that Froggwell Garden is a much more convenient excursion than heading to The Louvre or The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This year’s show will be held at Froggwell Garden, 5508 Double Bluff Road in Freeland; Friday through Sunday; August 4, 5, and 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is limited, so please carpool if possible.

All illustrations are courtesy of the artists participating in Forgeries@Froggwell 2017.

Anne Belov lives and works on Whidbey Island in an undisclosed location. Her paintings can be seen at The Rob Schouten Gallery in Langley and at The Fountainhead Gallery on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. You can find her peculiarly political panda satire at Your Brain on Pandas, and her books at Moonraker Books in Langley or on Amazon. Feel free to follow on Twitter where she is @pandachronicle and visit The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire on Facebook. Her latest collection of panda satire. The Panda Chronicles Book 7: Don’t Call Mee Boo Boo, has just been released

Read the other story published this week
- A Lavender Wind Wafts Over Whidbey
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August 2, 2017
Pigment, Perspectives, and Pandas || Through the Looking Glass

I recently returned from what I would have to call a very improbable journey. When I first dipped my toes into the fast-moving stream of social media, it was reluctantly and with great trepidation.

(c) 2017 Anne Belov

What if everyone out there is a complete weirdo?
What if no one reads my blog?
What if they think I’m a complete weirdo???

I started my blog (The Panda Chronicles) to share my panda cartoons with a wider audience than whoever I could catch unawares in the produce aisles of Payless, waving a stack of cartoons in the air. I joined Facebook to see if people who didn’t know me would think they were funny.

I went to my first Panda Convention in 2013. Some of the people coming were familiar with my cartoons.
Would they like me?
Would I like them?

(c) 2017 Anne Belov

You can pretend to be anyone you want when you are hiding behind your computer. It’s another story when you step through the looking glass into the real world.

But here’s the thing: when you share a common interest, social media is like this amazing coffee shop, where everyone is table hopping and you can meet some fabulous people there. Okay, yeah, there are some dark corner tables way in the back, where there are some people you would rather not meet alone in a dark alley, but for the most part, the people I have met as a result of jumping into the social media pool are pretty wonderful, in person as well as online.

It’s not just the panda people either. (Attack of the Panda People sounds like a sci-fi movie, doesn’t it?) I belong to an organization for writers and illustrators of books for children: SCBWI. While I initially met many people IRL (in real life) at one of their conferences, I’ve gotten to know far more writers from this group online. Some of the folks in one of my groups have made an effort to meet in person, and the other writers in the mentorship program I took part in last year keep in touch through email, Twitter, and Facebook.

There seems to be a fluidity to these on- and offline friendships. They are no less real than the ones that happen because you sat next to someone in sixth grade, or because you had a random stranger as a roommate at college. It’s the accidental nature of the universe that brings forth surprising gifts.

Earlier this year, I did a fundraising campaign for several of my favorite causes. Those who donated got a signed cartoon, with a hand-drawn sketch in thanks. Some who donated were familiar names, but more than half of the people who contributed were people I had never interacted with. Some of them had been reading my cartoons for years and had all my books! It was gratifying, to say the least.

While my herding dog instincts make me want to gather all these folks together so I can have them with me always, I know this is not even remotely possible. But it is a remarkable thing, that almost everywhere I go, I can send out a message through cyberspace, and say, “Hey! I’m coming to your town. Want to meet for coffee?”

(c) 2017 Anne Belov

An online friend from Australia is going to visit me IRL this summer. And a group of friends I have made as a result of going to that first Panda Convention? We’re going to China later this year to visit the panda bases (aka panda ranches), where we will see herds of baby pandas!

If that doesn’t qualify as being amazing, I don’t know what does!

Anne Belov lives and works on Whidbey Island, in an undisclosed location. Her paintings can be seen at The Rob Schouten Gallery in Langley (starting in May) and at The Fountainhead Gallery on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. You can find her peculiarly political panda satire at Your Brain on Pandas, and her books at Moonraker Books in Langley or on Amazon. Feel free to follow on Twitter where she is @pandachronicle and visit The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire on Facebook. Her latest collection of panda satire is The Panda Chronicles Book 7: Don’t Call Mee Boo Boo has just been released!

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WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

April 5, 2017
Pigment, Perspectives, and Pandas || The Best of Times

BY ANNE BELOV
February 9, 2016

Even at the best of times, an artist’s income is precarious.

I always have the feeling that the painting I just sold might be the last for a while. This is not complaining. It’s just the way it is, and I signed up for this, full-well knowing that this is the deal. Making art is not for sissies.

What is hard, especially in times of social upheaval, is when you want to contribute, but your income can barely stretch to your mortgage and groceries, let alone a generous donation to an organization you believe in. I used to do the art auction thing, until I realized it was counter-productive to actually making a living at art. Don’t get me wrong. My donations went to support organizations I like, but if everyone buys their art at auctions … well … it just doesn’t pencil out very well for the artists in most cases.

“Harvest Trio” oil on linen, (Photo courtesy of Anne Belov)

Over the years I’ve tried to come up with creative ways to contribute. The key, for me, is to think of my donation as an extra gift that comes as a thank-you gift for contributing more than the actual value of a piece. Think of the coffee cup you get for contributing $120 or more to your public radio station. So I was really excited when I read of cartoonist Sara Gliddon, who had come up with a great plan to generate donations for the ACLU. She started the ball rolling and many other comics artists took her idea and ran with it, so I did too. I tweaked the idea a little, but the gist is the same. Make a donation, send me proof, and I’ll send you a cartoon, signed and sketched upon. A (much) larger donation will get you an original cartoon that previously appeared on my blog.

It’s working out great so far, and I will be keeping the offer going for the whole month of February.

Really, I try…. (From The Panda Chronicles by Anne Belov)

I never cease to be awed at the generous spirit of most creative people I know. And I have met so many more of them in the virtual world of social media. They are generous not only with their art, but also with information about their process and knowledge. While I am grateful that I live in a community full of artists and writers, we’re mostly too busy with real life to have all that much face-to-face time, although we try to make an effort.

Maybe it reminds me of the pen pals I used to have back in the olden days. You know, you’d have to write an actual letter, put it in an envelope, put stamps on it, mail it, then wait (and wait and wait) for a reply. The internet makes it easy to have these kinds of interactions all around the world, and, you can have them in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep, wearing your pajamas! Some of these people I may never meet, and some of them I have, or will in the future. (There will probably be a post about that later this year!)

Letters from our fans (by Anne Belov)

These may feel like the worst of times right now. Societal upheaval is hard on everyone. Vulnerable people are under attack. But artists are rising to the challenge. To contribute. To make beautiful things. To make us laugh. In addition to feeling gratitude for the donations made in my honor, I am profoundly touched by the emails I’ve received. Here are some of my favorite comments:

“Huzzah!! This is an absolutely fabulous idea. I love your cartoons and have all of your books … Again, thanks for all the panda laughs in these troubling times …”

“Please do know that I appreciate your illustrations so much, more so since the election, after which I’ve had precious little to smile about.”

“Can I just say that The Panda Chronicles are always high points in my week, and they really help to keep me sane?”

So, thank you Sara Gliddon for instigating this uprising of cartoonists! We are stronger together (especially if we’re laughing.)

Anne Belov lives and works on Whidbey Island, in an undisclosed location. Her paintings can be seen at The Rob Schouten Gallery at Greenbank Farm and at The Fountainhead Gallery on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. You can find her peculiarly political panda satire at Your Brain on Pandas, and her books at Moonraker Books in Langley or on Amazon. Feel free to follow on Twitter where she is @pandachronicle and visit The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire on Facebook. No pandas (or cats) were harmed in writing this post.

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The views, opinions, and positions expressed by Whidbey Life Magazine bloggers, as well as those of the people who comment on their blog posts, are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of Whidbey Life Magazine.

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To read more WLM stories and blogs, click here. Have a great story idea? Let us know at info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

February 9, 2017
Pigment, Perspectives, and Pandas || What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been

BY ANNE BELOV
Dec. 14, 2016

I, like many people these days, have been somewhat out of sorts. Okay, that is an understatement. I have been stressed out, depressed, and despondent like I haven’t been since my post-college boyfriend dumped me for one of my best friends. My cupcake consumption is WAY up. It’s been that kind of month.

Can you stand one more post about…um…you know what?

Pardon me while I run around screaming (Cartoon by Anne Belov)

For the last month or so, I have been trying to make sense of what the #@** just happened, not to mention what is going to happen in the next four years. It really doesn’t matter what side of the political spectrum you call home. I think we all know that this country could look very different in the months to come. Uncertainty leads to anxiety and anxiety leads to…more cake. I may survive the next four years, but it remains to be seen if my wardrobe will.

So, like any creative person will do, I make art about what’s keeping me awake till the wee hours of the night. This primarily takes the form of cartoons, but I have also felt compelled to write about what I was thinking and feeling in my introductions to my cartoons, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. There has been a lot of that going on among the cartoonists and writers that I follow.

Um…maybe hold the sprinkles. (Cartoon by Anne Belov)

There were, naturally, those who just didn’t agree with me, and well, that’s the way that is. Bye-bye! Hope you got what you wanted! But then there was one person, who agreed with my political point of view, but did not think that Bob T. Panda should be spouting off opinions all over Facebook and on my blog.

Huh?

I said, “Well, we are all suffering from too much information, and I won’t be insulted in the least if you don’t want to read this. I wish I wasn’t thinking about this stuff, but I am, and it’s going to come out in my cartoons, and I am going to write about it.”

“But, but, but,” this person said. “You are famous. You have influence over people. You are a celebrity! People pay attention to what you say, and besides, Bob is imaginary!”

And then there was a long, drawn out discussion where I and various other fans of panda satire (mostly politely, I thought), told this person why she was wrong, and if she didn’t want to read what I wrote (which, mind you, she agreed with) she didn’t have to read it. The discussion went on for a few days till we all got tired of it and took our marbles (what’s left of them) and went home.

So, that got me thinking several things. First, I’m a celebrity!?! Huzzah! And second, I’m imaginary? Huzzah! But mostly, it got me thinking about the role and responsibility of creative people, be you musician, visual artist, actor, or writer. During the final months of the campaign, I had noticed many writers, editors, and agents for children’s literature speaking out on social media. This was kind of new, as I’d always been told, keep your opinions of politics to yourself. And I generally stuck to that. But this felt different. And as more and more people that I knew and respected were speaking out, I felt I could not remain silent. The forces of evil certainly weren’t being silent.

The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when I saw Amanda Palmer’s (yes, that Amanda Palmer) Facebook post about artists who remain silent in the face of racism, sexism, and oppression. We not only have the right to speak out when we see injustice, we have a responsibility to do so.

So get ready, because pandas are getting political. Deal with it.

Dis. Will. Not. Stand!!!
Cartoon by Anne Belov

Anne Belov lives and works on Whidbey Island, in an undisclosed location. Her paintings can be seen at The Rob Schouten Gallery at Greenbank Farm and at The Fountainhead Gallery on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. You can find her peculiarly political panda satire at Your Brain on Pandas, and her books at Moonraker Books in Langley or on Amazon. Feel free to follow on Twitter where she is @pandachronicle and visit The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire on Facebook. No pandas (or cats) were harmed in writing this post.

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The views, opinions, and positions expressed by Whidbey Life Magazine bloggers, as well as those of the people who comment on their blog posts, are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of Whidbey Life Magazine.

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To read more WLM stories and blogs, click here. Have a great story idea? Let us know at info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

December 14, 2016
Tracking Whidbey’s Seasons with the Birds

BY KATE POSS
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
September 28, 2016

These are the days of cool and crisp weather, yellow-orange leaves, and apples red and green. Autumn calls some birds to travel south while others remain and prepare for winter weather.

Frances Wood’s book “Brushed by Feathers” commemorates a season of birds in the West (watercolor image by Frances Wood)

Naturalist Frances Wood observes bird migration to track the seasons. To mark the shift from summer to fall, Wood and her like-minded friend Linda Beeman waxed poetic to friends and admirers two days after the autumn equinox. Beeman read excerpts from her chapbook “Our Whidbey Year,” and Wood read from her book “Brushed by Feathers: A Year of Birdwatching in the West.”

“When I read her poetry, I thought she was a kindred spirit,” Woods said of Beeman’s way with words. “We’re both observers.”

“We thought we would begin in this most golden current season, the brink between late summer and early fall, when Gravensteins get turned into cider,” Beeman said.

During September, Wood notes, songbirds stop singing. “During the non-breeding season the section of a songbirds’ brain actually shrinks, making it impossible to sing, even if the urge arose,” she wrote. Swallows and warblers quietly fly south.

Swallows have already left for warmer climates (watercolor image by Frances Wood)

Wood noted that this time of year our regal great blue heron’s loose flight feathers show “gaps in its outstretched wings reminding me of a five-year-old’s toothless grin.”

Meanwhile, loons are arriving from Alaska and western Canada. They were sighted in Useless Bay and at Doublebluff Beach on the Equinox, according to Whidbey Audubon reports. In “Brushed by Feathers,” Wood notes that many of these large diving ducks known for their haunting calls stay through November before heading further south and that some remain all winter.

“For Thoreau, the loon’s call made ‘the woods ring with its wild laughter,’” Woods wrote in an October entry of her book. “Hearing the loon’s call makes me feel that all is right with the world, at least for the day. Like an overture setting the tone for an opera, the loon’s call announces the fall arrival of hundreds of ducks and seabirds into our bay.”

American robins enjoy autumn apples and pyracantha berries (watercolor image by Frances Wood)

For Beeman, autumn means that “banana slug trails reflected/in afternoon sunlight/track to their underground hibernations.” She writes of a robin that met its sudden end: “late season robin that mistook/my front door for sky/fatal error that rendered/an elegiac offering.”

Wood noted that the autumn apples attract robins, Steller’s jays, dark-eyed juncos, white-crowned sparrows, northern flickers, and even pileated woodpeckers to her backyard trees, where deer also arrive to stand on their hind legs to pick higher fruit. Quail forage under her Nootka rose bushes.

Since Whidbey Island is located in the Pacific Flyway, migrant visitors arriving in late September from the north include wigeons, ducks, coots, and “forty species of waterfowl,” along with red-tailed hawks, which join our resident birds.

As the cool, wet, windy weather moves in, we take comfort in warm soups, Beeman observes in her poem “Wind Storm”:

“lichen-furred alder limbs/hit the roof shot sounds/startle soup makers within/who stir wind moans/into their vegetable broths.”

In addition to her books, Wood has designed Collectable Bird Cards, newly printed and packaged. She said that her husband’s baseball card collection featuring a photo of the player on one side and statistics about the player on the reverse side had triggered the idea for her cards. As a former elementary teacher and now grandmother, Wood said she is on the lookout for ways to connect kids with nature, and her Collectable Bird Cards meet that need. One side features her watercolor drawings; the reverse contains bird facts with boxes to check if the bird is seen or heard. One of the birds depicted is an American goldfinch, Washington’s state bird. While a bright yellow during breeding season, it molts and morphs to a dull olive color during fall and winter. Wood’s goal is to create cards for the top sixty of our area’s common birds.

The American goldfinch is our state bird. It loses its bright plumage in the fall (watercolor image by Frances Wood)

When asked about her favorite bird, Wood said, “it’s whichever one is in front of my binoculars.” But the truth is she is really into the island’s pigeon guillemot population.

“They are the only seabird that regularly breeds in the Puget Sound,” she said. “We have 26 colonies of about 1,000 birds. They are noted for their bright fire-engine red feet and mouth lining. They are entertaining to watch. Their eggs are laid in bluff burrows.”

Wood has organized a cadre of citizen scientists who regularly observe the black sea birds and complete weekly surveys of their observations. For more information visit www.pigeonguillemot.org.

Artist and Naturalist Frances Wood (photo courtesy of Frances Wood Web page)

To learn more about the many hats of Frances Wood, visit her Web page at www.franceswood.net. Her growing collection of bird portraits can be viewed at the Rob Schouten Gallery in Freeland and at www.robschoutengallery.com/frances-wood.

Poet Linda Beeman (photo by Lorraine Healy)

Besides her work as a realtor at Windermere Real Estate/South Whidbey, Linda Beeman is an award-winning poet and author of “Wallace, Idaho,” a chapbook describing the gritty life in the small silver-mining town where she grew up. For more about her, visit her amazon page here.

Image at the top: Pigeon guillemots have bright red feet and nest in bluff hollows (watercolor image by Frances Wood)

Kate Poss worked as a library assistant at the Langley Library until last June. She was thrilled to work for three summers as a chef aboard a small Alaskan tour boat from 2008 to 2010. She was a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles for many years before moving to Whidbey Island where she likes “talking story,” hiking, hosting salons, and writing her novel.

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WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

September 28, 2016
Artists of Whidbey Island || Thoughts on a Photograph

BY DON WODJENSKI
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
September 28, 2016 (updated 9/30/16)

A photograph reveals and deepens the mystery, when we choose to look.

Zenigata Mizubachi (photo by Don Wodjenski)

Consider what our world would be like without photography. Unless you’re living off the grid, you’ll likely see hundreds of images today.

Billions of images are available to view online, anytime. Many of those images are captured by professional photographers on assignment—experts who have been schooled in the art and techniques of quality image creation. Multitudes of amateur shots of vacations, dinners, family and friends create a visual record of personal experiences, filling social media sites. Regardless of origin or intent, images have become our lingua franca, communicating a shared recognition of the world.

When we consider a photograph, we implicitly accept the photographer’s premise or suggestion of meaning in what we see. We emotionally connect with recognizable images that describe the world as well as photos that portray nature or the human condition in unexpected ways.

Do knowledge and experience matter in the creation of photographs? As a professional photographer and educator, I’ve met many photography students who felt that ‘something’ was missing from their photos compared to the work of professional photographers. Usually, a quick tutorial in camera operation solves many technical issues, and suggestions on ways to compositionally frame an image can help refine their skills. Image quality always improves with exposure fundamentals and thoughtful image framing becoming familiar through regular practice.

So what are the kinds of images we might consider to be worth a second, third, or longer look? Or, to put it a different way, what are the criteria for “quality” in an image? Most of us recognize quality in a photograph, but struggle to define its characteristics. Do we judge a photo solely by how it makes us feel? Are there images we respect for their creativity even though we don’t relate to the subject? What combination of visual elements and emotional content do we take into consideration?

To help answer these questions, I’ve invited a dozen well-known Whidbey Island photographers to share their opinions. These esteemed friends and associates are professional photographers with years of knowledge and experience. Collectively, they encompass traditional and current photographic trends. To illustrate their philosophy of what constitutes quality in photography, each has contributed a personal image.

Every Other Year (photo by Skip Smith)

To me, a quality photo is one that I want to look at twice, one that draws my interest and makes me think, one that shows the photographer thought about what she or he was doing and made lots of decisions before releasing the shutter. A quality photo contains vision (composition, craft, etc.) but also contains something of the artist.   — Skip Smith skipsmithphotography.com/

Blades of Grass — Grass detail abstraction; Lewis and Clark State Park, WA (photo by Earl Olsen)

Photography requires a combination of both right- and left-brain skills—artistic to compose and technical to produce. Find a subject that pulls you in like a good book. Slow down and really look at what surrounds us every day.   — Earl Olsen earlolsen.com/index.htm

Havana Boxing Club (photo by Lorraine Healy)

The Holga camera gives an unsharp image that is vignetted, blurry, with light leaks galore, and a dreamy look. I love it! With a Holga, I realized that I didn’t have to ‘take a photo,’ I could make an image.   — Lorraine Healy   lorrainehealy.com/

Lorrie’s Dory (photo by Tom Hanify)

Photographs are crafted with an intent to capture the essence of the subject or the story. Most importantly, great photographs evoke an emotional reaction and are memorable.   — Tom Hanify tomhanifyphotography.com/

Captain Whidbey Bikes (photo by Denis Hill)

Dennis Hill whidbeypanoramas.com/

Portal (photo by Nancy Duncan)

A “quality” photograph, to me, represents my curiosity for the intimacy of design, shape and form. I see with the hope of inspiring others to see beyond the obvious. To cause a reaction, negative or positive, means I have succeeded.   — Nancy Duncan whidbeyartists.com/duncan.html

Third Eye (photo by Louie Rochon)

When an image literally takes my breath away, jars me loose from reality and throws me into an emotional state—then I feel such joy and I KNOW that I have co-created a “Quality Photographic Image.” … as opposed to a snapshot.   — Louie Rochon louierochonphotography.com/index

Langley Harbor (photo by Linda Schwarz)

A quality photograph draws me in and holds my attention like a meditation. Intent, simplicity, composition, design and use of light are most important in creating a quality photograph.   — Linda Schwarz whidbeyartists.com/schwarz.html

June’s Web (photo by Tom Trimbath)

The pause, the thought, and the emotion prior to taking the photograph makes the difference, for me. And, of course, luck…   — Tom Trimbath fineartamerica.com/profiles/tom-trimbath.html

Creepy Ride (photo by David Welton)

Landscape photographers have a golden hour, photojournalists only get a decisive moment. Good composition cannot be defined as much as it is felt;, it just is. An excellent photograph is one that leaves a lasting impression years later.   — David Welton   davidweltonphoto.com/#/special/splash/whidbey-island-photographer–weddings-portraits-fine-art–landscapes-by-david-welton/

Fort Casey Study #2 (photo by Kim Tinuviel)

I always approach my projects by “listening” for the shot. For me, I hear melody and harmony in color and texture, so listening really helps me zoom in on the visual energy.    — Kim Tinuviel kimtinuviel.com/

Ferry House (photo by John Olsen)

Beauty is not necessarily quality. Newness and originality in a photograph might better reflect a response to reality, and maybe only reflect concerns internal to the photographer.   — John Olsen johnolsenphoto.com/

To discover more about these fine photographers through their websites, click on their names.

For more on other artists living and working on Whidbey, visit my website featuring Artists of Whidbey Island.

Don Wodjenski is an artist, photographer, teacher and musician living in Coupeville. Recently retired after 20 years as an arts instructor with South Whidbey Schools, he remains active in the Whidbey arts community. Although never without an opinion on Art and Culture, he’s new to blogging.

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CLICK HERE to read more WLM stories and blogs. Have a great story idea? Let us know at info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

September 28, 2016
Whidbey resident invited to exhibit ‘Our Sister’s Keeper’ photos at Jimmy Carter Library in Atlanta

BY CLAIRE MOORE
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
September 14, 2016

Photographer Marie Plakos, a Whidbey Island resident, has been invited to present her work in a one-woman exhibit at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. Opening on Sept. 13, the exhibit will remain in place through late December. It includes images of women and children from India, Ghana, Peru and Mexico.

Plakos travels the world, photographing women in their everyday lives. Her project, “Our Sister’s Keeper,” supports the work of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. President Carter says that human rights abuse of women and girls worldwide is the most important issue of our times.

“When I read President Carter’s book ‘A Call to Action,’ I knew my images were in support of his ‘Forum for Women’ at the Carter Center,” Plakos said.

The poster for the exhibit

Plakos is building awareness of the beauty, endurance and strength of these women through her photography and her website. She wants viewers to also have knowledge of the many hardships and challenges the women and children face throughout their lives. She writes of her experiences with the women she has met and includes articles and information about their human rights abuses. Her website also has a video of President Carter speaking to this issue.

“I have embarked upon this photographic project to honor the women I have met all over the world and to bring their stories to viewers in a compelling fashion,” Plakos said. “This has been a dream of mine, to exhibit at the Carter Presidential Library and Museum, so that the stories of the women I have photographed can be seen and heard.”

Marie Plakos, right, with President Carter and Roslyn Carter, center, and her husband John on the left. (photo courtesy of Marie Plakos)

A few of the many images included in the show at the Carter Center can be seen below. Plakos’ website with additional images can be viewed at www.oursisterskeeper.org.

A women in Ghana (photo by Marie Plakos)

Young girls from Chiapas, Mexico (photo by Marie Plakos)

Young girls from Gujarat, India (photo by Marie Plakos)

Two women in India (photo by Marie Plakos)

A young gir in Peru (photo by Marie Plakos)

A woman in Witch Camp, Ghana (photo by Marie Plakos)

Claire Moore is a retired graphic artist and writer who lives on Whidbey Island.

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September 14, 2016
Photoessay || Moments of Wonder

PHOTOESSAY BY SUSAN S. SCOTT
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
September 21, 2016

Discovering moments of wonder on Whidbey Island takes no more time or effort than stepping outside on any day and beholding what the natural world offers. It might be in the manner a simple yard plant is backlit by the sun or in the traces of wind sweeping clouds through the sky.

Backlit by the sun

Clouds sweep the sky.

Moments of wonder can reveal themselves when we are sitting quietly on the ferry, riding between Mukilteo and Clinton.

Sunrise at the Mukilteo ferry dock

They happen walking with our dogs along the lane bordering Fossek’s field in Langley.

Becoming good neighbors

Bicycling on Whidbey is another way to encounter a multitude of wondrous moments, such as these images I came across.

Casting shadows

Picking blackberries

Learning to pick blackberries

Having lived on Whidbey Island for twenty years now, it seems to me that moments of wonder only increase with time. They don’t ever become redundant or taken for granted, even though they might become familiar. Perhaps this is one of the gifts of being on Whidbey, no matter the length of one’s stay. I still delight in watching visitors stop their cars by the side of the road to “catch photos” of the island magic they see along the way.

Close-up of a Whidbey snail

A new Langley resident finds his way.

Gathering material for a nest

A long view from the bluff overlooking the Langley Marina reflects its own bit of wonder in a poetic way.

From the bluff

Like a beacon in the dark, this white Hollyhock reminds us that the bountiful moments of wonder make themselves available to us night and day, in all seasons and weather, even when we are not able to see them.

Hollyhock light

Susan Scott, photographer and author, enjoys daily explorations of Whidbey Island and catching glimpses of extraordinary moments of ordinary life with her camera. www.susanscottphd.com.

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September 5, 2016

Whidbey Working Artists’ Studio Tour Showcase 2016: Week Five

August 24, 2016

THIS WEEKEND: Don’t miss the Whidbey Working Artists annual Open Studio Tour this Saturday and Sunday Aug. 27 and 28. This year’s tour includes 52 artists at 37 studios across Whidbey Island. Spend time with these working artists in their studios while experiencing the beauty that attracts them to magnificent Whidbey Island. Learn firsthand the inspiration and process that goes into each artist’s work while enjoying scenic island vistas en route.

This week’s post features the final 10 tour artists, in the order they appear in the tour brochure (north to south). Get your copy of the colorful brochure/map/guide at selected locations on Whidbey Island and Western Washington, or download the PDF from WhidbeyWorkingArtists.com. Then come on out and see what these artists have been working on!

STUDIO #33 BRUCE MORROW Flicker Feather Print Studio painting/ printmaking (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)
STUDIO #34 SUSAN JENSEN pastels (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)
STUDIO #35 SHERREN ANDERSON studio glass (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)
STUDIO #36 KATHLEEN SECREST pastels (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)
STUDIO #37 KARIN BOLSTAD Blueschool Arts acrylic mixed media painting (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)
STUDIO #37 MELISSA KOCH Blueschool Arts mixed media (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)
STUDIO #37 SHEILA MOHN Blueschool Arts painting (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)
STUDIO #37 SARA SALTEE Blueschool Arts mixed media assemblage & collage (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)
STUDIO #37 TAMMI SLOAN Blueschool Arts jewelry, mixed media sculpture & painting (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)
STUDIO #37 ZIA GIPSON Blueschool Arts mixed media including garments, paintings & sculpture (click artist name for more details, or image for larger view)

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August 24, 2016

How Do You Inspire an Artist? || Landscapes by Sketchers—They’re Worth a View

BY NATALIE OLSEN
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
August 10, 2016

This article was originally printed in Whidbey Life Magazine’s Spring/Summer 2015 print issue. As our actual summer appears to have taken a short hiatus this week, we thought we’d share some sketches from summer on Whidbey.

“Sketching here on Whidbey is awesome,” artist Faye Castle said. “Where is there more inspiration?” The piles of sketchbooks in her studio record her play with color and line and create wonderful records of memories. Check out her book, “Sketching Whidbey,” which includes work inspired from Deception Pass to the bottom of the island.

Hiking Trail at Fort Ebey (sketch by Faye Castle)

Like most sketchers, Castle generally finishes each sketch on site, but the Deception Pass Bridge one is an exception. She said, “I wanted this Whidbey icon more complete, so I surrendered to the wind and passing cars and finished it at home.”

Deception Pass Bridge (sketch by Faye Castle)

Mary Lawson captured the scene below while sitting on a bench in front of the Inn at Langley with friends on a warm day.

Saratoga Passage (sketch by Mary Lawson)

When she sketched Possession Point, Sherryl Goldfinger said it started out warm, but—as the sun went down—she was freezing, sitting up on the point.

Possession Point (sketch by Sherryl Goldfinger)

Jean Mason enjoyed sketching at the kite festival at Fort Casey last fall. “Exploring on a sunny afternoon, we came upon all this color in the sky. There was a perfect breeze to whip up the kites and show off their long bright tails. Vast open space, fresh air and an amazing view. All this room to run and fly made me feel like a child.”

Kite festival at Fort Casey last fall (sketch by Jean Mason)

Flowering Cherry Trees (sketch by Sue Van Etten)

Double Bluff Beach (sketch by Jean Mason)

“On one of the longest days of winter,” Jean Mason said, “we went to the dog beach while a sliver of sun was left. As if peeking under the covers, the golden sun reflected off the water giving the light a double dose of brightness.”

Kris Wiltse sketched the scene below while on Rosario Beach on a warm, early summer day. “There were some marine clouds and a little atmosphere, but it was generally clear and sunny. The sand felt warm and cozy. It was one of those ‘I hear the sand calling to nap in the sun’ kind of days. So I was feeling hazy and lazy, just putting the paint down to mingle on the paper rather than labor over it. I find the Deception Pass area riveting with all its exposed granite and gnarly trees, and the occasional otter running by. Lots of wildlife activity. A few people, too.”

Rosario Beach (sketch by Kris Wiltse)

Sunlight Beach (sketch by Kris Wiltse)

Wiltse says it’s a good idea to carry her supplies with her at all times. “You just never know when a scene will appear. I just happened to be in Bayview and, on my way home, saw an incredible view at Sunlight Beach as I passed. Had to try to capture it so I painted this in the car parked on the side of the road.” Sunlight Shores is what it purports to be, she said—sun-filled. “I tried to capture the incredible light at low tide on this day. It was spectacular!”

To see more Whidbey Island Sketchers’ images from the island, check out their blog at whidbeyislandsketchers.blogspot.com.

Natalie Olsen is a fiber artist and writer who loves being part of the Whidbey Sketchers, especially at Happy Hour.

Editors Note: To order current or past issues of the print magazine click HERE.

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CLICK HERE to read more WLM stories and blogs. Have a great story idea? Let us know at info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

August 10, 2016

Tag: Whidbey artists

Read the other story published this week