Larson Gallery Guild Artists

LGG Artists of the Month, March

2012-03-05T08:10:00.007-08:00

Linda Iasella, fabric arts

I have sewn off and on for 45 years. Fifteen years ago I got into art to wear and I am learning more about designing quilts and wall hangings. The two oriental jackets are a size 10 and the wall hanging is 36 by 44 inches.

LGG Artists of the Month, March

2012-03-02T08:06:00.006-08:00

Barb Leavitt - Painting

Together

Acrylic

24x36"

We Sit at the Same Table

Mixed media collage

24x36"

Float My Boat

Acrylic

24x36"

The versatility of acrylics fascinates me, which you see in these paintings. Working with mixed media collage--acrylic, torn paper and found objects--endless possibilities and always fascinating!

LGG Artists of the Month, March

2012-02-27T09:22:00.009-08:00

Steve Platt - Street Painting, Colored Pencil

Chalk

Tacoma, Wa.

P-51 Mustang

Colored Pencil

12 x 18"

Largemouth Bass

Colored Pencil

8 x 12"

Steve at Sarasota Florida

About twelve years ago, a friend, Caren Mercer-Andreasen, talked me into trying a chalk painting at the Street Painting Festival in Prosser. After diving into my work and watching Julie Kirk-Purcell (the featured artist), I was hooked. I have been doing 4-6 festivals a year since that time and recently was invited to be a featured artist at the international Sarasota Chalk Festival in Florida. It was a dream come true. I absolutely love the festival atmosphere and the camaraderie among the artists.

I have been an art educator for 23 years in the Grandview School District. Although I graduated from WWU in Art Education, I didn't pursue my art until 15 years ago. My favorite medium is colored pencil because of the control that I have in blending colors and the ease in picking up my materials and get working.

Coming soon to the Larson Gallery

2012-02-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

March 10 - From the Ground Up - Panel Discussion and Demo, 1 - 4pm.

March 31 - Bus trip to Bellevue and Seattle.

April 13 - Fiber and Jewelry Juried Biennial: Adorn the Form. Reception, 5 – 7:30pm.

April 26 - Arts Awards Honoring Carolyn & Dick Schactler. 5 – 8pm.

Frome the Ground Up - Ceramic Arts

2012-02-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

The first show with the New Walls.

Jan Crocker

Delma Tayer

Renee Adams

Carolyn Nelson

Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield

Ruth Allan

Mardis S. Nenno

Lisa Nappa

Rachel Dorn

Eunsil Kim

Cheryl Hahn, Director

Mike Hiler

Gregory Pierce

Carolyn Nelson

Stephen Robison

Carole DeGrave

Jeans and Jewels Gala.

2012-02-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

Febrary 4, 2012 the Jeans and Jewels Gala took place at the 4th Street Theatre in Yakima Washington, benefiting the Larson Gallery and the Yakima Symphony Orchestra.

Noel Moxley

Executive Director of the

Yakima Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors.

Emcee - Brian Stephenson

Julie Shoval and Ali Macias

Style Show Presenters.

Melody Lane Teen Group

Tony and Amy Akin

Susan Coson

Lawrence Golan

Conductor, Symphony Orchestra

LGG Artists of the Month, February

2012-02-02T08:34:00.001-08:00

Dr. Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield - ceramic breast plates

My Mother’s Robe

Porcelain, lace dipped in slip and oil

12 x 12"

Gemini Mist

White stoneware, bas –relief, oil and dry metallic pigments

12 x 12"

Whole in Her Heart

Porcelain, bas-relief, oil

12 x 12"

Jason

Stoneware, oil, dry metallic pigments, horse hair and sinew

12 x 12"

Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield is a fine artist and author who divides her time between her Port Townsend home and studio and her loft/studio constructed in an apple warehouse in Tieton. She has a doctorate in Human Organizational Systems and is a Fulbright Memorial scholar who has taught art on three continents and received international and national awards for her teaching methods. From 2004-2010 she taught art to university aged Muslim women in the Middle East state of Kuwait, which is the topic of her recently published book Suitcase Filled with Nails: Lessons Learned from Teaching Art in Kuwait (Authorcloud Publishing). In 2013 Yvonne will have a solo exhibition at Larson Gallery of her Women in Abaya paintings created in Kuwait.

Her ceramic breast plates are included in the current Larson Gallery exhibit “From the Ground Up.” A plaster mold is cast from a live model, and used to form clay slab positives of an individual torso. The fired clay is then embellished with relief and patina.

More examples of Yvonne’s ceramics, paintings and photographs are found on her website

: yvonnepepinwakefield.com

Blog: suitcasefilledwithnailsauthorcloud@blogspot.com

Suitcase Filled with Nails: Lessons Learned from Teaching Art in Kuwait

www.authorcloud.com/store

Lots of clay exhibitions and events coming soon.

2012-02-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

From the Ground Up. Reception 2 – 11 – 12. 3 – 5:30pm at the Larson Gallery.

Lots of clay exhibitions and events coming up at Larson Gallery and at Yakima Valley Community College, Heritage University, Gallery One in Ellensburg and Bellevue/Seattle.

Go to http://racheldorn.blogspot.com/2012/02/upcoming-clay-events-in-yakima.html

Coming soon to the Larson Gallery

2012-02-02T06:47:00.000-08:00

From the Ground Up. Reception 2 – 11 – 12. 3 – 5:30pm

Fiber and Jewelry Juried Biennial: Adorn the Form. Reception 4 – 13 – 12. 5 – 7:30pm

Arts Awards Honoring Carolyn & Dick Schactler. 4 – 26 - 12. 5 – 8pm

LGG Artists of the Month, February

2012-01-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

ELIZABETH FREITAG Painter

NO REGRETS

mixed medium

32"x 24"

BOWER BIRD NEST

mixed medium

14"x3 1/2"

PAS DE DEUX

mixed medium

25"x19"

UNTITLED

acrylic

12"x12"

UNTITLED

mixed medium

4"x5"

HUMAN V

acrylic

33"x19"

FORMAL EDUCATION: Northwest College of Art, Visual Communications Program

Yakima Valley Community College, Occupational Therapy Practitioner Program

PRIMARY MEDIUM: Acrylic and mixed medium with use of non traditional surfaces

SOME OF ELIZABETH’S INSPIRATIONS: A white whisker on an aging black cat. Being in the moment with all senses aware to the sea, in the mountains, through the sky or beyond... Belly laughing over a humorous conversation with a best friend. An intriguing encounter with a random stranger that just seemed like it was meant to be. Studying details of a peculiar object’s shape or color. Bird watching. A reaction to an event that just happened or one far from the past. Nature’s patterns and textures. In addition, risk taking.

IN SHORT: Elizabeth has participated in 30 plus showings and Exhibits over the past 4 years that span from the Tri Cities, Lower Valley, Yakima and Ellensburg. Her scale range varies from detailed miniatures to over 6 foot abstract works. Her artwork is placed in permanent collections as well as numerous local and out of state commissions.

CURRENT WORK SHOWING: Single piece at group show “Partnership for Art” Peggy Lewis Gallery of Allied Arts January 26^th through February 3^rd 2012.

6 miniature pieces at group show for Oak Hollow Gallery February 2012.

Looking for Artists, an invitation.

2012-01-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

If you would like to have your art work featured on our “Artists of the Month” blog page and our facebook page there are only two things you need to do.

Be a dues paying member of the Larson Gallery Guild.

You can learn more about membership at http://www.larsongallery.org/

Send your name and e-mail address to Stan Hughes, blog manager at stan4741@mac.com.

We will be sending out invitations to artists each month throughout the year.

Under Construction, new paint.

2012-01-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

LGG Artists of the Month, January, 2012

2012-01-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

Harry D Thompson - Photographer

Night Scene

This casual snapshot of a night crew appeals to me because it looks like a close-up of a miniature scale-model city to me and has an unusual quality

Pond Fantasy

Eschbach park may be closed, but it's still host to some colorful intergalactic phenomena.

Yakima

A plain old building wall with great stripes and a fine yellow, red and blue.

My bio is a path of successive personal revelations and few exhibitions. My dad, Gale Emerson, was a photographer. He used a Kodak, Polaroid and a 35mm Contaflex. He shot lots of slides and it was major fun when we brought out his old whining, jamming ViewLex slide projector for visiting relatives, holidays, or both. I started taking photos more seriously after buying a 35mm Miranda from M R McDonald and after seeing some of his slideshows. When I sent exposed slide film to Crafty Kodak & Fab Fuji, they sent back strange, often amazing pictures. The power of the transparency was mine! When I accumulated several empty black slides from a camera glitch, I manufactured one-frame movies by torturing these dark slides with wax, caustic soda, battery acid, and magnified sunlight. Later I made beveled glass transparencies with melted oil pastels. These window-hanging transparencies are great suncatchers. Coming back full circle, I combined photos of these glassworks to make photo mandalas. Nowadays I am privileged to work with/for some wonderful genius artists from Yakima, Parker, Selah, and Ellensburg. I also occasionally play with paint. I make about 2-3 unique pictures or photos every year or two. Life sure goes by fast. Seeking elusive art-ness is one reason to stay alive. Support your local artists and galleries.

Under Cnstruction - progress

2012-01-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

New walls between the office and the Gallery.

LGG Artists of the Month, January, 2012

2012-01-07T11:44:00.001-08:00

Jane Orleman - Oil Painter

Trouble in Paradise

79 x 155"

It's Always Now

79 x 279"

Home Sweet Home

20 x 25"

In 1982 I celebrated my 40th birthday with an exhibit at the Ellensburg Community Art Gallery titled Birthnight. Those paintings were full of moons and stars. By 1992 the mood had changed considerably but I marked my 50th birthday with a Gallery One exhibit Telling Secrets, dealing with childhood trauma. I am fortunate to celebrate my 70th birthday with a double exhibit at Gallery One: A Moment of Forever, and Looking In, Looking Out.

A Moment of Forever, at Ellensburg’s Gallery One is about love, time, space and eternity…now and forever.

Jan 21st – Feb 25th. Artist reception Feb 3 ,2012.

05 - It's Always Now 79"x279" 2007-2010

03 - Trouble in Paradise 79"x155" 2010-2011

Looking In, Looking Out is an exhibit of my interiors painted in the 1970s. They will be showing in the Eveleth Green Gallery, upstairs at Gallery One

Jan 21st – Feb 25th. Artist reception Feb 3 ,2012.

Home Sweet Home 20"x25" 1978

Website - http://www.reflectorart.com

Email - spot@reflectorart.com

Jane Orleman

101 N. Pearl

Ellensburg, WA 98926

Under Construction.

2012-01-06T20:22:00.001-08:00

Cheryl Hahn, Gallery Director, is excited about getting new walls.

LGG Artists of the Month, January, 2012

2011-12-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

GARY MILLER - Photography

N'Awlins' Wall , 2011

New Orleans' Littlest Drummer 2011

New Orleans Frenchmen Street Jazz 2011

I have always had a passion for photography, and have been able to pursue this interest in earnest since my retirement as an engineer and manager for Hanford. I photograph for the Larson Gallery and the Yakima Symphony Orchestra.

Coming soon to the Larson Gallery

2011-12-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

Jeans and Jewels. 2 – 4 – 12.

Make plans for a bigger and better show than last year.

From the Ground Up. 2 – 11 – 12. Reception 3 – 5:30pm.

Come and see our new walls.

New walls for the Gallery

2011-12-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

The Gallery will be closed for the month of January. The Gallery is putting in new walls.

We will see you in February.

Christmas Vacation

2011-12-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

The Gallery is closed for Christmas Vacation. Will reopen Jan 3, 2012 for normal business hours.

Artists of the Month, December

2011-12-04T09:56:00.000-08:00

Stan Hughes - Acrylic Paintings

Shades of Red

Acrylic on Canvas

16 x 20"

I grew up in the backcountry of North Idaho. After graduating from college most of my employment had been as a science teacher here in Washington. Now retired, I have been living in Yakima since 1985.

I find that I am interested in expressing complex ideas with abstractions. I enjoy doing art that visualizes concepts using geometric shapes and strong color. I am attracted to themes dealing with myth, mysticism and nature.

The filling of space with the abstract shapes and strong colors in ways that is pleasing to the eye is a challenge. To produce an image that tells a story or conveys a feeling for all to see is very satisfying.

My media of choice is acrylic paint on canvas.

I am a board member of the Larson Gallery, Yakima, Wa.

My blog is http://www.stansart.blogspot.com

LGG Artists of the Month, December

2011-11-29T13:46:00.000-08:00

Judy Markham - Watercolor

Celebration in Red

Watercolor

11 x 14"

I have been painting for 4 years. I have always had an "artist's heart" but not the time or the confidence in my abilities. I now paint for the joy of the process and find it pleasing when others enjoy the end product.

I have wanted to be an artist since I received my first box of crayons and pad of paper. I have no "Judy style" yet developed and embrace many different approaches. People who attend my shows often make the comment, "Your paintings are so diverse."

I have sold 90 paintings over the past two years. I have sold at the Mural in a Day in Toppenish for two years and this year I was guest artist at House of Style in Kennewick and a guest artist at the Toppenish Western Art Show in August. I reside in Moxee, WA. I am a "retired" school teacher. I love to take classes and learn new techniques

Larson Gallery Bargan Benefit Sale.

2011-11-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

Please consider donating to Larson Gallery's Bargain Benefit progressive art sale. Proceeds help fund Larson Gallery programs and exhibitions. Reply by e-mail (gallery@yvcc.edu) for more information. (Check out Bargain Benefit Sale listed in our Events.)

The Gallery is closed this week for Thanksgiving. The Gallery will be receiving art Nov. 29th through Dec. 6th or 7th.

The sale is:

Friday Dec. 9 10:00 am to 7:30 pm

Saturday Dec. 10 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

LGG Artists of the Month, November

2011-11-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

Dena Elzie - Mixed Media

2nd Harvest

Mixed Media on Canvas

20 x 16"

I was born and raised in the Yakima Valley. After graduating from Whitworth College with a B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science, I returned home to the valley and began exploring my creative side thru music, photography, and painting. My paintings and photographs have been included in National and International Exhibits and won numerous awards.

This mixed media painting consists of collaged papers and fibers, graphite, pen, and acrylic. I work slowly building up many layers until the painting finds its own voice. I favor texture, use a limited palette, and build narrative into my paintings thru the use of simple iconic forms. 

 The beauty of art for me is that it enables the artist to communicate with the viewer on many levels without speaking a single word, thus enabling one to transcend perceived barriers of language, culture, religion and gender. Art is a gift for which I am grateful every day.

56th Annual Central Washington Artists' Exhibition

2011-11-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Free Play

by Judy Frisbie

Guatemalan ZigZag

by Sally Fitch

Wobblies 1,2,&3

by Janice Crocker

The Wine Snob

by Penn O. Shelton

Redmon Bridge:

Gateway to our Community

by Anything Goes Quilters

Yakima Landscape

by Delma Tayer

Sage

by Sara Gettys

She Who Watches

by Judith A. Dilley

Secrets in the Garden

by Karen Allen

Sequestered

by Laura Wise

Sunflower Collapse

by Renee Adams

Fragile

by Daniel Donovan

August 2011

by Melissa Osborne

Banana Boat

by John Barany

Untitled #3

by Tobie Stevens

Antigua Ruins

by John Fabian

Award Winner Laura Wise

Cheryl presents an award to

Thelma Triplett

Jeff Reynolds

American Space

Forward Progress

by Daniel Donovan

At the Water's Edge

by Thelma Triplett

Best of Show

Friends

By John Barany and Sarah Wauzynski

Coming soon to the Larson Gallery

2011-11-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

Bargan Benefit Art Sale

Friday Dec. 9 10:00 am to 7:30 pm

Saturday Dec. 10 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Purchas quality art at discount prices while supporting the Gallery.

LGG Artists of the Month, November

2011-10-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Bobbie Halperin - Digital Art

“First Snow.”

Digital Print

39.5”x40.”

Some time ago, in addition to painting directly, I started using a more indirect technique. I began to cut up already painted canvases and rearrange pieces until new images emerged. I took that a step further by using computer graphics. Working with Photoshop, I now scan pieces of painted canvas (not paintings), mostly abstract, and manipulate the images until, over time, a picture evolves. Even more recently, I have discovered the process can work both ways—that is, my “direct” painting (which I never abandoned) is being influenced by my Photoshop manipulations. I am sketching, first graphically, and then painting. It excites me that even at this stage of my career, an expanding range of possibilities continues to open up before me.

www.fairpoint.net/~halperin

Coming Soon to the Larson Gallery.

2011-10-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

56^th Annual Central Washington Artists’ Exhibition. Reception 10 -29 -11. 3 – 5:30 pm

Bargain Benefit Art Sale. 12 - 9 / 10 - 11.

10am - 7:30pm Friday /10 am - 5 pm Saturday

January, 2012 – Gallery Closed.

Jeans and Jewels. 2 – 4 – 12

From the Ground Up. Reception 2 – 11 – 12. 3 – 5:30pm

Fiber and Jewelry Juried Biennial: Adorn the Form. Reception 4 – 13 – 12. 5 – 7:30pm

Arts Awards Honoring Carolyn & Dick Schactler. 4 – 26 - 12. 5 – 8pm

Tour of Artists’ Homes and Studios. 5 – 12 – 12. 10am – 4pm

Department of Visual Arts Exhibition. Reception 5 – 22 – 12. 5 – 7:30pm

LGG Members’ Arts and Crafts Show. Reception 6 - 15 - 12. 5 - 7:30pm

Summer Workshop Series. June & July 2012

LGG Artists of the Month, October

2011-09-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Karen Allen - Mixed Media

FRIDAY - HOMELESS IN YAKIMA

Newspaper Collage

8" x 10"

A graduate of the University of Washington, I was an elementary school teacher for 24 years, in both rural Nova Scotia, Canada, and Juneau, Alaska. Art instruction started around age 12, and continued intermittently through the family focused years of motherhood and teaching, including many credits earned from the University of Alaska, S.E..

Retirement in 1999 brought with it the intent to trade the cool gray weather of S.E. Alaska for sunshine, and, among other things, to live where there was support and opportunity for continued learning and artistic development. Enter, YVCC., and the excellent opportunities for quality instruction, exploration, practice, and exhibition.

My current focus has been watercolor and collage/mixed media, (with a recent side-ways glance at pastel) . Various pieces have shown in student and juried shows locally, as well as at the Louisiana State University’s, School of Veterinary Medicine’s “International Exhibition on Animals in Art.” The collage pictured here, done entirely with bits of newspaper text, color, pictures, is one of those LSU entries that received Honorable Mention. Friday turned up in the Central Washington Humane Society’s Shelter. I have a particular interest in portraying animals with hard luck-happy ending stories, and, as a Board Member, helping to support the shelter’s homeless companion animals through the sale of prints of my animal portraits.

Journeys Without Maps

2011-09-22T12:52:00.001-07:00

This exhibition showcases the works of Ann Marta Bowker, Sue Grimshaw and Kathy LaFetra.

The show opend 9-16 and will close 10-15.

Ann Marta Bowker

Acrylic paint, Fabric, and Jewelry

Sue Grimshaw

Color Pencil and Fabric

Kathy LaFetra

Hand-painted travel journals

Raffle winners

LGG Artists of the month. Show your work.

2011-09-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

If you would like to have your art work presented on this blog site there are two requirments.

1. You must be a dues paying member of the Larson Gallery Guild.
2. We need your name and email address.

Membership starts at $20.00 for students and seniors and $40.00 and up for everyone else. For more information go to the website listed on the right hand side of this page.

Send your name and email addres to Stan Hughes - stan4741@mac.com
Once I have your name I can invite you to show your work.

Larson Gallery gets a new sign.

2011-09-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

LGG artists of the month, September

2011-09-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

KAY HOFFMAN SMITH - Painting

“Complementary Colors”
Mixed Media
15” x 22"

Although I have been painting in a variety of media for manyyears, since my retirement I have worked primarily in water color andmixed media, because I like to paint quickly, taking advantage of what happens as I workwet-in-wet with bold strokes and vivid color. As in this painting, Ioften use pastels, inks, and paper with transparent water color. My subjectmatter comes from what’s around me – flowers, landscapes, seascapes,people, or even colors and shapes from my mind. I also make use ofphotographs I have taken on our travels. Instead of painting aphotographic representation, however, I want to give an impressionof something. I love to paint, although at times it can be veryfrustrating if things seem to be going the wrong way as I work. Sometimes theonly thing to do is discard the painting and start over. The thing I wantfrom my paintings is for the viewer to enjoy looking at them and to see inthem what they wish.

I earned my BAin Art at Montana State University and was working on my MA in Fine Arts atUCLA when I returned to Yakima to marry artist R.Keyes Smith. I havealso studied art at Holy Names College and the University of the Americas inMexico. I have exhibited in a number of Galleries in the Northwest andhave had one-woman and multi-person shows. I taught art in California andin Yakima and also worked in display and commercial art in Yakima, Tacoma, andLos Angeles. My paintings may be seen at the Framemaker in Yakima and atmy home/studio.

LGG Artists of the month, September

2011-09-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Gary Bailey - Photographer

Canyon Sentinel

Life in the Yakima Valley has fostered interests as variedas the seasons. Photography, sculpture, gardening, conservation and cooking area few of a broader catalog that tugs daily. Older and more reflective now, time has greater value. With that, I try to present a storywith my photography and/or sculpture. To arouse interest and invite participation is the challenge and thesatisfaction.

LGG Artists of the Month, September

2011-09-01T11:26:00.002-07:00

Keegan Harris - Painter

To Miss Kolbi Ella Jones

Acrylic Paint and Plaster

18 x 32"

“To Miss Kolbi Ella Jones” has horizontal lines made from a mixture of acrylic paint and plaster which casts thin shadows. In contrast to the lines are maroon dots that are thrown across the canvas. The flowing theme of the textured lines relinquishes a sense of freedom while the dots produce a sense of energy.

Keegan Harris is a project manager for Harris Construction LLC and is currently on the Larson Gallery Guild Board of Directors. Two of Keegan’s pieces of art have been in the Larson Gallery’s Members Show. He has been working with acrylic medium for about 6 years and has ventured into concrete medium as well. “My favorite thing about abstract art is its ability to express different ideas to each of us. An artist might be expressing a specific thought through a specific piece but to someone else that piece might be expressing something completely different.”

LGG Artists of the Month, September

2011-08-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Jerry Johnson - Wood Sculpture

Jay Talk Wood Sculpture

“Jay Talk”: This is a shallow plate of maple with a center hollow vessel; the finial is made from ebony. The design on the plate shows three diving jays; they were carved with a high speed carver (400,000 rpm).

Mr. Johnson, of Kennewick, Washington, is a retired engineer who worked at the Hanford Site. He has been making items of wood for the past 14 years.

His work is on display at the Northwest Fine Woodworking Gallery (NFWG) in Seattle, the Primary Elements Gallery in Cannon Beach, OR and Lovetts Gallery in Tulsa,OK. He is a member of the Larson Gallery Guild of Yakima, WA and of Allied Arts in Richland, WA.

He was one of the featured artists at the Larson Gallery’s show “Poetry of Wood” held in 2009.

Larson Gallery 2011 - 2012 Season

2011-08-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Journeys Without Maps. Ann Marta Bowker, Sue Grimshaw and Kathy LaFetra.

Exhibition Reception and Fall Membership Event. Sept. 16, 2011, 5 - 7:30 PM.

Artists' Workshop - Oct. 8th. 9 - 4.

56th Annual Central Washington Artists' Exhibition. Oct 29, 2011, 3 - 5:30 PM.

Bargain Benefit Art Sale. Dec. 9 and 10, 2011 Reception Dec. 9, 5 - 7:30

Gallery Closed for Renovations January.

Jeans and Jewels. Feb. 4th

From the Ground Up. Jan Crocker, Renee Adams, Ruth Allan, Rachel Dorn, Carole DeGrave, Mike Hiler, Lisa Nappa, Carolyn Nelson, Mardis Nenno, Greg Pierce, Steve Robinson and Delma Tayer. Feb. 11, 2012, 3 - 5:30 PM.

Fiber and Jewelry Juried Biennial: Adorn the Form. April 13, 5 - 7:30

Arts Awards Honoring Carolyn and Dick Schactler. April 28, 5-8PM.

Tour of Artists' Homes and Studios. May 12. 10AM to 4PM.

Department of Visual Arts Exhibition. May 22, 5 - 7:30 PM.

LGG Members' Arts and Crafts Show. June 15, 5 - 7:30PM.

Summer Workshop Series, June and July 2012.

LGG Artists of the Month, August

2011-08-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Nelson - Ceramics

Borrowed Dust

Ceramics

37 x 8 x 6"

My current work is influenced by the sage steppe landscape and the towering basalt stones that surround the Yakima Valley where I live and work at my art. The gesture and vertical orientation of the stones evokes thought of both witness and guardian figures. Their stoic vigilance reminds me of the ancient sculptures of female figures; their arms tight to their sides or behind them, their meaning obscure but compelling. In many of my pieces I integrate human form with landscape and architectural imagery. As I work, I develop the forms by including physical nuances of individual stones. Morphing the image between the more structured shapes of architectural stone and the organic characteristics of the landscape where the stones “live”, I use the building process to record my responses to this complex environment and the conundrum of the creative and destructive forces that we all experience. References to human and animal figures move across the forms, speaking to the idea that we are all connected, sharing the same landscape but separated by boundaries; some between species, some of space and time, but also the artificial boarders we create to protect ourselves and to preserve separation. I am interested in the presence in many cultures of stone as markers. Often the stones mark boundaries of separation but they also indicate meeting places, give direction or honor. Many of the monoliths were slates for carved or painted images and some, like the Ogham stones found in Ireland, are repositories of early written language. They are all connected to memory in some way. They all have a story to tell.

I like to work with strong contrast in color and texture as well as ideas; smooth juxtaposed against highly worked texture, precise imagery against abstraction. My palette is reminiscent of the muted colors of the Central Washington Plateau but counter balances dark against light and warm oranges and yellows against blacks, blues and greens. The colors are the result of interplay between oxides and glazes applied before firing and fumed chlorides and smoke developed post-firing. In some pieces I add finishing touches with paint or various lusters.

While my focus as I work is with form, especially with relationships of color, light and shape, my goal is to have the resulting work express my emotional and intellectual response to the world around me. Ultimately, art is my means to explore and expand the experiences and observations of my life and attempt to understand the world in which I live.

LGG Artists of the Month, August

2011-07-31T10:29:00.001-07:00

Sally Flynn Fitch - Fiber Artist

Vest " Winter Flowers" 23 x 21"

The seeds of this floral piece originated as a sampler of sewing experiments with new fiber techniques. Each flower seemed to blossom until, like magic, a vest emerged out of the multitude of stitches...I love the unpredictability of contemporary designs that emerges from the collage of recycled treasures. I am inspired by incorporating exquisite ethnic fiber pieces in my work.

Processes I use to structure, color and create my art wear are: piecing, applique, pleating, embroidery,beading, dyeing, painting, and windowing.

Check my blog for fiber art adventures in the studio and in exotic ethnic villages. Google www.nomadsally.blogspot.com

LGG Artists of the Month, August

2011-07-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Ann Marta Bowker - Painting, Fabric

Stick Game

Acrylic

15 x 30"

During the winter I've been sewing wearable art pieces and contemplating jewelry to

include in Sue Grimshaw's and my exhibition "Journeys Without Maps", at the Larson

Gallery in September 2011. With fabric pieces, I'm more concerned with elegant

simplicity, moving away from over the top embellishment. I aim to make garments that will

live for years rather than be discarded after a short time. Sometimes that works, other times

the project retires unfinished to a plastic bag.

Some of the jewelry is of sterling silver, beaded and stone encrusted in a technique I

invented. These are sculptural, lush, and textural, and take so long to do that I don't often

tackle them.

Now that the weather is warming (finally), I can get out to my barn-studio and add some

new paintings to the mix. This image of Yakamas playing the Stick Game is part of an

ongoing series of reservation paintings that I began about 25 years ago. Many of my

paintings are based on my own photographs but often morph into something quite

different. The paintings are begun by layering colors in six to ten thin washes, before

discovering what the final image might be. Thematically: the images seem to come from

feelings about loss and fragility of what is beautiful: elephants, an unpopulated landscape,

birds, water, reflections, people posing in way in which they would like to be seen.

The best part of creative work is the surprise element, the idea you didn't have until it

emerges during the process of working in some other direction. If I knew the final look of a

piece before I started it, the work would lose its energy.

Please join us for a "Journeys Without Maps" and see where we go. We probably don't

know until we get there.

LGG Artists of the Month, July

2011-07-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Leo Adams - Painter, sculptor, designer.

A Bouquet of Flowers

Acrylic on Canvas

14 x 14”

A native of the Yakima Valley, Leo Adams has been a working professional artist since the mid 1960s. In addition to being his studio, his home on the Ahtanum Ridge is a hub of activity for many Yakima artists and art groups. His works are on display in many collections through out the United States.

A few of the Permanent Collections are: Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Nordstrom (California and New York), Pacific Northwest Bell, Safeco Insurance, Shanghai Banking and the Sheridan Hotel.

“I want to paint the landscape of where I am…the environment…express the open sky and the neutral colors of the Valley”.

His paintings are full of texture, using earth tones of browns, ochre, grays and sandy creams to depict the vegetation and rock formations near his home.

LGG Artists of the Month, July

2011-07-01T09:45:00.001-07:00

Sandi Carter - Jewelry

“Spirit”

Copper and Sterling

I was born and raised in the Yakima Vally where I graduated from A.C. Davis High School and then from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon.

My main focus was on textiles. Always in search of creative closures and fasterners for my "one of kind" garments I began studying metalsmithing with Katie Hall at YVCC. As a result, I discovered another passion for designing and creating jewelry.

My art work has been accepted and won awards in Juried Art Shows at the Larson Gallery and Allied Arts in both Yakima and Richland Wa. A premier piece from my evening bag collection was featured in Belle Armoire magazine.

Pictured is a form-folded, copper and sterling necklace, which represents form in motion, much like the fabrics I work with. My jewelry combines contemporary design with an organic foundation. Many of my pieces are flame painted to achieve an aged look and complex earth colors.