Art on Display

Treehouse Café features artwork from local artists rotating through our walls each month.  We showcase all types of artwork from photography, to charcoal artists, to painting.  Here is our schedule of featured artists:

 

 

February, 2013: Zephyr Wadkins

 

Zephyr Wadkins has been an Island local since birth. Growing up in a family of artists he was exposed to creative expression at a young age—yet as he grew older realized representing honesty and truth was his foremost goal. Photography was his first love due to its raw, realistic natural state. He pursued this until he realized there is more to a scene than a 35mm frame. Combining his interest with visual media and more “traditional” mediums of  art, as well as adventure, traveling, and an excited enthusiasm for life, a raw and eccentric form of scrap booking was formed. This method of journaling is now his main passion, capturing daily adventures and all that a journal traditionally does.

 

 

Through art classes and projects he has expanded into a more formal form of collage, which has grown in tandem with his photography and scrap booking tendencies. His show in February is a compilation of many works, referencing a passion for mixed media, yet mostly centered on his efforts in collage.  While this is his debut showing for collage and mixed media work, his photography can be viewed online at www.cargocollective.com/zephyr.

March, 2013: Tracy Lang

 

I am looking for a place where there is fluidity with extra chaos held together with repetition. I am fascinated with colors in mildew, rust, and shredded graffiti which I have matrixed for backgrounds for new woodcut prints. Shown at right, woodcut print and transfer on cotton.

 

April, 2013: Dick Matthies

 

I have been drawing and painting all my life, the pursuit of beauty in nature has been my passion in both my art and life. We live in a house that I built for us in the woods north of Arlington where I am constantly inspired by the passing seasons. Several years ago I was forced to stop painting, but recently I recovered my ability to do art and have found it to be much more fulfilling than ever.

May, 2013: Steve Neff

 

When Monsters Ruled: Steve Neff continues his whimsical approach to metalwork with fantasies of what our neighbors might have been like in the era of T Rex. The Treehouse Café will be filled with critters that would rather eat you than your pizza! This show is sure to be a hit with the young (and young at heart). All proceeds from sales will be donated to the FOAWP Education Fund and will benefit deserving students of the University of California Davis.

July, 2013: Walter F. Ball

 

Walt is a third generation, lifetime islander. He is self taught and has been painting since early childhood. Some early influence were Mark Tobey and Jasper Johns.  His works include watercolors, acrylics, encaustics and sculpture and are hung in many states.  Walt never had the patience for oils. He is of Irish descent with a finely sharpened tongue, Even admirers are advised to approach carefully.

August, 2013: Betty-Ann Beaulieu

 

Betty-Ann Beaulieu is a resident of Bainbridge Island, having relocated to the Northwest about six years ago. Her work has been described as demonstrating “elegant designs reflecting her unique observation of nature”. Her most recent work includes watercolor and pen & ink of the forest-like environment on Bainbridge Island.

 

Betty-Ann is an experienced artist originally from New England. She graduated from the Salisbury College of Art and Design, Salisbury, England. Professionally, Betty-Ann has been employed as a graphic artist. She has displayed her watercolors and artwork in other mediums (ceramics) in locations across the US, including Hartford Connecticut, Houston, and Reno, and now in the Northwest.

September, 2013: Sophie Frieda

 

Originally from the UK, I went to art school in London, where I pursued my passion to be an artist. Nineteen years ago I moved to the east coast of the USA with my husband and children. Being a colorist, I was captivated by the rich colors of the Fall landscape, which became my new subject matter. Nine years ago I moved to the Northwest, where I was drawn to the local flora and fauna. From landscape I delved into the powerful up close world of florals and botanicals. Visiting Hawaii added to my inspiration, I became captivated by the exotic flowers and vegetation.

 

A fusion of the realism of the subject matter and the abstract organic shapes, both challenged and excited me. By zooming in, I was able to explore the image we know and perceive versus the shapes and values that combine to make up the subject and composition. I am still very involved in this theme. I hope to recreate a rich and intriguing rendition of my subject matter, bridging realism with abstraction by portraying an emotionally powerful up close observation of nature with all its intricacies.

October, 2013: Cindy Heine (Artylu Designs)

 

Traveling extensively throughout her life (with her husband, Dick), Cindy can frequently be found with watercolor sketchbook in hand. She sketches first in pencil, then pen and ink, and ends with watercolor. Of special interest are landscapes discovered in her many travels. Recent landscape focus has been in the western United States, and more particularly the Northwest, Puget Sound, and the Canadian Rockies.

 

Cindy’s artwork has been characterized as “whimsical and lighthearted”. She particularly likes bringing joy to those who view her paintings. Dick, who uses appropriate computer technology and inkjet printing equipment, produces prints and cards. Now in her early 70’s, Cindy spends part of every day on art projects. She is a resident of Bainbridge Island, Washington.

November, 2013: Mark McKnight

 

I count it good fortune having had my growing-up years anchored in the great Pacific Northwest and can thank my parents (being avid hiker/skiers) for introducing my brother and I to the treasures of the Olympic/Cascade mountain ranges with their magnificent trails, rivers and lakes. Through this early exposure nature seeped into my marrow.

 

Today, our Suquamish home, nestled on a forested acre cradles at its end a large, dark pond. Here, Barred Owls frequent during sunrise or twilight hours. Under watchful eyes I have been deeply privileged to quietly draw near and capture their presence while on the hunt or at rest. This ongoing photo series titled THE OWL PEOPLE derives from Native American lore where the owl’s presence holds a potent, sacred place whether to be feared or embraced. I look forward to adding to this series as the Owl People sojourn near my forest home graciously allowing me into their midst.

December, 2013: Leigh Metteer

 

Leigh Metteer has had over 74 solo, group and juried exhibitions from 1981 to the present, and is currently teaching at Knowles Studio in Poulsbo. She has also taught at Olympic College in Bremerton (2000-2009) and at West Sound Academy in Poulsbo (1998-2010).

 

Leigh Metteer’s art is included in a number of permanent collections, among them the National Museum of Art and the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington, D.C. In 1991 she earned an MFA from Arizona State University in Tempe. Learn more at www.knowlesstudio.com.