If you’ve seen the “Women Painters of Washington” exhibit in previous years, you know you’re in for a treat. This year, it’s showing March 5 through April 10 at the Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park on Camano Island under the title of “Creative Paradigm.”
Gallery owner Karla Matzke selected 92 pieces for the show from 165 submitted by the members. Among the awards she gave out, first prize went to Marilyn Charlat Dix for her mixed-media on wood panel, “Cherished Memory.” Matzke praised it for its richness of nostalgic emotion.
It’s rare to see a show in our area with such a predominance of fine abstract work. I’m fascinated by Sharon Grader’s “Round and Round,” a mixed-media piece with triple circular images, each suggesting a tangled ball of yarn, each with its special focus — one with oblongs, another, dark “Os,” and the third suggesting ancient calligraphy.
Visitors will also find the delightfully whimsical work of Jacqui Beck. Her “Bridge” features a human and horse holding “hands” in a sweep of amber and white on a blue field — the work made mysterious by whispers of newsprint and calligraphy. Playfulness is also front and center in the collage/acrylic works of Judith Heim, who gives us irresistible smile-worthy, brightly colored, humanoid versions of dog, bird, cat, horse, king and jester in “Blue Horse Cafe,” “Midnight Pajama Walk” and “Cats Have More Fun.”
Mary Jo Maute treats gestural human figures as abstract compositional elements in the oil and paperwork, “Mother Pushing Stroller While Her Other Children Sleep.” We see the children and perhaps the mother — a figure turning away from the viewer. But the stroller? It’s only in the title.
Mixed-media contributions by Nancy Grigsby evoke the passage of time in her “89 and Counting” and “38 Dots.” Can you resist counting them? And what’s this? More dots by Ellen Busteed in her “Change of Direction” — and a scattering of small, white squares on an azure field, among bold constructions in gold and orange. This is a very free, confident work as is its companion, “Quantum Leap.”
The Pacific Northwest remains a refuge for representational art. The Matzke show offers fine landscapes like Mira Kamada’s “Golden Monolith” and “Pier Pano,” in which she captures nature’s magnificent water reflections. Also finding an abstract quality in the landscape, Sandra Kahler has created two strong works, “Evening Tide” and “Morning on the Rocks,” both oil on paper.
Janet Hamilton gives us an image of one of my favorite PNW views, a swirl of fog against an autumn forest of deep green and orange: “It’s a Mystery” could have been inspired by the drive south from Bellingham on Interstate 5. All the elements of a Skagit Valley landscape are in her oil painting “Paths Crossing” — including golden furrows, a stunning, cloudy sky and water reflections. For additional superbly rendered Skagit views, enjoy Janis Graves’ oil paintings “Grand Escape” and “Tulip Time.”
Lovely and strongly realist is Sue Madill’s powerful “Eastern Washington,” showing a vast expanse of blue sky above golden fields. But her other two works impishly refer to a major turning point in Western art. In the 19th century, impressionists were inspired by Japanese prints, which arrived as packing material in crates of imported ceramics. One of these was Hokusai’s “Great Wave off Kanagawa” (1831). Even today, it remains the most recognizable artwork of Japan.
In Madill’s “Hokusai’s Great Wave Revisited,” one side of the wave is turning into colorful, squarish pixels. In “Hokusai’s Great Wave Reimagined” they are morphing into something resembling a musical score. Either one of these would have gotten my first-place award.
I recommend choosing a sunny day to visit the Camano Island exhibits so you can enjoy the beautiful sculptures in Matzke’s 10-acre forest garden. She has been working hard getting it ready for visitors, and spring is in the air.
Attend an opening reception for “Women Painters of Washington: Creative Paradigm” from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5. The exhibit can be viewed from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays through April 10, or weekdays by appointment, at Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park, 2345 Blanche Way, Camano Island. Info: matzkefineart.com.
