The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation and the Edmonds Arts Commission present the artwork of Win Bainbridge, Crisse Bennett, Pamela B. Harold, Donna Leavitt and Darlene McLellan in an exhibit opening March 18 in the Frances Anderson Center showcase. The arts organizations provided a statement regarding the artists:

Each of these visual artists has served as a member of the Edmonds Arts Commission for several years, providing professional expertise in the areas specifically related to the visual arts, including public art selection and maintenance of the City Portable Art Collection as well as contributing to the various other programs of the Commission.

Win Bainbridge has emphasized versatility in her watercolors. Not trying to paint every detail, she hopes to awaken the imagination of those who enjoy her work. Often leaving something undone, the viewer is engaged and becomes part of the creative process. Her work has received recognition over the years with various awards and her paintings can be found in both private and commercial collections throughout the world. She is a member of the Northwest Watercolor Society, Women Painters of Washington and was part of the locally well known Northwest Quintessence group of artists. Win continues her joy of artwork not only with her own work but in teaching and supporting the interests in painting of the people around her.

Crisse Bennett, a long-time resident of Edmonds has enjoyed an interest in art all her life. She has a B.A. degree in art from the University of Idaho and attended Oberlin College and the University of Washington. While she now enjoys her growing family she was actively involved in the Edmonds Arts Festival from its beginnings, serving in a leadership position for over thirteen years before devoting full time to her own artwork. She was another of the five artists in Quintessence. The beauty of the Northwest outdoors has been a major inspiration for her works in watercolor. While she has not painted for some time, we are fortunate to visit with works from her collection.

Pamela B. Harold, a native of Canada and a resident of Edmonds since 1985, exhibits in juried shows in Washington and her paintings are in private collections across Canada and the United States. A member of the Northwest Watercolor Society and Women Painters of Washington, she remains an active painter who provides encouragement to others to create art journals of their travels. She paints only what she sees in sensitive works that have a clarity of light and color that celebrate the beauty of our landscapes.

Win Bainbridge (2001), Crisse Bennett (1985) and Pamela B. Harold (1999) all have the distinction of providing artwork for one of the Limited Edition Edmonds Arts Festival Posters. Donna Leavitt works in graphite and colored pencil meticulously providing the viewer an exquisitely detailed view of nature, providing a glimpse of all that surrounds us in our daily wanderings. She says of her work, “I focus on the very close-up view taking my time to see the compositions of light and dark and the variations of palette seen when one takes an examining look.” A member of Women Painters of Washington, her work has been exhibited and acknowledged with awards as well as being published and showcased in a television presentation, Northwest Now, Full Focus on KBTS Public Television in January of this year.

Darlene McLellan is a local arts advocate whose work in fiber, wearable, liturgical and domestic arts is known internationally. With a B.A. in Fine Arts from Washington State University, including a year of study at Nihon Daigaku in Tokyo, Japan, her commissioned art is currently in private and public collections in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Japan. She enjoys creating art from traditional dying methods combined with added accents including embroidery, beading embellishment and vintage kimono fabrics. The use of these fabrics is an acknowledgement of the unknown artisans of the past.

The EAF Museum and the EAC Display Case are located in the Frances Anderson Center, Main Entrance – 700 Main Street, Edmonds. Gallery Hours: Mon – Fri 9 to 7, Sat – 10 to 1. For information call 425.771.0228. The exhibit runs through May 4. For more information, visit the EAF Foundation and the Edmonds Arts Commission.