Edmonds artist April Richardson recently sent along an update on a snowy owl piece she is making for Shoreline’s Kruckeberg Garden Solstice Stroll. Selected artists, including Richardson, must work with a strict list of supplies and rules in fabricating artwork for the luminous event. Here is Richardson’s update:

I heard about the event, Solstice Stroll at Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, through an email from Artists Connect, here in Edmonds. There was no competition and no entry fee, and it appealed to me. I had recently heard that a snowy owl had been spotted nearby, and thought it would be a great subject. I had also just been to the Garden for the first time looking for native plants.

I’m a painter/printmaker – that’s two-dimensional – inspired by nature. The owl is three-d, so this is an exploration. Right now, it has the look of one of those baby seals on an ice floe, but once I figure out how to attach the wings and give it a little character, I think it will work as an owl. It will be life-size, about two feet long with a wingspan over five feet wide. I hope it will look like it is flying low. I’m having fun with it, and have enlisted my 12-year-old granddaughter, Laila, to work with me on it.

I had moved from Seattle to Mountlake Terrace to be closer to my Mom and help with her care. For those three years, I often went to the Edmonds waterfront for the kind of rest I feel near water. I also learned about the Native Plant Demonstration Garden on Pine Street and got involved there, where I’ve led several art/nature activities. Mom’s situation changed, and I found a sweet place in Edmonds this summer where I can just walk to the water, the Demo Garden, ArtWorks where I now work in the print studio, and lots of other interesting places.

I love Edmonds, and find it an inspiring place to live and work. The beautiful setting of water and mountains, corner gardens, so many parks and green spots and coffee shops!

Editor’s note: The Kruckeberg Solstice Stroll runs through Dec. 21 at the botanical garden in Shoreline. The event is free, and you can register for an entry time here.