Local art gallery announces ‘Beauty of the Northwest’ winners

On Saturday, Sept. 9, Gallery North (401 Main St.) held an Artists’ Reception and awards ceremony for its 8th annual juried invitational Beauty of the Northwest Exhibit.

The 2017 show is comprised of 63 pieces of original artwork created by 45 Northwest artists. Gallery North offers artworks by many high-caliber professional artists from the Edmonds area in this year’s Beauty of the Northwest Show. The pieces included in the exhibit are all artistic interpretations of life in the Northwest.

The 2017 show awards were chosen by well-known artist and workshop instructor Charlene Collins Freeman. Charlene is an award-winning artist who has exhibited her artwork in many national and international competitions. Charlene teaches drawing, painting, and the joy of sketchbooking and also leads workshops around the world. Her newest creative endeavor, Cloud 9 Studios art center, just opened its doors in Bothell, Washington.

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Art Walk Edmonds

Edmonds Art Studio Tour

The Beauty of the Northwest exhibit will show through Sept. 29. Gallery North extends an invitation to see the entries during a reception to be held during Art Walk Edmonds, Thursday, Sept. 21, from 5-8 p.m. Gallery North will also participate in the Edmonds Art Studio Tour on Saturday/ Sunday, Sept. 16/ 17.

2017 Beauty of the Northwest Award Winners:

Poster Winner: “Ladder Creek Falls” by Karen Bakke
(Award Sponsored by Digital Canvas Northwest)

First Place: “Moment of Happenstance” by Kathy Collins

Second Place: “Anacortes” by Marcel Schwarb

Third Place: “Evergreen Valley Lavender Farm” by Sandy Burnett
(Award Sponsored by Star Rose Arts)

Honorable Mentions: 

“Skagit Valley Farm” by Mary Anderson
“Index Washout” by Dimitriy Gritsenko

Gamblin Oils Award: “Ladder Creek Falls” by Karen Bakke

Kathy Collins’ painting “Moment of Happenstance” was selected as this year’s First Place Winner. The painting shows a Northwest beach painted masterfully in watercolor in the artist’s signature impressionistic style. Kathy Collins’ award-winning paintings have been featured in Watercolor Artist Magazine, The Artist’s Magazine, American Artist, the “Splash” watercolor series, and “100 Artists of the Northwest.” Kathy is a watercolor instructor and a Signature Member of the American Watercolor Society, the Northwest Watercolor Society, and Women Painters of Washington.

Marcel Schwarb won the second place award for his painting “Anacortes”. Over the years, Marcel has had work accepted into many Gallery North shows. One of his paintings was featured on the 2015 Beauty of the Northwest Poster. Says Marcel, “My inspiration for “Anacortes” began with a plein-air painting outing on Cap Sante. I discovered a viewpoint looking west through the town of Anacortes and out to the San Juan Islands. I brought my plein-air study home and did a larger version based on the colors I had seen firsthand. I wanted to focus on aerial perspective with emphasis on diminishing values and colors as one looks out into the distance. My intent was to lead the viewer’s eye from foreground to background encountering pleasant surprises along the way.”

Sandy Burnett’s “Evergreen Valley Lavender Farm” won third place. Sandy says, “I had heard for some time about Gallery North from fellow painters in Plein Air Washington. When I saw the opportunity to submit some entries to the Beauty of the Northwest show, I immediately thought of the beautiful lavender farms that I had visited in Washington, and began my series of lavender farm paintings. The lavender farms with the vibrant colors seemed perfect subjects for Gallery North’s ‘Beauty of the Northwest’ theme.”

About Gallery North: In operation for over 50 years, artist-run Gallery North. is one of the longest running artists’ cooperative galleries in the nation.

For further information, visit the Gallery North website.

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