Four local artists featured in Edmonds Waterfront Center Art Gallery display

The latest art on display. (Photos courtesy Edmonds Waterfront Center)

The latest art display has been installed at the Edmonds Waterfront Center Art Gallery, featuring four local artists – Roger Whitlock, Bear Carpenter and Bill and Sharon Grader. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Featured artists include:

Bill and Sharon Grader

“Big Wave”

L-R: Sharon and Bill Grader hanging their artwork.

Bill and Sharon Grader share a unique creative relationship. “Separate and Together.” They each pursue their own artistic interests using different mediums. They like to collaborate by combining their separate art. By combining their artistic visions, they create energetic, thoughtful and unique art.

Bill creates sculpture, wall art and furniture from wood and driftwood, combining it with natural stones and elements, re-purposed rusty metal bits, and other objects. Bill’s art is unique. He sees the artistic components in everything. The art he produces is typically made by transforming old and discarded objects into something new and useful, creating an object with a new story and new history.

Sharon, an abstract encaustic painter, is passionate about the elemental aspects of molten wax. She often works with found objects, dyed silk, rusted paper, encaustic monoprinting, watercolor, oil, and pastels. A continuous learner and teacher, Sharon studies painting and monoprinting under a number of fine artists. She shares her knowledge by teaching her techniques both nationally and locally.

Both Bill and Sharon are represented by the Lynn Hanson Gallery in Pioneer Square. Bill’s work has been included in numerous exhibits including those at the Lynn Hanson Gallery, Edmonds Arts Festival, Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council Show, and Arts of the Terrace to name a few. Sharon is a current member of Women Painters of Washington, and Seattle Co-Arts. She is an active volunteer in local civic and arts organizations. Learn more at www.sharon-bill-grader.com

Bear Carpenter

“Wind & Waves, Marina Beach”

Bear Carpenter

Bear Carpenter is an acrylic artist based full time in Edmonds. Painting the community where he lives, he captures the moments and memories of everyday locations. His paintings depict an appreciation of local streetscapes, historic buildings and ocean waves.

Bear was recognized as an outstanding Edmonds artist by the Edmonds Arts Festival in 2023 and honored by being selected to provide the artwork for the Festival’s annual commemorative poster.

Though mostly self-taught, early in his career Bear was mentored by renowned San Diego watercolorist Dan Camp, honing techniques in studio and plein air painting. After turning to acrylics in 2015, Bear sold work at galleries throughout coastal California.

Originally from Southern California, Bear’s permanent home is now in Edmonds. You’ll often see a classic red van make an appearance in his paintings. It is a personal homage to the “old surfer” and to the first vehicle he owned – a 1968 VW van.

You can find Bear’s paintings locally at exhibitions at Cole Gallery’s Plein Air Exhibit, ArtWalk Edmonds, CROW Boutique, the Edmonds Arts Festival, the Edmonds Museum Summer Market, and Parklane Gallery in Kirkland.   www.bearcarpenterart.square.site

Roger Whitlock

Roger Whitlock, right.

Roger Whitlock has been painting watercolors since 1985. He is a longtime signature member of the Northwest Watercolor Society and the Hawai’i Watercolor Society.

Since 1993, he has had over 30 solo shows and has participated in many group shows, including international watercolor exhibitions in Korea, Taiwan and Brazil. His work has been reproduced in Watercolor Magic and Watercolor Artist and is included in the collections of the State of Hawai’i and the Hawai’i Museum of Art.

In December 2016, after living 46 years in Honolulu, he moved back to the Northwest, where he was born and raised (in Ballard). He now lives — and paints — in Edmonds. Roger has had paintings in the last five Edmonds Art Festival gallery exhibitions and exhibited his work at Walnut Street Coffee, where he will have another show in October 2024.

Check out his website at rogerwhitlock.com. He regularly posts new work on Instagram (@whitlock.roger).

All of the frames in this show are made of maple or poplar by Jordan Baker, who takes custom frame orders by contacting jordan.bjorn.baker@gmail.com.

The Edmonds Waterfront Center is located at 220 Railroad Ave., Edmonds.

  1. I am so happy to see our community and business continuing to support the arts. Congratulations to Bear, Roger and Sharon! All three are fantastic artists and I can’t wait to see the exhibition!

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