Artists Profiles

Art at the Library: The Painted Screen Brings Hieronymus Bosch to Lacey

On April 7th the Lacey Timberland Library will host a screening and discussion of a 2016 documentary from Exhibition on Screen, The Curious World of Hieronymus Bosch who painted nightmares and left them for us to interpret. The documentary takes a close look at who Bosch actually was a deeply religious 15th-century Dutch painter working at the edge of the medieval and Renaissance worlds.
This free event is part of The Painted Screen, a monthly series to explore the lives and legacies of visual artists through film. The future of the library’s series is now uncertain as Timberland Regional Library is in the midst of a serious financial crisis.

Heart of the Deernicorn and Studio Golden in Downtown Olympia

Mo Golden and Ross Cowman are the owners of Heart of the Deernicorn Inc. Cowman has been casually designing tabletop games since he was a kid. Cowman and Golden made a game together called Night Forest. Golden studied fine art with Marilyn Frasca, also movement with Rob Esposito at Evergreen. Cowman says the prompts in the game give an opportunity to share in a poetic way, poetry being a love of Cowman’s which he studied as a student at Evergreen.

Saundra Fleming’s World

Much of Saundra Fleming’s art is quirky and humorous, but there is also intensity. Her raw, unabashed, expressive paintings are packed with the movement and disarray of her very personal experience of the world around her, laced with a heavy and welcome shot of humor to make it ever-so-slightly more, but not completely bearable, which, let’s face it, is not too far from what we’re experiencing as a nation … on steroids. Meaningful art for our times indeed.

Artist Profile: The One and Only Rene Westbrook

Rene Westbrook engages the viewer as a visual oracle of creative ideas that can stimulate the senses and become the vehicle for hidden mysteries she wants to explore. Painting, collage, sculpture, and photography work as a catalyst for her latest direction of inquiry, digital compilations.

The Beautiful, Chaotic and Rhythmic World of Tom Fath

Tom Fath says when he finishes a painting it gives him moments of clarity and a sense of being on the right path, creating good from chaos. Much like his life’s journey, his art explores fears and doubts while celebrating what life has to offer.

Debra Van Tuinen: Creating Light and Community

By Molly Gilmore Debra Van Tuinen has received many accolades for her paintings, which were included in the 2004 Florence Biennale and have hung in U.S. embassies, but her latest award recognizes not her art but her courage and her commitment to Olympia. Van Tuinen — who opened a downtown studio and gallery in August …

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Olympia Artists Unite to Support Ukraine

By Molly Walsh At 5 a.m. Eastern European Time, Olympia resident Hanna Ilchenko turned on the news. She couldn’t believe the events unfolding onscreen: Russia had launched a full-scale invasion on her home country of Ukraine. Initially, Ilchenko said the reports emerging of explosions and invading forces were difficult to process. “I couldn’t believe in …

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Olympia Family Theater Welcomes New Artistic Director Lily Raabe

By Molly Gilmore Lily Raabe, Olympia Family Theater’s new artistic director, loves fantasy, adventure — and community. The company plans to resume producing shows in the spring; meanwhile, Raabe is focused on connecting with and learning about the people who surround and support the theater. She’ll host a series of online and in-person meetings beginning …

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Matthew Melendez: the Great Director at Great Bend Creating Unity Through Song

By Molly Gilmore Matthew Melendez, executive director of the Great Bend Center for Music in Union, is best known as a celebrated choral conductor. The center’s Great Bend Chorale, which is open to everyone with no audition required, has performed at Carnegie Hall and taken second place in a prestigious national competition. But what Melendez …

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Artistic Director Jen Ryle Says Goodbye to Olympia Family Theater

By Molly Gilmore There’s change coming to Olympia Family Theater: Though she’s as passionate as ever about children’s theater, co-founder Jen Ryle is stepping down from her role as artistic director to create space for new leadership. She’s involved with the search for her successor and will stay on to work with the new hire …

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