posts about art, art shows, galleries and other visual arts…
By Alec Clayton Nathan Robles and Nancy Thorne Chambers were honored this year for their sculptures in Olympia’s Percival Plinth Project at the landing. For each of the past nine years, local artists have exhibited sculptures along the boardwalk from Fourth Avenue at Water Street to the plaza. Citizens are invited to vote on their …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS It is rare when a work of art balances commentary and beauty. It is rarer still when an exhibition with works by nine different artists in a variety of media and styles manages to attain that level of balance between the conceptual and the aesthetic. Such is …
By Alec Clayton The Chinese dragon mural in downtown Olympia will be dedicated Saturday, August 24 to honor Chinese-American history. The public is invited to attend the dedication at noon on the corner of Fifth Avenue SW and Columbia Street SE. Dragon Mural Committee spokesperson Anna Schlecht said, “In 2015, I was inspired by a …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Harold Nelson’s paper collages at the Department of Ecology in Lacey are phenomenal. Some may say they could be seen as gimmicky in a Where’s Waldo kind of way, but solid design and color harmonies elevate them above the merely tricky, not to mention that they are …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The 2019 Southwest Washington Juried Exhibition at South Puget Sound Community College has opened. It is sparser this year than previous shows — and that’s a good thing. It means a larger percentage of the art is of top quality and the show does not look overcrowded. …
By Alec Clayton Writing and illustrating a children’s book has been Nancy Thorne Chambers’ dream since childhood, but her passion took an unexpected turn after she retired from a lifetime as an illustrator and family therapist. In a dramatic turn from her plans, she taught herself ceramic sculpture. “I learned by reading books and trial …
By Alec Clayton For three days in July, volunteers will get together to create a mosaic mural for the Plum Street Tiny Home Village in Olympia. Participants will create a welcome sign measuring roughly three by five feet comprising several small, house-shaped mosaics. The project is spearheaded by Stacey Waterman-Hoey, director and founder of Arbutus …
By Mariella Luz Olympia Artspace Alliance is seeking proposals from artists and artist teams to develop site-responsive, temporary, two-dimensional art installations related to the theme “Drawing on Olympia.” The artwork will be installed in vacant storefront windows in downtown Olympia from August 9 to September 20. Project Summary: “Art in Olympia Storefronts” is a new …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Mia Schulte knows her way around paint brushes and palette knives. When it comes to color, form and texture, she has a sure hand. So do the four other women who join her in the exhibition Out of the Blue at Childhood’s End Gallery: Susan Glendenning, Laraine …
By Alec Clayton A collection of 50 small Sumi artworks from 22 members of Puget Sound Sumi Artists fills the walls at the Fifth Avenue Loft Gallery. “There’s a good cross section of traditional sumi-e and contemporary mark-making in the show, which more and more of our members are trying,” says artist, teacher, calligrapher Sally …