Yesterday we had an all-art, all-day banquet. In the morning we visited our dear friend,
Jane Winslow. She was the person who first lured us to Whidbey Island, and has been a constant golden band of energy for us here ever since. As a photographer, she is ALSO top notch. We went to look at her stunning photos from China, which will be in a show at the Bayview Gallery (Langley) beginning later this week. Jane's photos are printed on canvas and silk. They are mostly large and emotionally moving portraits of the people she saw and met in China. They are reminiscent of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and many other great masters. Their power and beauty is such that it practically knocked me to my knees, and I had to buy one of my favorites. There are not many from the show available on-line yet, but here are two of them:
After we left Jane's place, we went to see Michel Tsouris and Beth Haughton at
Karthia Studios. They are also wonderful artists, one a painter and one a jeweler. They bought a handsome house on the south end of the island, with two spacious studios, where they pursue their artistry. We did a "show me yours, I'll show you mine" afternoon, first visiting over there, and then they came over here. We admired Michel's paintings, which are very powerful. They make me feel as if I'm getting on the inside of someone else's subconscious dream life, very intimate and mysterious, many layered, and painterly. Here is a picture of one I saw at a show last summer and particularly liked. Michel told us about this bed inspired by one on a Greek Island, the bed in which her father was born, in a house she visited a few years ago.
Beth's jewelry was packed up and out of sight, as her studio was being remodeled, but I had the good fortune to see it and drool a few days ago at a show over at Bayview. She's been making jewelry for years, and it shows in her beautiful craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibility. Her things are trés magnifique!
Although all of the art was terrific, the best part of the day for me was really the wonderful conversations with each of these women. We talked for hours about everything, the artistic process, moving to Whidbey, our hormones, our fears, our aging bodies, our passions, our fantasies, our life stories, our dreams for the year ahead. It was truly a banquet in that sense - we feasted on friendship and shared history and on the pleasure of getting to know each other better. Today I woke up inspired and delighted by those three muses of yesterday!
After we left Jane's place, we went to see Michel Tsouris and Beth Haughton at Karthia Studios. They are also wonderful artists, one a painter and one a jeweler. They bought a handsome house on the south end of the island, with two spacious studios, where they pursue their artistry. We did a "show me yours, I'll show you mine" afternoon, first visiting over there, and then they came over here. We admired Michel's paintings, which are very powerful. They make me feel as if I'm getting on the inside of someone else's subconscious dream life, very intimate and mysterious, many layered, and painterly. Here is a picture of one I saw at a show last summer and particularly liked. Michel told us about this bed inspired by one on a Greek Island, the bed in which her father was born, in a house she visited a few years ago.
Beth's jewelry was packed up and out of sight, as her studio was being remodeled, but I had the good fortune to see it and drool a few days ago at a show over at Bayview. She's been making jewelry for years, and it shows in her beautiful craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibility. Her things are trés magnifique!
Although all of the art was terrific, the best part of the day for me was really the wonderful conversations with each of these women. We talked for hours about everything, the artistic process, moving to Whidbey, our hormones, our fears, our aging bodies, our passions, our fantasies, our life stories, our dreams for the year ahead. It was truly a banquet in that sense - we feasted on friendship and shared history and on the pleasure of getting to know each other better. Today I woke up inspired and delighted by those three muses of yesterday!
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