Studio tours give a close-up look at who the Whatcom Artist Studio Tour artists are — and why they do what they do.
Since 1995, dozens of Whatcom County artists working in a variety of media have opened their galleries and studios for exhibits, demonstrations and chats as part of the Whatcom Artist Studio Tour.
On the second of two weekends, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 12-13, visitors can not only view (and purchase) works in woodworking, sculpture, glass, mixed media, painting, clay, jewelry, fiber arts and photography, but once again, they have the opportunity to visit the artists in their natural environments and learn about their creative processes.
Some of the artists are well-known, and some are new to the area and to the annual tour. Who is this new talent and who are these local favorites?
What makes these artists unique?
Every artist has a story — but how does an idea which emerges from their experiences, emotions or dreams evolve from concept to creation? Here are some of their stories.
Painter Lisa Abbott confesses that though she loves art, she also cherishes making a difference in the lives of students, from elementary through high school.
Abbott originally thought that she would work with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, since she volunteered in that area during her senior year of high school. However, due to financial constraints and an insufficiency of self-esteem, she did not attend university.
For the past 12 years, she has been a volunteer for the Ferndale High School veterinary science team. During the pandemic, she took advantage of being unemployed and began creating art. Once schools went in-person again, she continued her art alongside volunteer work.
“Both of these have given me so much fulfillment. I think I just enjoy making people feel good and bringing joy to others,” Abbott said.
Abbott adds that while she was born in Bellingham, she did not grow up in the community. She describes herself as a “Army brat” and the daughter of a criminal investigator.
Once her father retired, the family moved back to Bellingham, where she finished her last two years of school, graduating from Bellingham High School.
“My first job after graduating was as a maid at the infamous Aloha Motel on Samish Way,” she said, and she worked there for a couple of years.
“My second job was on a floating processor ship up in Alaska,” she added, ”I rarely had the means or opportunity to draw or paint though all through high school it was my main hobby. I didn’t create again until almost 20 years later.”
Life as artistic inspiration
Ayla Mullen, a clay artist, grew up on organic farms, with one parent growing flowers and the other operating a herb nursery.
“My earliest memories are of plants, trees and flowers, and when I began to explore my creativity in college, botanical illustrations on clay seemed to flow out of me as if they’d always been there.”
Mullen added, “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘the more you look, the more you see’ — I find that to be true in my own creative process. it’s the plants and landscapes that I have looked at most closely and with the most affection that I find most inspiring and influential in my own work.”
Though she has been looking at plants and landscapes since her childhood on the farm, Mullen said she never gets tired of looking at the lines that compose them. That inspiration causes her to never “tire over how to convey those lines” in the forms and images she draws.
Painter Tamara Olson began life bottled up with high energy. The arts provided a way out of herself and her anxiety.
“To me, abstract expressionism means I paint whether I’m happy, angry, sad or confused.” Olson explained.“I don’t wait for inspiration,” she said. “I start and hope it finds me but either way I have given my emotions a way out for the day.”
Vikki Jackson lives a split life, spending half of the year in Whatcom County, living aboard a boat, and the other half in Ajo, Arizona. A retired ecologist, she finds inspiration in the flora and fauna surrounding her.
In metal, glass, wood, clay, paint
For many of the WAST, artists life informs art. But what are some of the specifics about the art they create?
Shirley Erickson, known for her sculptures at Big Rock Garden Park and Peace Arch Park, said she does quite a few paintings these days but, she admitted, always seems to add metal and glass to them. Visit with Erickson to discuss why she mixes these mediums together.
John A. Trax Jr., who runs Zigzag Mountain Art, crafts custom woodworks for homes, boats and motorhomes, as well as items that blend practical use with artistic expression: cutting boards, charcuterie boards, cheese boards and slicers. He and his wife, Carrie, have been “living, laughing and building together for 43 years” in their small shop in Everson, Trax said.
Nancy Canyon said that before she became a painter, she was a potter in Yakima and Spokane. Her studio, Spring Creek Pottery, ran for 10 years before she decided to paint on canvas rather than on clay.
Lorna Libert is a full-time artist and adventurer whose works can be found in public and private collections worldwide. She and her husband, Jimmy Lindquist, are often sailing in the San Juan Islands or hiking around the Northwest, inspiring her oil paintings which often include the boats, buildings, animals and people she encounters on her adventures.
Sculptor Patrick Wickline, who lives in the reimagined old church at Mill Avenue and 16th Street, said that people may not know that he created the giant squid sculpture in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. If you visit him, ask him to share his story about the creation of the piece.
Behind the scenes
Whatcom Artist Studio Tour provides an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at artists such as Christopher Morrison who taught glassblowing at Western Washington University for nine years. He also creates abstract canvases alongside his glasswork. “Both my glasswork and my painting have recurring themes of transformation, portals and thresholds,” Morrison said.
Mixed-media artist Richard Longstreet strives to explore how configurations in nature evoke varied modes of perception, influenced by childhood memories and the deepening perspective of old age.
Over the years, Mark Wharton has built kilns, studios, tools, and equipment. He recently built his gallery, Wharton Studio Works, inside a shipping container.
Chris Moench said that the prayer wheels he creates are intended to literally embody this conversation as people fill the vessels with their own meaningful notes, tokens or the ashes of a loved one. “As I shape clay and transform it to stone through the firing process, so too does each of us shape our bonds to one another and to this place we live,” Moench said.
One of his latest creations was made at the request of Shelley Weisberg to honor the retirement of his friend Saul Weisberg, who was one of the founders and long-time executive director of the North Cascades Institute.
Woodworker Greg Klassen has shipped his work all around the world, including a 20-foot “River Table,” which he is delivering next month to a small village in Greece. Another interesting project is his recent commission from a Saudi Arabian Royal Prince to create a 15-piece wall mural.
Rain or shine, get on your bike, hop in your car, or take a neighborhood walk and get to know some of the most creative folks in our county.
As ceramic artist Larry Richmond said, “Most artists work in isolation. The studio tour is an opportunity to get people’s reaction to your work.”
For an opportunity to delve into the secrets of the artists and their work, and for a map of the locations, visit Whatcom Studio Artist Tour.
— By Margaret Bikman
Also read in Salish Current: “Whatcom Artist Studio Tour engages community through art and connection,” Oct. 2, 2024