Well, I promised a couple of weeks ago that I was going give more details for the artist’s tour I did on Whidbey, but life got a bit maniacal. So, here we are, a bit late, but, well, here we are.
The tour covers the whole island, from the southernmost tip all the way up to Oak Harbor. Check out the map below, giving the studio locations.
We only explored the southern parts of the island, focusing on Freeland and Langley. And we pretty much just went from our first to the next closest, and so forth. For a tour that’s got some geographic spread, this seemed the best way to go.
First we stopped at Sharon Spencer’s studio. Her work combines native American themes and styles, along with some asian influence. What I saw was amazing, but I deeply delighted in the architecture of the studio itself. Allowing plenty of tree filtered light in, I felt at home in this very northwest styled space.
Our remaining sites blurred together, order-wise. So I’ll put them here in random order.
I love Codie Carman’s use of color and line. Very bright and cheery. Her paintings make me think of island life at its best.
Christi Shaffer’s pottery delighted me deeply. I love the intersection of functional and elegant her work brings.
Penelope Crittenden’s sculpture’s modern elegance warmed my soul. Oh, and since I love owls, too, her work has a happy place in my heart.
The proverbial last but not least was Gina Michel’s glass art. One piece she had on display (not the one below) charmed the musician in me deeply. An electric guitar, made of glass. Though not playable, it was still rather awesome. She told us about crafting a piece from an old harp. The photos were amazing! Amazing enough that it was bought by a music school to inspire those students.
I plan to make the 2019 tour (August 24 & 25, 2019). And, perhaps, budget even more time and explore further. I might even be clever and bring my camera.
