I was recently in Spokane to deliver work to a show at the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. More on the show soon, but the trip was rewarding in itself. The entire museum is between shows, and curator Val Wahl very generously gave me a glance at the backstage work going on to change the galleries around after a major exhibit.
I have spent the better part of the past year immersed in solitary concentration on painting. For me, that is not just intense, but very internally focused. So it was a welcome change to lengthen my gaze and be reminded that people beyond the studio also dedicate their lives to art. Seeing that passion and care was incredibly heart warming.
Rather than make the five-hour return trip on the same day, I stayed overnight and took extensive photos in Eastern Washington.
Not only is it a different season from my recent wetlands paintings, but the climate, vegetation, and light are all so different from Seattle’s that they yield a completely changed palette to work with. On my winding backroads return, I stumbled across the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. I spent a very productive morning there, making observations and photos which will probably turn into future work.
