September 7th:

Naoko Morisawa:  Wood Mosaics

Naoko’s artwork is made of hundreds of very small slices of oil-dyed (wood)  chips on board. The variety of wood grain is very beautiful and the pattern is never the same. The combination of natural grains create interesting shadows and impressions. When seen from a distance, her artwork looks like a painting the details of the work slowly emerge when viewer comes closer. Bright, fun, and unusual subjects attract and inspire her to work in new directions. People, animal, tropical flowers, green trend, mysterious creatures and Illusions are recurring themes in her work.

She has exhibited her art at Seattle Art Museum(SAM) Gallery, Northwind Art Center Gallery, Port Townsend, Nordstrom, Inc Corporate Gallery, Nordstrom APAM Exhibition Event, Lynnwood Convention Center, Hoffman Gallery Portland, The Contemporary Arts Center, Las Vegas, and GE Fine Cultural Galley, Fairfiled, CT.

She will participate for Whatcom Museum exhibition and the auction, Bellingham WA, in October 2012.  

Michelle Staeheli:  Custom Jewelry
I have been working in the jewelry industry for about 10 years and attended the Art Institute of Seattle for fashion design.  I have always been interested in the accessories side of fashion.  I love to see what the right accessories will do to create and finish the ultimate look. I take vintage and broken jewelry parts from antique stores, Sunday markets, gem shops and friends closets and combine them with new elements to create “upcycled” accessories.  Every piece is unique and entirely one of a kind.

Lee Hendrickson:  Photography
Art and Science find a beautiful harmony in Lee Hendrickson’s photographs of crystals. Taken through a microscope, these crystalline landscapes confound the imagination with their kaleidoscope of colors and patterns; all reproduced as originally seen. The colors in these crystal photographs are the result of refraction of white light through the many crystal facets, much like a prism effect. Crystals have long been coveted for their healing power and beauty, but seldom have they been revealed with such intimate and stunning detail.

Lee Hendrickson is an artist, scientist, and educator. His travels have taken him worldwide and his award winning photographs explore the beauty and the magic he has discovered within.

Studio 23:  Metal and Glass
Studio23 metalworks is a custom metal fabrication and design shop, operated by Mike Rathke and Paul DesJardien. Mike is a trained welder and skilled at all things mechanical. Paul has a background in design and also worked periodically as a fabricator for Jonathan Barnett.

Mike & Paul have been collaborating on various projects together for almost 25 years. At studio23 metalworks they have focused their attention to the creation of handcrafted architectural metal work and furniture.

Uwe Arendt:  Mixed Media
Born in 1945, I spent my formative years in Vienna, Austria, and entered the professional School for Graphic Design at the tender age of 15. Early in my youth I was drawn to music and the visual arts, so I frequented the Kaffee Havelca, a popular hangout for artists, and was exposed to leaders of the Vienna School of Surrealists, including Hundertwasser, Leherb, Fuchs and many others. At night I studied with a leading graphic designer and in my spare time drew inspirations from earlier Viennese masters, Gustav Klimt, and my favorite, Egon Schiele. I was particularly enthralled with Schiele’s line work and his edgy composition style.