Arts and Artists on Bainbridge

In this podcast Erik Peterson reflects on his approaches to painting and the influences that have shaped his complex and evocative style. The paintings for the library show are a result of 14 years of loosely focused, highly devoted, daily painting practice and 11 years of formal studio art education provided by Bainbridge public schools, the University of Washington, and American University. Erik also credits his two loving parents who did their best with a sensitive and quietly rebellious kid. Erik’s exhibit will open during the First Friday Arts Walk at the Bainbridge Public Library on December 6 from 5-7 pm, and will be on display for the month of December. Credits: Host and Editor: John Fossett; Publisher: Chris Walker

City Manager Morgan Smith and Public Works Director Chris Wierzbicki discuss several important items currently in process with the city including the sustainable transportation plan, roundabouts on 305 and taller water tanks. Several topics are discussed in this important dialogue and insightful view of key City of Bainbridge governmental activities.  More regarding the on-going evolution of ADU’s and tiny homes is part of the discourse as is the need to build taller water tanks and take the time to do proper engagement with the sustainable transportation plan, hoping for more community interaction. A review and update of the Police Court’s new digs wraps the podcast. Credits: BCB Host: Joanna Jenkins; Audio Editor: Keith Doughty; Publisher: Robert Ross

Deb Wuensch, president of the Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild, discusses the mission of the Guild, the current yearly challenge and the stirring and informative resulting show coming to the Bainbridge Library in November. She defines some of the modern quilting techniques and explains many different opportunities the Guild offers in supporting this creative element in the community. The Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild does a lot in our community, having just finished the annual Bainbridge Island Quilt Festival in September and continuing to support the nationally recognized American Hero Quilts project. They offer workshops once a year and are featuring much Guild work in a show at the Bainbridge Library in November. The pieces in the show are from the Guild’s annual challenge, a list of parameters that guide the project. This year it’s quadrilaterals. All the while they continue with their Monthly Business Meetings & Sew-Ins on the second Sunday of each month (except May which is the third Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm). The Guild’s show opens as part of the island’s First Fridays Art Walk on Friday, Nov 1st @ 5 p.m. in the community meeting room at the Bainbridge Branch of the Kitsap Regional Library. Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; Audio Editor: John Fossett; Publisher: Robert Ross

On September 19, AHB will be launching its Arts Education site on Currents Online, featuring organizations, teaching artists, programs, events and activities related to arts education on our island.  Arts in Education is a network of classroom teachers, teaching artists, school administrators, and community partners working together to provide quality arts education and arts integration in classrooms on Bainbridge Island and in Suquamish.  The program began in 1999 as a loose association of local artists and school partners figuring out how to introduce dance and theater to fifth- and sixth-graders at Sakai Intermediate School. Now in its 21st year, the program has grown to serve seven schools and more than 2,200 students in grades K-8 offering a broad range of intensive workshops and residencies in poetry writing, storytelling, Native American drumming, fused glass art, cartooning and more.  In this podcast Inez Maubane Jones, Outreach Manager at Arts & Humanities Bainbridge, and Teresa Marchinek, a Reader's Theatre Teaching Artist, introduce us to Arts in Education, give examples of how it works, and explain how adding Arts Education to Currents will benefit parents, teachers, artists and students alike.  Come and explore this Arts Education site on Currents Online on September 19 at https://www.bainbridgecurrents.com/.  BCB Host and audio editor John Fossett; publisher Chris Walker.

Describing her art as traditional Russian Impressionism with a twist of the sublime, Fatima Young has studied the masters since she was a child and has recently returned to painting after a 25 year hiatus. After her husband passed, Fatima found therapy in hiking and she used painting to help her heal. The beautiful surroundings of the Pacific Northwest blended perfectly with Fatima’s passion for Plein Air painting. Now she studies nature at its purest and simplest. Using a palette knife and bold colors to create contrast between light and shadow, Fatima changes the complex forms of nature into simple shapes and strokes, allowing the viewer to imagine the rest. She enjoys letting her “subconscious play around on the canvas capturing the essence of her inner feelings.” For her, it’s all about the journey. Fatima’s show, Capturing the Moment: A Plein Air Passion, opens at 5 p.m. in the community meeting room at the Bainbridge Branch of the Kitsap Regional Library as part of the community’s First Fridays Art Walk on Friday, October 4th. Fatima’s paintings will be displayed through the end of October. Her work is currently on display at Bloedel through September, and can also be found on her website: www.FatimaYoungArt.com. Credits: BCB Host and Audio Editor: John Fossett; Publisher: Chris Walker.

The Bainbridge Island Land Trust has produced a glorious new book full of photographs, illustrations and stories celebrating 30 years of protection and stewardship of the natural elements on our island. Natural Bainbridge: Working Together to Protect Our Island connects information about ecosystems with the roles played by the Land Trust and other stewards as they continue preserving areas for future generations. In this podcast BILT board members Zan Merriman and Erin Kellogg share their perspectives from the two-year project, as well as thoughts on BILT, stewardship, how each of us can help, and where we can see original artwork from the book, not to mention, information for getting our own copy. Artwork from the book will be featured in a show in the Community Meeting Room at the Bainbridge Branch of the Kitsap Regional Library for the month of August. The show will open on Friday, August 2nd as part of the community’s First Friday Art Walk.  Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; audio editor: Jacque Knapp; publisher: Chris Walker.

How do you capture a storm on canvas? Artist Joanie Klorer grew up in Tornado Alley, and after a career helping others find therapeutic resolution through art she's carried her own awareness of time, place, and storms into abstract paintings she'll share at the Bainbridge Island Library for the month of July. During her nearly four decades as a social worker, Joanie found art was a great way to help people -- especially non-verbal clients -- express their hearts and experiences. Today she uses her art to achieve the same objective for herself, drawing on her experience of those childhood storms to feed her paintings  “I think of memory as a shadow which lingers from encounters and places.  Memory, influenced by time, place, and experience forms the catalyst for my paintings.  I believe my paintings are often an attempt at resolution of memories that are stuck like films on continuous replay.”  Joanie's exhibit, entitled "Where I Come From: Memory and Place," will open during the First Friday Arts Walk at the Bainbridge Public Library on July 5th from 5-7 pm. Don't miss it! Credits: BCB Host and audio editor: John Fossett; publisher: Diane Walker.

“Mischief & Craft” is the title of Gigi Godfrey’s art show opening Friday, June 7th in the Bainbridge Island Library. The title comes from a chapter in the book Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith (no relation).  Why did Gigi take the title of her art show from a book about octopuses? She met Eleanora, an octopus, at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and chose her as a subject. Gigi, formally trained as a cardiac nurse, is drawn to subjects displaying some sort of rhythm—whether in the way the light patterns form, the shapes link together, or the weaving of color harmony. She’s happiest staying loose with the brush and leaving unfinished work to show through—creating a trail of the evolution.  Color and texture are the real appeal for Gigi. “When searching for the right color value and temperature, I tend to leave all the marks on the final work, showing the decision process, which I call ‘painting out loud’”.  You’ll see Eleanora and more of Gigi’s work at the upcoming Library Art Show on Bainbridge Island.  Opening reception is Friday June 7th from 5-7 pm.   Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Chris Walker

First presented with oil, brushes and canvas at the age of 10, artist Joan Clark has returned to painting after a long hiatus with charming results. Her paintings of people and animals open at the library on Friday, May 3. Mainly self-taught, Joan’s influenced by the great Dutch Masters, Rembrandt & Vermeer to name a few. She loves Leonardo da Vinci and likes to paint from photos -- often images she finds in National Geographic Magazine. But it was a photo of her granddaughter that got her back in the studio. At first it was hard, she didn’t think she was going to be able to do it. However, with perseverance, something she encourages other artists to do in tough spots, she realized she still had the skills, and she’s never looked back. Joan’s show opens at the library as part of the community’s First Fridays Art Walk on Friday, May 3rd from 5:30-7 pm, and will be on display at the library for the month of May. Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker

Curious about the artist behind the new murals in the ferry terminal? Meet Cynthia Lait when her new exhibit opens at the Bainbridge Island Library on Friday Evening, April 5th. Ever since Cynthia Lait can remember, she’s been creating art. From drawing horses as a child, to rising early as a young mother to get some studio time before getting her kids off to school and herself to work to her current situation of having her studio set up the way she likes it, Cynthia likes to be creative. She took the occasional art class in high school, but when it came time for college she chose to become a chemical engineer, a degree that informs her creativity process more than one would think. With her children now grown she now has time for a more serious studio practice. She’s inspired by nature; memories of a walk in the woods, playing at the beach. She’s inspired by movement; the changes in color and shape as an object moves. And she’s inspired by patterns; the evident and not-so-evident, the beginnings, middles and endings. For her collage work she paints Japanese papers with vibrant colors then cuts, arranges and re-arranges these pieces of paper until it resonates. She likes the definition of the clean edges so that the work takes on more graphical style. Come meet Cynthia at the Bainbridge Library when her show opens Friday, April 5, from 5:30 to 7 pm. For more of her work, visit http://www.cynthialait.com. Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

Ars Poetica -- the pairing of art and poetry -- is now coming to Bainbridge. Selected poems are being paired with photos from members of the Bainbridge Island Photo Club and will be on display at the Bainbridge Public Library, opening March 1. The annual Kitsap County event, which is now in its eighth year, invites poets to submit their work to a panel of judges. Area artists then choose from the winning poems and create art inspired by the chosen poetry. The end results will soon be visible at Collective Visions Gallery in Bremerton, at the Front Street Gallery in Poulsbo, at the Poulsbohemian Coffee House, and this year, for the first time, at the Bainbridge Public Library. Listen here as poet and organizer Sue Hylen explains how she managed to coordinate plans for the library and for the Bainbridge Island Photo Club, and tells what to expect for opening night, Friday, March 1, from 5 - 7 pm. Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

Bainbridge artist Susan Wiersema uses photography, watercolor, and colored pencil to reveal the soulful nature of animals. Her new show, My Pet Project: Portraits of Cats and Dogs opens at the Bainbridge Library @5pm Friday, February 1. Listen here as Susan talks with BCB host John Fossett about her love for animals, her fondness for the Doctor Doolittle books, and how she came to discover the field of pet portraiture. Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

For Northwest artist David Repyak, art and life are all about relationship. His new show, Human Nature, which opens at the Bainbridge Library @5pm Friday January 4, explores the relationship between humans and nature. “Struck at an early age by the beauty and power of the natural world.” David has spent this last year creating a new collection of figurative oil paintings, drawing on a lifetime of influence from the natural world and his connections to it. David, who earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University in Syracuse and his teaching certification from University of Washington, is a Montessori classroom teacher, an art teacher and artist. David has shown his work in individual and group shows around the state, juried competitions in the Northwest and his works are included in several local collections. He finds his inspiration in collaboration with other artists, and after leading art classes in Washington elementary schools for the past decade has now also begun teaching painting to adults. The show opens at the Bainbridge Branch of the Kitsap Regional Library as part of the First Fridays Art Walk @ 5 pm on Friday, Jan 4th, and will show through the month of January. Don't miss it! Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

Christmas, Spring, boats and carousels: Peggy Brunton's paintings are filled with light and color. See them at the library in December; opening Friday evening December 7. Artist Peggy Brunton received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Washington and has taught ceramics, painting and art history for Seattle Pacific University. Her work has won awards in many prestigious Northwest exhibitions and has been placed in private collections in Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, across the USA and throughout the Northwest. She has been chosen to be in permanent collections at Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Henry Gallery, and Seattle Art Museum. Listen here to learn of her approach to her work -- and don't miss her opening at the First Fridays Art Walk at the Bainbridge Library, December 7 from 5-7 pm. Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

In anticipation of Celluloid Bainbridge's upcoming 20th anniversary retrospective (November 17-18), festival founder Kathleen Thorne and Lynwood Theatre maven TJ Faddis  talk with BCB host John Fossett about the history, technical challenges, and highlights of this iconic film festival. Over the last 20 years of the festival there have been numerous surprises. Listen here and learn about the Trojan Horse, the true test of a Bainbridge Islander, the superstition surrounding one film, which filmmaker has TWO films in the festival (one under an assumed name), Kathleen's own surprising contribution to the festival, and what's a cowboy hat got to do with anything? For this year's festival, the Opening Night Reception will take place at 5pm on Saturday November 17 at the Marketplace at Pleasant Beach. Guests will enjoy fine food and drink and the company of Bainbridge Island author Jonathan Evison. After the Reception, head across the street to the Historic Lynwood Theatre for an exclusive screening of “The Fundamentals of Caring,” the 2016 film based on Evison’s best-selling book “The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving.” Evison will host a Q&A after the film. And then, free all day Sunday at the Lynwood Theatre, you'll see feature-length dramas, documentaries, comedy shorts, and experimental music videos, all representing the creativity, the hilarity, and the heart that have defined Celluloid from the very beginning. Don't miss this fabulous 20th anniversary retrospective: it's quintessential Bainbridge! Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

Meet award-winning author and wildlife photographer Paul Bannick, whose exhibit of magnificent owl photographs will open at the Bainbridge Library at 5:30 pm on Friday November 2, with a talk by the artist at 6pm. In this podcast interview Paul talks with BCB host John Fossett about his years of work in the wild, about his passion for nature and for photography, and about the 19 species of owls and what they have to teach us about the beauty and vulnerability of their unique natural habitats. A veteran of Aldus, Adobe, and Microsoft, Paul now serves as Director of Major Gifts for Conservation Northwest, an organization dedicated to protecting and connecting wild areas and recovery native species from the Pacific Coast to the Canadian Rockies. Representatives of Conservation Northwest will also be on hand at the opening to share information about one of their current projects. Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

In this podcast interview you'll meet Mario Alejandro Torres, the new Music Director and Conductor for the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra. Born & raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Mario is a conductor, teacher, and student who also performs on the viola and violin. He currently lives in Seattle, where he is a doctoral candidate at the University of Washington, pursuing a degree in orchestral conducting. Listen here as Mario tells Arts and Artists producer John Fossett about his early years as a young musician in Honduras and his hopes for the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his new role at the BSO, Mr. Torres is the Music Director of Poulsbo Community Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the University of Washington Symphony Orchestra. He has played with and conducted orchestras in Honduras, Suriname, Costa Rica and Haiti, and his wife Jenny is an active participant in the Seattle Music Partners Program and the Special Events department of the Seattle Symphony. Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

On September 7th, 8th, and 9th, at the Bainbridge Island Library, local artists and art organizations will be sharing arts and information galore. Don't miss it! Listen here as artist and library associate Patrick Gulke talks about the art happening planned for the September show at the Bainbridge Island Library. The following artists will be featured in the group show for all of the month of September. Jamie Brouwer   Karen Chaussabel  Karen Cornell  Chris Demarest  Marilyn Gottlieb Mary Guterson  Curtis Hughes  Kelly Johnston Drew Kunz  Michael Pontieri  Nicole Schluter And -- for the Art Walk on September 7th, participants will also include: Erica Applewhite  Susanne Bardelson   Allison Garrison  Patrick Gulke Diane Walker  and more Don't miss this exciting extravaganza!   Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

Artist Dorothy Brown's paintings explore "My Art of Jazz." Experience them at the library during the month of August, and don't miss the opening -- August 3rd at 5:30 pm. The paintings, created in oils and inspired by the jazz musicianship of Dorothy's husband and son, depict the musicians, dancers, and audiences Dorothy encounters in the world of jazz. Like jazz, the paintings are improvised, and are meant to capture moments in time rather than exact likenesses of the subjects or their instruments. So come see the show, and experience this charming tribute to the music and musicians of jazz! Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.

Photographer Dinah Satterwhite has been running the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour -- coming up this August -- for about 10 years. Listen here as she talks about her work, both as a photographer and a tour organizer. A Bainbridge resident since 1997, Dinah has been an actual participant in the Studio Tour for over 20 years. With a background in marketing, hi-tech, operations and advertising, she's a perfect match for the organizational demands and marketing challenges of the popular tour. But Dinah also finds time to teach photography and help other artists get good photos of their work as well as teaching piano and creating her own highly saleable fine art photography. Her work can be found in regional galleries, on stage and film sets, in homes and office settings worldwide, and on her website: dinahsatterwhite.com. Credits: BCB Host: John Fossett; BCB audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.