Through the Windshield by Mia Schulte
In January the gallery will showcase Mia Schulte’s paintings, Margo Westfall and Don Lovett’s steel botanicals and the annual fiber exhibit.
We are excited to start the New Year with such talented artists.
Please join us for our First Thursday opening, Thursday January 5 at 5:30 pm, featuring music by John Crocker, snacks, wine tasting and friends. It’s a chance to meet the artists and see all of the gallery artwork.
Mia Schulte – Paintings
Art has been a part of Mia Schulte’s life for as long as she can remember. She grew up in a family where art was appreciated and she travelled and lived in several countries such as Turkey, Holland and Germany, providing her the opportunity to visit museums and develop an early appreciation of art.
Twists and Turns by Mia Schulte
Her series of paintings reflects a year-long quest to capture the essence of a bridge between nature and significant moments in her life. The inspiration came from time spent on Whidbey Island and along the Columbia River Gorge this past summer, as well as explorations of life drawing.
She works primarily in soft pastels and ink which allow her to explore the complexities of color and truly feel the medium.
Drifting by Mia Schulte
Nature and the human form are often merged in her paintings. She sees an intimate connection between the human body and our natural habitat. She looks to nature, the human form, a book/poem, memory, and reflection for inspiration, and says the objective of her paintings is to tweak reality with emotional intent in abstract fashion. “What I see and feel melds together into an abstract statement the viewer can connect with,” she explains.
Mia took art classes in college, worked in the Design industry for years, and later entered the field of Art Education. Currently, she’s devoting herself to being a full-time artist. Visit her website at http://www.mia-artist.com/
Margo Westfall and Don Lovett – Metal Sculptures
Steel sculpture by Margo Westall and Don Lovett
Margo Westfall and Don Lovett’s Line, Shape and Form exhibit features small-works sculpture. A departure from their large public art sculptures, this home/business-scaled collection is a unique blend of painting and steel sculpture that primarily features botanicals.
For Westfall and Lovett, the recurrent theme of transformation influences and motivates their work. The artists see steel as a metaphor for transformation, as nearly all steel has been recycled or transformed.
“Steel also serves as a metaphor for people in our lives,” Westfall noted, “that is due in part to their shared traits: inherent strength, resilience, unpredictability. Like people, steel transforms and develops a unique patina over time.”
Described by noted artist Gail Ramsay Wharton as, “out of the box yet approachable,” their balanced and detail-driven style is heavily influenced by the contemporary Sogetsu School of Ikebana – Japanese flower arranging. Westfall and Lovett hope their love of steel as an art medium will be infectious, and that their steel works will broaden the common conception of, and appreciation for metal sculpture.
Steel sculpture by Margo Westfall and Don Lovett
Margo Westfall and Don Lovett have been working together in steel and other metals since 2004, selling their work from their Olympia, Washington workshop to clients throughout the Pacific Northwest, California, Arizona, Massachusetts, and beyond.
Margo has been involved in art and media much of her life. She hails from a musical family and has worked as a writer, television and radio producer and director of art and music video documentaries. She is an accomplished glass artist and welder, and is a professional steel sculptor with a critical eye for detail.
Don is a licensed professional land surveyor and consultant, amateur Northwest historian, wood carver, and self-trained artist-craftsperson whose mathematics and critical thinking skills complement the duo’s creations in metal.
Together Westfall and Lovett produce large steel sculptures for international sculpture exhibitions, one-of-a-kind corporate and residential sculptures, and a line of rustic indoor and outdoor sculptures for galleries throughout Puget Sound. They have served as shop assistants for the South Puget Sound Community College’s welding program, and are members of Arts Olympia.