Join us at First Thursday, May 5th to meet the featured artists: Julia Martin Joules and Maureen Shay.
Mingle with fellow art lovers in historic downtown Longview. Live music provided by local musicians. Featured artists artwork is on display all month.
During the May 5th First Thursday from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm, enjoy the guitar music of Mark Dykstra.
About The Artists
Julia Martin Joules
Julia Martin Joules
Julia’s show features paintings from her series ‘Parts of a Sunset’, along with her paintings from the Pacific Northwest.
She was born in Longview and went to Western Washington University where she earned a BS in Visual Communications with focus in computer illustration and animation. In 1998, she won Real Networks International Flash Animation Award with an animation called “Momm!!”. The jury included Stan Lee and Bill Plympton.
These last few years she’s re-emerged into painting, using nontraditional objects to apply acrylic paint to canvas. Her technique of short groupings of impasto stokes has been compared to pointillism. It is a natural affect of the tools she uses to paint with like hair picks, chop sticks and meat forks. Her use of dramatic lighting, texture and colorful shadows has been likened to the landscapes of the Impressionists.
Julia makes paintings of places she remembers from trips to the family cabin on Mount St. Helens before the eruption in 1980. A book capturing these paintings and stories behind this series is in progress. She also paints the natural scenery that surrounds us. Her paintings have been on public display here at Broadway Gallery, the Jansen Art Center and the Crown Plaza in Bellingham for the last two years. She lives in Bellingham, WA.
Sunset #1
Sunset #2
Sunset #3
Maureen Shay
A few years ago I retired as an R.N. I had enjoyed a fast-paced, adrenaline packed career in the surgical arena. Now at home, I twiddled my thumbs and relaxed in my rocking chair. I tried knitting doilies for about two weeks. It seemed that I was doing nothing but going around in circles. I caught up on the weeds in my garden and looked at the rocking chair. Somehow, I was back at college pursuing a degree in Fine Arts (maybe not so fine, but still art). I took every art class available. The teachers were incredible and I finally learned some of the processes involved.
Maureen Shay
Photography was an enigma to me, and I was enamored by the necessary steps. Photoshop- not so much! With much diligence, hair-pulling and teeth gnashing by the teacher, I gradually learned what the space bar was. My photography teacher advocated for me to enter some contests through the Photographers Forum Magazine. For two years in a row, I was a finalist (out of 17,000 entries worldwide). I have won awards in other photo contests the past few years. I also have artwork in charcoal and acrylic hanging at Lower Columbia College.
I continue to love and appreciate wildlife as I did growing up on the islands. I have the good fortune to have about a half acre on my property that is a small lake most of the year. All things with wings seem to be drawn to the area. What a continual photo op!
Wild flower
Honeysuckle Pink
Pretty Girl
Geese at Ridgefield
Parent Geese and Goslings