Archive 2012

January 2012

First Thursday ~ January 5
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Music by John Crocker

Featured Artists
Fiber Arts Show
Mia Shulte (paintings)
Margo Westfall and Don Lovett (metal sculpture)

About Mia Schulte

Drifting by Mia Schulte

“This series of paintings reflects a year-long quest to capture the essence of a bridge between nature, and significant moments in my life.

My inspiration comes from time spent on Whidbey Island, and along the Columbia River Gorge this past summer, as well as time spent exploring life drawing. Nature and the human form are often merged in my paintings, all natural forms being reiterated in the world around us. I see an intimate connection between the human body and our natural habitat.

It has been said that abstract art is tweaking reality with emotional intent; this is certainly what defines the objective of my paintings. The emotional twists and turns of everyday life inhabit my images of nature. What I see, and what I feel, melds together into an abstract statement, that I hope will connect the viewer to the painting.” ~ Mia Schulte http://www.mia-artist.com/

Twists and Turns by Mia Schulte

Through the Windshield by Mia Schulte

About Margo Westfall and Don Lovett

Line, Shape and Form is a small-works sculpture exhibit by self-taught metal artisans Margo Westfall and Don Lovett. 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.

~ Margo Westfall and Don Lovett

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.

Steel sculpture by Margo Westfall and Don Lovett

Steel sculpture by Margo Westfall and Don Lovett