TWO MUST-SEE EXHIBITS ENDING IN TWO WEEKS at Tacoma Art Museum

Roger Shimomura, Classmates #1, 2007. Acrylic on canvas, 24 × 36 inches. Collection of Tilman Smith, Seattle, WA.

With the sudden change in the weather here in the Northwest, we are reminded that nothing lasts forever, including summer and two excellent exhibits at the Tacoma Art Museum closing on September 13, 2015.

One of these two exhibits, An American Knockoff, features 53 paintings and prints by Seattle native Roger Shimomura. His distinctive style shows influences of both vintage American comic book art and traditional Japanese woodblock prints and provokes thought on topics such as racial stereotypes, politics, and personal identity. 

Shimomura's family was incarcerated at the Minidoka Relocation Center during World War II and in his lifetime he has experienced presumptions about himself based on his ethnicity, including having others believe him to be a foreigner when he is an American citizen and shares their American culture. All of these feelings have informed his art. The exhibit was organized by the Museum of Art at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. 

The other soon-to-be-gone exhibit is Partners in Northwest Art: Selections from the Aloha Club Collection at TAM. The Aloha Club's roots go back to 1892 when it began as a women's study club. Now this Tacoma institution promotes the development of Northwest artists and supports and encourages participation in the city's cultural life. In 1971, the club donated its collection of important works by Northwest artists to Tacoma Art Museum in order to give more people the opportunity to see the pieces the club began to acquire in 1948. This exhibit includes 21 pieces from the collection.

Why not end summer and celebrate September's arrival by visiting Tacoma Art Museum before these outstanding exhibits leave? You will be glad you did. The museum is located at 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA, 98402. 

HOURS – Tuesdays–Sundays 10 am–5 pm

ADMISSION – Adult $14; Student age 6-17, Military, Senior (65+) $12; Family $35 (2 adults and up to 4 children under 18).

Children 5 and under free. Third Thursdays free from 5–8 pm. Members always free.

CONTACT – 253-272-4258, http://www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

Note: Active-duty members of the military and their families can still take advantage of the Blue Star Museums program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, but only through September 7, 2015.  

Please visit Good Life Northwest's Facebook Page! 

ARTIST ADRIANA WILLSIE TELLS WHY HER MAGICAL NORTHWEST CHILDHOOD MATTERED



"Mount Rainier" by Adriana Willsie

Once upon a time, in a land called the Pacific Northwest, I knew a little girl who seemed sprinkled with fairy dust. Call it sparkle, charisma, blessedness or whatever you want, but there is a certain quality that even in a world full of cute kids, some have and some do not. And she did. You know the kind of child I mean—the kind not only physically appealing, but full of glee, dancing through their days as if they believed their purpose on Earth was simply to experience carefree happiness, a rich imagination, and creative freedom. They make us smile, laugh, and wonder what they will become.



Adriana Willsie and Noah Saipe                photo by Teri Saipe

That little girl was my niece Adriana Willsie who grew up in Redmond, Washington. I watched her grow up. The happy child become the happy woman, beautiful inside and out. She graduated from Princeton University and worked in the non-profit sector for several years. Then she decided to become a full-time artist, an “unapologetically upbeat artist,” she says. Now living in Wisconsin and engaged to be married to her true love, Noah Saipe, Adriana still experiences and expresses her life with a sense of wonder, joy, and enchantment. Her distinctive artistic style delights a steadily growing number of people who have discovered her website:

AdrianaWillsie—Fresh Art & Custom Portraits.

"Dog Days of Summer"    by Adriana Willsie

Adriana first gained attention for her custom portraits of pets, because she somehow manages to express the animal’s personality as if she knew them. That same uncanny ability to recognize and make visible the true character of any subject she paints reveals itself in her still lifes and landscapes too. In each work of art, she shares her joyful spontaneity and keen perceptions.

Maybe this involves a bit of magic, because Adriana's magical childhood allowed her to see and do things in her own unique way. I recently interviewed my niece and am pleased to share our conversation with the readers of Good Life Northwest.

 

"Nighttime Cityscape - Seattle"    by Adriana Willsie

 

Good Life Northwest: How do you think growing up in the Pacific Northwest influenced your art and the person you are today?

 Adriana: I was lucky to be raised by two parents who understood the importance of unstructured play. I spent hours every day doing things like building tiny villages out of the moss and twigs in our yard, climbing trees, making my own “paints” from clay and charcoal, and shooting huckleberries at my unsuspecting brother.

These days, I can see just how rare and lucky is the kid who gets so much time playing outdoors and exploring. But looking back, I can see how it sparked my need to play and explore with paint. It's also impossible to grow up around so much natural beauty and not feel the need to somehow capture it.

 

GLN: What did you love best about growing up here?

Adriana:  I know it sounds cliché, but I loved the outdoors. Growing up, I always had this sense that our backyard was full of magical mysteries. For a while, I was convinced we had elves living in a gnarled tree behind our house. My friends and I would often go on hunts for treasures like interesting rocks or egg shells. And we assumed that the woods in our back yard could provide anything we might need (clay for binding stuff together, huckleberries for food, ferns to turn into forts, etc.) It was quite the pioneer mindset!

"Noah's Portrait"   by Adriana Willsie

 

GLN: What strong connections do you still feel?

Adriana: Somebody once bought me a little sachet of pine needles that smells exactly like the woods I grew up in. Every time I smell it, it gives me a sense of calm. Also, the sound of rain on leaves, no matter where I am, always brings my mind back to the house I grew up in.

"Lemons and Cake"    by  Adriana Willsie

 

GLN: Do you plan to do more landscapes and still life paintings in the future? What are your goals where art is concerned?

Adriana: My biggest goal for this year is to explore still lifes. I've started doing weekly challenges with artist friends to help us all improve our work, and I'm taking a color theory class at the university. I hope that by the end of the year, I'll have even more passion for painting and a deeper understanding of acrylics.

"Asparagus" by Adriana Willsie

 

GLN: Why do you choose to create works that are rather small in size as opposed to using larger canvases?

Adriana: This is something I started doing because of my budget. An 8-by-10-inch canvas is much cheaper than a 24-by-36-inch! But the more I painted, the more I realized that my painting style is to start and then work until it's done. Now I enjoy working on the smaller side because I can work my way through the whole painting at once. It also allows me to price my work so that it's affordable for everyone.



"Pumpkin" by Adriana Willsie

GLN: It seems to me that you have the ability to capture the essence of your subjects with a fresh and pleasing minimalist approach. How in the world do you do this? How are you feeling when you observe the subject and how do you discern which qualities you most want to express?

Adriana: Thank you! That's such a wonderful compliment. I'd say that the thing that excites me the most about painting is the color. Put me in the paint aisle of an art store and I will almost start drooling. When I'm beginning a new piece, I usually think about whether I want calming analogous colors or vibrant complimentary colors, and I begin making decisions from there. My paintings tend to be simple because I generally like to finish them in one day. Once I get revved up about something I'm working on, I can paint for 10 hours straight. But by the next day, it's old news.

 

"Orange" by Adriana Willsie

That may be, but the talent of this artist is the latest news. And once acquired, her work never grows old, because it comes with a wee bit of Adriana’s own essence—that of an artist gifted with originality, a love of vivid color, and a keen eye for the most important elements in the characters of people, animals, places and things.

I hope my niece's life will always feel as magical as a gnarled old tree that could be hiding elves in a Northwest forest. I hope people who read this will remember that the children in their lives also need plenty of unstructured play outdoors. If you want them to have a lucky life, they need to spend time where the fairy dust can find them.

"Tahoe"  by Adriana Willsie

Now that you know a little about Adriana, please take a look at her other paintings and delightful blog and get to know her better. Then you might want to contact her about doing a custom painting or sketch for you to keep or give as a very special gift.

Adriana Willsie—Fresh Art & Custom Portraits

Adriana Willsie’s shop on Etsy  (check out her paintings, pillows, and more)



"Griffin"  by Adriana Willsie

 

 



Good Life Northwest now has a page on FACEBOOK 

  The artwork in this blog post was used with the permission of the artist and may not be reproduced in any form.

 

The Best Christmas Shopping in the Northwest- (plus a FREE GIFT for you)

Forget about Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. The best gifts are made right here in the Pacific Northwest, and they’re waiting for you in an old brick building on the corner of 27th and Proctor, in Tacoma, Washington. It’s the Pacific Northwest Shop, one of my favorite places any time of year, but especially now. (Read on to find out about the totally FREE gift you’ll get just for coming in.) I stopped by today, greeted by the bell on the door, and a pretty display of lighted trees in the window, and owner Bill Evans. “Well hello there, Candace!” he said, while giving his usual caring attention to customers, employees, and boxes of new merchandise that keep arriving. I call him a friend, but so do hundreds of other local people, so it’s always “old home week” in the shop. Those four walls contain not only the bounty of the Northwest, but the spirit of this place as well: natural beauty, good taste, friendliness and warmth.


Every year I send gifts with a regional flavor and flare to places as distant as Denmark. It’s easy to find something special at Bill’s shop. If you’re reading this but don’t live near Tacoma you can even browse the vast selection on line and read about the products and their makers. I picked up a basket at the door (that is, a REAL basket, not a dirty plastic one) and started selecting gifts I wish someone would buy for me, and that could mean anything in the store.





Specialty foods tempt shoppers immediately. There’s smoked wild Pacific salmon from Kasilof Fish Company, local preserves, dried fruit, extraordinary chocolate, coffees and teas (try Enchanted Teas made right in Tacoma), soup and baking mixes, Dan the Sausage Man summer sausage, and novelties like Space Needle Pasta, or Huckleberry Salt Water Taffy. I wish I could mention them all. How about a Washington State wine? Delights like these end up in specially chosen or custom made signature gift boxes the shop sends out each year by the hundreds, if not thousands, all over the country. They do the packing and even take them to the post office for you. I love thinking of recipients in far away states, or right in town, opening one of those collections of treasures.



Man cannot live by delicacies alone, but must also feed the soul with art. I am madly in love with the exquisite fused copper and glass creations of Jones Glassworks in Seattle, with their classically Northwest salmon theme. “It’s two brothers, the Jones brothers,” Bill said. Knowing about the vendors means a lot to him. I relished the richly colored pottery by northwest potter Mark Hudak, and tiles by Paul Lewing. These combine form with function, but the shop carries framed artwork as well, with subjects like regional scenery, Native American images, maritime, etc. The artwork extends to greeting cards, calendars and more. How could I forget the jewelry? Oh my! Those silver pieces in Northwest Native American designs call to me every time, and I've bought a lot of the Jody Coyote earrings.


If you love art glass, in addition to Jones Glassworks’ wonders, you'll find a huge selection from Glass Eye Studio. Made from the ash of Mount Saint Helens, these gems are arranged in front of a south-facing window like one huge kaleidoscope in every color and pattern imaginable. Impressive bowls and vases sit on shelves, but for only $22 you can buy one of the hundreds of glass balls displayed hanging or heaped in a trunk. Call them Christmas ornaments if you wish, but I’d hang one in a sunny window all year around, and they’re always available.



Books make great gifts and the Pacific Northwest Shop is loaded with titles from local authors, on a variety of regional subjects: cooking, travel, nature, history, and more, including one written by the store’s owner Bill Evans himself, along with historian Caroline Gallacci. It’s a fascinating history, from the popular Images of America Series, called "Tacoma’s Proctor District".



What makes this shop so special is Bill himself. He loves supporting local artists, artisans, writers, photographers, and cottage industries, especially in small towns, with products ranging from foods, like Thorp Prairie Corn Bread to natural soaps and lotions of which he has a large selection. “Look at this,” he said, holding up a bar of handmade soap. “Shepards Soap Company, in Shelton, Washington. Aren’t these great?” What’s also great is the way Bill knows his vendors personally and sincerely wants to help their businesses succeed. ( I too, wish I had space to mention everyone by name.) You can feel the warm and giving spirit of this shopkeeper permeating the store, so if you need a dose of Christmas cheer, unique Northwest gifts, and old-fashioned customer service from a great staff, come on in, and… (here’s the surprise) If you tell him you read this blog post on Good Life Northwest he’ll give you a FREE package of Rocca Thins chocolate coated buttercrunch candy.

Hey Santa, you’d better watch out! With a red hat and a beard, this guy could have your job.