It’s a perfect partner – art at the eye clinic.
It all started when the office administrator at Harman Eye Clinic, Barbara Aliaga, decided to use the big empty walls in the entry hall for art for the party held in honor of Dr. Lee Harman being inducted to the Cascade Valley Hospital Hall of Fame in November. That show featured mostly works by clinic staff and friends, including Aliaga herself, a painter.
Following that first exhibit, Aliaga sent out a call for art for a new show, and she now plans to change the exhibit every two months.
When Arlington photographer Kent Baker saw the call for art, he immediately jumped on the opportunity.
Baker said he noticed the call for art in The Arlington Times and called Aliaga to find out more.
“Roberta and I went to see what they were doing and we were very impressed,” Baker said. He then called some fellow artists to see if they could contribute some art. As a result of Baker’s efforts, the current show includes works by his protege, photographer Denise Schwans, and an Arlington-area painter, Monica Yantis.
With the artists who had already called Aliaga, the second show is an impressive collection of photographs and paintings. Along with the Arlington artists, the current show also includes watercolor paintings by Everett artist Larry Kantzer and pen-and-ink paintings of wildlife by Marysville artist Patrick Delony.
Kantzer captures scenes of the Northwest — the streets of Everett and the natural world surrounding the city — with a subtle, watery pallet.
Delony depicts wildlife with pen-and-ink pointillism. He has six works in the show, including “American Bald Eagle,” “Red-tail Hawk,” “Great Blue Heron,” “Catfish Cabin,” “Gadwall Hen and Chicks,” and “Common Loon and Chicks.”
Baker is showing 15 large photographs, with images from Bryce Canyon and Yosemite National Park to the Catskills in New York, and local scenes of the Stillaguamish River in the winter and Mountain Loop Highway, among others.
Schwans has eight photographs in the show, with scenes from around the Northwest, including Deception Pass and Skagit Bay and the Hoh Rain Forest to Elliott Bay in Seattle.
A multi-media artist, Yantis offered three oil paintings, a watercolor and a mixed-media piece called “Pink Roses.” Two large works, “Barry’s Truck II,” shows an old farm truck her family uses for haying, and a warm scene of the rolling vineyards of Italy titled “Some Day.”
The surgery coordinator at the eye clinic, Joyce Bowley entered a large photograph of a tree by the side of a lake. Her art side-line, One World Photography, is a partnership with a friend, Mylene Henken, who lives in Snohomish as does Bowley, As good friends, they became interested in photography together and started seeking out new places to go to capture great pictures, often via Volkswalks around the region.
Aliaga said she got seriously interested in art after 9-11.
“To change the energy and make life happier, I built a waterfall next door to my house on Camano Island,” Aliaga said. She later decided to bring art to her day job by installing these shows in the entry hallway.
Along with the rotating art show, Aliaga also produces a nice book about the show, with biographies of the participating artists and a list of the works in the show.
“It’s been a lot of fun to see people enjoy the art,” Aliaga said, as two customers walked in the door and beelined straight to the pictures on the wall.
“I believe that life doesn’t have to be common and art is the way to make it special.”
The gallery is open during office hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Anyone interested in submitting works for the next show to be installed in March should go to the Web site at www.20Better.com for information, or call Aliaga at 360-435-8595. The clinic is located at 903 Medical Center Drive, directly across Stillaguamish Avenue from the Cascade Valley Hospital.
Upcoming art show
Two $100 cash rewards will be presented by the Arlington Arts Council at a fine arts show to be held in conjunction with the Arlington Eagle Festival. While the festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 7, the art show will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Feb. 5, 6 and 7 across the street, at 233 N. Olympic Ave. in the former Arlington Times office.
Coordinated by the AAC, the art show will include both eagle photographs and wildlife art, as well as a children’s art table Feb. 7. Helen Saunders will lead a fish printing project from 2 – 4 p.m., Feb. 7 and Bridget Clawson will help kids make art trading cards with wildlife images, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Arlington Kiwanis Club will offer refreshments at the show on Saturday.
The winner of an eagle photo contest will receive $100 and the winner of the wildlife art contest will receive $100. Winners will be selected through a people’s choice ballot and will be announced at
4 p.m., Feb. 7.
For the Wildlife Art Show, artists must deliver framed art in any media or three-dimensional works that feature any kind of wild critters to 233 N. Olympic Ave, 3 – 4 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 4. Art must be picked up at the end of the show, 6 p.m., Feb. 7.
The artwork must be labeled with the title, price, media, artist name and phone number.
Photographs of eagles must be 8-inches-by-10-inches minimum and delivered to Sarah Hegge in the Mayor’s Office at City Hall by Feb. 4. Photographs should be matted and ready to hang.
There is no entry fee, but the AAC will collect 10 percent off all sales made. AAC members will expand the show with individual displays in the back of the Wildlife Art Show.
For information, call Carey Waterworth 360-631-9242.
