Inspiration and Experimentation Take the Spotlight at the Blue Whole Gallery in May

Blue Whole Gallery’s featured artists of the month of May are Lynne Armstrong and Carol Janda, two veteran artists known for their aspiration and new experiments. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet Lynne and Carol and discuss the world of their arts.


Lynne Armstrong talks about her work: “Inspired by the late paintings of Pierre Bonnard of interior scenes which defy logic and hold our attention purely for the beauty of their color and rhythm of shape, my Intimate Interiors Series may initiate more questions than answers.  I have included figures, flowers, fruits, animals and birds in arrangements which seem to tell a story, and yet the narrative remains obscure.  The poses of the figures, the presence of objects and of creatures seem random and capricious.  I seem to be telling a story, but what is the story?  You are asked to look, and look again and let the color and shape and rhythm of the painting justify itself.  The subject of the picture is the picture itself."

Lynne has a strong academic background having completed a Masters Degree in Fine Arts in Painting at Cornell University and a Masters in Art History at Stanford. In addition, she studied for one year at the Academia di Belle Arte in Florence, Italy , before completing her PhD in Art History at Stanford. She has  taught art in college, high school and elementary school. 

Lynne works in the mediums of watercolor, acrylic and clay and can be found in many private collections in the US, Canada, Asia and Europe.

"The Arrangement" by Lynne Armstrong

"TulipTablecloth" by Lynne Armstrong

Carol Janda is a multi media artist working in watercolor, mixed media, clay and mono types. She is well known on the Olympic Peninsula and her work is in many a collection. Carol talks about her current work:

"My goal now is to express, exercise, teach and test my accumulated ideas and philosophy through the art I make in clay and painting which has been a driving force and pleasure in my life. I will be having 2 Watercolor Workshops this summer in Sequim - June 17 –18 and July 22-23 titled Working with the Elements and Principles of Design". Please visit my Blog Claythingsplus@blogspot.com and become a member. Google Carol Janda for websites which show my work and will link to Facebook Blue Whole, Sequim Arts and the Blog. I welcome interviews and look forward to seeing you on First Friday in May."

"Retired" by Carol Janda

"Teaching Buddha" by Carol Janda

Larry McCaffrey and Bud Bowling to be Featured First Friday

This April 5th, The Blue Whole will feature artists, Bud Bowling and Larry McCaffrey as their Artists of the Month. While both men are in a way sculptors, each expresses their art in very different ways.

Robert (Bud) is a self-taught, mixed media artist living in Sequim , Washington . He enjoys the bounty of natural materials found on the Olympic Peninsula so often featured in his distinctive assemblages. His work has been included in several juried exhibitions as well as group shows including Sequim Arts, The Sequim Museum and Arts Center and Northwind Arts Center in Port Townsend.

"Steampunk Weather Station", Assemblage by Bud Bowling

“I strive to use natural and found objects in my work and enjoy the challenge of combining textures along with various mediums for embellishment. From concept to construction I find satisfaction in being a part of creative transformation”. -  Bud Bowling

"No Vacancy", Assemblage by Bud Bowling

"Omega", Sculpture by Larry McCaffrey

Larry McCaffrey is a metal sculptor and painter who creates sweeping, majestic sculptures from metal. His work has been accepted into numerous prestigious juried competitions and graces the gardens and homes of numerous private collectors. 

"In lieu of any formal art instruction, I rely on my years working the metal trades to gives me the skills required to create my work - it includes the design, cutting of the metal, forming, welding and finally the finishing.  

"My work primarily entails sculpting with nonferrous metals (stainless steel & aluminum) as well as mild steel which has been powdered coated making my art impervious to the weather.

"I enjoy producing my art because of the challenges encountered and the feeling of accomplishment in resolving those problems.  I take pride in feeling that I have created something original."

"Ribbon", Metal Sculpture by Larry McCaffrey

New Paths and different Journeys

Blue Whole Artist Deb Sterk has recently been experimenting and studying new ways to loosen up her work  and interpret the abstract qualities of the world she observes around her. Deb explains the photo of her recent work "Fall Interval", size 16 X 20 and an acrylic.


"This painting is a interpretive painting, and suggests my sensory perceptions of that interval between late summer fall.  Abstracting from nature, I’ve used my love of gesture, immersion in process, and love of color to suggest an interval in the changing of the season."

"Fall Interval"

Born and raised In Wisconsin, Deborah has been drawing all her life. Deborah is a past member of the prestigious Palette and Chisel Club in Chicago and has done freelance commercial artwork for Dryden  Press in Chicago Ill.  After retiring on 2005 her lessons came from Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting and Edgar Payne’s Composition of Outdoor Painting.  She continued to enhance her knowledge and skills by taking workshops with master artists Robert Hoffman, Gay Faukenberry, Ken Auster, Scott Burdick, Scott Christensen and Robert Burridge. Deborah recently received “Peoples Choice” at the “Small Expressions IV” exhibit presented by Northwind Arts Center.

You can view Deb's work at the Blue Whole Gallery and at http://dsterk.blogspot.com.

Blue Whole Sculptor to be featured in March

First Friday in March, Mike McCollum will be the Blue Whole Featured Artist. Mike's show of work will consist of wood and resin works a swell as pastel drawings and mixed media drawings.  

Cabinet of various Hard Woods and Resins

McCollum was born in Hoquiam , WA but developed many of his artistic sensibilities from the San Francisco Bay Area. At UC Berkeley while completing MA and MFA degrees he apprenticed with Peter Voulkos, assisting him with construction and installation of 3 major outdoor sculptures.

For 26 years Mike was a professor of art at the University of Nevada , Las Vegas and ended his academic career as dean at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle . He was nationally recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1980 with an individual fellowship grant. He continues to exhibit, next in a show in Las Vegas entitled, “Skull.” More of his work can be viewed at deepwoodsart.com.

Mike will give a talk on his recent work on Wednesday, March 13 at the gallery at 6 pm. The public is invited. 

"Orange", Pastel

“I work in a variety of mediums from drawing, painting, printmaking, wood and resin. This exhibit will involve recent wood and resin works, pastel drawings and mixed media drawings. I will also exhibit some playful wood cabinets. All of the work in this exhibit was done from 2012 to the present. Abstract Expressionism is one of my influences even though I include recognizable images within the work. I am interested in “arriving at” rather than “aiming at” with my work, which is another way of saying I enjoy being surprised when the work is finished. I see art as a process of reduction, getting rid of the chaff to reveal the essence of the idea.”  Mike McCollum can be contacted at 681-3748 and welcomes interviews.

"Tubers", Pastel

Cabinet of various Hard Woods and Resins

Pam Walker and Janine Hegy to steal First Friday Show

This month Janine Hegy's and Pam Walker's work will grace the windows of the Blue Whole Gallery. Both are known as energetic renaissance artists who continuously challenge traditional boundaries of art with their creativity. 

Pam Walker is both a photographer and pastel artist. Her work pushes boundaries and borders between the worlds of photography and fine art two dimensional work. Pam is especially known for her pigment transfers where just the pigment of a photograph is transferred onto varying surfaces such as copper or wood. Pam is also working in pastels which, like her photographs take on a subtle other worldly appearance. 

Pam talks about her work in the upcoming show:  "I've been working on new images in both pastel and pigment transfer for the front window in March. I was inspired by the beautiful conditions out at the west end. Our area is so rich in beauty that it is easy to find something to paint or make a picture of.

"I was born and raised in Sequim, moved away in 1979, raised two boys in the Longview area and attended Lower Columbia College where I discovered a love for photography. In 2003, I returned to Sequim with my husband Don. I continue to spend hours in the dark room without realizing where the time has gone. I still work with films as well as working digitally. Pigment transfer on different media is one of my experiments. Some of my photo art pieces are published through “Getty Images” and a book “International Color Awards: Photography Master Cup.

"Be sure to visit me during the Sequim Arts Studio Tour during the Sequim Lavender Festival."

Pam Walker (360-681-4781), photographer, welcomes your contact, including interviews.

"The Shore" Pastel by Pam Walker 

"The Stare", Pastel by Pam Walker

Janine Hegy is a Stone Mason and Jeweler. A visitor to the Blue Whole can see Janine's unique work throughout the gallery in the form of garden benches, stone sculpture and jewelery. Her unique style would add a splash of energy to any landscape or garden. Janine describes herself and her work in a few sentences:

"Vim & Vigor. I looked up these words and think they apply to me. Lively or energetic spirit. Enthusiasm. Vitality. Physical or mental strength. Energy or force. Combine vim and vigor and one has a great deal of momentum. When I look over my body of work in the last year it is astounding. It's such a fantastic feeling to work my crafts in this community - I hope that the work reflects those feelings.

"Three of the most splendid projects I have ever worked on,  patios, fire pits and waterfalls are all built by my hand in real stone. I love creating jewelry that is lovely to wear and then it's fun to see people in town with it on. 'Hey I recognize that pair of earrings!' So, put all this together and then add dabbling in some old projects such as an oil painting (that has taken many years to complete), and wallah! Quite the creative concoction and it's all on display this month.

"Please Note: Stop by my studio during Sequim Arts Studio Tour during 2013 Sequim Lavender Festival. Visit."

Click here for more information on the Sequim Arts Studio Tour. To visit the Tour Blog, click here.

"Sandblasted Rose" by Janine Hegy

"Propane Fire Pit" by Janine Hegy

Pam Walker's art Selected by Prestigious Juried Competition

The Blue Whole Gallery is proud to announce that Pam Walker's piece, titled, "Ancient Doorway", was chosen by the annual CVG Show for participation in it's annual juried competition. CVG is one of the largest and most prestigious art competitions in the Northwest. Over 325 artists from 79 Washington cities submitted 896 artworks for consideration. Of these only 127 pieces were selected for inclusion in the show. Alfredo Arreguin, an internationally known painter from Seattle is the juror for this year’s competition. Next, Arreguin will choose the recipients of $7,000 in prizes going to 11 artists in multiple categories. Additional prizes include a purchase award by the Kitsap County Arts Board, a $300 People’s Choice Award and a $1,000 Best of Kitsap Award sponsored by the Cultural Arts Foundation Northwest.

Exhibition coordinator Alan Newberg says: “Looking for art that startles the viewer?... that inspires?...Art that fills the mind with intrigue or amazes with technical finesse? You think that art should challenge the social status quo, or touch the soul? Whatever you are after in your visual quest for art, the 2013 CVG Show has it all.” These 127 artists hail from every quarter of our state and exhibit all of the best qualities of contemporary and traditional art.

The 2013 CVG Show be will open to the public Jan 19, 2013 from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit continues until Saturday, Feb. 23. The gallery will be open Tuesdays – Saturdays 10 to 5 and Sundays 1 to 5. The Collective Visions Gallery is located in downtown Bremerton at 331 Pacific Avenue, just 3 blocks from the ferry terminal. Phone: 360 377 8327. 

Pam Walker is a versatile artist working both in pastel and photography. She has had pieces published in National Georgraphic and is also known for her pigment transfer photographs where the delicate surface of the photo pigment is transferred to various surfaces such as paper or copper.  "Ancient Doorway", is a photographic pigment transfer on Silver leaf covered acrylic, framed in a silver leaf frame. The photo is of a man passing through the "marble door" in the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul Turkey. . 

More of Pam's entrancing work can be viewed at the Blue Whole Gallery. Here's a peek at the CVG show entry. 

"Ancient Doorway"

Artists of the Month for January 2013

CONTEMPORARY ART BRINGS IN THE NEW YEAR

The Blue Whole Gallery is proud to announce it's two featured artists for the month of January 2013. Barbara Boerigter and Mary Franchini will welcome the New Year with contemporary art sure to bring a smile to your face and get you thinking about art from a different perspective.

Come join us at the Blue Whole this First Friday on January 4th and view other new work by the fine artists of the Blue Whole. - Susan Martin Spar, Blog Master.

Barbara Boerigter 

Barbara's art generally focuses on the unusual objects that most people discard. Wedding intellect and imagination, she brings these found objects together to create sometimes humorous and often thought provoking sculptures, wall hangings and collages. The images below are a fine example of the two ends of Barbara's spectrum. While "Baba Yagas House" brings a smile and a feeling of puzzlement to the viewer, "Time Gone" is a strong reminder of a construct that rules us all.

“Not Baba Yagas House”

“Art came late into my life. A native of the Pacific Northwest , after living abroad for 26 years, I completed a BFS from Concordia University in Montreal , Quebec in 1990, returning to Washington State in 1994. Living in other lands gave me exposure, stimulation, taught me tolerance, and reinforced my patriotism. My personal views of the world, regardless, have always been somewhat simplistic: those of goodness; caring and concern from fellow man to fellow man; and preservation of our Earth. I feel very connected to the human condition, that potential instilled within every living thing that needs care and nurturing to reach its full potential. The art pieces on display this month reflect that concern.”

“Time Gone”

Mary Franchini

Mary's work always makes me smile. There's something about her cheerful palette and humorous images that always makes me think of  carefree days spent in the sunshine. Mary works in multimedia. She creates paintings and collages filled with wonderful texture and lovely color. Not all of Mary's images, however, are created on a purely lighthearted note. Some, like the images below, show another more serious side of Mary's nature and hint that she looks deeper into things than a first glance would indicate.

"Green Abstract"

“I paint for the sheer joy of the experimental process and want to bring this feeling to the viewer using color, light and sometimes whimsy. My work goes from form to form and back again. Using simple ideas or objects, I paint a series of works. Stretching and pulling these has proved helpful in the creative process. I like to use water media which includes watercolor, gouache, acrylics, paper and any marking implement. I work with a very basic plan, but then see where the painting takes me. My students give me hints and ideas and I run with them, learning from them as much as they learn from me.”

"Laura Cropped"