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Sue Roberts

Like most artists, Sue Roberts focuses her day around her studio. "I built a clay studio with plenty of work space and a separate building for my kiln," she says. Occasionally she likes to switch to another medium - she has worked with metal, wood and found objects - but she always goes back to clay. And her sculptures are delightful! Many of them are of ordinary people doing ordinary things, but they are somehow more than people. A young man taking a selfie with a tree is so full of joy that it makes you want to laugh. Same with the young woman reaching up to capture a wave.

Sue has always known that she wanted to be an artist. "When I graduated from college, I did a little teaching at an art school in Florida, but was mainly focused on being a full time, self-employed studio artist," she says. And now, she's living the dream. "It's been over 35 years of self-employment, and every decade I seem to re-invent what I do in order to be able to continue my art practice. Keeps me on my toes and I am rarely bored!"

It is this focus that has helped Sue through the Covid crisis. Before, she taught out of her studio, sold work in galleries and juried shows, but, of course, all that went away. "As someone who has been self-employed most of my career," she says, "I am used to the ups and downs of earning a livelihood. I try to keep my overhead low, which helps in times of financial and work slow-downs." She has participated in a couple of virtual shows and, while they are not ideal, she likes the idea of pairing physical shows with virtual ones for those who can't visit in person.

Take a look at Sue's page at the Guemes Island Art Initiative website, here, and enjoy her wonderful, whimsical work.

Chris LeBoutillier

Chris LeBoutillier's passion is his deep love of nature. For most of his life he has been photographing wildlife and glorying in his time outdoors behind his camera.  Nature is what inspires him and what fills his days. "Being able to show a part of the world that many are unable to see is inspiring in itself," he says.  "I hope, when people see my photos, it will help make a difference in protecting and appreciating nature and its wildlife."

Chris is virtually surrounded by the animals and woods of Guemes Island where he makes his home. "Sometimes," he says, "I get extremely lucky and the animals will practically pose for me. Other days, I could spend hours deep in the woods and see no wildlife. "You can't tell nature what to do," he says, "and that's what makes it special." 

He says his practice hasn't changed much over time. The advent of new and better technology has his given him the opportunity to improve his photos. At the same time, thanks to improving editing software and social media, he can share his photos with thousands of people. Sometimes he gets thought provoking comments about certain species of animals he has photographed. "This leads me into researching these animals so that I can have a better understanding of them, and can help provide the correct information," he says. In this way, he feels, he can give people a better understanding of nature and its critical role. He truly is making the world a better place.

Nature photography is a hobby for Chris, he says. But one look at his photographs tells us that it is much more than that. 

You can see more of Chris' work at the Guemes Island Art Initiative site HERE.

Julie deRouche

Julie DeRouche has been working with porcelain since the 1980s. It's evident that she speaks its language and porcelain speaks hers. Her works -- unique, whimsical and downright delightful -- speak to us all.

Inspired by the plants around her in the woods, the patterns in a leaf, in bark and rocks or in a feather on her duck's back, Julie's ceramics often reflect the natural world. Her Luna Ware line -- those pieces with balls on them -- are wonderfully fun. "When I did my first Flower and Garden Show in San Francisco," she tells us, "A woman picked out a bowl and said 'My husband is going to love this,' which made me smile. Then she said 'He's blind.' and that made my eyes just swell. Bringing joy in a totally new way was great!"

We asked Julie about her biggest artistic achievement so far. "The largest Cod mural in the world (in 2009), in Canada," she said. "The mural is on Fogo Island in Newfoundland Labrador. It was in a wonderful community for an experience I will never forget." The mural is 8' x 12' and consists of 840 4 inch tiles. "I had never done a mural before and it was and still is quite the learning experience. The folks that I met there were wonderful. Many friends for life."

She's been hard hit by the Covid crisis, though. "I've taken a year," she says, "to give the clay side a rest. Materials are expensive, getting them, extra hard." Since her suppliers are struggling too, Julie isn't sure she'll be able to get what she's used to working with. Her communication with porcelain, just now, has broken down. We are sure that Julie will be back, communicating with her porcelain as creative as ever!

The Guemes Island Art Initiative has given her a much needed portal for her artwork at the Guemes Island Art Initiative site here.

Cedar Petrick

Cedar Petrick has a deep and abiding love of nature. Not only did she grow up with it, she now incorporates it into all aspects of her art. "Art finds many forms in my life --" she says, "garden design, floral arrangements, dried botanical wreaths and wall hangings, drawings, watercolor paintings, functional and sculptural ceramics, and photography of my work and nature."

Cedar's "studio" is not a typical one. She grows materials for her floral designs in her garden. She watercolors notecards and paintings at her desk. She uses her home, full of the flowers, feathers, rocks and shells as her workplace - her studio, and finds inspiration in their natural lines, shapes, colors and scents.

Along with her mother, Cedar runs Hummingbird Island Farm, a part-time business, growing and harvesting flowers for weddings and events as well as her bouquet subscribers. She told us that "each bouquet is a unique combination of color, texture and fragrance." One look at one of her lovely arrangements and you can almost catch the drifting scents of stock, nasturtiums, lilies and pine! "I have tried just about every medium that I can afford and had access to over the years," Cedar tells us. "I enjoy trying new things." She plans to continue improving her hand-built ceramic making skills and make a complete set of tableware for her home.

Covid, of course, has impacted Cedar's business. While she has continued to grow her garden, the weddings and events stopped, leaving her with an abundance of fresh flowers. "I ended up drying a lot more than I intended," she says. "But it worked out because demand for my dried botanical art increased."

You can see more of Cedar's work at the Guemes Island Art Initiative site here.

Sam Barr

Art, Sam Barr says, is not his full time job. "Being Indigenous is full-time, but art is just part of that," he says. He, as well as his art, are steeped in tradition. He works full time to protect archeological sites in Coast Salish territory so he must find time for art wherever he can. His medium of choice is Salish art. That encompasses wood, paint, paper, drums and songs. "I really can't narrow it down more than that," he told us. "Each facet of Coast Salish art contributes to the whole process."

Sam's wood carvings are wonderful, as are his painted pieces and weavings. They impart a feeling of energy and power. His works are useful too. He makes bowls, paddles, fish clubs, hats and drums to be used by his family and friends.

Inspiration, for Sam, comes from historical examples of Salish art. "Pre-contact and early-contact pieces are very rare," he says, "but they do exist and they set the design standard for modern Coast Salish art." He takes inspiration from traditional stories and ecological relationships as well.

Sam carves where he can - at the kitchen sink, sometimes in the garage and sometimes outside.  And he works when he can. Like for many of his contemporaries, Covid has removed child care options and he has smaller amounts of time when he can immerse himself in his art. But, he says, he will never give up. "I would love to take my practice deeper," he says, "by creating pieces that are used for more meaningful practice. Such as fish spears to be used on salmon, ceremonial stone bowls, masks to be used in ceremonies. Even the elegant 'decorative' pieces were designed for a spiritual purpose that connects people to place. I want to see the culture revived, not just the culture's art."

We asked Sam what he considered his biggest artistic achievement. "My most authentic design," he told us, "that really achieved the beauty and grace within the traditional style, is a blue heron drum. (You can see it pictured at the right) I spent two months working on the design. Finally, when I was finished, I gifted the drum to my great-grandmother, the Samish matriarch of my family."

We thank Sam for his dedication to keeping our local history alive through its art.

Donna McCord

There seems to be a universal fascination with glass with its liquid solidity and its translucent color. Donna McCord is fortunate to have found a way to live with glass.  "I had been studying ceramics, painting and photography for many years before I was introduced to glass blowing," she says. "When I went into my first hotshop, I fell in love with the process and began moving in that direction. That was January of 1999."

Since then, glass has connected Donna to a broad community of students eager to learn and she revels in teaching. Indeed, she was included in the Bellevue Art Museum's retrospective of teachers from Pratt Fine Arts in Seattle in 2018. This is in addition to several other honors including starting the Beacon Glass Center, a non-profit arts education community center in 2019.

Of course, the pandemic has drastically limited Donna's ability to hold classes and, as glassblowing is a social activity, the possibilities are severely limited. "I have had to learn how to work primarily by myself," she tells us. "I have been working with a small group of islanders and in support of the island home school efforts.

But she has forged ahead. She loves working with nature also and has been incorporating more outdoor artwork such as cedar circles. Someday she would like to attempt a large-scale site- specific work.

"I find it inspirational to know that when we are connected with our joy," she says," when we are in flow and flowing our joy, we are able to form new connections in our mind. This gives me a deep sense of purpose that the work I do contributes to the lives of the people who come through the studio in a direct way of connecting them with the value of their life and experience."

Kathy Whitman

Water, it seems, has always been a part of Kathy Whitman's life. She used to be the Aquatics Manager for Seattle Parks and Recreation, then moved to Guemes Island and was literally surrounded by water. What could be more natural, then, for her to gravitate to working with watercolor?

Kathy is, as many of you know, the President of Northwest Art Alliance. What you may not know is that she is also the Vice-President of the Guemes Island Community Center Association (GICCA). Besides her volunteer work she is also an artist who works in pen, colored pencil and clay as well as watercolor.

Kathy's world, like everyone's, has been impacted by Covid.  "Before Covid-19", she says, "I would go to Seattle periodically to teach Senior Adult sketching classes for Seattle Parks and Recreation." In addition, she joined the Anacortes Sketchers group on Mondays for events. Now, she does FaceTime with her 8 year old granddaughter. "We can do art projects together in different places," she tells us. "In a recent art project, she was the instructor and told me what materials, techniques and subject we were going to use in our watercolor effort."

A planner, Kathy has big plans for the future. "I have many boxes of broken dishes that I saved for mosaics," she says, "and am now making garden step stones that include yellow coffee cups that were part of my childhood." She's been preparing for a large acrylic painting and is working on a quilt as well.

It is her work with NWAA and GICCA that Kathy considers her biggest artistic achievement. "I know that my volunteer time is making a difference," she says. "The substantial impacts of Covid-19 on artists has motivated me to put more energy into a survival mode for NWAA. At the end of 2020, we made a list of accomplishments for the year that was staggering and looks to the future to build more!"

Loalynda Bird

In a word, Loalynda Bird is multi-dimensional. As she herself says, "I have never, ever, only done one thing. I am constantly trying new things."

Is there any medium Loalynda has not tried? Maybe. But she's such a glowing light amid her beautiful luminary light sculptures that it's hard to focus on any other.  Starting with an organic reed frame, Loalynda builds her works with layers of paper and finishes with unryu (rice or mulberry paper) and recycled decorative papers. At last, she installs them with lights inside and they are used in light parades and other light installations. "I started creating luminaries and helped start the illuminight Walk in Mount Vernon," she says, "then was inspired to start an Earth Day parade five years ago on Guemes." That led her to a grant, and she participated in leading the 2019 Luminata at Greenlake Park in Seattle. She also received a grant from the Fremont Art Council. "It was an honor to create an Equinox Mermaid Goddess and lead hundreds of people from the AquaTheatre to the Light Art Park, as well as having my entire Paper Birds Studio team featured as one of the light installations in the park," she told us. An honor, indeed, and not surprising. Loalynda's brilliantly colored fish, flowers and birds are truly spectacular!

Once the Coronavirus took over the world, Loalynda was forced  step back and regroup.  "I had 50+ people booked for classes," she says. "I had four parades booked; the Mount Vernon Illuminight, Guemes Luminary Earth Day Parade, Olympia Light Parade and Greenlake Luminata. And the grand opening of my Paper Birds Studio. All were cancelled."

Does all that affect her ability to survive as an artist? "No!" she said. She immediately started brainstorming new parades, new light installations and new ways of getting her work seen. She beefed up her online presence and created a virtual tour of her studio. She began a new collection called "Seasons of Light" including a luminary Snow Leopard, her largest work yet. In other words, she's using her time to grow and explore as an artist.

"If my art motivates the viewer to want to create - my heart sings. If my art lifts someone's spirit and puts a smile on their face - my heart sings. If someone looks at my art and is inspired to ask me to teach them, my heart will know that I have empowered them to believe in themselves through art. There are no words for that kind of joy!"

Carol Steffy

The California coast, the desert-like environment of Bend, Oregon and now, Guemes, the beautiful island in the San Juans has inspired Carol Steffy and her appreciation of seasonal color, flowers and wildlife.

Color is what Carol is all about these days. "I love color!" she says. One look at her gorgeous watercolors and their gem-like tones proves that. We asked which single color would she choose to use for the rest of her artistic career. "Just one?" she said. "Reducing to black and white or sepia and white would be difficult but not impossible. Not my favorite idea!!"

Presently, watercolor is Carol's medium but is, by no means, the only thing she does. "I do sculpture in ceramic, bronze and wood," she says. "I find it interesting to deal with three dimensions after visually constructing 'virtual' 3D on a flat surface. I think you learn a lot moving from 2D to actual involvement with contours and depth."

Attention to detail is as important to Carol as her attention to color. This is evident in her work as well. She does multiple versions of a work until something "clicks" and she doesn't finish until every bit of the piece looks right. Though she loves pen and ink, watercolor and acrylic, watercolor is what attracts her. "Watercolor is special," she says, "due to the transparencies and ability to do glazing." But she also does ceramic sculpture with raku firing and uses maples and cedars from Guemes in her wood sculptures.

Right now, Carol misses the Art Walks and group activities in which she normally participates. "On Guemes we have had a group of artists that sketch together or paint. I find the group-all-working-on-different-things idea a fun change from working alone most of the time, but plan to rejoin my artist friends when we are able to group and still keep healthy and safe while doing so," she says. Does this affect her ability to survive as an artist? "No! Because I paint and sculpt for expression of my ideas. That doesn't need to ever end. (Not) having an audience is less of a worry to me than running out of canvas, paper or paints!"

Carol has not had positive experiences with online presences, she says, so she is careful with showing her portfolio. The Guemes Island Art Initiative has helped her to display her work until shows and galleries open up again.

View all the participating artists in the Guemes Island Art Initiative - Celebrating Guemes Island Art and Artists