PERSONAL STATEMENT:

All my life I have loved the play of light, particularly on the landscape. Even as a child in Iowa I enjoyed the dramatic skies that accompanied the thunderstorms there. When we later moved to Washington, I loved the mountains and was thrilled at my first view of the ocean. It is this love of the landscape and the light that I try to capture in my paintings. Not necessarily the dramatic views, but the little glimpses that lift the spirits, these are the things I enjoy sharing with others.

I approach my work primarily as a means to get people to focus on the wonderful things they have in nature, and hope that they too will appreciate and preserve the natural world.

--Nancy Knowles

Nancy's work has won numerous awards, and is in many collections.

It is currently shown at the Aurora Gallery in Vancouver, Washington.

She is a member of Columbian Artist's Association and the Northwest Oil Painters Guild.

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PERSONAL STATEMENT:

Upon retiring from a career in teaching, I developed a new passion – jewelry making. From my first class in fabricating silver into jewelry, I knew I’d found my niche.

Each piece of my jewelry is hand made from sterling silver and may include other metals, stones or found objects. All my life I have collected rock; from the beach, the river, a walk, or in my garden. These rocks are given a light polish to bring out their color, lines, and texture, while still maintaining a natural appearance. Design inspiration may come from a shape, a picture in my head, a particular stone, or it may just evolve as I work. Creating unique pieces of jewelry gives me great satisfaction.

-- Bonnie Blake

ARTrails of Southwest Washington - 2008 & 2009
BCJ Gallery, Morton, WA

Private commissions

Charity donation pieces

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PERSONAL STATEMENT:

After studying art at Palomar Jr. College in Southern California, Jeanne went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts from San Diego State. She later obtained her teaching credential and Master in Teaching. She's currently teaching art, drama and history at Toledo Middle School.

Jeanne is a charter member of ARTrails of Southwest Washington and a member of the Northwest Pastel Society. She has exhibited at the Minneart Center for the Arts in Olympia, Centralia College, Morgan Arts Centre in Toledo, Lower Columbia College, The Greystone Gallery in Portland, the Sidedoor Gallery in Olympia, the BCJ Gallery in Morton and at various venues with ARTrails.

Being an art teacher, Jeanne has dabbled in many mediums. She got inspired with soft pastels after taking a workshop in 2003. Even though sheloves painting and ceramics, her love of color and the combination of drawing and painting that pastel allows, keep her drawn to this medium. She finds inspiration for her paintings on her farm in Winlock and from her travels across the globe.

--Jeanne Hamilton

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PERSONAL STATEMENT:

A largely self taught artist, Linda dabbles in many media. Although for most of her life she has enjoyed art in many forms, she has only recently begun showing her work. After having worked as a foster parent for over thirty years, she was invited to become a member of the Olequa Artist Group. As a result of the positive support of the group, she gained the confidence to begin exhibiting her own work.

Linda is a charter member of ARTrails of Southwest Washington. She has exhibited at Evergreen State College, the Broadway Gallery in Longview, The Sidedoor Gallery in Olympia, The Greystone Gallery in Portland, Hubbub in Centralia, the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts in Olympia, Lower Columbia College in Longview, Metalurges Gallery in Portland and various venues with the ARTrails organization.

She has won numerous awards for her clever collages and mixed media pieces. These include second place in 2006 with the Columbia Art Guild, Best in Show in 2006 with the Olympia Art League and a 2007 Best in Show, again, with the Olympia Art League. Linda Lives on a small farm in Winlock Washington with the youngest of her eight children. She shares her home with assorted cats and dogs. She works both with paper collage and mixed media using recycled tin and wood. She uses these unique media to express her vivid imagination and wry wit.

--Linda Eitel

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