In a recent Tales of the Magic Skagit episode we introduced you to Morgan White, Meyer Sign’s very first intern in our “Skagit Valley Youth History Project.” You may recall that Morgan will be a junior at Mount Vernon High School this fall, and that she is interested in history, travel, the arts, and writing about them. Oh, and don’t forget her mad percussion skills!

For her first assignment, I asked Morgan to interview some of the artists who were part of this year’s Northwest Art Beat Studio Tour (NW Art Beat), and she came back with stories about five very talented Skagitonians whose work ranges from jewelry to painting, clay sculpture, and print making.

Followers of Meyer Sign and Tales of the Magic Skagit, I give you Morgan White!

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Northwest Art Beat (NW Art Beat) is a free, self-guided tour of Skagit Valley art studios that allows you to see the works and creative processes of artists from Skagit, Island, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties. Skagit Artists sponsor the annual event. I had the pleasure of going to two of the studios and was able to interview five of the nineteen artists. I spoke with Liane Redpath (a jewelry maker), Margaret Horak (a watercolor painter), Ann Davenport (a pastel and acrylic artist), Maria Wickwire (a clay sculptor), and Gene Jaress (painting and printmaking). 

I wanted to understand each artist’s creative journey and how they got to where they are today. But one of the main goals I had was finding out why each artist feels art is important to today’s society.

Liane Redpath: Art is the Great Escape  

“Art is an escape, and since everyone’s mind is always generating ideas and raising questions, it is important that people immerse themselves in it.” 

Liane Redpath holds both a Master’s degree in painting and a Bachelor’s degree in printmaking, but before her great escape into jewelry making she spent 20 years as a professional singer. After retiring from her singing career she returned to her first love: art. Along her artistic journey she learned how to weld, and she credits a woman acquaintance with teaching her how to apply that skill to working in silver.   

Architecture and plant materials have an influence on her work, but she credits “doodling” as her source of inspiration. “I just doodle while I’m watching TV, and I choose one of the doodles the next day,” she explained.  Without trying to send a message through her art, Liane discovered that people were attracted to her jewelry and eager to wear it. 

I was curious to know how art had affected other areas of Liane’s life besides making and selling jewelry. “I love what I do and it is still an educational journey,” she said.  “And It makes me push myself more and it makes life more challenging.” 

Speaking with Liane it was very clear how deep she goes into her artwork, and how much she loves it; it was certainly unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was amazing to listen to her talk about the different jewels on her necklace and how she acquired them – and I was in awe that she remembered each jewel and how special it is. 

You can see Liane’s jewelry on her website: Liane Redpath – Metalsmith – Jewelry | Redpath Studio in Bellingham, WA

Margaret Horak: No Art, No Soul

Margaret Horak paints watercolor scenes of beautiful places, and having been born in Honolulu, Hawaii to a military family, she’s seen a lot of beautiful places in her life. In 1999, a change in job brought her from Arizona to the Magic Skagit. 

Margaret’s inspiration to become an artist was her high school art teacher, who taught everything from sculpting to charcoal and other media – but when she first discovered watercolor, it was love at first sight. The only thing Margaret enjoys more than painting beautiful places is traveling to those places in order to paint them.

You can admire Margaret’s watercolor depictions of downtown Mount Vernon and other Skagit Valley scenes hanging on the walls of Ristretto Coffee Lounge & Wine Bar, where she also teaches watercolor painting classes that cover a variety of themes for her students to learn and create. Margaret has really enjoyed teaching art, having been inspired by a teacher. Meeting new people through art and finding ways to communicate with them about it has helped Margaret step outside her comfort zone, and recognizing the importance of art in our world continues to motivate her to teach others how to create it for their well-being. “No art, no soul,” she told me.

I appreciated Margaret’s kindness, and I enjoyed learning about her journey as an artist – but what really touched my heart was how she captured the beauty of the place where I’ve lived all my life. You can be touched by it as well on her website: https://margarethorak.com/

Ann Davenport: The Colors of Wanderlust 

“When people see my paintings, I want them to wonder where they came from.”

Ann Davenport comes from Arlington, Washington, and like her fellow artist Margaret Horak she loves to travel – particularly to Europe, where she renders scenes of beauty in vibrant pastels and acrylics. Ann sometimes travels with other artists, and together they create art on the go. 

Ann draws inspiration and knowledge from other artists she admires and is amazed at her own artistic journey. “Art helps free things inside the soul,” she told me. She also remarked that art allows you to travel to other places, and as someone who really wants to go to Europe, Margaret’s breathtaking paintings made me want to live there as well. See what I mean at Ann’s website: Ann Davenport Fine Art.

Maria Wickwire: Going Where The Clay Leads

The first time Maria Wickwire’s hands touched clay, the thought that filled her head was, “Where have you been all my life.” It was a moment that happened in a classroom, but one in which Maria was the teacher. 

Born in Texas, artist Maria Wickwire and her military family moved about a lot before she settled in Portland, Oregon. Maria spent 30 years as a high school teacher. One day, an artist visited her classroom to teach her students how to make clay teapots. He also instructed the teachers, and that encounter convinced Maria, who had always enjoyed art, to take up clay sculpture at age 45.

While the scenery of her Pacific Northwest home is a source of inspiration, poetry is where she finds it most often, along with mythology, foreign languages, and song lyrics. Her creative process is to press her hands into the clay to “see what appears.” 

Maria considers art to be her song, and she is delighted to be able to sing it now. A life lesson she learned was to “follow the turn signal in your head because if you don’t, you’ll miss out.” She also believes that art is important to today’s society because it keeps us human – which is why every piece of art she creates is the outcome of her heart and soul. 

Maria’s art was unlike anything I’d ever seen. You can see it as well at: Maria Wickwire Studio – Ceramic Sculptor.

Gene Jaress: Art is a Life Compass

Without art, Gene Jaress isn’t sure quite how he would navigate life. Growing up in Michigan, he took up printmaking and other forms of art at a young age, and by the time he was 13 he was running a printing press. Today he draws inspiration from the Skagit Valley for most of his artwork. 

Serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, Gene had the use of his military base darkroom to practice photography, and he continued to draw, painting company logos on helicopters. Military service also provided him with the opportunity to attend college. 

One of the things Gene likes best about his art, besides depicting the Magic Skagit, is that it keeps him active and engaged. “Art keeps me out of trouble,” he told me with a smile, “and everyone needs to have a lovely work of art to admire.” Gene also appreciates how managing his studio workspace “develops my organizational abilities.” 

You can see Gene’s art and the studio where he creates it at: Gene Jaress, Artist – Home (12crowsstudio.com).

Visiting these different artists on NW Art Beat’s studio tour was a wonderful experience that I want to repeat, and it has changed the way I look at art. Because I don’t consider myself to be artistic, I haven’t cared so much about art. But having had a chance to meet the artists on the studio tour, I appreciate how important it is to society. Art changes your life – and it certainly changed the lives of the artists I met. I recommend you take advantage of one of the future Skagit Artists’ events and see how it changes you.