Fun times in Everett

 

'Nautical Twilight' 34x32" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

The
Schacktoberfest Exhibition 
at
Schack Art Center
is from 
September 3 - 27, 2026

I am pleased to have three artworks in this 
Exhibition.

Bodies of water

 

'Bodies of Water' 11x14" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

An atmospheric river arrives.

It is loud.

Its effects are mighty on the 

Skagit, Snohomish, Nooksack, Stillaguamish, Puyallup, and Cowletz rivers.

We see good action, movement, and some panic. 

There is a lot of destruction.

Further West is the Salish Sea. 

Deep below the surface, another reality.

Can you hear the silence?

Night Life

'Night Flight' 10x10" oil pastel and oil on panel;
Kathleen Faulkner

Spending time on water can sometimes 

change my view of reality.

It is a different world.

Add nighttime, and it becomes surreal.

'Night Light' 24x24" oil on canvas;
Kathleen Faulkner

October

'Padilla Bay' 10x10" mixed media; Kathleen Faulkner

I will be in a group show for the month of October 

at 

Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, WA.

The opening is October 3rd from 6 to 8 pm.

I will be showing oil pastels, mixed media, and a few oils.

'Sea State' 12x12" mixed media; Kathleen Faulkner

From October 24th through the 27th, 

I will be showing in ART'S ALIVE at Maple Hall in LaConner, WA

The opening is October 24th from 5 till 8pm. 

'Tidelands' 30x30" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

and, of course,

My work is always available through 

Perry + Carlson Gallery 

in Mt Vernon, WA. 

nocturnal

'Wildlife' 24x30" oil pastel on panel; Kathleen Faulkner

'Wildlife' is currently on display at 

Schack Art Center in Everett, Washington. 

The show is titled 'Cambian Layers II' 

and will be available for viewing through August 23, 2025

 

Below is some new work on the theme of night:

that other world through which we sleep 

'Sea Breeze' 8x8" mixed media on panel;
Kathleen Faulkner

'Deep Sea' 18x18" mixed media on panel;
Kathleen Faulkner

Older night scenes:

'Night Vision' 12x12" mixed media;
Kathleen Faulkner

'Nautical Twilight' 29x28" oil pastel on panel;
Kathleen Faulkner

'Nightlife' 22x30" oil pastel on panel; Kathleen Faulkner

small acts

 EC Artists

I have been putting more time and energy into environmental issues lately. 

It is something that I can do to make a difference. 

There are so many causes that one could pick.

All small acts add up over time.

thinking about trees

'Looking at Trees' 30x30" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

I lived in the Aleutians.

There is a token mini-forest that someone had planted

decades ago.

Other than that, there are no trees to speak of

because of the intense winds.

From most vantage points

one can see, on a clear day,

other islands in the chain 

and the different weather patterns.

When I returned to the Pacific Northwest,

I felt claustrophobic for a while.

I still get very uncomfortable when the wind whips the trees.

vista

'A Winter Day' 12x12" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

I have a good view of Padilla Bay from an upstairs window.

weather and tidal action

always different

always interesting

Later today, I will explore the area in detail

while breathing in all those negative ions!

'Padilla Bay, Early Winter, 10x10" mixed media; Kathleen Faulkner

One man's trash

I am thinking about projects for the new year. 

Garbage is everywhere.

My thought is to try to convey something beautiful that, on closer look,
reveals something not so pretty. 

Some artists build sculptures from trash.
Others, paintings.
For this project, I will be drawing garbage.

Here is some plastic garbage that I spotted along a road.
I'm hoping for a good drawing from this.

I found this used tissue paper by my garbage can.
It had escaped the landfill.
I want a better background for this future drawing. 

The reflection on my wall of some found plastic
is inspiring me to do a drawing of it.

'Remnant' 24x24" drawing; Kathleen Faulkner

 

I spotted this fabric among the rocks at Deception Pass. 

It had been there a while. 

Technically, it was garbage, 

but it was beautiful in an odd way.

*Sea Pie

'Poser' 12x12" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

 

That place at Washington Park...

It is a curve in the road. 

Over to the side,

the stairs head downward

rocky beach to the left

flat rocks to the right.

If you are lucky,

you may spot a few 

Oystercatchers 

hanging out on those 

flat rocks.

*Sea Pie,  shortened for Sea Magpie, is the original name of Oystercatcher. 

still life

'After Party' 24x24" graphite on paper; Kathleen Faulkner

I came upon this cloth remnant lying on the beach.

It had a history

I wondered where it had been,

what it had seen, 

it's original function.

An artifact of the 21st century

In the deep

'Twilight Zone' 28x24" colored pencil on panel

That other world

dark and dreamy, mysterious

a comfort for its inhabitants

Humans swim. We float. 

Do you ever wonder what is swimming beneath you

and looking up at you

as you float along

on top of all that mystery?

Changing Seasons

'Skeleton Crew' 18x18" oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

It is the Autumnal Equinox.

There is a chill in the air, leaves are turning color

 I notice the light has changed.

I like this season best

even though it

leads to the struggle of winter. 

Most living things get ready to sleep it away

and we are left 

with only a skeleton crew 

to take care of business.

end of a dry spell

     Photo: Kathleen Faulkner     

I usually create art from my mind, sometimes photos.

While walking on the beach,

I came upon this material 

all wrapped into the rocks.

Looking at it,

I knew immediately

that I wanted to create something 

from it.

A challenge!

Will I use pencil or ink?

It's going to be Large.

the fix

'WildWood' 28x42" oil pastel on panel; Kathleen Faulkner

I like to walk early in the morning.

It is quiet, no people.

I enter this divergent community 

that I feel more comfortable in 

than my own.

As I walk,

I breathe in the tree medicine 

while the bird songs

permeate the air.

It makes the day so much better.

soft green

'The Wilds' 12x12" oil pastel on panel;

Kathleen Faulkner

I spent a lot of time in the woods as a kid.

I always imagined the moss as a blanket 

that I could use if I were ever lost.

I still think that

when I see the large, green,

beautiful

carpet of living

earth.

 

musings

'Sticks' 9x12" ink, colored pencil on paper;

Kathleen Faulkner

I live close to forests.

Moving around in them 

is like eating healthy food.

I makes me feel good.

WIP 3@6x6" ink, colored pencil;

Kathleen Faulkner

Tidelands

'This Moment Becomes a Memory'
18x18" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

 

Here comes the tide rushing in,

the second of the day.

This landscape changes 

constantly, 

clouds and water

moving.

I never tire of watching the action.

Each glimpse is

different.

breathe deep

 
**

Have you noticed the distinct 

smell of a forest?

Many of the terpenes and terpenoids 

emitted by conifers

give off a lovely scent and 

are 

good for our health.

But, aside from the scents of the forest:

A study done by Yale University had 200

people identify 80 aromas

and these are the twenty most recognizable smells.

Some smell good, some, not so much.

coffee

peanut butter

Vicks VapoRub

chocolate

wintergreen oil

baby powder

cigarette butts

mothballs

dry cat food

beer

ivory bar soap

juicy fruit gum

orange

cinnamon

lemon

tuna

banana

crayons

cheese

bleach

Source: Crayola

**'A Path of Least Resistance' 18x24" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

Here we are

 

                        

These different worlds:

The Salish sea, the rivers

The fields

The forests

The mountains

Each live in a unique reality

Each is a world rich and bursting with life

It's all here 

in this 

Paradise.

'High Life' 18x24" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner