Life in the Skagit

'Heading Out' 16x16" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

No matter which road I travel around here, 

there's always something to see

and it's always different.

a glimpse

'High End' 24x48" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 

Summer is coming to a close but 

it's been a good run this year.

Soon these mountains will be covered in snow 

and this area will be 

inaccessible.  

A tradition

 STEAMROLLER Printmaking, 2016 has now come and gone. 

It has been an Anacortes Arts Festival event in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016.

It's becoming a tradition 

silk ready to lift off lino, Kathleen Faulkner

 

Printing a 3x4' linoleum block is not easy.  

This year we worked with white silk.  Wind was a factor but:

Three days, ten artists and volunteers per day

and good teamwork got the job done!

My print, 'Baker's Dozen' 4x3' woodblock ink on linoleum,  printed on silk.  In the background: Dee Doyle's two herons print;   Kathleen Faulkner                                                                                            

weather or not

'Morning After'  24x36" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 

La Nina is expected.

 My sweater keeps me warm 

on this chilly, wet July day.

Looks can be deceiving

'North of Here'  18x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 

The mudflats call to me.

Like a meditation, I gaze out at them and time stands still.

From where I stand, they look so firm and steady

but I know that if I were to walk out there 

I'd sink to my hips. 

Fly by Night

'Fly by Night' brooch with converter,  2x3" sterling silver, colored pencil, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

I put the umbrella in it's stand and began to open it.  

I saw something small and furry in the folds.

As I got up close for a better look it suddenly hissed.  

I was taken aback

 and then it flew away.

Small, mysterious bug eating mammal

Our world is a better place with this little bat in it.

where the rings are the thing

'Greetings from Saturn'  earrings 1.5" diameter, sterling silver, colored pencil, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

I have been working on my jewelry show coming up at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle. It is called Nocturne and will be featured June 15 through July 5, 2016.  

  
It is about life and events that happen in the night. 

I've been at it awhile.

The longer I work on it, the farther out into space I go.

Our newest gallery

'Into the Woods'  54x38" oil pastel on paper;  Kathleen Faulkner

Occasional Gallery Presents:
 

ENVIRONS

Featuring work by Pacific Northwest Artists

Julie Alexander

Amy Bay

Carol d'Inverno 

Kathleen Faulkner

Helen Gable

Cable Griffith

Aaron Haba

Karen Hackenberg

Alfred Harris

Justyn Hegreberg

Evan Clayton Horback

David Kane

Ken Kelly

Perry Kopchak

Margy Lavelle

Steven LaRose

Fiona McGuigan

Jef Morlan

Serrah Russell

Peter Scherrer

Emily Wobb

Opening Reception April 9, 2016, 2-5pm

Open weekends and by appointment through May 8, 2016

16788 Peterson Road, Burlington, WA

360-333-4648

occasionalgallery@gmail.com

 

 

 

rumblings in Paradise

'Hunting Season'  24x36" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

The slough in Edison is full of ducks during hunting season.  

They know the safe places.  

Hunting season cramps my style, too.  

No walks on the dike.  

One can hear gunshots in the distant fields.

Camo and over sized trucks show up everywhere.  

I'm always happy when the season is over. 

near Blanchard

'There's this Place' 24x36" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

We all have those places where we go to think.

Birdsville

'Heading Home'  8x8" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

February is Bird month in the Skagit.  

The birders come from everywhere to view the spectacle.

One day I counted 28 eagles while slowing to a crawl to drive around the huge flock of snow geese along the road.  

I smiled all day.

A Bird's Life

'Baby Contemplates'  16x14" oil pastel;

Kathleen Faulkner

It is a cold, foggy morning that chills the bones.

I walk faster to warm up

all the while watching the baby heron contemplate.

It's a New Year

'Girl with Pacific Frog Prince' shadowbox 6x6" graphite,
gouache, paper, wood, glass;  brooches: 'Pacific Frog Prince'
1.5" diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache, glass lens, 'Orb'
1"diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache, glass lens

Please join us for 'Bewitched,  Bothered and Bewildered'

This jewelry show at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle is opening February 3, 2016 from 5 to 8pm 

and running through the 23rd. 

Also, Guy Anderson and Skagit Women Print and Friends 

at Schack Art Center in Everett, WA on now and running through

February 27th.

Solstice is almost here

This is my year round christmas tree.  Kathleen Faulkner

I always felt bad at the end of Christmas.  The tree would die.  

I preferred the lovely christmas trees to live and grow.  

My solution to the issue was a light/ornament filled kitchen lit up all through the winter.  

No muss, no fuss, no dead tree yet an abundance of light! 

Happy, Merry Everything!

Cheers to the Light!

Life in Edison

gouache drawings on wood, approx 6x4";  Kathleen Faulkner 

One can always find something good in the free wood bin at Smith Vallee Woodworks.  I check often.

  These small gouache drawings are done on some of that free wood.  They are part of the Objectification 8 show at Smith Vallee Gallery in Edison through December.  

'On Any Given Day, 22x32" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

Down the street, i.e. Gallery hosts the LUMMI Show. It's a Beauty that includes 13 artists' works on view through December 27th.

'Afterlife'  16x20" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

Across the street, Shop Curator is currently showing a few of my oil pastels.  

Edison is only a couple blocks long but it's packed with art, food and fun.  

Please support your local artists, galleries and small businesses.  

Happy Holidays!

make love not war

'Mistletoe' ornament for Holiday Show at Facere Gallery
1.25" diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache, mica;
Kathleen Faulkner

In Norse mythology,  Baldur, god of the summer sun and son of Odin and Frigg, was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe.  Frigg brought him back from the dead.  Crying with happiness, her tears became the white berries that can be seen on mistletoe today.  Frigg then declared mistletoe a symbol of love and that no harm should befall any who stand under it, only a kiss, a token of love.

just a thought

'Flora' necklace 18-22" long  sterling silver
paper, ink, graphite, watercolor, mica;
Kathleen Faulkner

It is the Season.  

Today is 'Black Friday'.  

People are rushing in hoards to the big box stores.  

There is an alternative:

Support your local artists, craftsmen, galleries, 

independent book stores and shops.

Consider spending locally and let's keep the money in our communities.

  Here's wishing you a stress free and joyous Holiday Season!

Cheers!

Field Work

'Field Work' 36x32" oil on canvas;  Kathleen Faulkner



There are a lot of contributors to the well being of a field.
good dirt full of life
rain
sunshine
temperature
tending


The same holds true for most things.

Cloud Catcher

'On Any Given Day'  18x32" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

As one travels north along the water around here one can see Lummi in many different poses.  Usually there is a cloud capping the top.  Sometimes fog turns it mysterious.  Whatever the weather, that volcanic looking mountain is always there.

i.e. gallery presents:

LUMMI INVITATIONAL

The singular power of Lummi Mountain 

and how its presence plays out in the art of northwest artists

Ed Kamuda

Clayton James 

David Kane 

Toni Ann Rust

David Hall
Louise Kikuchi

Max Emminger

Chris Wardenberg-Skinner

Jef Gunn

David Blakesley

Karen Hackenberg

Margy Lavelle

Kathleen Faulkner

November 20th - December 27th, 2015

Artist's reception

Saturday, November 21st, 5-8 pm

i.e. 

5800 Cains Court

Edison, WA 

The ocean's rainbow

'Pearl' earrings 1" diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache,
watch glass lenses; Kathleen Faulkner

It is said that health and longevity follow those who wear pearls.

 The oldest known gem is a pearl dating back to around 520 B.C.  It is on display in the Louvre Museum in Paris. 

Knights going into battle would wear pearls as a symbol of strength and spirit, courage and protection.

The sheen is called orient luster.

a lush organic gem

The forest thanks the great Rain God

'Cumulus' earrings, 1" diameter  sterling silver, paper, gouache,
watch glass;  Kathleen Faulkner

The clouds have returned to the Northwest. 

With that comes rain.  

We are most grateful.

Here it is.

Poem: Anne McDuffie, brooch/pendant  Kathleen Faulkner,
Photo of brooch:  Larry Bullis

'Branch' Anne McDuffie

This says it.

'Signs of Life' journal cover, neckpiece
Kat Cole,  Facere Jewelry Art Gallery

anomaly

'Trillium' brooch 2" diameter, sterling silver, gouache,
paper, glass lens,  Kathleen Faulkner

My family spent a lot of time in wilderness.  That was a long time ago when there was a lot more wild.

I remember finding trilliums in the woods and being thrilled:  the Find.  Now one can buy the plants at nurseries and plant them in the shady part of the yard.  

Times change.

Here is my Excitement:

North wall, Skagit Valley College Gallery; photo: Ellen Michael

South wall, Skagit Valley College; photo: Ellen Michael

This show at Skagit Valley College is currently up now through October 30, 2015.  

I am happy to be there.  

Poster for the show;
photo:  Ellen Michael

Life of a bird.

'Indicator Species Series:  Whooping Cranes' post earrings,
1.5" diameter, sterling silver, paper, ink, watercolor, colored
pencil, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

Whooping cranes are the tallest North American birds.  They're named after their sound, they can live up to 30 years and they are endangered.
Because of unregulated hunting and loss of habitat, at one time, there were as few as 21.  Now, thanks to conservation efforts, there is a limited recovery:  around 437 as of 2011.

Whooping cranes are an indicator species of wetland health.  

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

It's a what?

'Indicator Species Series: Mussels'  2.5" diameter, sterling
silver, paper, colored pencil, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

'An indicator species is any biological species that defines a trait or characteristic of the environment.  For an example, a species may delineate an ecoregion or indicate an environmental condition such as a disease outbreak, pollution, species competition or climate change.  Indicator species can be among the most sensitive species in a region, and sometimes act as an early warning to monitoring biologists.'  

Wikipedia

Here is a short list:

Mussels, clams and oysters are susceptible to toxins, pollutants and minute changes in environmental conditions.

Mosses often indicate acid soil.

The northern spotted owl indicates old growth forests.

Lichens are indicators of low air pollution.

Tubificid worms are indicators of sewage seepage. (does Victoria, Canada have an abundance of these?)

Adult frogs and toads absorb through their skin and are indicators of water pollution.

Salmon are an indicator species for wetland ecosystems

Non-Alaskan grizzly bears are indicators of mountain ecosystems, measuring the health and diversity of the ecosystem.

In the pacific northwest, the environmental health of estuaries is monitored by the indicator species of eel grass.  

Kelp is a foundation species and can be used as an indicator of other species occurring in the environment.

Maybe this is something you'll give a little thought to as you go about your day.

Did you know?

'Indicator Species Series: Illuminated Kelp'
18 - 20" chain, 2 - 2.5" diameter discs
Neckpiece, sterling silver, paper, gouache,
watercolor, glass lenses;  Kathleen Faulkner



http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/kelp.html

Life as we know it.

'A Red Herring' 2x4" brooch, sterling silver, paper, gouache,
watercolor, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

So many distractions and so little time.

I'm grateful to be focused on art these days; It took a long time to get here.  

Life's been a roller coaster ride.

Signs of Life

'Indicator Species Series: Northern Spotted Owl'
4x3" Brooch/Pendant, gouache, paper, mica,
sterling silver,  Kathleen Faulkner; photo by
Larry Bullis

I am invited to be in the show, 'Signs of Life' at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle October 7th through the 27th, 2015.
This show features the work of nine jewelry artists, each paired with a writer picked by the gallery. The journal, 'Signs of Life' combines stories with jewelry art and is in conjunction with the exhibit.

 I don't know yet, who the writers are.  I'm really looking forward to it all.

kelp beds

'Kelp Beds' 4x3' STEAMROLLER print on
fabric;  Kathleen Faulkner

I read a lot of science fiction when I was a kid.  It allowed me to consider miracles. 

Here's to the kelp beds, the salmon and bear

and to all species non human.

Here's to the wild!  

May it live on forever!