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!

New Life

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

I hear there are kestrel fledglings just north of here.  

I haven't seen them yet but I know the area:  

lots of mud.  

Life in the marsh.

almost there

in progress 4x3' linocut;  Kathleen Faulkner

I'm almost finished with the linocut.  The fish and some clean up are all that is left.  

Information on this project can be found here, and in this video by Jef Morlan:

STEAMROLLER PRINTMAKING  Jeff Morlan

Anacortes Arts Festival 2011

progress

in process 4x3' lino;  Kathleen Faulkner

The Anacortes Arts Festival is coming up.  A group of us will be printing 3x4' linoleum blocks using a steamroller during the festival.  This year is different in that we will be printing on fabric.  They will look good as banners.

Friday I will be printing mine.  Saturday and Sunday I will be in the print booth helping others make their own smaller version.  Maybe I'll see you there.

STEAMROLLER PRINTMAKING

in process: linocut 4x3'  Kathleen Faulkner

It's almost time for  STEAMROLLER PRINTMAKING!  

Anacortes Arts Festival has, once again, invited a group of artists to participate in this fun event.  This will be our third year.  We will be printing all three days: August 7th through the 9th, 10 to 5pm down by the port dock on Commercial Ave.  It's quite a sight to watch.

As you can see, I have a lot left to do.  I'd better get to work!

more

coming up

'After the Rains' 16x20" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

I am so pleased to announce two shows in July.

Becky Fletcher, Chris Theiss and I will be showing at Smith Vallee Gallery in Edison, WA July 3rd through the 26th, opening July 11th, 5-8pm.   

Also, I am honored to be showing with Margy Lavelle, Allen Moe, Heidi Epstein and Michael Clough  in 'Convergence: 5 Skagit Artists' at the Virginia Inn in Seattle, WA.  The show runs July 2nd through the month of August.  The opening is July 2nd, 5 - 8pm.

'Rockweed'  12x12" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

'Flex'  12x12" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner 

'Barnacles' 12x12"  oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Bone Food

Earrings, calcite, sterling silver; Kathleen Faulkner

Once upon a time, while hiking up in the northern New Mexico mountains,  we came upon an old calcite mine.  It had been closed for years but the rock was scattered everywhere.  The sun, filtering through the trees, and a slight breeze made those rocks sparkle.

I felt like I was in a dream as I sat on the ground picking up pieces of rock.  The day, the sun, the smells of pine and pinion and all these beautiful stones sparkling like diamonds..

Calcite comes from the shells of dead marine organisms.  That means that at one time, long ago, that area in Northern New Mexico was ocean.  

Many things have come from those bones of the dead:  cement, limestone, marble, medicines, fertilizer and the most amazing of all:  lenses.  The now extinct trilobite used clear calcite crystals to form the lenses of their eyes.  

All that and more from shells.  

Imagine what we haven't discovered yet 

what we don't know.

stick it

'Branching Out'  brooch 7x3" coral, sterling silver;
Kathleen Faulkner

I found several odd shaped branches and wondered what I should do with them.  

One thing led to another and, before I knew it, I had a slew of stick pins.  Then I decided to draw the sticks.  Then I remembered this piece of coral.  

I guess you could say that I'm branching out.

'Stick' pins various sizes, wood, sterling silver;
Kathleen Faulkner

'Stick' pin gouache, mica,
sterling silver;  Kathleen Faulkner

'Stick Pin, Too'  gouache, mica
sterling silver;  Kathleen Faulkner

we are all salmon people

'Something's Fishy'  brooch, 2x3" sterling silver, gouache, pigment,
ink,  mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

I remember standing on the bank of the John Day river watching the salmon heading home.  

There were so many that I imagined I could walk across them to the other side.

Things are different now. 

epic

'Riparian Rhapsody'  12x12" oil pastel,  charcoal;
Kathleen Faulkner

Low tide

The ducks move about on the mud so effortlessly 

but they leave their mark. 

It's a long poem.

here's mud in your eye

'An Early Summer' 12x12" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

About Mud:

mud / med
*n. soft, sticky matter resulting from the mixing of earth and water.

Other words for mud include slobber, mire, ooze, muck, silt, slabber, slutch, lutulence, sloshiness and slushiness.

Mycobacterium vaccae, found in mud, is thought to be an anti-depressant.

Mice fed with mycobacterium vaccae from mud can navigate mazes twice as fast as usual.

and, never forget:

"He who slings mud generally loses ground."  Adlai E Stevenson

history

'Edison Slough'  36x24" oil pastel, charcoal;
Kathleen Faulkner

early morning  earlier than usual

 The fog hangs low but the temperature is warm.

This used to be the Samish River.

black is the new green

'Fertile Field' 14x18" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

One can always tell the roundup fields from the others.  Everything is orange.  

This one is deep and dark ready to feed us and no harm done.

I've been thinking a lot about this field, so black and fertile.  

After awhile, one's environment starts having an impact.  

a dirty story

'Mudflats II'' 16x20" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

We don't really talk about it but it's always there.

a refuge

it has magic

There are bones, shells and feathers, 

reeds mixing with the mud 

and long views.

the day, the time, the season 

this all keeps it interesting

fields of dreams

'Along the Dike' 16x20" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

My time in Edison is giving me a new perspective.  

I'll never see fields the same again. 

'Flooded Field' 16x20"  oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

bonding

in progress 16x20" each, oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

I've been spending a lot of time around Edison lately.

  

Those fields have their own special magic  

the colors, the birds

There is something to be said for being able to see 

far off into the distance.

traveling

It is an inspired journey from the west side heading east.  

We are blessed.

We have it all.

'On the West Side'  16x18" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

'Tree' 10x8" oil pastel, medium;
Kathleen Faulkner

'Tree, Too' 10x8" oil pastel, medium;
Kathleen Faulkner

'Palouse Lake' 18x16" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

Ode to the Fish

'Good Schooling' 17x17" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

The Edison Eye Presents

FRIENDS OF FISH II

75 artists capture the spirit of fish,

it's relationship to humanity 

and the environment

April 18 - May 3

Opening reception:  April 18th 5 - 9 p.m.

The Eye is located at 5800 Cains Court, Edison, WA

A benefit show for the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group

http://www.skagitfisheries.org

health factors

in progress: 36x24" each, oil pastel 

A walk in the woods 

cedar/fir smells   bird/wind sounds

green/brown everywhere 

I hug some trees. 

Someone said that it's a health benefit.  

I always feel better afterwards.

respite

'Respite' 30x40" oil on canvas;  Kathleen Faulkner

This is where the Samish river heads out to the sea.

 As I stand on the bank watching the fog begin to roll in,  I hear the eagles, I see the hawks.
A large flock of geese fly by and I hear their magic.
If I stay long enough, I'll hear the frogs.

weather or not

'Heavy Weather' 8x8" oil and soft pastel, graphite;
Kathleen Faulkner

The storm approaches. 

Weather here is changing.  Lately it's downpour or sunshine,  not much in between.  

The days of cold, damp and drizzle are fading and it's feeling a lot like northern California.

At least we still have water.

ode to the wood

my stumps on the left

'The Meaning of Wood'
January 15 - March 29, 2015
Washington State Convention Center
Seattle, WA
Open daily 5:30 am - 10 pm


Artists included in this show:

Jane Alynn, Anacortes, WA
Susan Aurand, Olympia WA
Howard Barlo, Ellensburg, WA
Patti Bowman, Bellevue, WA
Larry Bullis, Anacortes, WA
MalPina Chan, Olympia, WA
Sue Cotter, Parowan, UT
Monika Danos, Seattle, WA
Barbara De Pirro, Shelton, WA
Kathleen Faulkner, Anacortes, WA
Cathy Fields, Seattle, WA
Kelly Fleek, Bow, WA
Becky Fletcher, Sedro Woolley, WA
David Francis, Seattle, WA
Annerose Georgeson, Vanderhoof, BC
Kathy Gore Fuss, Olympia, WA
Julia Haack, Seattle, WA
Karen Hackenberg, Port Townsend, WA
Julia Harrison, Seattle, WA
Cheri Kopp, Seattle/Port Townsend, WA
Anne Lancaster, Seattle, WA
Carolyn Lavender, Phoenix, AZ
Fred Lisaius, Newcastle, WA
Ed McCarthy, Issaquah, WA
Ellen Jane Michael, Edison, WA
Nia Michaels, Seattle, WA
Lynne Oulman, Bellingham, WA
Joseph Pentheroudakis, Seattle, WA
Peppe, Seattle, WA
Polly Purvis, Seattle, WA
Christina Carlyle Reed, Seattle, WA
Karen Rudd, Port Townsend, WA
Mark Scherer, Stehekin, WA
Scott Schuldt, Milford CT
Tamara Stephas, Seattle, WA
Jeffree Stewart, Olympia, WA
Sara Tabbert, Fairbanks, AK
John Tylczak, Puyallup, WA

  

past venue and curator's statement

'Stickpin, Again' courtesy of Facere Jewelry Art Gallery,
Seattle, WA; sterling silver, wood; Kathleen Faulkner

happy new year

'Real Life'  24x36" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

last day of 2014

tomorrow can be the start of a new beginning.  

life is what you make it.

luck be a lady

'Another View'  24x36" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner 

One day, while driving near Edison, I noticed the fishermen.  Their trucks parked along the road and, there they were, all lined up along the river bank sporting hip boots, camo, fishing poles.  I watched a couple walking back to their trucks carrying their catch of large, beautiful salmon.

Later I stopped at that spot to look over on the north side which is hard to see from the road.  The fishermen had gone.  It was quiet and beautiful and, as I looked, I saw two very large salmon jumping and waving their tails at me.

I love a happy ending.


May your new year be full of happy endings.




Beethoven's "Ode to Joy"

invitation

Various necklaces, sterling silver;
Kathleen Faulkner

You are cordially invited to the Annual Holiday Party and Ornament Giveaway at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle,  December 3rd, 2014, from 5 to 8pm.

Come and share a glass of cheer, celebrate the season and view amazing jewelry. 

The gallery artists have made handmade ornaments that will be given away that evening with the winning names drawn out of a hat.  

It is always great fun.

Please RSVP to be included in the Ornament Giveaway.

Cheers!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain

a helping hand

'Safety First' 20" milagro necklace, sterling silver,
paper, gouache, ink, graphite, mica; Kathleen Faulkner

We never know what lies ahead.

Some say that we create our own reality.

Whatever is true, it can't hurt to have a helping hand.

Ex-Votos from Mexico, Girard Collection, Museum of International
Folk Art (DCA) Santa Fe, NM A.1981.42.694V.1 Photo by Paul Smutko.

Next

'Into the Woods II'  24x18" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

I'm headed into the western woods.  My next show is at Simon Mace Gallery in Port Townsend, WA, entry to the largest temperate rainforest in the Continental US, home to good friends and a generally great place to have a good time. 

It has been a fortunate year for me.  I've discovered that saying yes has many benefits. 

'Into the Woods'  54.5x37.5" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

running on empty

'On the Way to Discovery Bay'  54.5x37.5" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Back to back shows..  

I'm tired but it's worth every minute. 

If one must have an addictive personality, it's good to be addicted

 to something worthwhile.