A linoleum relief print titled “Separation Anxiety 2” gives viewers a glimpse of how artist Betsy Best-Spadaro peeks into the world of women and explores issues such as obligation, desire and intimate relationships.
Best-Spadaro has just begun a body of work that explores her most recent life experience — an empty nest. In these new pieces, Best-Spadaro tackles separation anxiety, redefinition of self and the devotion of parent to child.
Best-Spadaro’s exhibit will be on display until Aug. 20 at Edmonds Library, 650 Main St.
The Snohomish County artist has spent 20 years fitting her art into motherhood, choosing print-making because it blended easily into domestic life. She found it was easier to supervise homework while standing at the kitchen counter carving a linoleum block than it was to be in the garage working on a canvas.
More art in Edmonds: The award-winning wool tapestries of Bainbridge Island artist Marielle Snyder display a high degree of technical skill and detail and, beyond that, question ideas such as death and the afterlife.
Snyder’s work can be seen through August in the Edmonds Art Commission display case at Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main St.
Snyder’s two large pieces on exhibit were woven on a seven-foot vertical loom using a cotton warp. Snyder planned the tapestry titled “Calling Me Home” around the idea of what awaits us in the afterlife. The colors of yarn she used have symbolic meaning, as do the design elements in each piece. They are part of a series called “Soul Searching.”
Love renewed: The fourth annual “Previously Loved Art Sale” will leave bargain hunters and art lovers swooning. The sale runs from 10 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at ArtWorks, 201 Second Ave. S., Edmonds.
The sale will include previously owned paintings, prints, posters, frames, pottery, art supplies and art books. Proceeds from the sale benefit educational programs sponsored by the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation.
Who’s got the button: A new exhibit called “Button Blast,” put on by the Washington State Button Society, might make you begin to appreciate those little fasteners that we all take for granted.
The exhibit will showcase hundreds of antique, vintage and contemporary buttons through Sept. 28 at Edmonds Museum, 118 Fifth Ave. N.
Created for decoration, buttons can be plain and simple, or truly elegant works of art made from wood, stone, ceramic, bone, fabric, horn, shell and brass. The Washington State Button Society was first formed in 1939 and then produced a display every other year for Fredrick &Nelson from 1942 until the store closed in 1992.
“Seasonal Color”: The work of Lisa Snow Lady — colorfully rich collages of hand-printed elements pressed in such a way as to create complex tactile qualities — can be seen through Aug. 27 at the Edmonds Arts Festival Museum gallery in Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main St.
Her work showcases her interest in botany. “My work is unified by the theme of plant life: the exotic passion flower vine, persimmons clinging on a leafless tree, erect seed pods left standing after summer petals have disappeared. These are reminders of hope as evidenced in the growth cycle,” she said.
Delicate display: Melanie Serroels’ watercolors are translucent and delicate renderings of geese and sailboats. It’s no wonder this artist was chosen by Camano Island’s Port Susan Snow Goose Festival as its 2008 poster winner. Serroels’ work is on display through August at Islander’s Restaurant, 848 N. Sunrise Blvd., Camano Island. The exhibit is presented by Seagrass Gallery.
European photos: Ed Severinghaus will show a selection of digital photographs he took from an extended swing through Europe from February to May this year. During the trip he captured stunning images of northern Italy and southern France.
The exhibit will continue through August at Bayview Cash Store Hub, 5603 Bayview Road, Langley. All images are for sale and can be ordered for purchase through the Open Door Gallery in the Hub.
Also at the Bayview Cash Store, this is the final night of an exhibit called “Mixed Emotions,” works that express the theme of Whidbey artists at play.
Flying pigs: Smith|Vallee Gallery presents the work of Jack Gunter in the exhibition “Where Pigs Fly,” a 25-year overview of Gunter’s championship flying mammal. The show runs though Sept. 28 with an artist’s reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the gallery, 5742 Gilkey Ave., Edison in Skagit County.
Crafty Scandinavians: Nordic Heritage Museum will feature 18 artisans in the exhibit, “Northwest Designer Craftsmen: Nordic Roots.”
The show opens today and runs through Sept. 21 at the museum, 3014 NW 67th St., Seattle.
The members, who are of Scandinavian descent, will display their crafts in the form of textiles, fiber art, jewelry, ceramics, beadwork, book art and mixed media. The Northwest Designer Craftsmen organization was founded to promote excellence of design and craftsmanship and to stimulate public appreciation in fine craft. The group has represented American crafts in the Pacific Northwest for more than 50 years.
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