Scenes exuding Pacific Northwest life on display in Lynnwood

This season’s exhibit at the Lynnwood Convention Center illustrates life in the Northwest, through photography and in paintings.

An artists reception for the exhibition “Northwest Stories/Northwest Life” is Sept. 11.

Up through December, “Northwest Stories/Northwest Life” features the works of 12 Western Washington artists: Willow Bader, Michelle Bear, Frank Gallimore, Monica Gutierrez-Quarto, Trish Harding, Ira Jacob, Doug Keith, Amy Martin, Jason Otto, Judith Rayl, Ian Shearer and Valentina Voronkova.

The artists captured scenes that exude life in the Northwest: a cargo ship crossing Puget Sound in the early morning light, a portrait of a mother black bear and her cub, and rowers practicing on Lake Washington. The 42 paintings and photos range in composition styles from hyper-realistic to expressionistic.

“Hopefully it has the effect of making them appreciate Northwest lifestyles and the activities people practice here,” exhibit curator Ann Morgan said. “The goal is to show a wide variety of great art and to showcase emerging artists and help them get established.”

Morgan, a retired Everett School District art teacher and administrator, manages the Lynnwood Convention Center’s gallery with her daughter, Kaitlin. The gallery biannually showcases the works of Northwest artists — one in winter/spring and another in summer/fall.

Look for the acrylic paintings by Michelle Bear, of Everett, who makes environmental statements with her art. Morgan said Bear’s “Caught on the Edge” portrays the loss of wildlife habitat, while her other work in the show, “Beekeeper’s House,” hints at issues facing pollinators, such as climate change, degradation and pollution.

Also don’t miss “Driftwood,” by Seattle’s Frank Gallimore, in oil, which shows a man in an orange coat facing a stone wall, driftwood piled up to his hips.

“To me, that’s a really strong statement about squaring up and trying to overcome obstacles,” Morgan said.

And then there’s Ira Jacob, a photographer from Edmonds. One of Jacob’s five photos in the exhibit, “Brown Lake,” features a sweeping vista of a lake with two kayaks on the shore nearby.

Evan Thompson: 425-339-3427, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @ByEvanThompson.

If you go

The “Northwest Stories/Northwest Life” exhibit is on display through December at the Lynnwood Convention Center, 3711 196th St. SW, Lynnwood. An artists reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 11 will have housemade appetizers and a no-host bar.

The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 425-778-7155 or visit www.lynnwoodcc.com for more information.