Peer ‘Through the Gateway’ at Studio Tour

EDMONDS — Edmonds’ artist collective, Gallery North, is home to art from a variety of artists in its studio space.

This month, it’s art from the Gallery’s current president, JR Hawse, that will be featured. Her work will also be shown as part of the fifth annual Edmonds Art Studio Tour from Sept. 18-19, an event which incorporates 21 private art studios and five galleries in Edmonds.

The tour is an opportunity for members of the community to view the art and techniques of 42 artists, as well as to potentially buy the artists’ work. The tour will be showcasing a variety of art including: acrylic paintings, oil paintings, pastels, printmaking, wood carving, collages, sculptures, photography, jewelry making and glasswork. The tour is sponsored in part by the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation.

Hawse participated in the Edmonds Art Studio Tour last year and sold paintings and jewelry.

“I actually painted outside, and let people watch the creation of my paintings live. I even allowed children to paint on my canvas,” she said.

Hawse will also participate in the Edmonds Art Walk on Sept. 16.

This month, Gallery North is featuring a collection by Hawse called, “Through the Gateway,” which will show during the Studio Tour.

An artist’s reception is slated for Sept. 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. It will then be moved as an exhibition to the Western and Wildlife Art Show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.

The collection earned its name because each painting has a story behind it, Hawse said.

“It opens up the viewer’s imagination and takes them to these wildlife places,” she said. “It’s a way for people to step into that setting and become a part of it. There is action in the paintings. I have a lot of vivid color, yet it’s peaceful.”

Hawse has been with Gallery North since 2008 and was promoted to president earlier this year. She has spent the last decade making a name for herself as professional artist by displaying her art at various art shows and attending the University of Washington School of Art.

“I’ve been painting all my life,” she said.

In addition to acrylic painting, Hawse does lampworking and jewelry design. Lampworking is an ancient Italian technique for creating beads. This form of bead making requires that the artist wrap glass around a steel rod and use an oxygen propane torch to melt it and decorate it with colored pieces of molten glass. It is then placed in a kiln for three hours. The glass is then cooled at a stabilized rate, in order to reduce the chances of cracked glass.

“The colors are tremendous and very vibrant,” she said. “Most of my glass comes from Venice, Italy. Each bead is unique. It can take anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours to make one bead, but it’s wonderful when it comes out of the kiln and you can see all the beautiful colors.”

Hawse uses her hand-made beads to create jewelry. Some pieces include beads from the Czech Republic and Swarovski crystals.

She makes earrings, bracelets and necklaces using sterling silver, lampwork beads and a variety of natural elements.

Gallery North opened in 1961, and will celebrate its 50th anniversary next July. Artist co-operatives differ from other art galleries, in that the artists actually own and run the gallery.

“Artist co-operatives are better because artists aren’t under pressure to conform to something that is going to sell. It’s better for the community because they get to see more artwork that is free from commercialism. It is also more affordable, because the co-operative doesn’t charge as much as a normal gallery,” said Hawse.

What: Edmonds Art Studio Tour

Where: Various locations throughout Downtown Edmonds

When: Sept. 18-19

Admission: Free

More information: http://www.edmondsartstudiotour.com/

Gallery North

Where: 508 Main Street, Edmonds

Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Saturday; noon-6 p.m., Sunday

More information: www.gallery-north.com