The Mountlake Terrace Arts Commission presents a new art show that celebrates a year’s worth of oil painting by two sisters who share a studio and a dream.

Judy Ryan and Penny Merkley have painted since they were teenagers. Their first teacher was their father, Frank Nichols, who graduated with a Fine Arts Degree from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. They also studied with and attended workshops of such renowned artists as Leon BeRoth, Del Gish, Ned Mueller and Carolyn Anderson.

Like most people today, the sisters lead very busy lives and must make time to paint.

“We grab two hours here, three hours there and longer on Saturdays,” said Ryan, an art commission member. “We set up a still life, put a light on it and go to town.”

“This is an opportunity to see what similarities and differences there are when two sisters paint the same still life from different perspectives,” said Merkley.

One of their favorite books is “Sergei Bongart” by Mary Balcomb. Bongart, one of the great Russian painters of the 20th century, said, “If you can paint a still life, you can paint anything.”

In the sisters’ exhibit, featuring a rich variety of still life setups, from sunflowers with teapot to strawberries with green plate, visitors can view the fruits of their labor of love this challenge presented.

The show runs through June 30 at the Mountlake Terrace Library, located at 23300 58th Ave. W. in Mountlake Terrace. The library is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.