Ruthie Franks
I started growing gourds 20 years ago to provide a supply for various art projects. I find growing gourds is an art in itself; to create mature, strong, well-formed gourds that can be turned into colorful display pieces. The process includes a long grow season, plenty of hot weather and water.
The drying process takes six to eight months followed by thorough cleaning. Thick-skinned, smooth, unblemished gourds are the desired end product.
I carve designs on the gourd and use various dyes, stains and paint that will bring out the character each gourd reveals by it’s own unique size, shape and texture. Enjoy!
Lynne Jacobsen
I am a native of the Pacific Northwest, my palette and choices of subjects generally reflect the sunny warm light of Spokane and the Palouse or the cooler light and softer shadows of Anderson Island in Puget sound where I have lived over the past 12 years. I have painted my entire life with the goal of capturing moments in time, tiny spots of beauty and focus that capture my heart.
I grew up as a child of the sixties, which means much of my early artistic development focused on the emotional impact of art. As I continued to grow as an artist, I realized I needed to get back to basics working on drawing and classical painting techniques to enable me to tell my story as a “woman of a certain age”.
My retirement from a long career in nursing gave me even more time to work on my art and allowed me to find and develop my own techniques and work on my story telling in painting even more. My art continues to be focused on using classical methods to bring in the serenity and calmness of beautiful everyday objects. My vision is to share the beauty and light you can find in the most mundane subjects. Light is a recurring theme in all my work.
2020 brought me back to Spokane. I am thrilled to be in a larger community and am looking forward to meeting other artists, hearing other stories and continuing to grow in my personal artistic journey.
My new home has a large studio with good light, and I continue to be blessed with my supportive husband Dave and entertained and inspired by our big goofy dog, Finley.
“I’m in fine fettle and fired with a desire to paint”
Claude Monet