A wealth of glories awaits at a trio of Skagit County galleries through the end of August. At Perry and Carlson Gallery on First Street in Mount Vernon, Donna Watson’s mixed-media work, sprinkled with Japanese-inspired nature philosophy, gives passing shoppers a chance to rest and deepen their understanding.
Watson writes, “Nothingness is alive with possibilities,” which is correct not only from an artistic standpoint but also with regard to particle physics. The exhibit, “The Beauty of Nothingness,” has gathered “small offerings” as “tokens from nature” in tiny Joseph Cornell-type box assemblages. In one, you might find a stone wrapped with twine, a Japanese coin, a rabbit sculpture, feathers, seed pods or a distinctive bit of weathered wood, all very decorative and reasonably priced.
Watson has also inset small boxes into abstract panels painted in cold wax and oil. My favorite might be “Secrets,” an apparition of pale yellow held down by red, deepening to black, which holds what might be a locked scroll in a square central recess. Very mysterious.
At Perry and Carlson Gallery in Mount Vernon, Donna Watson’s exhibit, “The Beauty of Nothingness,” has gathered “small offerings” as “tokens from nature” in tiny Joseph Cornell-type box assemblages. Watson has also inset small boxes into abstract panels painted in cold wax and oil. (Photo courtesy of Perry and Carlson Gallery)
Gregg Laananen’s work is at i.e. gallery in Edison for his first solo exhibit there. Gallery founder and curator Margy Lavelle has an eye for artists who capture the strange and improbable.
Laananen, a 2003 graduate of the University of Washington art program, initially favored a plein air style but lately has turned toward abstraction in a search for greater freedom of expression, allowing him to reach “a metaphysical conclusion.” The works on view are all oil on panel, mostly from 2022, with a few from the previous year.
Laananen’s paintings carry the uncanny power which only works that leap directly from the subconscious can achieve. Although all are of modest size, anyone would command the space in a room. His work on view cycles through a half-dozen themes. One includes “Motif from Grey Beach,” a monochrome work featuring a multitude of rough grey lines (or branches) reaching up to a faint circle or moon. “New World” bears a family resemblance, save that the lines have become slashes.
Several other compositions follow this almost hypnotic, monochrome simplicity: “Winter’s Script,” “New World,” “Cedar Moon Reprise” and “Rain,” where a hint of color begins to show.
Another grouping (my category, not necessarily that of the artist) includes several marked by sharp designs in a monochrome composition — “Wood Signs” and “Equinox” share a family resemblance of multiple, sheltering arcs. “Moon of the North” turns these on their side — the arcs become three moons or strung bows.
Among such somber but thoughtful pieces, a splash of color commands attention: the red in “Sun Sunk” is like a clown’s eye peeping over a fence, and the delightful, puzzle-like “Boletes” is heavily worked with muted shades. “Winter Harmony” introduces a lovely pastel blue. Green, brown and white spears catch attention in the exquisite “Birth of Mushrooms,” with no mushroom to be seen.
Laananen’s use of many small panels of varying sizes conveys a feeling of honesty, as if he were driven by powerful inspiration and painting at speed — which is likely, as nearly all were accomplished in six months.
Gregg Laananen’s paintings at i.e. gallery in Edison carry the uncanny power which only works that leap directly from the subconscious can achieve. Although all are of modest size, any one would command the space in a room. (Photo courtesy of i.e. gallery)
Down the street, Smith & Vallee Gallery displays Aaron Loveitt’s captivating sculptures and Becky Fletcher’s oil landscapes. These very large — up to 48 inches x 96 inches — realist paintings will knock your socks off. “Golden Tree” — surely a madrona — positively glows from within.
Many of Fletcher’s compositions juxtapose opposites: light and dark, beauty with weathered age. “Swamp Lanterns” contrasts green and golden leaves with black water beneath. The beetling rock in “Boulder Field” intimidates with a massive personality. In “Overlake Upended,” a serene mountain lake seems guarded by a gnarly mass of roots. In another work, a jagged pinnacle of ice contains a profound, inky-black center.
And, as you get closer to any of Fletcher’s works, something magical happens. Take “Watershed,” for example. At first, your eye follows the upward sweep of a magnificent, broken trunk into blue sky and clouds — but standing at arm’s length, the image dissolves into vivid abstractions.
I overheard a discerning visitor ask how Fletcher could have painted such hyper-realism. She understood that an excellent craftsman such as Andy Eccleshall (featured at the same venue in July) could create near-“photographically” perfect images. But how could Fletcher stand at an easel and craft images which were abstract, but which appear realist when viewed at a distance? Go visit Smith & Vallee and decide for yourself!
To find out more about when and where to see these three exhibits, go to perryandcarlson.com, ieedison.com or smithandvalleegallery.com.
