Colors and Shapes at the Shoreline City Hall Gallery

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council and the City of Shoreline present Colors and Shapes at the Shoreline City Hall Gallery November 3 – January 28, 2011 on the 2nd and 3rd floor of Shoreline City Hall at 175th and Midvale Ave N.

Special Veteran's Day Tribute Show - Nov 8 - 19

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council and the City of Shoreline present Colors and Shapes, a new exhibit illuminating how the natural and abstract world around us takes shape through color. Artists include Anna Macrae , Mark Skullerud, Winston Rockwell and Betty Jo Fitzgerald. 

A special Open House will be held Monday, November 8, 5:30 - 7 pm and the public is invited to meet the artists, view the artwork and enjoy refreshments.

Veteran's portrait by Judy Hedden

In addition to the Colors and Shapes exhibit, a selection of portraits will be on display in the lobby of the Shoreline City Hall from November 8-19 as a part of the City of Shoreline’s tribute for Veteran’s Day. For a portrait artist, the dream is to work with interesting faces; faces with experience, knowledge and feeling. Four local artists have found that dream in doing portraits of veterans at the Compass Veterans Center in Shoreline.

Artists Tracy Fraker of Edmonds, Judy Hedden of Bellevue, Sonia Lloyd of Mukilteo and Carolyn Sheldrup of Snohomish have volunteered at Compass Veteran’s Center for over three years. By holding portrait sessions they share their art and socialize with the center's residents. 

The Compass Veterans Center houses 25 men and four women who live there for up to two years. Through the center, veterans have access to mental health professionals, chemical dependency counseling and other services to help them overcome problems such as homelessness.

Artist Statements

Anna Macrae (acrylic painter)

My work is inspired by a combination of color texture and form. I respond to the rich source found in nature in terms of emotion, dimension and palate. I generate color and surface interest in my paintings by applying multiple layers of pigment, and often applying fabrics, newspaper or sand, to create a unique foundation on which to build.

I begin a painting very spontaneously and as the composition begins to take shape, it becomes a wholly intuitive process of gesture and mark making that has a direction and life of its own.

The two pieces I have selected as a sampler for the Shoreline City Hall Exhibition show my range in the exploration of abstract expressionism, and are examples of my journey to discover contrasting creative processes.

Winston Rockwell (photographer)

I shoot mostly natural subjects, because I find the natural world far more beautiful and varied in its wonders than any man-made subjects, and I strive to share that beauty with my viewers. I attempt to create images that evoke an emotional reaction to the world we live in, whether it's a sense of awe at the grandeur of a mountain vista, or the simple feeling of relaxation and tranquility one gets sitting beside a gentle stream, and I hope that my images will inspire viewers to seek to preserve that beauty for future generations.

The two images selected for for this exhibit depict the diversity of our natural world, and also show off the fabulous colors which Mother Nature displays to those willing and able to seek them out.

Mark A. Skullerud (acrylic painter)

When I stopped using ideas and visions as a starting point for paintings, it changed more than the look of my work. It changed my role - from builder with blueprints, to a warden letting bears out of the park. Capturing one was the last thing on my mind.

Color palette is selected for the feeling it imparts. My current work has strong color, much of it influenced by mid-century travel posters. Harmonious colors make the otherness of these fluid and surreal landscapes feel more approachable.

I try to create engaging art that you can’t quite get your arms around. That works best if it’s ambiguous without being muddled or confusing. Clarity is important because it brings this context into focus. And balance lets us consider the meaning of what we see in a harmonious environment. I make artwork that is literal enough to provide a handle, and abstract enough to stimulate interpretations unique to each viewer.

Betty Jo Fitzgerald (Watercolor painter)

I am a colorist with a pattern fetish. I paint whimsical, imagined landscapes, infused with high key color, that are dotted with plant, insect or treasured icons. I meld childhood memories with an education in ecology and botany and delight in placing flora and fauna in odd contexts. I take vicarious vacations by painting my knickknacks in exotic destinations and encourage the viewer to come along for the “joy ride”. My intent is to express playfulness and magic in my work.

Colors and Shapes runs from November 3 through January 28, 2011 at the Shoreline City Hall Gallery. Artwork at City Hall may be viewed any time during regular hours, Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. except holidays.

Shoreline City Hall is located at 17500 Midvale Ave. N, Shoreline, WA 98133. For more information please contact the Arts Council at 206-417-4645 or Ros Bird, City of Shoreline Public Art Coordinator.

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture all of the arts in the community through programs and events, arts education, advocacy, and support for artists and arts organizations.