New at the ShoreLake Arts Gallery: Erik Amundsen, Kristy Swanson and Barry Roitblat
Friday, February 25, 2022
Erik Amundsen, Kristy Swanson and Barry Roitblat
February 23 - April 2, 2022
ShoreLake Arts Gallery is exhibiting a selection of works by Photographer Erik Amundsen, Encaustic Artist Kristy Swanson and Woodworker Barry Roitblat. See these works and the creations of other local artists during gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday, Noon to 5pm. Located in the Town Center at Lake Forest Park. You can also view and purchase art in the online shop!
The ShoreLake Arts Gallery is not-for-profit and features changing art exhibits on the walls every 6 weeks, as well as jewelry, ceramics, glass, paper goods and more by over 100 local artists.
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| Erik Amundsen FruitsSquared |
Artist Bio
Having lived abroad and traveled to 30 countries Erik is currently living in Newcastle, WA with his wife and 4 year old son. His main form of creative expression is flat lay nature photography, taking objects from nature and arranging them on a solid color background to express a fine art feel.
Erik operates under the name The Botanic Table of Elements, conjuring up images of order and categorization of the periodic table of elements but with the natural feel of botanicals. Other mediums include making inks and dyes from foraged material, watercolor painting, furniture making and block printing.
Artist Statement
While my art is typically classified as photography, to me the artistry lies in having the eye to recognize beauty, the creativity to reimagine it in the studio and the patience and technique to carry out my vision. In doing flat lay nature photography I take elements from nature and arrange them on a solid colored background in patterns and shapes. They are often accompanied by a short written reflection. I have arranged over 300 photos during the past 5 years.
The entire process is a meditation for me. First to wander in nature with the purpose of finding beautiful and interesting things. Then to let my mind play at creating a layout concept. Once I have an idea my hands take over, while my hands are occupied my mind is finally free to dive deep into thought. In this flow state my mind begins to process the things I have been experiencing recently. Emotions rise to the surface, new ideas take shape, and I often finish a piece both exhausted and renewed. These emotions and thoughts are simultaneously influencing what I am creating but also directed by what I am creating. It is a nonverbal conversation between my body and mind. My titles and reflections come out of the things I was ruminating on while creating them.
I love visiting new ecosystems and working with the natural elements of a place. It connects me to a physical location and the animals/people who subsisted off the native plants. The work is essentially a collaboration with nature, I collect things forged in wild places and highlight them. It is a deeply meaningful and spiritual practice for me. Many of the elements I work with (flowers, leaves) wilt quickly, I have only a few hours to work with them until they are visibly degraded. The pieces themselves are ephemeral and seasonal, it is only through photographing them that I can capture their moment in time.
Website: https://www.botanic-table.com/
Instagram: @thebotanictabelofelements
Artist Statement
While my art is typically classified as photography, to me the artistry lies in having the eye to recognize beauty, the creativity to reimagine it in the studio and the patience and technique to carry out my vision. In doing flat lay nature photography I take elements from nature and arrange them on a solid colored background in patterns and shapes. They are often accompanied by a short written reflection. I have arranged over 300 photos during the past 5 years.
The entire process is a meditation for me. First to wander in nature with the purpose of finding beautiful and interesting things. Then to let my mind play at creating a layout concept. Once I have an idea my hands take over, while my hands are occupied my mind is finally free to dive deep into thought. In this flow state my mind begins to process the things I have been experiencing recently. Emotions rise to the surface, new ideas take shape, and I often finish a piece both exhausted and renewed. These emotions and thoughts are simultaneously influencing what I am creating but also directed by what I am creating. It is a nonverbal conversation between my body and mind. My titles and reflections come out of the things I was ruminating on while creating them.
I love visiting new ecosystems and working with the natural elements of a place. It connects me to a physical location and the animals/people who subsisted off the native plants. The work is essentially a collaboration with nature, I collect things forged in wild places and highlight them. It is a deeply meaningful and spiritual practice for me. Many of the elements I work with (flowers, leaves) wilt quickly, I have only a few hours to work with them until they are visibly degraded. The pieces themselves are ephemeral and seasonal, it is only through photographing them that I can capture their moment in time.
Website: https://www.botanic-table.com/
Instagram: @thebotanictabelofelements
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| Kristy Swanson |
Artist Bio
Kristy Swanson is an emerging artist working in encaustic, encaustic monoprints, and mixed media. Influenced by shapes and patterns found in both natural and urban environments, she creates subtle and meditative artwork using transparent layers of beeswax, pigments, hand pulled monoprints, and mark making, creating intimate impressions and visual fields that hold the feeling of place that she's experienced. She strives to make intangible experiences visible, aiming for a quiet and complex beauty, balancing simplicity of expression with rich sensory details. Kristy began painting in 2016 and is primarily self-taught. She has worked as both a hair colorist and as a master's level therapist, and threads of these careers inform her art: a love of color and beauty, as well as an interest in quiet reflection and introspection, show up in her artworks. In addition, she is an avid lover of nature, pursuing skiing, cycling, hiking, and gardening as time allows. She lives in Woodinville, WA.
Artist Statement
I draw my inspiration from the natural world. I'm fascinated by shapes, patterns, rhythm, repetition, and nuance that I see everywhere I look. I'm particularly drawn to tiny details that typically go unnoticed - the fractals of a leaf, the shifting patterns that wind creates on water, the multitude of colors found in a handful of sand. Inspired by the ordinary and the everyday, I respond to the little details in my environment, discovering beauty in the expected and the unexpected. My artwork references nature indirectly, conjuring images of landscape, or water, or stone, or flora, without being intentionally representational.
I strive for balance between two polarities: on the one hand I seek simplicity, clean lines, elegance, and calm; and on the other hand I want to create nuance and complexity within that spareness through the inclusion of texture, layers, and detail. I aim to achieve a quiet and complex beauty that balances simplicity and subtlety with rich sensory details.
Website: https://www.kristyswansonart.com/
Instagram: @kristy.a.swanson
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| Barry Roitblat |
Artist Bio
Barry creates functional works, hand-crafted from nature's treasures and specializes in hand turned bowls, pepper mills, and more, from exotic and embellished natural wood.
Based in Bellevue, Washington, Barry has been turning for about 16 years and has had pieces on display at the Bellevue Arts Museum, ShoreLake Arts Gallery, Revolution Gallery, Edward A. Dixon Gallery (Ohio), Maria V Howard Art Center (North Carolina) and other local and national venues.
Artist Statement
I am fascinated by the grand works of art created by “Mother Nature” and enjoy turning nature’s art to a human purpose. I delight in the beauty revealed as an apparently nondescript piece of wood becomes a polished, functional art-piece.
Website: https://artonpurpose.square.site/
The ShoreLake Arts Gallery is a program of ShoreLake Arts and is located inside the Town Center in Lake Forest Park on the lower level. 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155.
ShoreLake Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to cultivate creativity and inspire our community through the arts. Established in 1989.
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