It’s the Light, Always the Light

Yellow Landscape by the Sea – a Michael Dailey painting

Three artists capture the uniquely muted Pacific Northwest light to create gems for the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (IMA) shows opening August 29.

Michael Dailey’s show is Early Dawn to Late Twilight. Called “one of the best painters the Northwest has ever seen,” Dailey’s fifteen oil paintings include large-scale color fields meditating on the shifting light of the skies. The studies capture the mystical soul of a looming storm, a sunset or a breaking dawn.

The Black Luminous Sea, by Joe Miller

Unlike Earth by San Juan Island artist, Joe Miller is a lyrical body of work that affirms the talent of four decades devoted to painting, living and working in nature. Miller’s boldly rendered watercolors uniquely reflect our local landforms, rocks, sky and rivers. These two shows are on exhibition until November 9, 2015

Immersion by Kathy Venter

Kathy Venter’s unrivaled IMMERSION Series terracotta sculptures connect with universal themes of the human spirit. Her internationally known, full-sized sculptures evoke ancient times and challenge our notion of figurative traditions. Venter’s figures are suspended in space as if floating underwater. Her series will be in the Atrium Gallery until December 14, 2015.

An opening reception preview is planned for Friday, August 28 from 5-8 p.m. and the public is welcome. These exhibitions and presentations are sponsored by The Lester M. and Bernice Smith Foundation.

Additionally, special Art As A Voice programs supplement the exhibition schedule. “Michael Dailey: Landscape-Inspired Abstractions” a panel discussion with Greg Kucera, Susanne Kelly, and Robin Updike is scheduled for October 13, 7:30 p.m. in the Whittier Theater of the San Juan Community Theatre.

On November 4, also at SJCT at 7:30 p.m., Kathy Venter will present “Life Sized Ceramic Sculpture” leading the audience through the process and technical challenges of making life-sized sculptures. General admission for all Art As A Voice series is $16, $13 for IMA members and $8 for students. Tickets will be available at IMA and the SJCT during normal hours.

IMA is located at 540 Spring Street, Friday Harbor, WA. The museum is open August- September from Thursday-Monday at 11-6 and from October-April on Friday-Monday from 11-5. Admission is free and group tours can be arranged by calling 370-5050. For more detailed information go to the web site at www.sjima.org.

IMA opened the doors to its permanent home in February of this year with illumination, Glass by William Morris 1998-2003, and GLASS 3 with artists Raven Skyriver, Ross Richmond and Shelley Muzylowski.

The museum was started ten years ago with a “virtual” museum using the San Juan Community Theatre and other locations, as available, as a venue for exhibits and lectures. IMA now makes its place in the light-filled galleries of the re-purposed EMT building.

The recent summer shows were SPINELESS Portraits of Marine Invertebrates, The Backbone of Life photography by Susan Middleton; THE TWIST OF RIST Lasting Impressions by Luigi Rist, a print collection; and LIMINAL CURRENTS Exploration of an Empathic Umwelt an installation designed and directed by Matthew Gray Palmer with community participation.

By exhibiting national-quality art and exceptional regional talent, IMA strives to make the visual arts an accessible and vibrant part of the Islands’ community. IMA offers visitors and residents hands-on family activities, arts education programs and other activities.

Children and families create fun-tastic works
 with local artists at IMA. Family Arts Days are a summertime island tradition, where local artists teach printmaking, tie dying and other island crafts in a fun outdoor setting.

The San Juan Island School District and IMA have partnered since 2010 to build community-based art education programs for our youth. They work 
to establish and sustain programs of excellence, ensuring that every school-aged child, regardless of economic means and ability, benefits from art instruction as an integral part of their basic public school education.

The Artists’ Registry provides exposure for emerging
and established artists in San Juan County, and serves to connect them with art lovers everywhere. Regional talent abounds at their annual Artists’ Registry Show, usually held in the fall featuring 
50+ artists.

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