What’s New

West Seattle Art Tour 2024

 Join me for the West Seattle Art Tour, on September 21st, 2024, 10am-5pm.

This annual event (formerly called Art Hop) now happens on the third Saturday in September, and has a new name and look. I was tasked with designing the poster, wayfinding signage and other branding elements for promoting the tour. I used one of my more abstract digital paintings for the background, which worked well as a unifying element for the artists’ social media profiles and other applications. It was satisfying to be able to use my graphic design chops for this project and present a confident and cohesive look for the tour this year!

 

get the map! The event is a pop-up showcase for 55 West Seattle artists who have set up shop for the day at 14 local stops, each one the home base for one of the artists, who are graciously hosting a couple of additional guest artists in their yard or home. It’s a unique opportunity  to converse directly with the artists on site and physically handle artwork you wont find elsewhere. Click here to access the interactive map or download a printable copy, detailing each stop and the art that will be featured there. I’ll be at stop #10, sharing spaces at Penguina Designs with beaded jewelry maker Johanna Lindsay, Jacquie Stock and Tom Constantini. 4726 50th Avenue SW

Holiday Arts & Crafts Sale at C&P Coffee

Holiday Arts & Crafts Sale at C&P Coffee

I’m excited to be participating in the 2022 Holiday Arts & Crafts Sale, at C & P Coffee Company, at 5612 California Avenue in West Seattle, one day only on November 26th, 2022, from 8am to 2pm. That day is Small Business Saturday, so come out and support your local shops.

I’ve just finished producing my 2023 calendars and will have them available for purchase at the show, or you can place an order there to pick up at a later date. This year there are four different themes — birds, garden, sealife and insects! Visit my calendars web page for details.

I’ll also have a few boxed sets of holiday cards, individual notecards, and a selection of small prints. I will also take custom orders and do my best to accomodate gift requests.

There will be rooms full of other talented artists there as well, including my superbly talented friend, Jennifer Carrasco. Be sure to check out her table as well.

Thank you, C & P, for being such an important part of the West Seattle community and supporting local artists. Visit candpcoffee.com for more information.

Cascadia Art Museum Pop-up March 2022

Cascadia Art Museum Pop-up March 2022

I so enjoyed participating in the March 2022 Edmonds Artwalk, as the featured artist at Cascadia Art Museum, in the gift shop. I had a large table full of art, but was only there for the nighttime event. Many people stopped by on their way in to the Museum, and while exploring the unique and creative offerings of the store. The store carries my art notecards and small prints on a regular basis.

Visit artwalkedmonds.com to see the entire list of artists and hosting businesses.

Thank you, Cascadia Art Museum, for sharing your most excellent shop with me for the evening!

Artwalk February 2022

Artwalk February 2022

Yes, I’ll be in the West Seattle Artwalk at two places during February! I’ve got a new show up at Zelda Zonk Consignment, in the Admiral Junction, and I’ll be there until the end of February. (Note: They won’t be open for the nighttime event.) This collection is entirely sealife, completely different from the ongoing show at Mailbox West in the south end of West Seattle. Here, my art is coexisting with gently used fashion items seeking a second life. It’s great fun to check out the offerings. Some of my art is in the front window, resting on a mink stole, and next to some red high heels! Come by and support a sustainable local business. Even the shop’s name is recycled — Zelda Zonk is the name that Marilyn Monroe used after breaking up with Joe DiMaggio.

Visit wsartwalk.org to see the entire list of artists and hosting businesses. The list is organized by participating business location, from north to south in West Seattle, so Zelda Zonk should appear near the top of the list.

Thank you, Zelda Zonk, for giving artists some exposure! 2210 California Avenue SW

West Seattle Artwalk January 2022

West Seattle Artwalk January 2022

Starting today, I’ll be participating in the West Seattle Artwalk, although I won’t be on site for the nighttime event tonight. I’m being hosted by Mailbox West, in the Morgan Junction, and I’ll be there until the end of March. I expect that as things sell, I’ll be adding new pieces to the wall, so check back from time to time. You’ll also find a selection of my cards and calendars there.

Visit wsartwalk.org to see the entire list of artists and hosting businesses. The list is growing, and Artwalk is gaining momentum in West Seattle. You’ll see the lead image for January is my Snowy Owl, and scroll all the way to the end to see the listing for Mailbox West, since it is one of the most southerly locations.

It’s so great that local businesses are opening up their spaces to make art accessible and available. Thank you, Mailbox West! 6523 California Avenue SW

Now Available — Calendars for 2022

Now Available — Calendars for 2022

I’ve been busy painting this year, and have compiled lots of my images into some lovely calendars. This is a great way to add a splash of colorful art to your wall, and see it change every month. I have two formats this year — limited edition, hand-signed 6.5 x 19” hanging calendars (only 25 of each version), and smaller spiral-bound 5.5 x 8.5” desk or hanging calendars.

Limited edition 6.5” x 19” hanging versions. These are numbered, hand signed, and printed in archival quality with gorgeous vivid pigment ink. Pages are loosely bound together with a sliding clip, so that the order of the individual pages can be rotated through. Once the year is over, the images can also be separated out and framed as art.

Spiral bound 5.5” x 8.5”, which works hanging on a wall or as a desk calendar. These make great gifts!

In either of these two formats, you can choose from three different image collections:

Feathered Friends (birds)
In the Garden (plants)
Under the Sea (sea creatures)
For previews, details and to purchase, go to this page: Purchase Calendars.

Order early for the holidays — Everyone is expecting delays in shipping of materials and delivering products this season.

 
Retailers, please contact me for specifics.
Art Note Cards now available at West Seattle Nursery

Art Note Cards now available at West Seattle Nursery

I am so pleased to be selling my art as blank art notecards at the West Seattle Nursery. It’s great to have a local connection, and even better that it is my favorite place in all of West Seattle. They have a wonderful gift shop and garden center, and have a really nice selections of cards by artists. I’m in good company here. WSN has ordered 24 different designs of mine for the spring season. The first batch of winter cards sold out in two days, just after the holidays. And just before the holidays, they also quickly sold out of their supply of my 2021 Feathered Friends limited edition art calendars.

.Retail Display of Art Cards   2021 Calendars sample pages  2021 Calendar back page

If you’re not local to Seattle, contact me directly to purchase notecards of any of my images. And I still have a few calendars available.

Pacific Wild’s Wild Auction 2020

Pacific Wild’s Wild Auction 2020

Join me in supporting the conservation efforts of Pacific Wild, an important force for the protection of the Great Bear Rain Forest in Canada’s British Columbia. I’m participating in their Wild Auction 2020, in which artists interested in their cause will offer works of art to bid on Monday, November 9 through Thursday, November 12. I’ll be donating 50% of my proceeds to Pacific Wild because I’ve experienced the awesomeness of the Great Bear Rain Forest on our summer-long boat trips, visiting wild places that few people ever go, and hope these ecosystems can continue to exist in the future. It will be election time in the US, with plenty of other things to think about, but if you need a break from the news, visit the auction site at: https://www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/wild-auction-2020-14029

Each offering will be an 11”x17” image on 13” x 19” paper, unframed, archival pigment print hand-signed, #1 in a limited edition of 25.

 

Colorful artwork of ShoalShoal.
Life in the sea is all interconnected. A healthy population of herring is crucial to the balance of life in the seas around us. Herring are an important food source for many other species. Herring spawn by attaching their egg sacks to kelp. Commercial harvesting of herring is disrupting this natural process.

 

 

Colorful artwork of Chinook Salmon ReturningChinook Returning.
Chinook salmon returning upriver to their home to spawn. Salmon populations are being threatened by overfishing, habitat degradation and climate change and need the help of conservationists to maintain healthy populations.

 

 

Colorful artwork of Sea Otter Floating in kelp eating Sea UrchinA Sea Otter Success Story.
Conservation efforts have enabled the return of an abundance of sea otters to the west coast of BC, which has helped to restore the balance of intertidal life. Unchecked, the sea urchins can devastate a kelp forest, which provides crucial habitat for many other species. Sea otters feed on the urchins, often wrapping themselves or their young in fronds of kelp while they feed.

Earth Day 2020

Earth Day 2020

Earth Day — not quite what we had hoped it would be. Our precious planet seems to be a mess right now, but not without hope.

While right now we humans have our own problems, the health of our oceans remains key to our survival. We’re stuck inside self-isolating, but here is a reminder that there are many splendid sights to behold, once we can get back out there and see the world again.

My favorite subjects to paint are marine creatures living underwater. This crazy-looking creature is a Basket Starfish, which can be found on the ocean floor in our Pacific coastal waters. I was fascinated by its lacey branching structure and graceful movements.

At long last, my own art website

At long last, my own art website

I’ve put my designer skills to work and built a separate website just for my artwork. It’s been a long time in the making, but almost ready to launch now! Hope you enjoy it! Here’s a newly finished piece.

0 Comments

recent posts

CALL ME! 206 343 7915

FOLLOW ME on Instagram

EMAIL ME with questions

LIKE MY PAGE on Facebook

karenjohnson • design/art