A-B

 Artist Statement

WE EXPECT little from ordinary things around us, but I am continually fascinated by the ordinary.

Combining realism and abstraction, creating tension, and consideration for the ‘imperfect’ or unexpected, challenge expectations on how I ‘see’ the subject.

In ceramic work, I focus on creating forms that invite a tactile response in the spikes, or in the alterations and negative spaces. The body of work “Touch, Don’t touch” is inspired by living things and shapes in nature. I explore the objects and study them, then reimagine the form: considering how light and space interact, how time and weather alter, and how texture invites and repels. Many of these things are present in the tidal areas I wander, but I continue to explore metaphor and connections to new objects, both local and from travels.

After many years working with realism, my painting is also shifting toward a looser and more immediate response to what I see and experience. Places or found objects often present as metaphors and connect to experiences and running through my head. The subject becomes the mouthpiece, sometimes unexpectedly or unplanned and I scribble sketches to catch that moment before it gets lost. Once an idea becomes clear, I tend to work through a series of paintings until I have exhausted what needs to be said, this may be in a few months, or years depending on the narrative.

Find Carolyn's Available Works Here

  Artist Statement

I’m an artist/designer, designer/artist. For me the boundaries between art and design are blurred. I’ve always been attracted to that edge between functional design, craft, and fine art. 

My training in two- and three-dimensional design at the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design coincided with studies in painting and drawing at UC Berkeley Extension in San Francisco under Norman Stiegelmeyer. I spent my formative years in San Francisco in the late sixties and early seventies, a time when all boundaries were becoming blurred, and the attitudes of other cultures were being infused.  

Chris' available work at Fogue.

 Artist Statement

As a painter, I have always been intrigued with ordinary plastic, commercial, recyclable containers containing contents for home use, such as: liquid soaps, milk, face creams, shampoo, fruit juices, etc.  The majority of these objects are are made from plastic.  

Paper sacks have also played a major role as subjects for my paintings. I find the folds and creases that create complex surface textures very facinating.  

My colors tend to be muted, and the edges of my subject matter, soft, and thus, lending to atmospheric effects.  

I also tend to work in series, exploring many of the same or similar objects in different compositional schemes, colors, light temperatures (cool north light as coming through a window, or warm spotlight). 

I work in my studio several hours a day most days of the week. 

The artists that have been the most influential in my work are:  Giorgio Morandi, Italian landscape and still life master, early mid 20th Century; Jean Simeon Chardin, French still life master, 18th Century; Gordon Cook, Bay Area landscape and still life master, latter 20th Century; and the Pop Art Movement of the mid-1950s to the 1960s.  Available works at Fogue Studios

Artist Statement

This collection of works by Erik portrays animals in various scenes looking out or skyward. Most of the pieces utilize a significant portion of the canvas for negative space, providing the viewers the opportunity to use their own imagination, when determining what may be drawing these animals’ eyes 

Erik's available work at Fogue. 

 Erik Berkule is a local Seattle artist whose work focuses mainly on portraiture, often with a humorous twist.  Erik is influenced by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, as well as by the destinations he visits while travelling internationally.  He likes to draw and paint what he knows, often leaning on creature subjects (both human and animal) with whom he has come in contact.  Family, friends, music and sports figures also play a prominent role.  Erik's medium is predominantly ink and acrylic on canvas and wood.  His work can be found on Instagram at @Aarik73  

 Artist Statement  

Joanne Bohannon was born an artist in Nova Scotia, Canada. She has been an artist, an illustrator and an art director all of her adult life. She has been working in ceramics for over 25 years and all of her artwork has a personal narrative driving it. This current series reflects loss of owl habitat but also its adaption to such severe changes. She lives in the suburbs and believe it or not, she has had a resident barred owl living and hunting in her garden for years. What a muse that owl has been. Coming Soon  

Find Joanne's available works here

  Artist Statement

 Garage Art

In 1974 I received my BA from WSU in Education. Years later I studied Creative Arts in Education and achieved an MA. For 31 years I was an educator, working at all levels K-12. Playing college football and coaching sports made me appreciate the power of a crowd of people. Throughout the years, I continued to be awed by the energy of crowds in many diverse environments.

Sports teams, festivals, concerts, political rallies and protests gave me many opportunities to be part of a crowd. Intrigued by the graffiti art on Capitol Hill, I felt the impact and power of art. It hit me in the spring of 2020 that this was what I was meant to do. The pandemic and lockdown gave me lots of extra time. After setting up a studio in my garage, I started painting crowds and never stopped.

In January 2022 I had a stroke that paralyzed my right side. Swedish Hospital’s Cherry Hill Acute Rehab Center saved my life and strengthened my dedication to art. I made an amazing recovery, thanks to all of the staff there who worked with me. When I came home after 20 days one of the first things, I did was pick up my paint brush and finish a crowd of emergency room workers. I couldn’t believe my steady hand with that brush. I was meant to do this. My purpose in life at this time, was realized.

I focus on crowds of people and the energy they create. I hope the viewers will look closely at the details and realize the potential for conversation. Of course, as an educator I’m always thinking of its value for discussion. My pieces represent the diversity of our community with a focus on embracing our differences. As people view my work, I would like them to smile and be wowed by my interpretation.

Jerry's work available at Fogue Studios

Jerry and Pam Burkhalter donate a portion of all sales to 

Family First Community Center