J-K

Artist Statement

I was awarded my first blue ribbon in an art competition when I was in the first grade. I feel like

I’ve always been creative; making things keeps me grounded. I began working with tin as a

medium because of it’s versatility and its beautiful colors and prints. Ten years ago, I started

making jewelry out of tea tins. This has evolved into creating art pieces as well.

I consider my artwork to whimsical and quirky, with my favorite themes being coffees, cats, and

cities.

Anji is s a Washington state native and lives in her Seattle home with her husband and three

cats. Her “studio” is in the basement of her 1924 craftsman bungalow.

Find Anji's work at Fogue Studios here

Artist Statement

 For me the image of the boat is meant to symbolize a voyage or journey. Perhaps it is the voyage to the other side, or the journey to the unknown.

For the past two decades, I have developed a body of sculptural work derived from my experiences and the landscapes I encounter. The experiences encompass both my heritage and a broader contemporary circumstance. The landscape is our seas, waterways, forests, and mountains. The abundant beauty of the world's available natural resources and the precariousness of the relationship that we maintain with them inspire me. It is this relationship that powers my Carvings.

This artwork begins as homage to its source media. All of the wood used in Carvings is naturally felled. No living tree has or will be cut for the sake of this work. I come from a long tradition of Norwegian fishermen and boat builders. The chisels I use have been passed from my grandfather to my father to me. The craftsmanship of my work speaks to the universality and the timelessness of carving.

This work uses the primitive tradition of carving to abstractly explore a synthesis of contemporary circumstances. It explores the relationships we maintain with each other and our world. The emerging globalism of art is inherent to Carvings . Images from my heritage have been expanded over the past few years by my travels through many countries, including Egypt , Kenya , Tahiti , India , China , and Thailand . I have found the universal expression of carving throughout each of the cultures I have encountered. It serves as a vehicle for imagery that is inspired by our varying experiences, as well as the natural resources from which we all benefit.

My best friend Sylvan did a drawing of a boat. When he gave it to me, he asked if, when he passed, I would make a carved boat for his ashes. He died a month later and I carved a boat as close to Sylvan's. drawings as possible. My mother came to Sylvan's funeral, and she was so moved by the boat, she wanted my father's remains, when he passed, put in a similar vessel. Since he was a Norwegian fisherman, we buried the boat at sea, like a Viking funeral.

Since that time I have created several funeral boats for friends, family, and pets. Art school never prepared me to work with human or animal ashes, but I feel honored to have this opportunity. When I work with them, I feel transformed to another place or time where an artist was asked to be both craftsman and mortician.

The Voyager series, carved in wood or painted, is a direct result of these experiences. As humans, death is the one thing we have in common, and the boat in many cultures symbolizes a passage, or voyage, perhaps to the other side.

Biography

Steve Jensen has been a working artist for over 30 years. He comes from a long tradition of Norwegian fisherman and boat builders, growing up on his father’s fishing boat. His current body of work, “Böts”, explores the universal image of the boat.

Find Steve's available work at Fogue Studios here

Artist Statement

 Since I was a very young child, I’ve spent hours immersed in telling stories through my drawings, carving a space where my emotions, experiences, and identity collide. My work has always been deeply influenced by the complexities of being an outsider, shaped by my mixed heritage. As the child of a Jewish father and a Christian mother, I navigated the world as a Jewish individual in Uruguay, then as a Christian in a Jewish community, and later as an immigrant in the United States. These layers of "otherness" weave through every brushstroke, line, and abstract form I create.

My journey as an immigrant, mother, daughter, woman, and psychotherapist informs each piece, guiding me to express and release the things often left unsaid. I’ve always been drawn to the subconscious that feeds surrealism and expressionism. As both, an artist and a psychotherapist, I am often exploring the mind’s depths. With my pieces, I incorporate autobiographical elements, pain, and sarcasm to reflect the intricate nature of the human experience. 

I embrace both conventional and unconventional materials—watercolor, charcoal, gouache, ink, dirt, rocks, coffee, and even toothpaste—adding texture and depth to my work. These materials transform the surface into a vessel for both the mundane and the profound, capturing the intensity of human emotions in everyday life. Through my art, I hope to inspire others to share their stories and embark on their own paths toward healing.

Biography

Born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sylvia spent her childhood immersed in drawing, creating stories from her oneiric life and inner reflections. Her passion to understand the complexity of the mind led her to study clinical psychology at Instituto de Psicología del Uruguay, where she discovered art therapy and instantly fell in love with its transformative and healing power.

After immigrating to Seattle, Sylvia began working with the Latino community, supporting young children and their families, while incorporating art therapy into her practice. She furthered her education with a post-graduate degree in Infant Mental Health from the University of Washington, where she learned that working with a family from the very beginning creates a much greater impact on a child’s development.

As a mother of three, Sylvia continued her studies, earning a Master's in Social Work at the University of Washington, and focusing on children with neurodivergences and developmental delays.

In 2016, Sylvia began exhibiting her art in galleries, restaurants, and community events. Her clinical work evolved to focus on supporting parents and children through art therapy, psychotherapy, and play therapy. Her paintings, drawings, and sketches reflect intense emotions, inspired by years of deep listening to the mind.

Sylvia attended Miha Sarani's atelier to refine her portraiture skills and deepen her knowledge of art history, enriching her artistic practice. In 2019, she opened La Bestia Studio, where she sells her artwork and merges her passions for creativity and healing. She also has a studio at Equinox, which has given her the space to work on larger pieces and to continue pushing the boundaries of her creative expression.

Find Sylvia's work at Fogue Studios here