Current Exhibit

Art Exhibit: Artists of Snohomish County

The Lynnwood Convention Center welcomes the artwork of 13 talented local Northwest artists, for our primary exhibit from July-December 2022.

The 57 pieces of artwork on display represent one of our most diverse collections yet, and constitute a variety of mediums, including acrylics, embroidery, watercolor, photography, metal print and glass mosaic. The show is organized as a series of ‘mini-exhibits’ of 2-6 works from each artist, all of whom currently reside within Snohomish County.

Click on the artist's name or thumbnails below to read more about their background and featured artwork, but since art is always better in person, we welcome you to come see our free exhibit here at the Convention Center. Stop by during normal business hours (M-F 8am-5pm) or on evenings and weekends when the building is open for events.

MEET THE ARTISTS Reception
On Wednesday evening, September 14th, we will be hosting a free Meet the Artists Reception at the Convention Center. From 5-7pm, you are welcome to browse the exhibit, meet the artists behind all the beautiful pieces, and enjoy complimentary in-house appetizers and a cash bar. This event is free, but please RSVP at www.eventcreate.com/meet-the-artists
Hope to see you there!

Digital image/word art of the word "Honey"

Holli Alvarado

Holli is a Digital Matte Painter living in Lynnwood, WA. Currently she is working on various television shows and feature films with VFX studio FuseFX (Los Angeles). She has just over 70 titles on her IMDb, her favorites being Harry Potter 7, Wendell and Wild, The Queens Gambit, Mysterious Benedict Society, The Orville: New Horizons and Julia, to name a handful. In her spare time, she practices her painting skills by combining her love of hand lettering with detailed surface studies to create fun surreal word art. She also enjoys playing games with her family, reading, cooking, and gardening. This collection is the result of what started out a pandemic project. Creating a process that was efficient, flexible, and enjoyable to play with while merging a love of food and art. Now, it is her way to unwind after work, get off the computer and do art that is just for her. www.halvaradoart.com

Olivia Blanco

"I was born in Caracas, Venezuela. I lived in England, France and Spain for several years, where I studied and worked. Back to my home country, I spent years in the Amazon jungle, managing my jungle resort hotel. There I learned about the land's ancient ancestral culture and wonderful expressions of indigenous art. In 2003, I moved to the Pacific Northwest, where I pursued and started to develop my artistic aptitudes attending art classes at Edmonds Community College, and extensive drawing and painting classes. My paintings are of oneiric realism, inspired in Nature: skies, sea, mountains, with a focus on clouds; dramatic or serene. As an artist it is my desire to transmit to the viewer the beauty and communion I feel when creating my paintings. I want to share the silent space where you find your real self."

Monica Bretherton

Monica Bretherton's return to painting some years ago was inspired by her hens. They are still a comfort subject, especially when a broody hen provided fresh subjects in the middle of pandemic lockdown. These paintings are from a series titled "Growing up Chicken." Prints and other work can be found via MonicaBretherton.com

Maria Casey

"I was born in Puebla Mexico, and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design from Universidad Femenina de Mexico and a Diplome' de Maitre de Formation de Pebeo in Art from Provence, France. I have two certifications in Children with Special Needs: Physical Disabilities and The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) by NAMI Eastside (National Alliance on Mental Illness). In Mexico I ran my own Interior Design business while teaching art at a popular television show. I worked, for more than 10 years, as Project Art Coordinator in different magazines. In the U.S. I founded The Fat Brush Art Workshop where I offer a variety of art workshops for children, adults and persons with special needs. Currently I serve as Art Instructor at two schools in the Seattle Archdiocese, teaching different creative expressions. I collaborate with the Everett Community College and WAGRO foundation where I teach live online art classes to help underprivileged Latino and Hispanic children and families."

Dave Govan

"The first ‘real’ camera that I had in my hands was my future father-in-law’s Zeiss Ikon. Soon after, my spouse-to-be Ellen got a 35mm film camera and let me use it. That’s when I was bitten by the photography bug. It wasn’t long before I had my own collection of camera gear and began to experiment. Ever since, I have been fascinated with photographic technology and the evolution of both hardware and software. I first became interested in birds during a trip to Costa Rica. Since then, birds have been my favorite subjects. I still consider myself an aspiring photographer, constantly in training, because there’s always more to learn. I hope that by sharing images in my ‘Opt Outdoors Gallery’, others might be encouraged to Opt Outdoors whenever possible, to seek out and experience natural wonders starting in their own back yard." https://davegovan.smugmug.com/

Diana Grant

"My paintings are informed by my background in Architecture and my love of nature. Whether landscapes or abstracts, I am inspired to paint work that is simultaneously earthy and ethereal. I employ a balance of contrasting colors, texture, form and proportion to evoke the relationship that exists between earth and sky or in a totally abstract painting. The energy between the sky and earth, meeting at the horizon line informs my interest in the landscape. I enjoy painting air, such as clouds at sunset or a blue sky on a summer day. Water is a part of many of my landscape paintings. In my abstract work, I like to leave space for the painting to breath within a structured composition involving density of color, line and texture. I mix colors, blending to get the Pacific Northwest color palette that appeals to me. I can work on a painting for years, working with an idea, putting it away, pulling it back out and adding or subtracting lines and colors." www.dianagrant-art.com

Teddy Kalonga Haight

Teddy Kalonga Haight is a Washington-based artist whose work celebrates peace, diversity and the beauty of nature. Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Teddy grew up making art and working with local artists at the Mwalimu Nyerere Cultural Center, Nyumba ya Sanaa. Teddy's work is inspired by East African art traditions, such as Tingatinga, with her own unique visual style and American perspective. Teddy enjoys teaching and making art with children, making cartoons, and painting portraits. Teddy proudly lives in Lynnwood, WA with her husband and three children.

Vicki Johnson

"I have been painting for almost 67 years. I have been fortunate enough to have lived and studied art all over the world, and have studied here in the Northwest with some of the foremost artists in the United States. My mission as an artist is to create an emotional connection with the people who are drawn to my paintings. Not a day goes by that I don’t see new possibilities for capturing the beauty of the world around us: new ways to interpret the play of light and shadows, convey the atmosphere of a coming storm, or ways to paint rain, clouds, colors, and reflections. At these times, I can hardly wait to get to my easel and recreate those scenes and emotions! As I paint, I realize that I am not only painting for myself, but for my viewers. It is my hope that you will be able to see what I saw, and feel what I felt at the moment I was inspired to paint."

Sonya Lang

"Photography is my Zen, my meditation, my passion. I love textures and shapes and often use the digital darkroom to pull those out to my liking. I like a bit of exaggeration especially in my animal images because to me they are all exotic and surreal. I strive to capture their eyes making an intimate connection, letting us into their world for a brief moment. I love to travel and try to capture the spirit of the land as I see and feel it." https://sonyalang.smugmug.com

Robert Mitchell

“Working with glass is painting with light; the vibrant luminosity is hypnotic.”

Bob Mitchell is an independent artist working in glass [stained, mosaic, blown and fused]. His career has spanned almost 5 decades. A public school educator for nearly 30 years, he developed a highly successful glass art program for the Everett School District, which honored him with the prestigious Sharon Christa MCAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2000. That same year he was recognizedly by the Schack Art Center as the Artist of the Year for Snohomish County. He continues teach at the Skagit Community College as well as taking on private commissions, working out of both his Tucson, Arizona, and Tulalip, Washington, studios.

Abstract painting of boats docked near a beach

Rhonda Shelford Jansen

Rhonda Shelford Jansen (RSJ) is of Alaska Native descent and member of the Ninilchik Tribe. She was born and raised in Homer, Alaska and lived in Kodiak and Unalaska as well. She resides in Mukilteo. Her style is heavily influenced by Native culture and fishing themes which reflect her family’s long history in the commercial fishing industry and her Native heritage. She loves bringing Native culture to life, focusing on the beauty, ingenuity, and strength of all Alaska and Pacific Northwest Tribes. Although she has only been painting seriously for the last 5 years, she has painted and sketched off and on since childhood. Her early interest in painting was fostered by her Native grandmother, Lydia Resoff Shelford, a self-taught expert in oils and later instruction under the late watercolorist, Toby Tyler of Homer, Alaska. www.rhondashelfordjansenart.com

Lana VanHemert

Having always lived by the ocean, I find it a deep source of inspiration and awe. Beachcombing and ocean watching provides me with some of my happiest hours. I have always been interested in the big blue ocean that covers about 70% of our world, creates about 70% of earth's oxygen, but is only 5% explored. It is infinitely important to all life and absolutely astounding in its diversity. Given that about 70% of each person like you or me is composed of water, I celebrate the oceans by exploring their sealife visually.

A portion of each sale will be donated to www.TheOceanCleanup.com. The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization developing and scaling technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. Please visit their website and socials to learn more and support this effort.

Patrice Young Tovar

Patrice’s dual passions for art and nature have been nurtured since early childhood. Immersed in the natural beauty of Washington State, California, Colorado, and Italy, Patrice studied art at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts, Stanford University’s campuses in California and Italy, and individually with established artists. An additional degree in landscape architecture enriches her art and has provided some supplementary work as a landscape architect and a natural resource planner.

"My paintings’ vibrant colors celebrate nature’s strength, its dazzling beauty, and the joy it stirs in me. I never pre-plan my paintings. No sketches, no photos. Instead, I switch off my thoughts and let my subconscious create what it will. When I do, the outcome feels fresh and free. I paint to share my joy."