ArtEAST adds 10 more locals to its UpFront Gallery
Published 4:17 pm Friday, June 15, 2012
When Juliette Ripley-Dunkelberger first discovered clay, she was enamored by the textures she could create. Unlike paint, which was flat to her, she could feel clay.
It also posed a challenge to the then Washington State University music major. She was learning how to form thoughts into sculpture.
She’s one among ten new artists that were juried into the Gallery at artEAST this quarter. The artists plan to meet the public at a free event June 15.
Dunkelberger, now a mother of two, enjoys the mental challenge so much she teaches an occasional sculpting class.
“It’s cheaper and better than therapy,” she said with a laugh.
Her skill, she says, has progressed to the point where she feels her work can be shown and sold. The works at the gallery present a pivotal moment in her career as an artist.
Tinkering in landscape design, she’s inspired by nature. After an afternoon turning rocks on Alki Beach, she made a series of candlestick holders that look like stacked rocks with sea creatures scattered about them.
She’s also interested in the female form. After a two-hour conversation with her sister about how women often define themselves by the inside of their homes, she created a female torso split open to home inside. The walls of the sculpture were painted like the wallpaper she always hoped to have as a child.
As the head of the Sunset Elementary art docent program, she was attracted to the center’s dedication to art education.
As soon as she became a member, she was surprised by the number of artist calls she heard about. The organization also provides a number of networking opportunities for local artists.
Each quarter a team of jurors, including guests, reviews about 20 different artists and depending on what the gallery needs, about 3-10 are selected. The UpFront Gallery hosts work from about 100 different artists.
Each of the artists juried this quarter were distinctive, but collectively they help invigorate the center, said Anne Randall, a spokesperson. “This is a really lively, energetic body of people.”
Meet the artists
Meet the newest artists added to the UpFront Gallery at artEAST, 95 Front St. N., Issaquah, 6-8 p.m., June 15. Wine and tidbits will be served.
New artists include:
Beth Anderson, Bothell, fused glass
Karen Dedrickson, Bellevue, sumi ink & mixed media
Marcella Diamond, Mercer Island, acrylic painting
James Farrand, Seattle, watercolor painting
Anita Feng, Issaquah, raku ceramics
Catherine Thompson, Preston, mosaics
Jamie McKay, Sammamish, jewelry
Francine Moo-Young, Bellevue, leather
Juliette Ripley-Dunkelberger, Issaquah, ceramics
Aiko Vail, Bellevue, kiln formed glass
Juliette Ripley-Dunkelberger, who teaches at artEAST, was juried into the UpFront Gallery this quarter. PHOTO BY CELESTE GRACEY, ISSAQUAH & SAMMAMISH REPORTER
