Artists
Totem Pole and Logo
Felix
Solomon is a Coast Salish carver of Haida and Lummi descent. He’s spent
most of his life living on the Lummi reservation and is an enrolled
member of the tribe. While his roots are mixed, he’s chosen to focus on
studying and carving Coast Salish art, specifically Lummi style
carvings. In the past 12 years he's produced a wide variety of
carvings, from bentcorner boxes, masks, bowls, rattles, a gaff hook and
many more beautiful objects. After restoring the Whatcom Centennial
Pole that stands in front of our County Courthouse, Felix’s passion for
Lummi style carving was whetted, and he’s devoted himself to studying
old Lummi and Coast Salish pieces and understanding how his ancestors
produced carvings distinctive from other tribes and regions. Felix and
his work were recently selected by the Smithsonian for a film
highlighting three Native artists working on environmentally themed art.
Felix strives to and succeeds in carving pieces that embody the power and beauty of work done in the distant past. His work manifests the spirit and voices of his ancestors, his deep connection to the land on which he lives and to his heritage.
Painting (sea wolf canoes and road sign)
Melonie Ancheta of Copper Woman Studio is an unenrolled Blackfeet, Cherokee and
Nez Perc descendant. She’s had a life long and profound love of NW
Coast Native art which she was finally able to dedicate herself to
studying and creating about 13 years ago when her children moved out of
her home. Every day now she’s pulled out of bed (sometimes in the
middle of the night too) to go to work on a design, paint, study,
educate and immerse herself in learning and creating NW Coast Native
art. She works in a variety of media, painting and carving, which
includes cedar, painted leather regalia and wearable art, drums, copper
repousse-work rattles, and does original paintings on paper and other
media.
Melonie’s other passion is for educating people about NW Coast history, culture and art. She teaches classes and has several private students. Melonie believes a gift has been shared with her by the ancestors and in turn she must share it with anyone willing to hear. She believes it’s important to keep the knowledge alive and in passing it along.
Currently she’s engaged in writing a new book on NW Coast formline and Coast Salish art as well as being in the depths of 13 years of research into pre-contact paint technology among NW Coast Natives. She’s researching the original pigments and binders, the methods and materials of this subject with the backing of the Seattle Art Museum, the Bill Holm Center for NW Coast Native Research, and a multitude of other institutions and people.
Melonie is happy to discuss the possibility of commissions.
Tile Art
Debbie Dickinson grew up in scenic and serene Friday Harbor, Washington. She
is a self taught painter and first started working with tiles in 1991.
Learning her craft while working in the building trades in Washington,
Utah and Alaska, Debbie has gone on to become a full time tile artist
and contractor specializing in original handcrafted tile murals and
special installations. Her background has developed through her life
experiences and broadened through travel in the western United States,
Europe and Africa.
Her love of beauty and simplicity in the world of color and design leads to her impeccable eye for the ordinary made extraordinary. Her appreciation of the many hues and shapes that create a whole, is apparent in the striking nature of her art.
The field tile installation and shower area construction and field tile were done done by Larry Curtis of Kulshan Tile.
Cabinetry
Established in 1997, Smith & Vallee Woodworks,
Inc. designs and builds custom cabinetry and furniture from sustainably
harvested and salvaged woods. They provide timeless designs, fine
craftsmanship, environmentally friendly products and excellent service.
The two owners have always had a background in woodworking. Wesley
Smith grew up all over the globe and has been heavily influenced by the
woodwork he viewed as a child in the temples and shrines of rural
Japan. Andrew Vallee grew up in New Hope, PA, near the home and studios
of renowned furniture maker George Nakashima, whose teachings
influenced Andrew at a young age. After college, they continued their
education with apprenticeships under noted furniture maker Alan Rosen
of Lummi Island and began their own business soon after. In 2002, they
had a major exhibition at Bellingham's Whatcom Museum of History &
Art, called "The Tree Project," that featured their furniture and
holistic woodworking process. They have now worked with the Whatcom
again, creating permanent interiors for the new Family Interactive
Gallery at the Lightcatcher Building out of native alder and cedar. For
more information, please visit www.smithandvallee.com
Fabric Design
Lyn Beatty of Lyn’s Draperies (lynsdraperies.com) has been passionate about sewing since childhood. With an extensive background in fabrics as well as dressmaking techniques, she taught sewing for many years. But when her sights turned to décor projects, she saw a need for custom services in Whatcom County. Pursuing her love affair with fabric, product creation, styles and interior design, Lyn opened Lyn's Draperies and began to cultivate a reputation for high quality, custom creations for a variety of customers and settings.
Astronomical Native Photograph Art
Brad Snowder has studied physics, astronomy, math and science education at WWU. He holds the Astronomical League’ certificates for the Herschel 400 (cert. #89) and the Messier (cert. #737) deep sky observing programs.
Brad is an astronomy instructor at WWU, where he manages the planetarium, and at Whatcom Community College. In the past he has also taught astronomy courses for Skagit Valley College and for Northwest Indian College.
Being part Choctaw Indian, Brad has a special interest in preserving American Indian and other cultural star lore. View other examples of Brad’s webwork at snowder.com.
Stencil Design
Artist and designer Jennifer Ryan, owner of Jennifer and Friends Custom Interior Solutions, located in Bellingham WA, offers a full range of interior design services, project management, as well as an in-house workroom. Jennifer is committed to providing clients with projects that reflect and enhance their personality and lifestyle preferences. By carefully listening to clients' needs and wants, Jennifer Ryan is able to customize the space to please each individual customer's personal style. To learn more about Jennifer, visit her website: jenniferandfriends.com.
Cedar Strip Canoe @ Road Sign
Sue Noel was born and raised in Wisconsin, and after high school attended Milwaukee School of the Arts. She’s developed varied forms of artistic expression throughout her life. Her dad was a hobby woodworker and they did a lot of canoeing and camping as a family. She started building the canoe to bring back all those good memories. The canoe project took a back seat after she began making jewelry about 6 years ago. The jewelry keeps her busy as it is now being sold at a gallery in Ocean Shores and on her little corner of the internet www.noeljewelry.biz.
Wind Art
Lloyd Peterson ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) enjoys working in the yard and garden and wanted a hobby for the days after his retirement. Creating and building wind art caught his interest. He works with brass and copper, each design is numbered, dated and signed. He tries to maintain a full inventory of his work and keeps creating new designs. L Petersen Wind Art, Hand Crafted Art in Motion 360-734-8927.
Photography
The images on this web site are the fine work of Bellingham photographer, Dan Witter.