Neighbors share memories of "Mystic Light" artists

In what turned out to be more of a knitting circle than a book reading, Claire Swedberg led a lively discussion of La Conner area artists through the ages at Seaport Books Nov 16. The primarily female audience crowded the bookstore, asking questions and offering reminiscences, both, of artists who lived in their midst. Swedberg has written a combined biography of artists and history of mid and late twentieth century La Conner titled “In the Valley of Mystic Light.”

Although Guy Anderson is central to the story, he was, in fact, never interviewed: He died in 1998. Swedberg relied on his friends, instead. Early on, Roberta Nelson introduced her to several old-time locals. They shared their stories of life in La Conner and artists they had known. Nelson was an essential resource. Swedberg noted that Nelson “was in the story from beginning to end” and reflected that the book could have been dedicated to her.

Swedberg recalled interviewing artists was different than talking to a public figure or politician. Some could be reticent.

The audience offered their own vignettes, recalling parties at the Wymans: “Wild times. Lots of parties in that house” and recollections of cars parked up and down the driveway. Someone shared a remembrance of Maxine Wyman’s mushroom hunting, saying “she was the queen of mushrooms.”

Tom Robbin’s first night, at a Wyman party, was recalled: “There was all this drinking and food; he hurt himself dancing. She tucked him in bed and got him up first thing in the morning to go mushroom hunting.”

Store co-owner Janna Gage had her own story, of bringing Swedberg to Fishtown. Gage, a historian and indispensable to this book and much of La Conner’s written history, was protective of her primary sources. She had lived near Fishtown and her memories include the times artists would use her garage like a Walmart, helping themselves to tools. Gage joked that she put Swedberg in the trunk of her car before bringing her to Fir Island, keeping knowledge of the route to herself.

The history of artists was hard to find, and dependent on interviews. Not much was written down. “There’s no mention of the early artists in the La Conner papers at the time,” Swedberg reported. Her search through page after page of micro-film at the county historical museum was fruitless.