Janet Laurel exhibit closes Friday

Janet Laurel’s show at Cassera Gallery Stanwood, “Flowers, poems, birds, frogs & bones,” closes April 12.

A lifetime resident of the Pacific Northwest, Laurel pursued art as a means to express her love of nature with an emphasis on Asian art and philosophy. Her talent was made classic through schooling in calligraphy and Sumi painting with noted artist George Tsutakawa. The ancient technique of Sumi became her favorite form of artistic expression with its sweeping, shaded lines providing the perfect medium for intense vision; affording her the ability to dance between East and West.

Many of her paintings incorporate titles or have poems calligragraphically integrated into the work along with the images. Her work has been shown around the globe, including Los Angeles, the Church Gallery in London, the Cathedral Museum in Malta and the Grollo D’Oro in Italy. Locally, the Frye and Seattle Art Museum has her work in their collections, as well as many private collections.

The vastness of the Northwest, combined with the power and beauty of the universe gives Laurel her unique sweeping sense of scale and movement. She earned her MFA at the University of Washington. – Text and photo courtesy of David Cassera