Art is in the eye of the beholder.
So it seems natural that artists who concentrate on beautiful landscapes would collaborate with a group that aims to preserve Skagit County’s much-sought-after and lush — if ever-dwindling — farmlands that inspire their art.
This year, the nonprofit Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland has decided to kick off its 13th annual Celebrate Skagit Art Show and Benefit on the same weekend as Skagit Artists Together’s Studio Tour on Saturday and Sunday, July 19-20.
After all, the two groups that organize the events share the same goals: to support the local art community and keep the valley green.
“The missions of the groups collide on this area of preserving the working landscape,” said Julie Blazek, a Skagit Artists board member who’s also involved with Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland.
“It’s integral to both groups.”
The Skagitonians art show will feature 66 artists presenting a variety of art, including paintings, sculptures, mixed-media, woodworking and more, mostly inspired by the landscape, wildlife and people of the Skagit Valley, Blazek said. Last year’s show raised about $11,000 toward preserving agricultural land and supporting farmers.
One of the studio show artists is Barbara Silverman-Summers, a Skagit Artists Together board member who also is showing her works in the Skagitonians show.
Silverman-Summers, an art educator, said she was so inspired by the Skagit Valley landscape and the area’s support of art when she visited from New York in 1974 that she decided to move and has lived here since.
She even changed her art concentration from abstract painting to landscapes for a while.
As an artist, Silverman-Summers said Skagit Artists Together gives her an opportunity to get more involved with the community and introduce more people to the joys of art.
And providing art for the Skagitonians art show falls in line with her desire to keep Skagit Valley green and picturesque.
“I want it to stay green,” she said. “If I wanted wall-to-wall cement, I would have stayed in New York.”
Ron Farrell, a landscape artist and manager of the Mount Vernon Farmers Market, has to agree. He’s showing his works in the Skagitonians show.
Farrell moved to Skagit County from Seattle 11 years ago after falling in love with the area. His paintings often showcase the wide expanses of the tulip fields, the quiet dignity of the barns that dot the fields, and the river that cuts through the landscape.
“I find more inspiration in fields and barns and trees, rather than row houses and cars,” Farrell said.
Organizers had been holding the Skagitonians show in the spring, but saw an opportunity to combine resources with Skagit Artists Together and bring in a larger audience for both events, said Susan Macek, Skagitonians development director.
For its part, Skagit Artists Together was happy to oblige, said Susan Lenarz, chair of the studio tour and a fiber artist. Together, the groups have managed to entice local businesses, including several bed and breakfasts, to offer discounts for visitors who attend the events, and expand the occasion into one long “weekend of art.”
The Studio Tour, now in its fifth year, offers visitors a chance to peruse the works of 25 artists at 18 studios across the county. It also allows them to glimpse the creative spaces of those artists.
“People like to see what kind of environment an artist lives in, and if people are interested in being an artist themselves, how they would they put their (studio) space together,” Lenarz said.
For the artists, the studio tour is an important chance to market their art to a wider audience. And it means they can show off and sell their works directly without having to pay a gallery a commission to show the work, said Silverman-Summers, whose studio is in La Conner. That translates to more affordable prices for the buyer, she said.
Silverman-Summers said people who participate on the tour have called her up later in the year, usually around Christmastime, wanting to buy more of her works.
“It’s been so beneficial to me as an artist when I’ve opened my studio up,” she said. “It’s just a wonderful experience for everyone.”
Meantime, visitors get to drive by and enjoy those beautiful green farmfields of the Skagit Valley.
• Beverly Crichfield can be reached at 360-416-2135 or .
