Camano, Island of Artists: By Jason Dorsey
Beautiful Camano, nestled among the islands in Puget Sound, is an island of artists. Its rich history of art, legendary artists, and natural beauty makes it Washington’s premier destination for art lovers and collectors. Camano has been home to my family of artists since 1946 and I’m honored to share some of the artists on “my island.” Let’s begin with Betty Dorotik, who weaves nature and art seamlessly.
Meet Betty Dorotik
Betty Dorotik is the president of the Camano Arts Association (CAA). But she has not always been an artist, at least with a paintbrush. Before Betty and her husband moved from Bellevue to Camano in 1991, she was known as an avid gardener. But during the two years their home was being built, there was no garden, so she took up art. My sister, April, was in that class at the old community center on Camano, and Betty shares how she learned so much just watching my sister paint. Soon Betty discovered her own artistic style.
Betty Paints Birds
“I was doing landscapes and things like that, and I wasn’t happy or satisfied,” Betty says. “But while we were building the house I put out a bird feeder and water for the birds, and got enamored by all the birds that were here.” Betty shares how last year on CAA’s popular Studio Tour, a guest went outside and when they came back she said, “I’ve never heard so many birds.” They congregate here. That’s one thing Bettye loves about Camano Island.
Betty shares how her painting birds began: “I went to see a John James Auduban exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum and it was like a giant light bulb over my hear and then and there my heart knew this is what I want to do. So much of my inspiration came from him. The ironic thing is that I still have some Audubon prints I ordered from a catalogue when I was twelve years old. After the exhibit, I started painting birds and fell in love with them and I’ve been painting birds for about thirty years or more. Most everybody loves birds. If you paint what you love then you don’t care if it sells or not.”
Betty loves Camano Island
“The Island offers so much solace and quiet. Living on the water, I can look out the window and it’s a different picture out there every day. The waves are coming this way. The next day they are going that way. And some days there’s no waves at all,” she says. Betty can watch the whales turn on their sides and dig into the sand to dislodge sand shrimp. The action leaves big holes in the sand which then fill up with water and become what she calls “hot tubs” for seagulls. Betty loves that there are so many artists on the island. Each May, on Mother’s Day weekend and the following “encore” weekend, CAA hosts the Studio Tour. You can see Betty’s seamless weaving of nature and art at Studio #3. She welcomes you to stop by.
Here’s a sneak peak at Betty’s Studio