Lineup of artists for “Christmas in Miniature” show

We have a wonderful lineup of artists for our Christmas in Miniature show that opens on Saturday, December 1st, 10am-5pm. You won’t want to miss our “meet the artist” reception from 3:00-5:00 on the 1st. You’ll recognize some “big name” artists in the northwest as well as some emerging artists.

Each artist was told that they must keep their paintings to no more than 12” by 16”, or 160 square inches. You’ll be delighted to view their original small and affordable paintings.

Here’s the lineup:

Lydia Crouch

Lydia Crouch is most often referred to as “the one who paints the dresses,” as her heart toward the emotional recovery of human trafficking victims is a passion that comes through in her work.  She also loves painting simple moments from her world at home on Camano Island.  She is married to Rich Crouch and has two grown children.  She more than grateful to be adopted into Dorsey Studios where she paints live on Thursdays at the Gallery in Camano Commons.

Ann Cory 

Ann Cory is the granddaughter of nationally famous illustrator/cartoonist/artist Fanny Y. Cory. She is the wife of Northwest artist, Jack Dorsey, and the mother of artists Jason Dorsey, April Nelson, and Jed Dorsey.  She has been a on again, off again artist throughout her adult life during her life seasons.  Now, after a bout with cancer in 2015, she is on again and enjoying it very much.

Marilyn Crandall

As a plein-air watercolorist, Marilyn Crandall‘s free and loose strokes uniquely capture landscape images and country scenes with an emphasis on strong patterns of light and dark.

This artist grew up in several western states as her engineer dad worked on the large hydroelectric dam projects from Arizona to Oregon, California to Washington, Utah to Montana.   She graduated with honors from Parsons, The New School for Design in New York City where she majored in Environmental Design.  Prior to that she attended the University of Washington, College of Architecture, where she was introduced to watercoloring as a way to render her designs.   Her profession has been as a registered architect; her passion is watercolor.

She feels privileged to have taken workshops with Eric Weigardt, Tony Van Hasselt, Kathy Collins, and Diane Hill, among others. All have been mentors. She is a member of the Washington Watercolor Society, the Roaming Artists, and CAA, Camano Arts Association.

She has painted abroad in Guatemala, China, Korea and Mexico as well as in the USA in Maine, Virginia, Georgia, Washington DC and now can paint the coastal scenes and rural landscapes of Washington State, particularly the amazing Salish Sea area.

Betty Dorotik

“My love of birds greatly influences my works either on canvas, paper, or wood. Nature is my resource and is abundant outside my window or door, always pausing me to watch and observe and apply. “ bettydorotik.com

Jack Dorsey

Jack Dorsey is a lifelong resident of Washington State and is a graduate of Seattle Pacific College.  He has to his credit two one-man shows at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle and a one-man show in Tokyo, Japan.  Jack Dorsey’s art has been collected by the Frye Art Museum and the LaConner Historical Museum along with numerous corporations and private collectors throughout the U.S.A. and internationally.

Jack Dorsey  is a former president of the Northwest Watercolor Society and a past member of the Puget Sound Group of Painters.  Currently he is a life member of the Northwest Watercolor Society and an associate member of Oil Painters of North America.

Jack Dorsey’s emergence back into the art world came in 1997 after retirement from the Boeing Company after sixteen years as a production illustrator in Everett.  In the past few years collectors started to find Jack Dorsey’s fine art during the annual Mother’s Day Studio Tour on Camano Island where he makes his home.  Jack Dorsey is known for his watercolors which can be described as impressionistic realism.

It is interesting to note that all of Jack’s family are artists also.  His wife, Ann Cory paints in acrylics; the youngest son, Jed Dorsey paints in acrylics and oils; while April and Jason Dorsey have achieved painting success also.

As a long established Northwest artist, Jack Dorsey cordially invites inquiries and visits to his home if anyone is interested in collecting his fine art.

Jacqueline Dorsey

Jacqueline was born in Seattle, Washington in March of 2002. She grew up in Indiana and loved exploring the beauty of the Midwest and the Northwest as a child.

Jackie always enjoyed doing and watching family members do art. She decided she wanted to learn how to do watercolor and joined the Dorsey Art Show at The Harrison Gallery in Indianapolis. She sold her first painting, and soon after that, was asked to do her first commission. Jackie has been painting and learning ever since, showcasing a few paintings at the Mother’s day shows here on Camano each year.

She is currently taking a watercolor class as a Running Start Student at Bellevue College. Along with her family, she has been working on creating an extension of the Sunnyshore Studio by building a tiny house. The tiny house will serve as a place to create, showcase her art as well as others, will serve as her own place to spend time with the people she loves, and as a place to share the beauty of Camano with the world. Jackie is also partnering with her dad, Jason Dorsey, on a two year project, Discover Beautiful Camano Island, to aid in the creation of a book, documentary, and art show.

Jason Dorsey

Jason Dorsey a pastor of Redeemer, a Presbyterian church in Redmond, WA. On the side, he is the Artistic Director of Sunnyshore Studio, serves as president of the Camano Arts Association, and chairs the Stanwood-Camano Arts Advocacy Commission. Jason grew up in a family of artists and enjoys teaming up with them now in the “family business”. As a watercolor artist, Jason enjoys integrating watercolor and writing in books.

Jed Dorsey

Award winning artist Jed Dorsey is known for his radiant acrylic landscapes. He uses bold colors and strong design to portray his vision of the world. His work has been featured on the HGTV show Good Bones, included in museum collections, and can be found in homes and businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada.  Jed grew up on Camano Island and is happy to be living in the area after many years away. You can find him painting and teaching at Dorsey Fine Art Studio located at Camano Commons on the island. www.jeddorseyart.com

John Ebner

John Ebner began a unique, life long journey of discovery while growing up on his family’s farm in Sublimity, Oregon. His enthusiasm for life and never ending curiosity were energized through freedom on the farm and the adventures with three brothers, one sister and loving parents. Little did he realize that one day he would give artistic expression to all he was discovering and more.

In the seventh grade, John submitted a collection of his drawings of birds and flowers to his grade school teacher and was surprised his work received so much praise. He continued drawing and painting and eventually enrolled in art school. As an adult and needing to earn a living. John was engaged as a manufacturer’s representative, covering the Northwest and continued to explore painting in his spare time.

With his love of art and his creative spirit, John’s path of discovery took an interesting turn. What once was a hobby turned into a passionate dedication and his talent flourished. Continuing to support his family he began developing his artistic skills, produced an assortment of paintings and delivered them to a local gallery. To his surprise, the gallery contacted him a short time later saying all paintings have been sold and requested he create more. Further sales and requests brought John the realization he just might be able to support his family by painting full time and presented the idea to Paula. She wholeheartedly agreed and from that point forward he devoted his life entirely to his art.

The next step in John’s journey of discovery answered that question and served as a critical turn in the road. From the beginning of their marriage, John’s wife Paula, had served as his main source of encouragement and inspiration. Perhaps sensing that John was ready for a major change, she signed his up for a watercolor course, leading to his dramatic transformation.

Over the next few years John’s popularity grew, the demand for his paintings increased and he is now considered on of the Pacific Northwest’s most admired and collected artists.

Many of the captivating qualities of John’s work are apparent. His life-long love of the Pacific Northwest is revealed through the countless compelling vistas he has captured. His curiosity always drawing him to the next step, newest technique and desire to see beyond the obvious. Although reluctant to define his own work, preferring that it speak for itself, he admits that the magic of water has served as an element continually engaging his imagination. He frequently returns to explore the serenity and essence of waterfalls, rivers, seascapes, and beaches that invite him to look beyond the mist. His unique and recognizable motif of rain People huddled under umbrellas, strolling on an ocean beach or lingering on a city street add a timeless and etherial dimension to his work.

John’s artistic journey continues as he experiments and explores new forms, subjects and techniques. He is forever grateful for the many emotional rewards his art provides him as well as the gratification and joy voiced by others who see or own his work. Ever humble, ever curious, John is still looking to discover what lies on the other side of the mountain or beyond the mist.

John is a past president of the Northwest Watercolor Society and a life member of the Puget sound group of Northwest Artists.

Laurie Laun

Born in Michigan in 1946, Laurie has practiced art throughout her life, including early study at the Chicago Art Institute.  While raising her family and earning several college degrees including an MBA, she served for many years as an executive in high tech companies.  In her travels to over 30 countries Laurie has become informed by many artistic cultures: she mastered batik in Java, aboriginal dot painting in Australia,

mulberry paper-making in Fiji, wood engraving and block printing in Singapore and haiku poetry in Japan.  She lives on beautiful Camano Island.

Amy Martin

Amy Martin is a graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Creative Writing and a minor in Painting.  Her eclectic oil and acrylic paintings are inspired by the beauty all around her­­–the color of coffee in a cup, a blooming poppy, the angular white of a ski slope, or an airplane swooping to land on a river.  Amy’s former professions include Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot and Boeing Change Specialist which fuel her passion for aviation and birds-eye-view paintings. Currently, she lives and works from her home studio on Camano Island in Washington where she shows annually in the juried Camano Arts Association Studio Tour. She is enrolled in Goddard College’s MFA Creative Writing Program and is working on a book length flight memoir.  She can be found on FB @juniperbeachstudio and Instagram at Amy_martin_artist.

April Nelson

April enjoys sharing the natural beauty of the world through art. Whether she is capturing the rich colors of dusk on a slough in the Skagit Valley or the thundering rise of a flock of snow geese, creating art is about seeing and thinking together. She appreciates the beautiful world that God created and she hopes that her art will communicate this to the viewer.

John Ringen

John was President of NWWS in 1964–1965, and has fifty years of impressive credentials; teaching numerous classes and workshops at college and adult levels, commercial illustrating, and judging a variety of festivals, exhibitions and open shows primarily throughout the Northwest. He has an enviable list of exhibition awards.

John and his wife of 43 years, Vicky, spend half their time each year in their motor home traveling to Yellowstone, the Tetons, and up and down the coast, visiting some of the finer wineries (he has quite a fine collection of wine). When home, he paints every day; at least 4 hours or more in his fantastic studio/gallery which is separate from his house. That way he “doesn’t have to clean up all the time.”

John attended the University of Washington on an athletic scholarship though he “wasn’t much for athletics.” After marrying Vicky, he joined Boeing when children came into their world. His strong inspiration to pursue art was fueled by two things: the only thing he ever got an A on in school was art, and his uncle, a commercial artist, always supplied him with whatever art materials he needed.

John works on up to fourteen paintings at once. He loves to paint anything that has to do with Northwest scenery and landscapes. His loose, impressionistic painting style has earned him frequent accolades and awards.

Regarding himself as an artist who records his visual impressions and feelings, he is a “reaction painter.” John enthusiastically proclaims that there is nothing quite as exciting, challenging and rewarding as attacking a crisp white sheet of watercolor paper.

Melanie Serroels

Melanie started in watercolor during the last year of High School. She took workshops with collected Pacific Northwest Artist Charles Mulvey during college, and then when time permitted then took workshops with Robert Landry. Jack Dorsey & Thomas William Jones, Dianna Shyne and also Jed Dorsey. Melanie paints with both watercolors and acrylics.  She is a member of the NW Watercolor Society.  Since the first arriving on Camano Island in 2004 she has been a member of two local art groups, Camano Arts Association and the Stanwood Camano Art Guild. Currently, she volunteers several hours per week for the Camano Arts Association doing administrative work for CAA’s 80+ Members. Her camera is full of paintings ideas.  Her painting representative style reflects the calm water and scenery of the Pacific Northwest.  The views from her waterfront home and the constantly changing atmosphere outside keep her in painting mode until something distracts her.  Melanie is often caught between volunteering and finding time to pursue her painting

Being avid volunteers both Melanie and Randy like being involved in their community. Here are some of her volunteer and art related activities and accomplishments: Stanwood Camano Art Guild/SCAF Road Banner Project and Auctions; Stanwood Camano Arts Spring Show – First Place Award; Snow Goose Poster Winner in 2006; Snow Goose Festival Committee Volunteer – Snow Goose Festival Family Activities Program and Bird Art Show at Four Springs House and Lake Preserve; Stanwood Chamber of Commerce Office – Volunteer and Art walk; Gallery and Gallery Shows – Seagrass on Camano; Stanwood Camano Art Guild – Art In Public Places; Five Camano Arts Association Studio Tours; Camano Community Center Gala Auction Volunteer.

Travel, visiting friends and family, and spending time with her 3 young Grandchildren fill in her calendar. Trips to Las Vegas, Victoria BC, Disneyland, International Kite Festival and a 2,250 mile road trip down the West Coast inspired her minds eye this year. Trips to Alaska and Disneyland with her youngest granddaughter are already booked for 2019.

The Christmas in Miniature show opens on Saturday, December 1st. It runs through Saturday, December 8th. Sunnyshore Studio will be open both Saturdays 10:00am-5:00pm.