The Pacific Northwest is known for many things—the Cascade Mountains, Crater Lake and Olympic National Park and hundreds of miles of coastline provide constant inspiration for natural beauty, while the beloved cities of Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, are highly concentrated with arts, culture and creative vibes. Art is simply a thing here. For the landscape painter translating the beauty of the earth onto canvas, to the cityspace artist capturing the downtown/uptown pulse, to the figurative painter creating snapshots of the vibrant and diverse people who make up the region. 
The Alberta Arts District in Portland, Oregon. Courtesy Travel Portland.
In Portland, opportunities for adventures in the arts are practically endless. Check out the Portland Art Museum, the oldest museum in the Pacific Northwest, with upcoming exhibitions highlighting works by Black Artists of Oregon, as well as a show centering on Mexican modernism with artwork by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Walking along the cobblestone streets of the Pearl District, you’ll find one of the most lively areas in the city, home of the iconic (and one of the world’s largest bookstores) Powell’s City of Books, converted warehouses, craft breweries and more. The Alphabet District, with vintage brick housing and Victorian architecture, is a prime spot for unique, independent boutiques. And the Alberta Arts District in Northeast Portland is another great area for the art lover to explore.
Bend, Oregon, is also an art hotspot, with galleries and artists setting up shop in the region. Its largest public art endeavour is the Tin Pan Alley Art Collection, featuring painted murals in alleyways and on parking garge walls. At Mockingbird Gallery, collectors will find works by more than 50 exceptional artists from across the country, with exhibitions held throughout the year.
The Chihuly Garden and Glass museum in Seattle’s city center features the otherworldly, often larger-than-life glass sculptures of Washington-born artist Dale Chihuly. At the Seattle Art Museum, visitors can explore current and upcoming exhibitions featuring artists like American photographer Imogen Cunningham, and a new body of work by Barbara Earl Thomas that deals with history and race. Also in Seattle is Davidson Galleries, featuring an array of modern works on paper, among many other galleries.
Talented artists located in the Pacific Northwest include Jamie Lightfoot, E.L. Stewart, Jamel Mohamed, Ned Mueller and Jim Lamb.
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Davidson Galleries
313 Occidental Avenue South Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 624-7684
info@davidsongalleries.com
www.davidsongalleries.com
Davidson Galleries, Light Time Silence #32, lithograph, 23½ x 33½", by Keisuke Yamamoto.
Davidson Galleries, River II, Moku hanga woodcut, 16¼ x 11½", by Eva Pietzcker.
An outdoor view of Davidson Galleries in Seattle, Washington.
“The Northwest art market has survived, and in some cases, thrived during the past year…More people than ever are browsing the art online. We found success in an appointment-based system that has allowed us to better serve our serious clients. I think that guests have enjoyed the increased level of personal attention to their specific interests.” — Sam Davidson, owner and director, Davidson Galleries
Davidson Galleries presents an extensive inventory of antique, modern and contemporary works on paper. The gallery’s roster includes local, national and international artists who work in many printmaking mediums. The gallery website is updated daily and includes current exhibitions and the majority of its inventory. They also publish a biannual catalog that goes out to interested collectors in advance of the public.
Davidson Galleries is looking forward to welcoming the public to the gallery again and has some exciting exhibitions coming up this fall and winter. The juried Contemporary Northwest Print Invitational will be held in August from an incredible group of local artists, detailed and imaginative etchings by Korean artist Seoul Kim, an exhibition of complete portfolios and suites, a special collection of works from Sister Mary Corita Kent, and our International Monoprint and Monotype Invitational.
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Mockingbird Gallery
869 NW Wall Street, #100, Bend, OR 97703
(541) 388-2107
mbg@mockingbird-gallery.com
www.mockingbird-gallery.com
Mockingbird Gallery, Perpetual Equanimity, oil, 12 x 12", by Ron Hicks.
Mockingbird Gallery, Fragile Symphony, oil, 12 x 12", by Ron Hicks.
A view of the interior of Mockingbird Gallery in Bend, Oregon. Photo by Alex Jordan.
“Even with the pandemic art lovers are actively seeking to fill their homes with wonderful art and we are so very happy to be able to help many locals, new residents as well as tourists wanting something special from Bend.” — Jim Peterson, owner, Mockingbird Gallery
Mockingbird Gallery has been helping art lovers in central Oregon for 31 years this year. The gallery carries over 50 artists from all over the country that specialize in bronze art, sculpture and paintings in a variety of mediums and subjects including wildlife, landscapes and figures.
This August, Mockingbird Gallery hosts a solo exhibition featuring Ron Hicks from Denver. Hicks fills his canvases with Rembrandt-like portraits in muted tones that remind us of a past era, perhaps from the 1920s. He captures intimate moments and the essence of who we are as humans, offering a glimpse of tenderness and the mysteries of love.
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Jim Lamb
(425) 392-9877, plainair2@comcast.net
www.jimlambstudio.com
Represented by: Dawson Cole Fine Art
www.dawsoncolefineart.com
Born in Hamilton, Montana, Jim Lamb studied at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles and has 15 years of experience as a professional freelance illustrator. His work has been commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution, the National Football League, the White House, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the U.S. Postal Service, as well as numerous leading motion picture studios and national corporations. Lamb is a member of the historic California Art Club, a signature member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, Plein Air Painters of Washington and a signature member of the Pacific Rim Institute of Marine Artists. His varied artistic subjects have been exhibited and collected widely in the U.S. 
Jim Lamb, SUNSET ON PARADISE COVE-Malibu, CA, oil on linen, 24 x 40"
“I love the landscape and I’m inspired by the way the various qualities of light play upon it. A large percentage of my paintings are created ‘en plein air,’” says the artist. “Painting outdoors is invigorating, inspiring and challenges my creative decision-making process.”
Jim Lamb, RUGGED MALIBU-Santa Monica Mountains, oil on linen, 36 x 36"
Two of his paintings, RUGGED MALIBU-Santa Monica Mountains and SUNSET ON PARADISE COVE-Malibu, CA, are currently on display at the California Art Club-sponsored exhibition On Location in Malibu at the Frederick Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. The exhibition runs through August 1 and can also be viewed online on Pepperdine Arts’ website.
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Jamie Lightfoot
(425) 466-1751
jamie@jamielightfoot.com
www.jamielightfoot.com
The goal for artist Jamie Lightfoot is to manipulate the light in her oil paintings and photography to invite the viewer to come along on the journey. The structure of her work provides a roadmap for the eye, but the path is impressionistic, leaving the mind to fill in the blanks and the observer’s soul to complete the scene. “My love of oil painting is about the process of creation and the journey that the art takes you on,” she says.
Jamie Lightfoot, Afternoon Options, oil on wood panel, 16 x 20"
Living in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by natural beauty, impacts the artist’s subject matter. She explains, “I also live in the heart of Washington state wine country, as you can see from my still life paintings.” Lightfoot’s upcoming shows include Fresh Paint from August 21 to 22, the Woodinville Art Studio Tour from September 18 and 19 and the Vancouver International Art Show running September 23 to 26. Her art is permanently on display at The Bunnell Family Cellar in Woodinville, Washington.
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Jamel Mohamed
(678) 789-7580
Jmohamedart@gmail.com
www.jamelmohamed.com
Jamel Mohamed, Self-Portrait: Age 28, oil on canvas, 36 x 48"
Jamel Mohamed, Walt, oil on canvas, 40 x 30"
Jamel Mohamed is a classically trained painter from Atlanta currently operating out of Seattle. Mohamed has been honing his artistic creativity and skill for most of his life. Deciding to be a painter at the early age of 5, he delved into discovering beauty in the present moment. After graduating from Georgia State University in 2011 with a BFA in drawing, painting, and printmaking, Mohamed found himself in Asheville, North Carolina, surrounded by the creative minds within the River Arts District, then later spent a few years working in commercial art in Las Vegas. His works are influenced by his eclectic interests such as mindfulness practices, cosmology, lucid dreaming and Tibetan dream yoga. The reminder of being part of something larger than ourselves is an important, uplifting and humbling ideal for Mohamed. His fascination with the dreamlike nature of our reality has led him to create expressive portraiture and surrealist pieces that capture and embrace viewers.
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E.L. Stewart
Spokane, WA
painter@elstewart.com
www.elstewart.com
A versatile painter, E.L. Stewart is best known for her intriguing figure work and has been an artist since her earliest memories. “My unique paintings have been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows around the United States, with paintings in Seattle, Portland, Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago. My painting was featured in an exhibit in Santa Fe titled The Art of Love and in Davis, California, in The Art of War exhibit at the John Natsoulas Gallery,” she says. Stewart creates her pieces directly on canvas using mixed media or acrylic paint, often with no preliminary sketch. Her work tends to be realistic, but with a definite push into abstraction. 
E.L. Stewart, WEARY MUSE, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 20"
“My figures particularly portray the essence of living persons in the home of the soul and spirit. I believe that the viewer will bring their own life experiences into my painting making the work a personal encounter,” she says. “My paintings are ignited by memory and painted with something close to joy.”
The Paris Gibson Square Museum in Great Falls, Montana, is hosting a solo show of Stewart’s work from through September 8 titled Between Earth and Heaven.
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Ned Mueller
13621 182nd Avenue Southeast
Renton, WA 98059, (425) 894-2447
nedmueller06@comcast.net
www.nedmueller.com
Represented by: Hindes Fine Art
www.hindes.com
Ned Mueller is an accomplished artist who has painted for more than 60 years. He is the only artist in the Northwest who has been designated a “Master” artist by both American Impressionist Society and Oil Painters of America. Mueller combines his love of travel and painting by creating inspiring works from all over the country and the world. He is constantly challenging himself to come up with unique and compelling concepts and designs in a traditional/impressionistic style. His versatility of a wide range of subjects includes landscapes, figures and portraits. He particularly enjoys doing complex paintings of figurescapes. He loves to share his many years of knowledge and skills and is in demand to teach classes and workshops in his Renton, Washington, studio and around the country.
Ned Mueller, Beauty and the Beast-Bainbridge Winery, oil on linen, 10 x 12"
Ned Mueller, Summer’s Roses, oil on linen, 18 x 10"
Mueller will participate in the Laguna Plein Air Invitational in October and will be conducting extensive online teaching instruction and videos coming out soon. Those interested can visit his website for more information on exhibitions, classes and workshops. —
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