During a ferry ride from the mainland of Washington to the San Juan Islands, the whole world turned lavender—the glassy sea, the dusky sky, and even the air itself, it seemed. In celebration of the enchanting beauty of the region and the 20th anniversary of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art, SJIMA presents a special exhibition of works by landscapist Andy Eccleshall. Upper Left: Landscapes of the Pacific Northwestwill feature 26 oil paintings by the artist from March 7 through June 2.
Into the Light, oil on canvas, 48 x 96"
Eccleshall and his family live just north of Seattle in the artsy town of Edmonds, Washington, where the environment echoes that of his native England. “The weather is pretty similar,” he says. “There is lots of moisture and a cool light, which tends to subdue the colors of the landscape. [Right now] I’m sitting in my parent’s house in England, watching the mist roll in over the fields. These subtle atmospheres are what I grew up in, and I’ve found the same atmosphere in the Pacific Northwest. I love the moods and tonalism of both places.”
Ghosts of the Pacific, oil on canvas 36 x 36"
Whether he seeks it out or it takes him by surprise, there is no shortage of atmospheric inspiration available to Eccleshall. Sometimes he spends a few days in the rural Skagit Valley with his plein air easel looking for scenes that catch his eye. “It’s usually something about the light. Something unusual. A contrast, an angle, or a quiet subtlety,” he says. “On any day there are any number of possibilities. Fog and drizzle, especially in the early hours, can create some magical effects. Then again, the brilliance of a thunderhead contrasted with the darkness beneath it and the brilliance of a landscape yet to be plunged into darkness, like in the painting, Into the Light, is a completely mesmerizing thing to watch.”
Eccleshall always works large, and Into the Light is no exception at 4 feet by 8 feet, emphasizing the vastness of the sky and expansiveness of the land. “I find that it’s much easier to place myself into the landscape if it’s a large canvas, and easier for the viewer to do the same,” he explains. “Your eyes move around the scene much as they would if you were actually standing in front of the landscape itself. It’s like a window in the wall—you can truly put yourself into it.”
Double Bluff Beach, oil on canvas, 54 x 108"
At 4½ feet by 9 feet, the seascape Double Bluff Beach is the largest painting in the show.
“This enormous canvas is all about the sky,” says Eccleshall. “When the viewer looks at this I want them to truly feel the day—the brightness, the breeze, the smell of the water and the sand. It is a purposely quiet painting trying to capture the scale and calmness of the place. The only moving object is the dog, and she makes the painting. The lines converge and bring the viewer to her as she hightails it (literally) towards the edge of the painting.”
Other works to keep an eye out for include Ferndale Blues, a picture of crisp, back-lit farm buildings against the hazy glow of the setting sun. Ghosts of the Pacific does justice to a towering, gnarled hunk of driftwood seen on Rialto Beach, one of Eccleshall’s favorite spots along the Washington coast.
Ferndale Blues, oil on canvas 40 x 60"
Remembering one poignant winter visit, he says, “The first [day it] rained so hard, nothing could keep it out. The second day the sun came through the clouds and mist and bathed the place in a warm, filtered light. As we walked along the beach looking at the stacks of driftwood piled at the top of the beach, we came to an open spot, perfectly illuminated, like a cathedral.”
The majority of paintings in Upper Left are available for purchase. Visit www.andyeccleshall.com for details. —
Upper Left: Landscapes of the Pacific Northwest
March 7-June 2, 2025
San Juan Islands Museum of Art
540 Spring Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(360) 370-5050. www.sjima.org
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