This September’s First Friday Art Walk featuring rotating exhibits from local artists. will include three of the Mosaic Arts Alliance's members, Angela Swanson, Susan Marmolejo Kipp, and Janus Innes. Angela and Susan will be showing their work at the Dandelion Teahouse & Apothecary and Janus will have a display of her work at The Difference boutique in Downtown Vancouver. Both events are presented by North Collective Studios.
The Events will start at 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm and the artists will be present. Their work will be displayed throughout the month, so, if you can't make the artist reception, please stop by and show your support during the month of September.
"I don't create art; the art creates me"
"I mostly focus on mixed-media abstracts, though I love to indulge my creative curiosity and experiment with watercolors as well as encaustics. I started making art later in life and discovered how well it served my well-being. I turn to art to feel. When I am creating, I feel more alive than at any other time. My art is a piece of my heart and soul, an outward expression of the entirety of my life captured at this moment on the canvas. My intention with my art-making is to express the depth of feeling in my own life and to inspire others to feel something of depth as well. Art for me is one of my best ways to be my best self."
Angela Swanson is a Pacific Northwest artist living in Camas, Washington. She takes pride in transforming the external and internal stimuli into a universal elixir of artwork imbued with spiritual and aesthetic elements.
With inborn artistic impulses. Her journey to explore the world of artful expressions formally began in 2017. Since then, she has experimented with almost all forms of paintings. As a self-taught artist, she allows her soul to breathe through her artwork, escaping from the physical paradigms of time and space.
Her medium of interest is mixed media art where she explores, cultivates, and fosters unique emotions and viewpoints. However, she has also experimented with working in watercolors as well as encaustics. Currently, exploring the world of mannequin art, she crafts 3D visual imagery.
Her artwork is not limited to her internal synopsis; instead, it considers the holistic view of life. In her art pieces, the combinations of colors, strokes, and textures come to life, telling the stories of love, fear, surprise, joy, and sadness. Connecting to the viewers through the imaginary strings of experiences, sensations, and states of mind.
Susan Marmolejo Kipp
Susan Marmolejo Kipp splits her time living in Vancouver, Washington, and on Harstine Island. Her "formal" art training in Calligraphy, Watermedia, Printmaking, and Book Arts has primarily been through classes and workshops. She is a retired elementary school teacher, who became an Art instructor through a grant from the Getty Institute.
Susan's style is eclectic and intuitive. Her inspiration comes from various avenues. Her work is influenced by the environs of South Puget Sound, her Mexican American culture, her travels, Her spirituality, and politics.
She has won awards for her work in arts education, calligraphy, watercolor, and mixed media. Her most recent award was First Place in the Mosaic Arts Alliance Juried Show.
“My mixed media paintings are inspired by nature. The transformation of the textures and colors from season to season is an exciting source of inspiration for me as an artist. I enjoy the subtle shifts in nature: the rich textures and warm tones of the fall and cool winter tones juxtaposed with the vibrant colors that spring and summer bring. I like to remain open to the spontaneous dimensions appearing on the canvas while appreciating that color is an important part of my life.”