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Our Artist of the Month
Thais Armstrong
 360-766-6657  website   e-mail

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Inspiration, Intuition, Insight   New works by Thais Armstrong

May 1 - May 30, 2009   Opening:  May 1st 6 - 0 pm

Depot Arts Center, 611 R. Avenue, Anacortes
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Friday 12:30 - 5:00 pm  Saturday 1 - 4 pm

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Doc  12"x12" Acrylic

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Dreaming of Africa  12"x12" Acrylic


Artist’s Statement

I am moved emotionally & spiritually by my natural surroundings. My art provides me a way of documenting the things that influence me, a reaction to the environment, relationships, guiding forces.  My paintings are process oriented.  I rarely know what I will come out with when I start. It is relationship building between me, the materials, and mostly the muses.  Sometimes I don’t understand certain elements, but I know they need to be there. Trusting my intuition is pivotal; and allowing that trust is a process in its own right.

Water is a strong element for me. It is so primal to our existence and interconnects all aspects of being. I am fascinated with the sheer power of water. This attraction is why I choose to paint in Acrylic over Oil. There is even a genus of northwest seashell named “Thais”!

Patterns & Labyrinths are influential aspects for me. The concept of going all the way into a center and then all the way back out, to end up exactly where you  started, yet totally transformed: now that’s magic.  And so is the process of painting for me. Because when you finish, you end up back at a blank canvas again, to start over, the same person yet totally different.

I enjoy juxtaposing simple with complex, making layers on layers, creating dimensions that expose themselves at different times, in different lights, in different moods – when you are ready, and sometimes when you are not ready! Perhaps it is the quest to embody yin/yang, to manifest that universal life force in some small way.


 This painting includes some 3-D assemblage that does not show here, so perhaps it is not worth including. I give it to you as an option because it represents a simplicity and a complexity simultaneously, and I feel that combination is a key ingredient I strive for. This painting is intimate, yet needs a great deal of space to be appreciated. From a distance, it takes on a persona that is not apparent when viewed up close. I appreciate that type of complexity. I feel it adds a depth that can be lost with too much detail.
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Chimes  20"16" Acrylic


Artist’s Bio

Thaïs Armstrong has been a member of Skagit Artists Together (SAT) since its inception in 2003. In the past, she has chaired the Studio Tour and served on SAT’s Board of Directors as Treasurer, President, and Chair of the Board.  She currently serves as Past President on the Board for Skagit Artist’s Together (SAT).

Thaïs studied at Grinnell College in Iowa under Bobbie McKibbin. Grinnell College hosted her first art show in 1984.  Thaïs’ paintings are held in private collections across the United States and abroad.  Her work is included in three corporate collections.

Thaïs first moved to Northwest Washington in 1989. Her interest in birds brought her to Skagit County where she moved in 1991. She has since resided on Samish Island and continues to pursue bird watching locally and internationally.  She currently is employed by Skagit Hospice and coordinates both their Volunteer Program and their Complementary Therapy Program. 

Her studio is open to the public by appointment  and is  located on Samish Island, Washington, USA.        


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Coyote's After You  22"28" Acrylic
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The Hunt  36"x48" Acrylic & Mixed Media
 

 


This series of paintings was commissioned by Skagit Valley Hospital for their permanent collection and hangs in the 2nd floor surgery waiting area. Knowing where it would hang, I spent time visiting the area and contemplating what it must take to heal from surgery. I began exploring formulas, curious if there was a “formula for healing”. This process enabled me to retrieve and include parts of my scientific background, a technique I continue to utilize. Perhaps my search for a healing formula provided one for me.
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Confluence - Five Images 36"x80"
 


Selected Exhibits:

Depot Gallery, Anacortes, May 2009

Gallery By the Bay, Natural Habitats, Feb 2008

Gallery By the Bay, Brushes with the Land, Nov 2007

TORA Gallery, Peace Show, April, 2007

Mt. Vernon Arts Commission Juried Exhibition, May 2006

Skagit Artists Together Juried Studio Tour, 2005, 2006, 2007

Edison Eye Invitational Group Exhibit, Edison, WA, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

Skagit County Tulip Festival Poster Finalist, fall 2003

Skagit Artists Together Juried Fine Art Show, TORA, 2005

Little Mountain Elementary School, Artist in Residence, Spring 2005

Café Culture, Solo Exhibit, “Something to Crow About”, May 2005

Depot Gallery, Anacortes, Solo Show, July 2004

Lincoln Theatre Gallery, Mt. Vernon, Solo Show, Sept-October 2004

Skagit Artists Together Juried Fine Art Show, Edison Eye, 2004

Skagit Coop Gallery, Solo show, “Pulse: Skagit County Birds & Landscape” March 2004

Star Bar, Solo Exhibit, “A Day on Yellow Island”, August 1-31, 2003


Friends of Skagit County, two-person show, May-June 2003

Skagit Art Association, Art in a Pickle Barn, April 2002, 2003

Art’s Alive in a Pickle Barn, Skagit Art Association, November 2002

La Conner Brewing Company, Solo Exhibit, La Conner, WA, August 2002-August 2003

The New Minglewood, Solo Exhibit, Mt. Vernon, WA March-September 2002

Avians V, David Maritz Studio, Camano Island June-July 2002

Solo Exhibit, Keystone Center for the Arts Studio, March 2002

The Blues, Invitational Group Show, Anne Martin McCool Gallery, February, 2002

Baskets, Bowls, & Boxes, Invitational Group, McCool Gallery, November 2001

Arts Alive Featured Artist, Caravan Gallery, La Conner, WA November 2001

Corporate Collections:

United General Hospital – Sedro Woolley, WA, purchase 2005

Regional Cancer Care Center – Mt. Vernon, WA, purchase 2006

Skagit Valley Hospital – Mt. Vernon, WA, purchase 2007, 2008