By Calder Stenn, Associate Editor
Although Vashon Island is not one of the most prominent art hotspots of the United States, it is still much more than a small, rural getaway off Seattle.
“Vashon is a place where art flourishes,” Pacific Northwest wood sculptor Hans Nelsen said. “[The island] takes great pride in its many artists and deep heritage.”
In fact, to some professional island artists, Vashon is even more unique than other places.
“I think what really inspires me is that this is an island of incredibly curious people that are desperate to share whatever they can do, and that they want to see what their friends, their family and [their] acquaintances can do, so that everyone moves fluidly between art forms,” island artist and freelance illustrator Bruce Morser said.
“All arts forms are kind of seen as equals, and unless you have lived in other places, you don’t know [how] unusual that is.”
As an example of how the diverse artistic offerings can have a positive impact, Morser described the experience of his daughter, a serious dancer who had never really experimented with any other forms of art. When she tried activities such as drawing and sculpture, her understanding and way of expressing herself as a dancer evolved.
“By trying all these different [art] forms, I could watch her pursuit in dance increase, and her expression became far more advanced because she had this [new] fluidity,” Morser said.
One of the major artistic appeals of Vashon is that it offers locals exposure to a rural, pastoral landscape away from the city — where there is a greater emphasis on the natural environment. Former printmake printer and current photographer Valerie Wilson weighs in.
“Although I love many of the Northwest artists, I think of myself as an artist who is inspired directly from nature rather than by specific ideas or images,” Valerie Willson said.
“I like to sit in my garden and notice the amazing difference and sameness of things as much as [I would] looking through a gallery. And that is where Vashon is the best — I have both those things right at my fingertips.
“Nature and my surroundings inspire me most. In my paintings, I respond to the amazing patterns in all living things… I want people to relate to those objects, so they can understand that just really looking at things can create magic.”
However, Willson did admit that there are also benefits to having easy access to a large urban area replete with various forms of art and new ideas.
“I think for a lot of artists the draw of Vashon is that you can be near a metropolitan area … without having the energy of the city in your face all the time,” Willson said. “It is very unusual to be able to have a rural home and then just take a quick trip, and you are in the city.”
For island artists like Nelsen, exploring areas beyond Vashon Island and the Pacific Northwest as a whole is essential to gaining inspiration and experience.
“I met other artists, famous and obscure, lived in art colonies [and] went to New York, Europe [and] Asia,” wood sculptor Nelsen said. “Art is bigger than one small place [or] one way of doing things.
“One must struggle to work, and see, and know and learn. Travel, see the world and study history. … it’s sports. Mountain climbing. Nature. The sky’s the limit when it comes to the relationship between our art and our lives.”
Although a fair amount of inspiration can be drawn from the natural setting of Vashon and the urban areas surrounding it, sometimes artists can draw from their interactions with the people they live with every day.
“The people on Vashon — my friends and family — inspire me more than the actual physical island does,” senior Louisa Moody said. “The ‘home is where the heart is,’ so I will take a little bit of the community of Vashon with me into my future, [wherever] I may go.”
Willson described the people as being a significant aspect of the art community on Vashon.
“You also have a place with a mostly liberal, understanding, caring take on life — it is so great that it almost seems [like] a fantasy,” Wilson said. “Here, I think it is easier to stay connected with people when you see friends all the time at the grocery store or at activities and events.”