By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Participants in the Kent Summer Art Exhibit come to the art show from different paths, different points on the map, and different points of view.
Wen-Hsi Tsen, born and raised in the Zuoying District of Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City but now a Seattle resident, offered a simple explanation for her oil painting.
“‘Deer In The Woods’ is the twin of another painting, ‘In The Woods.’ Both paintings are inspired by the hike near Pacific City along the Oregon coast in 2022. Landscapes and seascapes along the north Oregon coast are simply enchanting.”
Wen Hsi-Tsen, Deer in the Woods, Oil, 18″ x 24″
Naoko Morisawa, a Seattlite born and raised in Tokyo, turned in a work called “The Gulliver,” combining oil, paper, and an oil-stained wood mosaic. It reflects her long-held interest in Japanese marquetry.
“Marquetry,” explained Morisawa, “is a traditional art technique from Edo-period Japan,” involving designs, patterns, and sometimes realistic scenes, created using different varieties of wood veneers.
Naoko Morisawa; My Collection — The Gulliver; Oil-stained wood mosaic, oil, paper; 40″ x 30″
“My main works are collages that I have adapted from this technique. I finish pieces of oil-stained wood like a mosaic collage in a modern style, by adding color elements in addition to the wood grain. I am currently expanding the materials to create artworks that incorporate paper as well as wood.”
In the case of yet another Seattle resident, Inner Mongolia-raised collage artist Jiayun Wang, her work, “Unsettled Landownership—Ending,” reflects on turbulence in the human condition.
Wang describes her work as “a digital collage piece, inspired by the intricate interplay between natural disasters and human ambition, particularly focusing on the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Irma on Barbuda in 2017 and the subsequent exploitation of the disaster by global power brokers. My background in architecture and landscape design, combined with my experience in digital media, allowed me to explore this theme deeply.”
Jiayuan Wang, Unsettled Landownership – Ending, Digital collage/digitally manipulated image, 18″ x 23.5″
So far as previous appearances in the exhibit, Ten remarked that she’d had two older paintings, “Backyard Woods” and “Octopus Sentry,” in the 2023 exhibit.
Jiayuan Wang said she hadn’t entered the Kent Summer Art Exhibit before, although her work made it into such exhibits as the Seattle Aquarium show and the Anacortes Arts Festival, both this year. She added that she felt fortunate to have her work chosen for the Kent Summer Art Exhibit.
“I entered the 2024 Kent Summer Art Exhibit by submitting my artwork through their formal submission process, which involved presenting my work for review by this year’s esteemed jurors, artists Toka Valu and Cathy Fields. They meticulously reviewed a total of 772 artwork submissions and ultimately selected 66 pieces from 39 artists for the exhibition. I am thrilled and honored that my work was among those chosen.”
Morisawa remarked that she’s been selected “many times” in Kent. She ended up winning this year’s “People’s Choice” award, for which she’ll receive a cash honorarium.
In addition to being selected for the exhibit, Jiayuan Wang’s “Unsettled Landownership—Ending” was one of 14 pieces to win “City Purchase Awards,” added to the city’s permanent art collection. The jury for the Purchase Awards consisted of two professional artists, a city councilmember, a Kent Arts Commissioner, and a city staff person.
Asked about future plans, Ten said she’d love to keep working with the city of Kent if at all possible, “which means that I need to paint harder and prepare for next year’s show. In the meantime, there are other exhibits that I am working on to enter. Art-making is where I belong.”
After Kent, Jiayuan Wang said, “I plan to expand my studio, Vision Studio, by pursuing innovative projects that integrate Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality, while emphasizing sustainable design practices. I aim to engage more in educational and mentorship roles, sharing my expertise with emerging designers through workshops and conferences.”
As for Morisawa, she simply seemed grateful for what she received.
“These awards energize my creativity and vitality to make new artworks.”
The Kent Summer Art Exhibit runs through Aug. 22 at the Centennial Center Gallery, 400 West Gowe Street in Kent.
For open hours and other information, visit https://www.kentwa.gov/departments/kent-parks/arts/art-exhibits.