While April showers are having their way with us, we turn to two painters of the world around us, in hopes that we can call springtime weather to us just a little sooner. Or at least distract ourselves from the storms that soak our gardens and keep us indoors.

Cary Jurriaans was born in Holland. The Dutch set the gold standard for still-life paintings and scenes of everyday life that is still influencing artists several centuries down the pike. She works in oils, with subjects that you might find as you move through your day, making the ordinary extraordinary through her use of light and color.

Sandy Byers work exudes love and affection for her subjects, be it a tempestuously clouded sky over the Skagit flats, or a couple of cats squabbling for dominance in the comfy chair. Rich color and strong compositions bring solidity and grace through her use of pastels, a medium that, quite frankly, has always eluded me. In her hands it sings and swings.

I hope you will enjoy this month’s virtual gallery.

Anne Belov

Click here for Sandy Byer’s feature.
Click here for Cary Jurriaan’s feature.

Anne Belov is a painter, printmaker, cartoonist, and designated bad influence. In addition to curating the Virtual Gallery, Belov also blogs for Whidbey Life Magazine, organizes the Froggwell Biennale, is the author of four collections of The Panda Chronicle cartoons, and the soon to be released children’s book, Pandamorphosis, published by Booktrope. You can find her paintings at The Rob Schouten Gallery and her cartoons at http://yourbrainonpandas.com

Sandy Byers

01 Sometimes, A Clear Path, pastel,11x14

03 Love Is Love,pastel,18x24

04 Symphony Of Swans, pastel,18x24

05 City Beach Sunrise, pastel,16x20

06 Fog At Fort Casey, Oil On Linen,11x14

07 Saratoga Gold, pastel,12x24

08 Skagit Valley Sky Stories, pastel,12x24

09 West Beach Road, pastel,12x24

10 West Side At Sunset, pastel,11x14

11 West Side Stop, pastel,11x14

12 Chasing Summer, Oil On Linen,20x16

13 Edge Of Skagit, pastel,14x18

14 Dibs On The Red Chair, pastel,12x24

15 Double Trouble, Oil On Linen,36x24

16 Fakkema Road, pastel,12x24

17 Fiber Art, pastel,16x20

18 Matilda, pastel,12x24

19 Eye Of The Beholder, pastel,11x14

20 Building Trust, oil,20x16

Sandy Byers’s Information

http://sandybyers.com

For more information on any of this work, contact the artist. All work is original and copyrighted by the artist.

Cary Jurriaans

01 fresh fish, oil 8x8

02 sustenance, oil 16x20

03 fromages bleus, oil 10x10

04 disconnected, oil 8x16

05 commission,oil18x24

06 spring on whidbey, oil, 22x28

07 hommage to morandi, oil,10x20

08 measuring cups, oil,8x10

09 a pair, oil,8x8

10 fresh eggs, oil,6x6,

11 the blue bowl, oil,16x18

12 from our tree, oil,10x20

13 time is running out, oil,18x36

14 pussy willows, oil,11x14

15 expired, oil,16x20

16 all in a row, oil,8x24

17 spring is coming, oil,10x10

18 Life, oil,10x10

19 Les fromages, oil,9x12

20 touch of dutch, oil,11x14

Cary Jurriaans’s Information

http://caryjurriaans.com

For more information on any of this work, contact the artist. All work is original and copyrighted by the artist.

The Featured Artists’ Gallery is sponsored by Walking Woman Productions and has been created as a means for Whidbey Island visual artists to bring new and/or experimental work closer to the public eye. While Whidbey Island is well-represented by several high-quality art galleries, for the un-represented artist there is a lack of venues in which to show ones’ work. Established and emerging artists alike may utilize the Featured Artists’ Gallery to exhibit new work, gain experience and receive feedback. All work exhibited is for sale. Please visit the website link provided for each artists’ complete contact information. Artists are invited to participate by the gallery curators, if you think your work is suitable for a show, please contact us at info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.