Arts and the island interconnect

Published 7:00 pm Saturday, July 1, 2006

Two long-time Whidbey artists meld the beauty of life with art.

They see the red sun over Maxwelton Beach, a peaceful

evening on Lone Lake and a boy and his dog looking out into the Sound, and they make it their own.

Then they share it with the community that has inspired them.

Georgia Gerber’s sculptures are splashed throughout the South End. Her Boy and Dog sculpture has been overlooking the Langley waterfront for 20 years now. Just recently, her Mother Otter and Pup sculpture was installed at the new Clinton Beach Park.

Other Gerber sculptures can be found throughout Washington, the U.S. and as far away as Japan.

Many of painter Peter Jordan creations reflect Whidbey Island’s beauty. His work bares familiar sights of island sunsets, beaches and more. Visitors often buy his paintings to remember their experiences on Whidbey Island, and islanders who own Jordan’s works are often reminded of the familiar comforts of home.

Jordan’s popular work “A Walk Downtown,” was used for the 1993 Choochokam festival poster. This painting features a familiar-looking young boy and his dog walking down the middle of a Langley road into town.

Even though Gerber and Jordan work in different media, they have a similar approach to their art.

It features true-to-life subject matter such as people, animals, objects and landscapes.

“Both Georgia and I work in realistic representational style for the most part, periodically heading off in different directions, but always coming back to that same basic approach,” Jordan said.

Each of the artists have been busy creating new works. While they each have an established and recognizable style, both artists also feel free to experiment.

“Within that range of representational imagery, you push things a little bit, tweak them,” Gerber said.

Gerber and Jordan have finished their latest creations, and the talented artists (who are also good friends) are teaming up to show the community their work.

“I think it will be a nice combination,” Jordan said.

His two-dimensional paintings will decorate the walls while Gerber’s three-dimensional sculptures will fill the floors at the Gaskill/Olson Gallery in Langley.

Gerber said even though she has many places to exhibit off island, it was important for her to show her work to the island community first.

“When I came up with these new ideas I knew I wanted to do the work here because this is my community. This is where I want to present a new body of work,” Gerber said.

“I think it’s important for the community to see what you are doing. They are the ones who are closest to you. They are the ones who see you grow as an artist and watch you over the years,” she said.

Gerber and Jordan recalled moving to Whidbey Island; still surrounded by memories of the move and their own growth.

“When Georgia and I arrived on the island, close to the same time, there weren’t so many artists on the island,” Jordan said. “It was real easy to be acquainted with each other.”

Gerber said when she met Jordan, he gave her several young maple trees he got from Michigan.

“He gave me these little sticks of plants to get started with in my yard, and some of these are huge 25 years later,” Gerber said. “And so I think of Pete a lot.”

“And we still have Feather, the horse Georgia brought from Eastern Washington,” Jordan said.

“So this really extends outside the arts scene,” Gerber said. “I feel honored to share the show with Pete.”

The artists said even though it takes a lot of work to put on an art exhibit, the show holds great personal value. Exhibits also give artists the opportunity to get an audience reaction.

“I think what a show does for me is it gets me to step out of my box a little bit, and say ‘What can I do? How can I develop this work further, make it unique so it is not like what anyone else is doing?’” Gerber said.

“One of the problems with galleries in general is that you don’t get direct feedback from people who buy your work,” Jordan said. “But at your opening you can talk to everyone and get a good sense of what is successful.”

“Then what happens is the feedback about how the work was received sort of directs the whole next few years with the body of work, and you pick and choose what really worked and what didn’t,” Gerber explained. “But at least the show gives you that opportunity to step out a little bit and just try.”

Jordan thinks it’s important for an artist to push themselves a little bit.

“I know that for my part the specter of old age is starting to loom. It is seemingly more important to begin to think about additional ways of painting,” he said. “I’ve always appreciated everything that everyone does. It’s kind of exciting to me to think that we can grow and continue to push the envelope a little bit.”

Some of that shove comes from a gentle push. Jordan has been teaching painting techniques, and he said his students have inspired him to try new things in return.

“They are all growing out of what little assistance I give to them,” Jordan said. “It’s inspiring to me to think that that could influence me, too. Especially because they are getting darn good. They are putting the pressure on.”

Some of the new twists in Jordan’s artwork include urban scenery in all of it’s manifestations, including industrial subjects. Jordan has also been developing many still lifes, “Usually borrowing heavily from non-traditional images, like old junk, and things that have interesting shapes, but not necessarily flowers or bowls of fruit,” he said.

Gerber has also been creating still lifes.

“I think I found some fun, whimsical directions as well as getting into still life. Which is why when I heard that the date for the show could possibly be with Pete, and that was a direction that I was pursuing with my work, I thought that would be perfect,” Gerber said.

Both artists will present both traditional work and art that has taken them in new directions.

“I tend to draw from island subject matter, but I’ve done others, and I’ll have others at this one, too,” Jordan said. “They don’t generally find a wide audience, but people here are from all over the place. They’ll surprise you sometimes.”

Gerber’s exhibit will show a twist on her work as well.

“You are clearly going to see Georgia Gerber, but you are clearly going to see a change,” Gerber said.