Discover Washougal's Hidden Treasures: Unforgettable Mother's Day Weekend Studio Artists Tour

This Mother's Day Weekend, embark on a creative journey, and discover the artistic heart of Washougal during the Washougal Studio Artists Tour on May 13th and 14th, from 10 am to 4 pm. This self-guided tour offers a unique opportunity to meet 25 talented artists showcasing their work across 9 captivating studios. Experience a diverse array of artistic techniques, including sculptures, mixed media, jewelry, fused glass, oil paintings, and more.

Engage in conversation with the artists about their creative processes, witness art in action, and perhaps even find the perfect, unique gift for a loved one. By supporting local artists, you contribute to the thriving art community in Washougal.

We are proud to highlight that several of the participating artists are members of the esteemed Artisans' Guild of Camas. These talented individuals include Shirley Bishop, Tamara Dinius, Sandy Moore, Liz Nye, Angela Swanson, Deborah Nagano, Toni McCarthy, and India de Landa. Their dedication to their craft and involvement in the guild further enriches the artistic experience of the Washougal Studio Artists Tour.

Here's a sneak peek at the artists and studios participating in the tour:

Studio #1 - 714 39th St 🦽

Trish Johnston - Watercolor

Dana Bergdahl - Acrylic painting

Studio #2 - 3710 "I" Street

Charlene Hale - Fused & enameled glass

Suzanne Grover - Mixed media

Roxanne Turley - Alcohol ink and mixed media

Studio #3 - 2200 44th St

Sandy Moore - Fabric collage

Sharon Buckmaster - Fiber art jewelry

India de Landa - Contemporary art jewelry

Studio #4 - 3209 37th Court Stu Ager - Metal sculpture

Studio #5 - 39309 Nichols Hill Rd

Kathy Marty - Fiber art

Jenny Armstrong - Leather and pyrography

Jennifer Patel - Ceramics

Studio #6 - 814 SE 357th Ave

Tamara Dinius - Mixed media

Toni McCarthy - Beaded and metal jewelry

Char McHugh - Ceramics

ADRET Artist Collective

Liz Nye - Mixed media and photography

Angela Swanson - Mixed media, acrylics, and oil & cold wax

Debbie Nagano - Mixed media and oil

Studio #7 - 36311 SE 3rd Circle

Shirley Bishop - Fused glass

Cyndee Starr - Doodle designs

Sharon Ballard - Acrylic painting

LeslieAnne Ezelle - Ceramics and alpaca fiber art

Studio #8 - 1490 N T St

Nancy Carkin - Acrylic, oil, and watercolor painting

Jeff Mayhew - Wood benches and tables

Studio #9 - 3007 SE 313th Ave

David Van Zandt - Bronze sculptures and acrylics For your convenience and enjoyment, the Washougal Studio Artists website features an interactive Google Map with easy driving directions to each studio on the tour. You'll also find information on nearby restaurants and hotels, allowing you to plan the perfect Mother's Day Weekend getaway while exploring the vibrant art scene in Washougal.

Don't miss out on this unforgettable artistic adventure! Visit the Washougal Studio Artists website at https://www.washougalstudioartists.org to access the interactive map and learn more about the tour. Gather your family and friends, and make this Mother's Day Weekend truly special by immersing yourselves in the creative world of Washougal's talented artists.

Tips for Photographing Your Art

As an artist, you will often be required to submit your artwork online. Since it is the first and perhaps only impression the juries will see, it is important that it is an accurate representation of your work.

I would like to share with you the process and lighting setup of using an actual camera as well as using natural lighting with your phone camera to achieve the best results.

Digital Camera

1. Position artwork parallel to your camera.

2. Use a tripod.

3. f you are photographing art that is already framed behind glass, you will need to angle the light source to minimize glare as well as diffuse light with a diffusion fabric. It is best to photograph art before framing if possible.

4. Properly Light your artwork.

Equipment: 2 lamps or bulbs, stands, clamps, diffusion fabric, tripod, and camera.

You can purchase inexpensive lights housed in a bracket that has a built-in clamp at Home Depot or Lowes. You can use any type of white fabric as diffusion, pillowcase works great. The idea is to just soften the light to prevent glare, especially when photographing canvas.

A) Artificial Light – You can use lamps or strobes. Do not use flash.

Use Daylight Bulbs if you can. As they are the most natural spectrum, this is important because you don’t want the temperature of the light to affect the colors in your artwork.

Setup:

Place the 2 lights on separate stands at a 45degree angle from the artwork you are photographing. One on each side with your camera in the center of the two lights. Place diffusion material over the front of the bulbs (careful not to place it directly on the

bulb.)

Camera Settings:

1. Be sure your camera is set to an ISO of 100 as this will allow the proper sensitivity of light entering the camera's light sensor and will not become grainy, or pixilated. If you use a high ISO you will have a pixilated image.

2. When photographing on manual mode you want to adjust the f-stop or aperture, of your DSLR camera. This controls the amount of light the lens lets into the camera’s light sensor. Typically an aperture of f8-f10 will create the sharpest image.

3. The sharpness of the image is directly related to too wide of an aperture and camera shake. Camera shake can be avoided by using a tripod and setting your camera’s timer to four or five seconds so that when you press the shutter button it doesn’t cause a shake in your image. The aperture should not be open farther than an f8 or some of the elements in the image will become blurred, this is known as depth of field. If you’re photographing with your camera on auto just be sure you don’t have any of the filters on as they can interfere with your artwork colors.

4. Position the camera on the tripod to ensure maximum sharpness. Make sure that your camera is parallel to the artwork. The lens should be aimed in the center of the artwork. Use all focus points/autofocus.

5. Be sure to fill the entire frame with your image. This will avoid unnecessary editing and too much cropping, which will change pixels size in your image, sometimes rendering it too small to print or display properly.

5. Avoid Keystone Angles. This skews the image. Hold the camera straight and parallel to the image.

6. Photographing 3D or Sculpture Artwork.

7. Select a neutral background. Make a background with a curved piece of paper taped to a wall. Place the sculpture on top of the paper to photograph. This will isolate the object from distractions of a horizontal line from the wall or unwanted textures.

B) Natural Light

Equipment: Diffused light inside, open shade outside. Camera/Tripod

1. When photographing inside with natural light, select a room with lots of window light, and if you have blinds that diffuse the light these work really well. However, don’t close the blinds or curtains if they block the light entirely and darken the room. Face the artwork toward the window light and place your camera between the window and your artwork. Avoid direct sunlight on art

2. Turn off any fluorescent and incandescent lighting, as this will cause a blue or yellow tint respectively.

3. Photographing in outdoor light is an option. Just be sure to find a spot that is not windy.

4. Avoid direct sunlight as it causes too much contrast and creates unwanted shadows.

5. Open shade is the best. Open shade is found anywhere you find shade, but the sun is still present around you. For example a covered patio or deck, a deep door well, an umbrella (just be careful if it is colored as you will get color cast onto your artwork.) between buildings, etc. Just be aware of going into a total deep shade with no surrounding light as this will cause the temperature of the light to be much cooler.

6. The sunlight should be behind you if you are unable to find open shade.

7. Avoid dappled light.

Smartphone

1. Hang art on the wall inside of a room with good window light.

2. Turn off incandescent and fluorescent lighting, as this will cause a yellow or blue color cast respectively.

3. Use a tripod if you have one

4. Position artwork parallel to your camera phone.

5. Use the Grid on your Camera A) Camera Settings: Launch Settings-Switch Grid On-Close Settings-Open camera app.

6. On the viewfinder, you will see two crosshairs (yellow and white), if you are not level with the image angle. Adjust until you see only one yellow crosshair. If the edges are curved you will need to move farther away from the artwork.

7. Take multiple images. Also, turn Live off.

8. Crop image

A) Edit-Crop (icon)-straighten-pull corners-done

Additional Editing. It is not advisable to edit with any type of a filter when photographing your artwork as it will not be an authentic representation of your work. However, it may be necessary to slightly boost contrast or exposure or sharpen an image without changing it’s integrity. You can use an app like Adobe Lightroom or just use the settings for these small tweaks on your phone's camera settings. Be very light-handed, you don’t want someone to be disappointed when they see your actual work and it doesn’t match your digital image.

9. Avoid Keystone Angles as this skews the image. Hold phone straight and parallel to artwork.

Artisans' Guild Members Open Studios on Studio Tour

Over Mother's Day Weekend, five of the Artisans' Guild of Camas' member artists opened their studios up to the general public as a part of the 2022 Washougal Studio Artist Tour. So if you didn't make the tour, here is a virtual one!

Tamara Dinius

Mixed media artist

Connect with Tamara!

Website

Facebook

Instagram

India de Landa

Jewelry Designer

Connect with India!

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Toni McCarthy

Jewelry Designer

Connect with Toni!

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Sandy Moore

Fiber Artist

Connect with Sandy!

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Sharon Buckmaster

Jewelry Designer

Connect with Sharon!

Instagram