Since 1985 Gay Waldman has been actively showing in juried shows and galleries in the Northwest. Her intuitive portfolio embraces floral, landscape, architectural, and abstract imagery. For twenty years Gay worked in her darkroom and since 2005 she exclusively uses Photoshop and Painter to make her artwork. She shoots original photographs, adds drawing, overlays scanned objects, and digitally builds original art and collage. Her studio offers art commissions, consultation, photo-editing, and a full custom picture frame shop.
Artist Roster
The Spokane Arts artist roster is a searchable tool designed to showcase local creatives and connect them with community members seeking artists and makers. Browse the entire roster to discover a new favorite artist or filter by the type of work you’re seeking. You’ll find samples of their work, a description of what drives them to create and links to check out their website or social media. Use the roster to discover the incredible talent living right here in our community. Please note: the artist roster is a free resource directory to find artists. Any local artist can add their information. The artists on the roster are not endorsed or represented by Spokane Arts.
In order to foster a thriving creative community where artists can make a living doing their work, Spokane Arts believes in the importance of paying artists. Too often, creatives are asked to provide time, labor, materials, or finished work for free. While most of us wouldn’t ask an electrician, CPA or nurse to provide their professional services at no cost — knowing they trained and studied to gain expertise — artists are often asked to donate their services. Many artists and creatives do choose to donate their time to causes they care deeply about, but to make a living, doing work for free should be the exception, not the rule. We humbly ask you to keep this in mind when contacting creatives on the roster, and know that you can always ask an artist to give you a cost estimate or written proposal to review. Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask our staff; we’d be happy to help guide you. Contact shantell@spokanearts.org.
Are you an artist/maker/creative based in the Spokane region? Submit your information here to be added to the roster.
Callie McCluskey
People today have the chance through social media to share every aspect of their daily lives. There is a cultural pressure fueled by modern media and consumerism where one is compelled to filter this digital identity into something flawless and exciting. The paintings in my series Digital Identity are a combination of my favorite memories and moments, integrated with recognizable imagery from social media sites. The painting’s color schemes are purposely inverted, forcing the audience to rely on a device such as a Smartphone to view the piece in its entirety. Using AR goggles, the viewer now sees the abstracted forms within the paintings transform into an entirely new visual narrative.
The process that I want the viewer to engage with is two-fold. Upon first impression, the paintings themselves are constructed with dismal color-schemes or unrecognizable features. Once the audience interacts with the digital inversion, the paintings shift to a bright, cheerful and dynamic pallet. This is intended to be a metaphor for how social media has the tendency to make people’s worlds appear more desirable. The consequences of this consumer-driven reality are worth a deeper critique.
Sandra Hosking
Sandra Hosking is a professional editor, writer, playwright, and photographer based in Spokane, WA, USA. Publishing credits include The Spokesman-Review, Journal of Business, Glass International, Corrugated Today, 3 Elements Review, Cirque Literary Journal, Edify Fiction, and more. Her plays have been performed in New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Canada, New Zealand, and elsewhere. Hosking holds an M.F.A. in theatre/playwriting from the University of Idaho and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Eastern Washington University.
Karen Vo
Karen Vo is a self-taught visual artist specializing in wildlife, with a particular affinity for birds. Born and raised in Washington state, Karen attributes her love of the natural world to her being spoiled by Washington scenery and wildlife throughout her childhood. Karen works primarily in gouache, watercolor, and graphite in an attempt to capture the beauty, fragility, and resilience of animals and plant life. Her goal as an artist is to bring more attention to the animals and plants we coexist with; highlighting their importance and how we have the power to protect them.
Karen completed her education in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2019 and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in pharmacy. While her career in science and medicine keeps her incredibly busy, she takes every opportunity to recreate the wildlife that surrounds us.
Ian Pisarcik
Ian Pisarcik was born and raised in rural New England. His stories and poems have appeared in the Roanoke Review, Lullwater Review, Maine Review, and the Flyway Journal of Writing and Environment. He currently lives in Spokane, Washington with his wife, newborn daughter, and Labrador retriever. His debut novel, BEFORE FAMILIAR WOODS, will be published by Crooked Lane Books on March 10, 2020.
Bevie LaBrie
My life passions working as an art therapist, wilderness instructor and youth worker, and exploring the world through climbing rocks, travel and mountainous beauty fuel my art. I’m inspired by life and nature in all it’s forms—calm, chaotic, dry and abundant; thus the nature of my messy, layered and textured mixed media art process combining paint, collage, photography, pen and ink and water soluble pastel. Sometimes I keep it simple, and sometimes I use it all! Found natural objects or wood from construction sites often are my starting point. Adventure, natural beauty, human life experience, and my own internal landscape provide endless inspiration.
Melanie Delaney
Melanie Delaney was born and raised in Spokane Washington. She learned to draw as a child, encouraged by her architect father to replicate what she saw, and that exercise in precision served her well. She studied at Fort Wright College of Fine Arts and earned her BA in Interior Design from Washington State University and then spent several years working as an interior designer at Joel Inc. in Spokane.
Joshua Thomas
Hello, I’m a graphic designer, illustrator, and motion designer with a huge passion for what I do. My name is Joshua Thomas and I’m just a human being designing for human beings.
Yelena Yunin
My name is Yelena Yunin. I am a local artist in the Spokane Area. I originally moved to Spokane from Ukraine, and grew up in the Hillyard Area. I am classically trained on painting with Water Colors, but I am also experienced in the use of other media. I attended EWU and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and currently work as a Photographer in the Spokane Area. I love creating works of art through painting and photography.
Marissa D Sannes
My style is mostly abstract, but I also love surrealism and impressionism! I have an Etsy shop (Merakiartus) and an art instagram (@Merakiartco). I paint a lot of shoes and water bottles.
GlitterCouch
GlitterCouch is the collaborative project between Brittany Decker and Remelisa Cullitan. The idea was at first to make this shining, almost magical, object that the two could take into locations; such as hiking trails, urban alleyways, or parking lots, in order to play up the juxtaposition of a glitzy piece of home furniture in rather unrealistic sceneries. Which is still in the plan.