July 13, 1978 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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L: :i
t4rt flows from backwoods cabin to city malls
MARK LEE Washington, she studied speech "Personally, I might try some everyday basis, that I felt my
It's a long way from a
:kwoods cabin in Tahuya to
e shiny concourse of a
opping mall, but that's the
Jrney Armae makes to sell her
Lres, so she can continue doing
nat she likes doing best -
nting.
"Armae" is how Arlene
tith signs her work. It is also
name used by her friends
the one she prefers, for it
appeared on her creations for
p past 21 years.
iLActually Armae is only 33,
:It when she finished her first
:[tnting at the ,age of 12, she
|Ushed in 'Armae," a
itraction of Arlene Mac, and
,:[ name stuck.
[_Today, it still appears on the
tings that come out of her
lbin near the Tahuya River
[lere she lives with her husband
[d children.
:[To earn her living Armae
tw sells her paintings, depicting
woods, water and wildlife
[_rounding her, at those most
inerican institutions - shopping
lls.
[IWhatever future generations
rY decide about our age,
'r
[Y e bound to credit us for
! e creation of that most
|mographic of institutions -
re Shopping mall. After all,
r_er: .before in the history of
r Ulture have so many people
::[different races, creeds and
]n,omic levels mixed together?
[Yet shopping malls have
|Ver been noted for their
[metic
re
qualities and one of the
_ ironic spinoffs from the
[ of these shopping complexes
[been the rise of the mall art
|Seemsl'"- every time you travel
L a mall, a new group of artists
1 set up shop so the masses of
] shoppers can ogle the artist's
tk and even buy a painting, or '
(| But as you wind among the
Lt, erc°lors, oil paintings and
!s blowers, do you find your
irene ti°n drawn more towards
)re:tor than the created?
t . You find yourself
edering where the artists
|:, atom? Where they go when
fir day is done9
0iSOme seem" bored, totally
ifferent to the comments
i_ the passersby. Other artists
I e
obviously enjoying
nselves, playing to the
creating new works crowd
l'V, Watch, on the spot. while
lAnd if you happen to be
lading in front of an exhib,,t
rng the name Armael
[J es are she'll be watching
r_ just as much as you'll be
terving her. he
"I hke to watch all tn d
[erent kinds of Pe°pletingsin
i they react to my pa
r ! reactions usually fall into
r ral groups and I try to guess
[at a Person will like
0000hand
|" For SOme reason both
:tgtPe°ple and older adults
![,, o prefer more expressive
ISSattWrhile more middleaged
acted to my more
!tic paintings.
though Armae first picked
't °rush in her teens, she
Start displaying her work
i[mercially until just a few
Its ago,, when she "sort of
]. stepped' her way into mall
:,OWs.
'My mother-in.law was
]mt°ti,n.g a substitute material
! rathtional canvas and she
=.d me to do some paintings
aetnonstrate the material. So I
did a couple of paintings and
they sold right away, much to
my surprise. And I was hooked."
Since Armae had always
wanted to spend the bulk of her
time painting, she took note and
began signing up for more of the
shows.
Nowadays, Armae is invited
to increasing numbers of the
mall shows. As she describes it,
the invitations are the "first
rungs on the long ladder to
popular recognition."
Next week Armae will attend
her fifth show since the start of
the new year - the most she's
been invited to since she started.
All total there are seven shows in
the Puget Sound area.
Besides the fact that her
paintings are selling well, Armae
probably gets asked to the shows
because she enjoys displaying at
them.
Although some of the artists
find it hard to maintain an air of
joviality througllout the long
hours demanded by the shows,
Armae says it's important for the
painter to remain active and alert
because the enthusiasm can be
contagious for potential buyers.
And such a display usually
includes executing a work in
public.
At first Armae says it was
extremely difficult to paint in
public under outside observation,
but now she can block out all
the hustle and bustle to
concentrate on the painting.
"I learned another important
lesson my first time out. I
worked really slow and it took
me the whole week-long show to
wrap up the painting. Along the
way I managed to paint myself
into several tough comers, but I
finished the work and was
satisfied with the end result.
"Then I left it on my easel
overnight and the next morning
it was gone."
Despite such mishaps, Armae
has reached a point where she
can now finish several paintings
in the course of a show.
"I wouldn't exactly call them
my most intricate works -
they're usually of some simple
subject that can be executed
rather quickly.
"People like to see a painting
as it takes form. Some even keep
Working outside her Tahuya cabin, Armae brushes out an unacceptable
foreground. "If something doesn't feel right, I take it out."
coming back to check on the
painting's progress, day after
day. That's the main purpose for
those paintings, yet sometimes
even I'm surprised when one of
those paintings often turn out to
be one of my better works."
Besides oil painting Armae
makes use of a medium she
terms "relief painting in
redwood."
For such work she calls upon
the help of her husband, Gary,
who equally shares artistic
interests. He prepares a
laminated redwood surface to
which a rubberized coating is
applied. Armae then sketches her
painting and removes sections of
the rubber coating, usually
background areas, which are then
sandblasted down several
millimeters. The remaining
smooth, raised areas are then
painted in with detail by Armae.
Over the years Armae says
her painting has followed what
she now realizes is a progression.
Her first painting, which was
done for her mother, was a copy
of a landscape on the lampshade
in her room.
For a long time Armae
concentrated on landscapes, but
then small creatures began to
also populate her canvas. Lately
she's been more interested in
rendering humans.
Part of her interest in human
figures coincides with a special
series of paintings she has started
depicting tales from American
Indian folklore.
"I'd say those paintings are
the hardest for me. They take
extensive research and I feel a
lot of pressure to make the
paintings authentic."
Because of her Indian works,
A rmae has now started
displaying at western art shows.
"And when you show
a painting at one of those shows,
you have to be sure every little
detail is just right. If you make a
mistake on say the tribal dress or
put the wrong type of
cheekbones on a Sioux,
someone's bound to notice and
then you might as well forget
being considered a serious
artist."
Another reason Armae has
grown to like displaying at the
.shows is the close contact it
What Armae calls one of her more expressive works sits in the sun outside
her home. The surrounding trees and wildlife provide the inspiration, but
the thoughts are her own.
allows with other painters.
"Even though the selling is
highly competitive, I've always
found the other painters very
supportive, right from the start.
When I get myself into a tough
spot on a painting, I can usually
talk with those people and
finally figure out a solution.
"I've also learned a lot about
self-discipline by watching the
other painters. Some of them are
amazingly professional. They get
up at a set hour each morning,
work till lunch, then they're
right back into it until supper.
"Me, I've got a ways to go
before I reach that point, but
I'm getting better. Some of these
people have been painting for 40
years. Maybe when I've been at
it that long I'll have the same
professionalism."
One of the benefits of
Armae's growing discipline is
that her painting is "fast
approaching" the point where it
will earn her a living.
Then my parents ,always
continued to encourage me as I
got older. If it hadn't been for
them, i'm sure I would have
dropped painting somewhere
along the line."
Although she was born in
Tacoma, Armae's father
supervised fish hatcheries for the
state, so she grew up "out in the
country."
After graduating from a small
high school in Southwest
therapy at the University of
Washington for two years. All
the while she continued painting
on a casual basis but started
concentrating more on her art
work after her father died in
1968.
"Because I've always lived in
the country, my painting has
been influenced primarily by
nature, which is why I enjoy
living in Tahuya. Every day I can
take in views of water,
mountains, trees and an
abundance of wildlife. And even
the same settings change with
the seasons and different
lighting.
"When I'm working on a
painting, I just sort of collect
sights I see as I'm traveling
around the area, Maybe a
particularly striking set of trees
along the roadside, or a regal
bird along the shoreline.
"Anyway, I collect all these
images in my head for a while
and I go to the easel and try to
combine my favorites into a
pleasing composition on the
canvas.
"For me, that's the
important thing - to paint
scenes that feel good to me.
Because then I have a certain
energy and somehow that gets
translated onto the canvas. Then,
when people come along they
pick up on that energy and
feeling. Without that, my work's
just another painting."
For would-be painters,
Armae has simple advice -
"Paint, paint, paint.
"Now, I've never had any
'classical training' and some
people tell me I should try it.
Others say, 'Don't do it; it'll ruin
your personal style.'
classical study someday, but
riglat now I feel I gain the most
from practice."
Up until just a few years ago
Annae estimated she completed
five or six paintings each year.
"But it wasn't until I started
showing nay work and trying to
sell it that I really got down to
painting. Having the threat from
an approaching show hanging
over your head does a lot for
productivity.
"And it wasn't until I started
painting consistently, on an
work began to improve."
Nowadays, Armae estimates
that she puts the final touches
on at least five paintings each
month.
"That works out to 60
paintings each year. Sounds like
a lot to me, but I guess that
must be about right. I never
realized it was so many.
"Well, that goes to show
exhibiting at shopping malls may
get tedious and crazy, but it sure
has helped my painting."
Armae (also known as Arlene Mae Smith)
Thursday, July 13, 1978
Section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal
son from the couple's Tucson
home, Pettit said "they are
mostly deadends."
Andy is thouglrt to have
wandered from iris home in the
brushy desert country while his
father slept and his mother was
at work.
An extensive search was
conducted until noon the
following day with Air Force
helicopters, tracking dogs and
even psychics trying to find the
boy.
Pettit said the search,
conducted in 105.degree
temperatures, provided no clues
to the boy's whereabouts.
Pettit said a $2,000 reward,
donated by area individuals,
remains in effect but said the
case remains "a real mystery."
Kais Stryker was raised by
the Robert VanHoms of Belfair,
her aunt and uncle. Mrs. Ruth
Fortner of Port Orchard is her
grandmother. Mark Stryker is the
son of the Cecil Strykers of
Allyn.
Graveside services will be
conducted Friday, July 14, 11
a.m., at the Twin Firs Cemetery
in Belfair with Pastor Tom
Harmonson officiating. Services
are under direction of Batstone
Funeral Home, Shelton.
road can be widened. In the
meantime, he says survey work
will continue.
Young said that overall plans
call for the Grapeview Road to
be upgraded in the future to
meet the requirements for a state
road.
Actual work on widening the
section of road would probably
not start until next year, at the
earliest, depending on the
county's success in gaining the
right of ways.
Several people suggested that
a plan be drawn up to establish a
new arterial road through the
area, so the Grapeview Road
could remain a lightly traveled
road and not become a major
thoroughfare.
In reply, the engineer
explained that the possibility for
following such a plan was slight
and pointed out that the county
is having enough difficulties
acquiring fight.of-way just to
widen the existing road.
As for the perennial
potholes, Young said the road
will soon receive its annual
coating of oil and gravel.
Local residents cautiously negotiate the blind intersection of the
Grapeview and Cronquist Roads. County Engineer Marley Young told
Grange members last week that plans are in the mill to bring the narrow
Grapeview thoroughfare up to state standards, but it's going to take a
while.
100 negatives.
"If the retouching's done
nothing else, it's given me plenty
of practice at fine brushstrokes.
In fact that's the kind of
painting I've always e;njoyed.
"Some people keep telling
me to switch to bigger brushes
so I can complete my paintings
more quickly; I guess by some
standards I work rather slowly.
But after all these years I doubt
if I could change; I'd really miss
all the fine detail."
For Armae, critiquing her
own work is a simple matter.
"If I like something when
I'm working on it and I feel
right when it's finished, then it's
a good painting. If I don't feel
quite right, then it's a bad
painting and I throw it away."
Fortunately, those bad
feelings have only cropped up
five or six times in all the years
she's been painting.
"I think the most important
thing is to keep painting and not
worry too much about the
outcome. Most paintings work
out in the end. If I get too
concerned about the way a
'painting is going to look, I never
get it finished."
Although Armae admits that
great painters are rare, she also
says that many people who
should be painting aren't.
"Painting's one of those
things that most everybody
. enjoys doing as a kid, but then it
gets sorted out when you start
growing up.
"Maybe somebody gets
overcritical because a child's
paintings aren't traditional. That
can be extremely damaging. Or
maybe the child's parent never
encourages any type ot
expression - they can't see any
practical purpose for such
activity, so they simply ignore it
and it withers away. For a kid to
keep painting as he grows up, it
takes a lot of encouragement."
For Armae it was friends of
her parents who provided the
initial encouragement.
"They used to bring me
brushes and paints but, more
importantly, they used to talk to
me about what ! was painting.
Tragedy has struck once
again for a former Belfair family
now living in Tucson, Arizona.
Kais Stryker, 21, who
recently appeared on a television
station in that city to plead for
the return of her missing and
possibly kidnapped 1,8-month-old
son, Andy, was killed last
Sunday night when her pickup
truck collided with another
vehicle.
Kais and her husband Mark,
20, moved to Tucson from
Tacoma this spring in search of
work following Mark's discharge
from the Army. He was
reportedly in Phoenix taking a
physical to qualify for the Navy
at the time of the accident.
Kais was reportedly on her
way home from a visit with her
sister-in-law when she ran a stop
sign and collided with another
pickup truck.
She was taken to St. Mary's
Hospital in Tucson with massive
head injuries with severe brain
damage and died shortly after 9
p.m., according to Pima County
sheriff's department spokesman
Sergeant Mark Pettit.
The driver of the other
pickup, Milton L. Wilfred,
escaped with only minor injuries
after his truck rolled, Pettit saM.
Kais' dog, with her when the
accident occurred, escaped
without harm.
Although sheriff's detectives
have received calls on the June 7
disappearance of the Strykers'
Mother of missing boy
killed in Tucson crash
Road intersection.
Young said that the county
engineering department is aware
of the problems with the
Grapeview Road and has started
a program to solve them.
He said the main problem
facing the department is
acquiring the necessary
right-of-way so the section of
County officials attended
last Thursday's meeting of
Grapeview's Fair Harbor Grange
to discuss plans for improvement
of the Grapeview Road running
between the local firehall and
Allyn.
Local residents first told
County Commissioner Floyd
Cole, County Engineer Marley
Young and Assistant Planner
Monty Anderson that they were
most concerned with the
narrowness of the road along
that section.
They also complained about
the recurring potholes, lack of a
three-way stop at the Stretch
Island Road intersection, and the
blind approach at the Cronquist
For years Armae has done
photo retouching for
Tacoma-area photographers in Grapevi Road pgrading pl ed
her home to earn the bulk of her ew u ann ,
income. It's work she was glad
to have, but work that gets bu ight of =y p obl i ay
,o00iou00. is t r - -w r eros n w
expected to complete more than