Nine photographers capture the essence of the islands

Nine photographers from the San Juan Islands have each captured an essence of our stunning archipelago in a framed collection of prints that will greet thousands of travelers on the new M/V Samish vessel. Construction is running ahead of schedule and is expected to be plying the Anacortes/San Juan Island runs in early 2015.

February 11, 2015 4:12 pm
A photograph of the Patos Lighthouse by Linda Hudson.
A photograph of the Patos Lighthouse by Linda Hudson.

Submitted by Dennis Ryan

President 2015 San Juan County Arts Council

Nine photographers from the San Juan Islands have each captured an essence of our stunning archipelago in a framed collection of prints that will greet thousands of travelers on the new M/V Samish vessel. Construction is running ahead of schedule and is expected to be plying the Anacortes/San Juan Island runs in early 2015.

The 362.5-foot M/V Samish is under construction at Vigor Industrial’s shipyard on Harbor Island in Seattle. The $126-million Olympic Class vessel will hold 1,500 passengers and 144 cars.

The photographers include Lopez Island artists Peter Cavanagh, Eric Hopper, Linda Hudson and Steve Horn. Peter Fisher’s image from Orcas Island joins the works of San Juan Island artists Kathy Crowe Finholm, Marc Forlenza, Robert Hare Stavers and Chris Teren.

The new Samish vessel’s collection of art will include these nine from the San Juan Islands, six photographs of wildlife and nine photographs from the Anacortes/Fidalgo Island community. A number of works honoring the Samish Indian Nation, headquartered in Anacortes, will also be in the collection.

The San Juan County Arts Council managed the call to photographers from the San Juan Islands. The time frame was extremely condensed in order to get the final collection installed by the vessel’s contractors.

Working with the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce’s call, the 18 photographs, 21 by 28 inches, were printed in Anacortes by the How It Works Group and are being professionally framed by the Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes. Each print will have a separate plaque including the name and website of the artist and title of the work. Delivery of the collection for installation is expected by the end of this week.

The San Juan County Arts Council will be seeking funding to support the framing and development costs. At this point the artists have all agreed to underwrite the major portion with the council providing the rest. We are hopeful that the county’s lodging tax funds might be able to help, especially since all of the images feature the fascinating landscape and natural qualities of the islands. Other sources will be sought as well.