Artists Profile

These island artists, who have written and illustrated their books, offer a diverse selection of wonderful reading for all ages.

FRIDAY HARBOR & SAN JUAN ISLAND

Robin Atkins - One Bead At A Time, Exploring Creativity With Bead Embroidery “How beads, creativity, and healing are related. You will learn to stitch beads on fabric improvisationally, creating art work which is compelling, inspired, beautiful, fun, and satisfying to make.” $19.95

Bryn Barnard - Dangerous Planet: Natural Disasters that Changed History Ten historical disasters are detailed with their ripple effects across time, e.g. the Blizzard of 1888 birthed the New York subway, garbage collection, the first snow removal service, and the first metropolitan disaster plan. (Age 9 through adults.) $17.95

Cat Bordhi - Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles “An adventurous and innovative collection of patterns and instructions for knitting socks on two circular needles, eliminating the centuries-old drawbacks of working on 4 or 5 double pointed needles.” $16.95 A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting Based on Cat’s invention of a Moebius cast-on, knitters are able to knit scarves, hats, felted boots and wraps, all of which have only one surface and one edge. Vanessa Ament of Friday Harbor is the model. $26.95. Island Wools

Robert E. Demar & Robin Atkins - Nautical Highways, Ferries of the San Juan Islands “In this collection of black and white photos of the ferries (Hiyu, Illahee, Evergreen State, etc.) and the island community which they serve, Demar gives us a slice of our own life.” A remembrance for an island visitor, a reference for islanders. $19.95

Mark Gardner - The San Juan Islands - Crown Jewels of the Pacific Northwest This is a beautiful book of photographs with images which depict both the familiar–ferry crossings, sailboats and orcas–and the surprising–sculpted rock formations, red fox, and old growth forest. An essay highlights the human and natural history of the islands. $25.99.

Tom Pemberton - Bronze On the Rocks With humor and passion, Tom describes how he creates sculpture in his Friday Harbor studio and foundry. An excellent overview of creating a bronze sculpture–from carving to casting to finishing. $10. Island Studios

Corina Tettinger - Passing the Flame “This book is supposed to teach the age-old art of glass beadmaking to people who have no teacher or classes available. Detailed photographs of each step and comments give you the impression you have a ‘personal teacher’ looking over your shoulder and guiding you through the process.” $75.

LOPEZ ISLAND

Greg Ewert & Lorrie Harrison - Kindred Spirits - Stories, Passions and Portraits from the Heart of a Community “Thirty-two Lopez Islanders share their beliefs, questions and hearts in this coffee table book. Speaking with grace and wisdom about life, love, death, joy, community and more, each individual confronts life’s timeless questions with integrity and candor.” $22.95

ORCAS ISLAND

Caroline Buchanan - Island Walk Caroline wrote and illustrated a walk she took with her two-year-old grandson on Obstruction Island. (Ages 2-4). $12. The Gingerbread Story A true story in Caroline’s life–in telling it she found her grandchildren loved it for its surprise ending. (Ages 2-4). $10.

Ann Hanson - Flicker’s Round Trip “A baby woodpecker who, having fallen from a net on Orcas Island, is sent by ferry to Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center on San Juan Island. He recovers there and grows up before returning to Orcas to fly free and wild again in the woods by Mountain Lake. True story.” (Toddlers-3rd grade) $12.95

Frank Loudin - Capture the Charm of Your Hometown in Watercolor A master of watercolor and Americana, Frank Loudin suggests subjects for painting one’s hometown and, with examples of his own paintings, illustrates specific techniques in use of layout and the watercolor medium. $28.99. Crow Valley Pottery or from Frank Loudin, 376-5642.

Barbara M. Meyer - More Sketches - Carmel to Orcas Island Watercolor sketches of the Carmel-Monterey area, and Orcas Island fields, coves, and inhabitants. Plus weekly cartoons published in The Lynden Tribune, and short stories about life on a dairy farm. $24.95

Anita Orne - Duck the Pup “A dog’s eye view, mostly true, of how Duck went from miserable city pup to happy island dog. (Readable by 3-4th graders, but enjoyable to all ages when read aloud, so I’m told!”) $12-$14. Bookstores and The Right Place Pottery where Duck lived part of his life.

Susan Slapin - Island Passages “A tribute to nature...a visual ferry boat traversing through an archipelago of light-filled waters...Imaginative prose and sepia photography evoke that realm between the timeless mind of the mystic and daily life in the physical world.” $14.

Note: Books are at bookstores and galleries of the islands where authors live, some are at bookstores on all islands, or can be ordered. Browsing is great fun, but if you want a specific book, call first.

Friday Harbor Boardwalk Books, Griffin Bay Books, Harbor Books, Island Studios

Lopez Island Islehaven Books & Borzoi

Orcas Island Darvill’s Bookstore, Orcas Island Artworks

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