Blaine resident named ‘Artist of the Week’

Silk paintings by Kay Dee Powell. Photo courtesy of Kay Dee Powell

This week, Whatcom Art Market, a co-op gallery made up of nearly 50 artists, named Blaine resident Kay Dee Powell Artist of the Week. Powell is a mixed-media artist and used silk to create her latest work.

For years, Powell has been a member of the Whatcom Art Guild, a nonprofit that oversees the Whatcom Art Market, located at 1103 11th Street in Bellingham. The market is operated by volunteers and features paintings, art prints, jewelry, photography, textiles, sculpture and more. This is the second time Powell has received the Artist of the Week distinction.

She described her silk art as “a labor of love,” and “like watercolor on steroids.”

The raw silk she uses – whether it’s for a scarf or a painting – is special ordered from California. Each piece needs to be stretched before it’s painted with French dyes, steamed and placed in two baths. When the painted silk is set on canvas, she said, it feels like tissue paper.

The public will have the chance to see how Powell’s work is created at a free demonstration from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 10 at Whatcom Art Market. Her work is also on display at the gallery in Fairhaven.

To learn more about Whatcom Art Market, visit whatcomartmarket.org.