Washougal artists to host holiday market, studio tour

Elaine Lim feels that now is the time for her to get to know the East Clark County art community and for it to get to know her. With a recent display at a downtown Camas art gallery and an upcoming appearance at a prominent Washougal art event, she’s quickly turning her hopes into reality.

“I’ve been painting for four years, and I feel like I want to get more involved with the art community, and I feel like I should start off locally, (get to) know the local artists a little bit, and get to know people who love art,” said Lim, a Washougal resident. “I feel like this is … the right time for me to start putting myself out there and be brave.”

Lim is one of seven new artists scheduled to participate in the 2024 Washougal Studio Artists Tour Holiday Art Market, set to take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 16-17, at 13 Washougal locations.

The fourth annual event will feature 25 local artists and their works, including watercolor, acrylic painting, fused glass, textiles, bronze sculpture, jewelry, mixed media, and more.

“Visitors can look forward to a relaxed yet engaging art experience, as the studios are conveniently spaced along about 15 miles of country road, making it easy to explore the entire route in a single day,” said event organizer Shirley Bishop. “From acrylic and watercolor paintings to stunning multimedia pieces, handcrafted glass work, wood creations, and fiber art, this market is filled with diverse, one-of-a-kind treasures. These unique offerings make it easy to find heartfelt gifts for the holidays, handmade and full of character.”

“Using beautiful glass cabochons, this hands-on activity is a wonderful opportunity to craft a holiday keepsake,” she said. “Kirby Swatosh will play live guitar, adding a festive soundtrack to the artistic atmosphere.”

For more information, visit washougalstudioa rtists.org.

Watercolor helps artist get out of creative ‘rut’

Lim will display a variety of her smaller (8-inch-by-10-inch) works and prints at the event, along with items, such as mugs, greeting cards, tote bags, and coasters, with her art printed on them.

“She’s very pleasant, outgoing, and does some incredible work,” Bishop said. “And I love the idea that she has put her artistic paintings onto mugs, totes, etc., because then you can take her art with you or use these for nice gifts for your friends and family.”

Lim said that she’s been creative “her whole life,” trying several mediums, including origami, oil, and acrylics, at various points, but “the moment (she) discovered watercolor, (she) just fell in love with it and never looked back.”

“I like the spontaneity of it,” she said. “I love that I can choose to be as loose or as realistic as I want it to be. And I love how the colors just blend so easily. It’s just really suitable for my personality. It’s very therapeutic and meditative for me, being able to just sit at my desk and explore the colors and what I can do with my skill. Seeing the product at the end is just really a sense of fulfillment and a validation as an artist because I don’t come from an art background — I’ve just always had it in me. Being able to see a piece come to life from my imagination and being really satisfied with it just makes me feel alive.”

Lim discovered watercolor in 2020 during a visit to a local arts and crafts store.

“I was in a rut, feeling like I wasn’t fulfilling the creative side of me,” she said. “I was in Michael’s shopping, a watercolor palette looked intriguing, and I was like, ‘Why not give it a try?’ And so I did, and then the rest is history.”

Lim said on her website that her paintings “are an ode to the ocean, a celebration of its power and ever-changing beauty.”

“I explore coastal themes, and it was my daughter who really propelled me in that direction,” she said. “(The onset of) motherhood was really, really stressful, so watercolor has become like therapy and an outlet for me. The whole pressure of motherhood just manifested itself in honing my skills and going deeper and deeper into learning the craft. Every time I need an escape, I find myself at the ocean in my mind. I just really love coastal themes. It’s just so relaxing.”

Lim, who grew up in Singapore, said on her website that watercolor “is the perfect medium for expressing the essence of the ocean” an allows her “to create paintings that are both ethereal and grounded, capturing the ephemeral nature of the waves as well as the enduring presence of the shore.”

“I grew up (on) a little island surrounded by the ocean. I guess it’s always been in me,” she said. “We love visiting the Oregon coast because there’s so much beauty there. I conjure a feeling in my mind, I think about what that feeling really looks like as a picture, and I go online for reference pictures and piece together something that really resonates with the feeling that I’m trying to convey.”