kp-studios: Spring 2013 Newsletter

Fresh off the Press...our Spring Newsletter is here!

Here We Go!

Have you been wondering what is going on at KP Studios? Thought so. Everyone we see asks “soooo…. What’s going on with the studio?”

As you know KP Studios is changing! (We hope you like our new logo and look!) The wonderful problem we’ve had the last five months is that we are so busy with work that it’s hard to keep up with things like changing our blog, creating our newsletter, re-designing our website. But we are slowly making progress. We’ve been swamped with fun projects for artists, catalog photography for businesses, advertising campaigns and deadlines for Island Hospital (Peter signed a contract with our local hospital in early January and is now their photographer). So although the front room of our studio looks empty the rest of the studio is still active and cranking out beautiful photography.

As well as redesigning our virtual look, we are working on redesigning our physical look. Our whole studio is slated for re-decoration to make the space ready for artists. We will have quarterly art installations in the front room and periodic art shows in our gallery. The space will be used by us for photography workshops, as well as, other artists teaching classes and organizing their own art shows.

So please walk by the studio, 705 Commercial, and see the current installation by our client and local artist Lanny Bergner. And we’ll keep you posted on our transition progress!

- Lisa

Artist Spotlight

Our first KP Studios Fine Artists piece is an installation titled Primordial Muse by local sculpture Lanny Bergner. This installation is especially striking when viewed at night.

More of Lanny Bergner’s work can be seen by visiting his website and his show opening at the end of this month at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art.

Fine Art Documentation

I’ve had several friends recently ask… so what does Fine Art Documentation photography mean? Well, we take photographs of artists work; mainly 3-D sculpture work but also textiles, paintings, exhibitions and working shots.

Here are some of the artists we work with... I promise to show you more next newsletter!

Raven Skyriver

Etsuko Ichikawa

Anita Luvera Mayer

Peregrin O'Gormley

Commercial Photography

The first quarter of 2013 included catalog shoots for Bunnies by the Bay, ClearSnap (a paper crafts company), advertising campaigns for the Swinomish Casino’s new Callaway Golf Studio and restaurant 13 Moons, as well as, editorial imagery for Island Hospital’s magazine Heart Beats. Here are a few samples!

Fine Art Commission

Peter has been working on a commission of his fine art. The City of Anacortes asked Peter to create art work for their new Water Treatment Plant in Mt Vernon. Peter has photographed at the plant three times and is creating large scale black and white metal prints that will be installed in the public spaces. Here is a small sampling of the work.

KP Non-Profit Spotlight

Peter and I donate our time and energy to a lot of the deserving non-profit organizations both locally and nationally... the Make A Wish Foundation, the Anacortes Arts Festival, Island Hospital Foundation, Fidalgo Dance Works... to name just a few. Each newsletter we will try to highlight some of this work.

Did you know that Skagit County, per capita, has the most art organizations than any other area in Washington State? We live in a vibrant arts community.

A year ago I joined the board of the Anacortes Arts Festival, the largest, oldest and most sucessful art organization in the county. We are a volunteer board of 11 and 3 part-time employees... come Festival weekend we become a volunteer army of over 150 people!

As a non-profit, the Festival returns profits to the community through its annual "Giving Back" grants. This year we had over $65,000 in very worth grant applications. So the board decided to increase our level of giving to the highest its ever been, $33,500! Most of that money went to our kids cultural education:

Anacortes School District - K-12 Cultural Arts Program

Anacortes Farmer's Market - Music at the Saturday Farmer's Market

Anacortes High School Art Department - A potter's wheel for ceramic instruction

Anacortes School District - Brodniak Hall - Improvements on the stage curtain

Anacortes Seahawks Music Boosters - Percussion instruments for youth musicians

Anchor Art Space - Art education & workshops

Boys & Girls Club - Art supplies & field trips

Class ACT (Anacortes Community Theater) - Stage improvements, costumes & makeup for youth performance classes

Fidalgo Danceworks - Dance workshops

Fidalgo Island Quilters - Support for fiber art displays

Museum of Northwest Art - MONA Link arts education program

Do you want to help us in our Giving Back Mission? Then become a member! (And make sure and let Festival Staff know that Lisa Kuhnlein sent you!)

The Festival office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 505 O Ave, Anacortes. 360.293.6211.

Online Membership Form

The Anacortes Arts Festival is not just the first weekend in August. We have tours, concerts and activities all year long. Next week be sure and join us for the On Ensemble Concert at Brodniak Hall

April 26th at 8pm.

On Ensemble takes ancient instruments of taiko and makes them new by infusing them with elements of hip-hop, jazz, rock & new age electronics. On Ensemble has performed throughout the U.S. to sell-out crowds.