A Beautiful Symbiotic Relationship

From an early age, art has been a self-described obsession for Cormac McCarthy. As a child, he would spend hours binge-watching painter Bob Ross on television and would experiment with different art media at the kitchen table—“drawing, painting, making, and exploring any creative experience I could get my hands on.” It was out of these childhood moments growing up in Ireland that McCarthy discovered his love of painting. 

“When I paint, I lose a form of grip on space and time,” he says. “Nothing else exists except me and my paints. I layer my paints onto the canvas to create beautiful paintings, which brings my sometimes chaotic mind, stillness and tranquility. The paints and I have a beautiful symbiotic relationship.”

Through the month of December, this symbiotic relationship will be on full display at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) Lasher Gallery, where McCarthy will be showing his work to the public.

“If you've only ever seen Cormac's works online, then you already know how vibrant and evocative they are,” says Lasher Gallery Manager James Hinkley. “But believe me, when seeing them in person, they burst into lively, sensual textures and new depths that will draw you even further into the experience.”

For over a decade, McCarthy has called Whidbey Island home. He established his art gallery in Clinton—Cormac McCarthy Fine Art—which he fills with paintings that celebrate the “importance and majesty of the beautiful world around us.”

His impressionist style combines thick palette strokes of acrylic paint with subtle and dynamic variations in color, resulting in a mesmerizing blend of form and texture that draws the viewer in. Each piece is as unique as the next—whether it’s an urban jungle aglow in neon lights, a seal pup frolicking among the kelp forest, or the shores of a serene lake, bathed in the branches of a weeping willow and dotted with delicate lilypads.

“I hope my work brings peace and joy to those who take a moment to view it,” says McCarthy. “I also hope my paintings remind the viewer of the importance and majesty of the beautiful world around us. I hope my paintings stir up and remind us that we are the stewards of the world and that our natural world needs us to foster its life and growth.”

For McCarthy, it is simply celebrating “how beautiful our world is” that inspires him as a painter. It is this message that he is excited to showcase at WICA.

“I am delighted to show at WICA, and to be an active member of our arts community,” he says. “I attempt to harness creativity, flow in its currents, paint something beautiful, and share it with others.”

For those interested in seeing McCarthy’s paintings, the art will be on display through December, with a reception held on Friday, December 20th, from 5 - 6:30 PM. In addition to visiting the Langley exhibit, McCarthy’s art can be viewed at his gallery in Clinton or through his website, www.cormacpaints.art.

Ballet “Let it Snow: A Holiday Revue” to Open at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts

The Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) will be aglow in snowy glamour and brilliance December 19-22 with the jazzy, sophisticated, and lighthearted classical ballet, “Let it Snow: A Holiday Revue.” Just in time for the winter holidays, this ballet is the perfect blend of seasonal elegance and festive cheer.

Created by WICA Board Member Christopher Stowell and sponsored by the LaBert Dance Fund, the ballet will feature an array of dances inspired by the spirit and aesthetic of mid-century classics like White Christmas and the television variety shows of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

“This is a holiday alternative to Nutcracker, but we are in solidarity with all of our colleagues around the world who are dancing Nutcracker right now,” says Stowell. “There's nothing cute or sweet about it as much as it is fun, effervescent, silly. It's sometimes romantic and it's a series of dances, each one creating a different atmosphere. The music will satisfy you if you have some favorite holiday tunes that you love hearing and it will also surprise you in that there are some songs, more tangentially related to the holidays that are just fun.”

For WICA Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan, this ballet is the perfect encapsulation of the organization’s role in the community—to create powerful shared experiences around innovative and engaging expressions of artistic creativity.

“As a professional producing arts organization, it is important for us to bring programming to WICA that supports all of our five areas of concentration—the humanities, music, theatre, the visual arts, and dance,” says Duncan. “I believe it is our job to champion the process of new work. It is only through advocating and supporting new work that we can create the imaginative shows that initiate, invigorate and innovate these art forms. We are lucky to have the LaBert Dance Fund available to help us commission our first show and we are thrilled to have Christopher Stowell at the artistic helm of this new American ballet.”

No stranger to the ballet stage, Stowell is the son of Pacific Northwest Ballet Founding Artistic Directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell. He received his training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the School of American Ballet and has appeared in theaters throughout the world including the Paris Opéra, New York's Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and Moscow's Bolshoi Theater.

Stowell’s “Let it Snow” is a celebration of holiday memories, with echoes of nostalgia and joy. The revue brings together dancers from all over the world with local musicians in a beautiful and festive collaboration. Featuring Brian Simcoe, Luis Gonzalez, Lester Gonzalez, Xuan Cheng, Nicole Ciapponi, and Madeline Bez, the dancers will be accompanied by a live piano performance by Sheila Weidendorf and vocals by Ada Faith-Feyma and John Macarro.

“I think Deana’s vision for the organization is at the heart of all of this. She wants to cover many art forms while presenting and producing excellence,” says Stowell. “I hope this community understands how fortunate we all are to have this center for the arts that covers so much territory and is available to us on so many different levels. It’s really a place to come together and have lots of different experiences and I would say, this is a very particular experience that you would not find at many places. So I applaud WICA for producing it.”

The ballet will open Thursday, December 19th at 7:30 p.m., with evening performances on Friday and Saturday, and a matinee performance on Sunday. An opening night reception will be held after the Friday performance and champagne, chocolates, and a specialty snowflake martini will be served throughout the performance run.

WICA invites you to grab your champagne and come on in for the show because….baby it’s getting cold outside.

To learn more and to purchase tickets, visit wicaonline.org/letitsnow. 

Unscripted: Sue Frause and Peter Miller

We checked in with Sue Frause and Peter Miller about their Unscripted Center Conversation Series event on November 24. Here is what they had to say:

Sue, you're no stranger to the WICA stage and will be sitting down with fellow storyteller Peter Miller. What are you looking forward to discussing?

Sue Frause: Peter Miller appeared several times on WICA's popular Kitsch 'n Bitch series, two dozen shows I hosted from 2011-2019 featuring local and celebrity cooks and chefs, food demonstrations, signature cocktails and live music. And now, with four books to his credit in the past decade, Peter has many more tales to tell from his kitchen. And that's what Peter excels at—being both a wonderful writer and equally engaging storyteller. Oh, and a damn fine cook! As far as the categories of his books, he describes them as manuals about cooking, food and eating together. A trio of topics that are near and dear to so many people, especially during these turbulent times. I'm so looking forward to being in conversation again with Peter here on WICA's Main Stage. As Julia Child would say during her famous TV signoff, Bon Appetit! 

Peter, your most recent book, Shopkeeping, is now available to purchase. Why did you choose to pursue this subject for the book?

Peter Miller: From one perspective, a shopkeeper is a particular part to a community. They have chosen to open a shop. Most people do not open a shop. They visit them, they go into them, they experience them, as a new presentation. Oh, let us go in here, or I need boots, or mustard, or Proust or new glasses, to drink or to wear. And you go to a shop. It may be new or you may have long ago adopted it to your repertoire of what you do or what you need. You visit. To write about a shop, I realized, was to tell the stories of it. You plot the start of a shop—the name, the product, the colors—but that is only the start. Much of what it represents and becomes is an unfolding, a relationship to its location and to needs and to people.

Can you tell us about the book?

Peter Miller: Shopkeeping is a small book, from a fine design publisher, who loved the premise. The drawings are by Colleen Miller, who has a teaching studio for drawing just up the street from Grey Horse. The only way through the book is to read it, word for word, tale for tale. If you can come to the lecture, you will hear some of the tales, and some that are not written out.  Shopkeeping is as much about reading and storytelling as it is about shops 

What do you hope viewers will take away from the book?

Peter Miller: It is hoped that if an audience can hear and listen and read the story, and backstory, of a shop, then their sense of it is at least partly more intricate. It is not unlike learning the details of growing a fine tomato, or perfect varieties of lettuce, or choosing the precise flour for your dough—each gives you a better sense of what is involved. You give the tomato and the grower some attention.

For more information about the Unscripted Center Conversation Series, visit wicaonline.org/events-calendar-view/frausemiller.

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts Honored by Theatre Puget Sound

For a second year in a row, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) has been honored by Theatre Puget Sound as the Gregory Awards People's Choice Organization of the Year for North Puget Sound. In addition to this award, WICA is the first theatre outside of Seattle to be nominated and win in lighting design for David Mackie’s work in the December 2023 production of Falstaff in Love. The arts organization was also in the running for Outstanding Community Engagement, which was won by Seattle Public Theatre.

"To be honored by our peers in this way is so gratifying," said WICA Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan. "It speaks to our mission here at WICA to make the arts accessible, to lift up voices, and to enrich lives by fostering these powerful shared experiences in the arts. It means so much to us to receive these honors and to be recognized for the quality of programming we bring to Whidbey Island."

Started in 1998, the Gregory Awards celebrate theatre throughout Puget Sound—highlighting the productions and talent among the numerous arts organizations that call this area home. These awards are examples of the impact that regional theatre can have on a community and statewide level, demonstrating that Washington State is a theatre destination.

This year, in addition to WICA, two other island organizations were among the top five in the North Puget Sound region—Island Shakespeare Festival and OutCast Productions.

"To be nominated with top regional organizations speaks volumes to the types of programming opportunities available here," added Duncan. "This island is an arts and cultural hub and this recognition reinforces that. It is an exciting time for Whidbey and proof that the arts are an intrinsic part of our identity."

To learn more about WICA's work to bring world-class programming and artists to Whidbey Island, visit wicaonline.org.

“A Change is Coming” with the Whidbey Island Nourishes Fundraiser at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts

On November 16, Whidbey Island Nourishes (WIN), in partnership with the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA), will host “A Change is Coming”—a fundraiser event for WIN at the WICA campus in Langley. Filled with intentional engagement, heartfelt conversations, and festive music, the event will feature a community social at 6 p.m., followed by the premiere of a short film highlighting WIN’s work on the island and a concert with American singer and songwriter LeRoy Bell. Bell is a favorite of local audiences, so attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets early, as his shows usually sell out. The ticket price is $100 and can be purchased online on the WICA website.

“For over fifteen years, WIN has worked to close the nutrition gap for South Whidbey Youth, many of whom rely on the free and reduced school lunch programs to meet their nutritional needs. WIN's meal programs help families grappling with food insecurity find a lifeline of support,” says Melinda Gardiner, WIN’s executive director. “WIN's programs, in collaboration with community partners and the South Whidbey School District, help guarantee that no child has to experience hunger and that every student has the opportunity to thrive.”

For the nonprofit, it’s about ensuring that every child is nourished, which is essential for “healthy growth, development, and overall well-being.”

Partnering with WIN for the fundraiser was the perfect collaboration opportunity for WICA Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan.

“We are a year-round cultural hub at WICA,” says Duncan. “We firmly believe it is our responsibility to work with our partners, our island community, and our supporters to help foster real and meaningful impact on this island. When WIN approached us about this fundraiser, it was the perfect blend of arts programming and social change that really speaks to WICA’s mission of enriching lives by creating powerful shared experiences in the arts.”

Event proceeds will directly support WIN’s work on Whidbey Island. “Your contribution is not just important, it's vital to empowering WIN's mission,” says Gardiner. “With your support, we can help nourish dreams and make a tangible difference in the lives of the children and teenagers who rely on WIN for nutritional assistance.”

To learn more about this event, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.wicaonline.org/events-calendar-view/achangeiscoming.