Matt Armbrust: Click Here to Bid

OPENING BID: $100
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Matt's Bio: Matthew Armbrust recieved his B.A. in Music from Central Washington University (CWU). While in attendance at CWU, he studied the violin under Carrie Rehkopf and Heather Netz of the Kairos String Quartet.

Likewise Matthew is a ceramicist with a focus on functional ware. As a ceramicist he has been an artist in residence and the head of ceramics studios for multiple organizations including: Holden Village, a retreat center in the North Cascades of Washington State, and Gallery One in Ellensburg, Washington.

At the center of Matthew’s work is a drive to beautify and bring appreciation to the pieces of our lives that are important, but typically conceived of as mundane. Matthew likes to bring beauty to things ranging from soap-dishes to garden paths.

Tori Karpenko: Click Here to Bid

OPENING BID: $100

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TORI'S BIO: Tori Karpenko received his BFA from Drake University, where he graduated cum laude and majored in painting. During his sophomore year, he attended the Lorenzo de Medici Institute of Italian Studies in Florence, Italy. 

Tori pursued additional education after graduation in a Biodynamic Agriculture internship at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in East Troy, Wisconsin. His thesis was titled "The parallels and between art and agriculture; exploring the dynamic between logic and intuition." He continues to pursue food, culture, and land use issues with his artwork. 

Tori has been exhibiting his work both regionally in North Central Washington and in Seattle since moving to Washington in 2000. Venues include Gallery 110, ISIS on First, Miller Fine Arts in Leavenworth, Sunburst Gallery in Chelan, and Confluence Gallery & Art Center in Twisp. 

In 2001 Tori joined the Confluence Gallery & Art Center's Board of Directors, and was elected chairman in 2002. During his tenure, the organization succeeded in purchasing the building that houses their gallery and class space. He has also been active on the Methow Arts teaching roster since 2003, and has led several dynamic learning experiences in the public school system. In 2007 he was chosen to be a regional ambassador for Artist Trust in Seattle. 

ARTIST WEBSITE

torikarpenko@yahoo.com 

Jae Cremin: Click Here to Bid

OPENING BID: $100
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Born in Chicago, Jae first began studying art at Johnson State College in the 1980s and then moved to Montreal to be an aesthetician and runway model. After moving west, Jae attended the Oregon College of Arts & Crafts and the Pacific Northwest College of Arts.

In Portland, Jae owned a gallery called The Second Floor Gallery that supported emerging artists. She moved north to the Columbia River Gorge, and finally landed in the Methow in 2004 - bringing her horses and family with her. Initially attracted to the Methow as a great place to raise a child, Jae and her family have become an integral part of the community.

Jae is a fiber artist, creating silk and woolen items. She is also a TwispWork's partner and has a retail studio space on the TwispWorks grounds. 
  
ARTIST WEBSITE
jaecremin@gmail.com

Erik Brooks: Click Here to Bid

Welcome to Harts Pass (Chalk and Eraser included!)

OPENING BID: $100
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ERIK'S BIO: An award winning children's book author and illustrator, a night owl, a runner, a ski coach, hammock swinger, husband, and dad, Erik also gives voice to the local wolverine population in the panels and frames of Harts Pass Comics.

He works with pencils, paint, and whatever else seems to suit the story. His latest book is SEA STAR WISHES, a illustrated poetry collection by Eric Ode. 

Erik Brooks Illustration & Design
PO Box 731
Winthrop, WA 98862
509.996.4345

ARTIST WEBSITE • HARTS PASS COMICS

Barry Stromberger: Click Here to Bid

GMO or "Using up my leaf stash" by Barry Stromberger (Ghost flowers not included)

OPENING BID: $100
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BARRY'S BIO: I’ll save you from an artistically tooled statement….leaving you with little to go on except I work with metal, mostly steel, some copper.  I utilize traditional forging and joinery techniques (read blacksmithing) mixed with a heavy dose of conventional iron work like MIG welding, plasma and oxy-acetylene cutting. I make a lot of the tools I work with, my main work horse is a 1925 Little Giant power hammer I found here in the Methow Valley 15 + years ago and totally rebuilt.  

I work out of a small shop that has, in the past, seen many years of foreign car repair.  I started out in 12’ x 12’ dirt floored pole shop with a coal fired forge and a few tools in 1975 on my property.  I expanded a bit over the years. Basically I make jewelry for fine homes and businesses. I love what I do and occasionally even make good money doing it. I also still have a passion for gear-head related things. I’m in a long illicit affair with a 1958 single cab VW pick-up truck… restoring it and converting it to an all electric 144 volt DC powered daily driver. Visitors are always welcome at my shop… yes shop. Never been very comfortable with the studio label.

The Slagworks, LLC: 656 Twisp/Winthrop Eastside Rd. Winthrop, WA 98862 P.O. Box 25, Twisp, WA 98856

ARTIST WEBSITE

Thome George: Click Here to Bid

spalted pine and chromed steele

OPENING BID: $200
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“George’s work is quite functional, innovative and extremely well made.”

“At the same time, a few craftsman around the country have adopted twigs as their medium and are creating profoundly artistic variations on a theme that evolved during the 1800s. Certainly the two most influential individuals in the business of twig work are Clifton Monteith and Thome George.”

- Rustic Artistry for the Home, Ralph Kylloe.
 
509.846.3841 • Winthrop, WA

ARTIST WEBSITE

Sarah Vaughan: Click Here to Bid

OPENING BID: $100
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My name is Sarah Vaughan, I was born at the Wenatchee hospital on November 13^th of 1996.  I am 16, a sophomore at Okanogan high school. My parents are Chad and Teresa Vaughan, I have 3 siblings; 2 sisters: Jennifer and Alyssa Fox, and one brother: Isaac Seriono. I am half white and half Native American. I come from the Colville tribe and my bands are Wenatchee, and Moses Lake.

I like to do many activities: sports, art, and hanging out with my best friends Troy and Sam! I also like to watch television and eat on my downtime. I play sports such as volleyball, softball and a little bit of basketball. I like to paint, draw, and do mosaics such as this lovely desk I did.

I got the inspiration to do this desk from the Medicine wheel and the Beautiful Eagle I saw that day which explains the feathers hanging down. I did the medicine wheels on the top of my desk because it stands for the seasons, animals, life and the four directions.

Sarah studies art with Dan Brown, a teacher at Okanogan High School, artist, and curator of the Confluence Gallery's current Two Valley's exhibit. 

Laura Aspenwall: Click Here to Bid

For the Birds

OPENING BID: $100
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Ouzel Glassworks is the studio of glass artist Laura Aspenwall. Her studio is located outside the town of Winthrop, Washington just east of the North Cascades National Park.

Laura began blowing glass in 1995 at the Pacific Northwest College of Arts in Portland, Oregon. In 2002 she and her husband moved to the Methow Valley and together built her glass studio.

Visitors and school groups are welcome to come watch live glassblowing.  During the Methow Valley’s ski season Laura holds an open house on weekends.  The Methow Community ski trail goes right by her studio and skiers are welcome to stop by and warm up.

Laura named her studio after the Ouzel, also known as the Western Dipper, a small aquatic bird that is one of the Methow Valley’s few winter songbirds. 

227 Wolf Creek Road • Winthrop, WA 98862 • 509.996.3316

ARTIST WEBSITE

Donna Keyser: Click Here to Bid

OPENING BID: $100
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Donna's Bio: Prime Directive - to make the world more beautiful.
Donna is an inherent and highly trained artist with technical and practical expertise in design, conceptualizing, content development, supervising illustrators, photographers, and fabricators, preparing graphics for production, project evaluation and documentation. An enthusiastic project manager with strong visual and interpersonal skills.

Donna Keyser • Keyser Studios
509.997.0255 • donna.keyser@gmail.com

ARTIST WEBSITE

Steve Ward: Click Here to Bid

OPENING BID: $100
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Steve's Bio: Ward’s material of choice is carbon steel, which he coaxes into art by cutting, welding, and bending. Some pieces include copper or brass. He will often using a grinding wheel or brushes to abrade a surface, and finishes most pieces with a glossy patina. He mixes his own paints from dry pigments, polyurethane, lacquer, and wax.

Ward looks to the detritus and chaos of industry both for the actual building blocks for his art and for aesthetic stimulation. One recent piece builds on a spattered and eroded piece of concrete that he had used as a work surface, which has taken on the timeless beauty of an archaeological ruin.

ARTIST WEBSITE