Two women are shown in a close, vertical composition, cropped tightly so their bodies and faces fill most of the picture space. The taller sitter stands behind and to the left, facing forward with a calm, direct, unsmiling gaze. Her skin is rendered in warm brown and amber tones while her dark hair is short and softly waved. She wears a pink garment with broad folds and a deep neckline. In front of her, a second woman turns in profile to the right, her face gently modeled and thoughtful, with a blue headwrap covering her hair and a pale cream garment draped across her shoulders. She holds a long blue-green vertical pole near the left edge of the painting. The background is loose and atmospheric with greens, tans, and browns brushed broadly so the emotional focus remains on the women’s presence, proximity, and relationship. The painting conveys dignity, quiet strength, and intimacy without sentimentality. The title “The Sisters” invites a reading of kinship, but American artist Peggy Strong builds meaning through pose and orientation as much as title. As one woman meets us, the other turns inward, creating a subtle dialogue between outward endurance and private reflection. Painted in 1938, the work belongs to a crucial period in Strong’s life and career. After a devastating 1933 automobile accident left her paralyzed, she continued to paint and develop a serious professional practice and exhibiting beyond the Pacific Northwest. “The Sisters” was documented as an oil painting shown at the 1940 Virginia Biennial, underscoring Strong’s national visibility. Seen in the context of her shortened life and her persistent artistic work after injury, this portrait feels especially powerful. It is not only a sensitive study of two Black women, but also evidence of Strong’s resilience, ambition, and deep commitment to human presence. The compressed space and expressive brushwork give the painting a modern immediacy, while its emotional restraint gives it lasting gravity.

“The Sisters” by Peggy Strong (American) - Oil (on canvas?) / 1938 - Cascadia Art Museum (Edmonds, Washington) #WomenInArt #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #PeggyStrong #CascadiaArtMuseum #Sisterhood #BlackPortraiture #art #artText #BlueskyArt #AmericanArt #AmericanArtist #WomenPaintingWomen

Pacific-northwest U.S. artist Zama Vanessa Helder (aka Z. Vanessa Helder) depicts fellow American female artist Blanche Morgan Losey seated in a dark wooden chair at a small, square, red table. Her posture is relaxed but composed. She rests her forearms on the table, one slightly overlapping the other. Her gaze is directed away from us, towards our right, suggesting an introspective state. The woman has styled her dark brown hair in a fashionable updo for the late 1930s. She is wearing a collared shirt in a muted olive green, with a darker brown, almost burgundy, vest dress over it. The fabric appears smooth and slightly glossy. Her makeup is understated; a hint of red lipstick is visible. Her expression is serious and serene, neither sad nor happy, but contemplative. On the red table next to her sits a small, potted plant with large, dark green leaves and a slender, mottled stem. The pot is a simple, earthenware brown color. One leaf appears to be browned, suggesting it's not in perfect health. Underneath the plant is a small, gray bowl, likely a cachepot. The table's red surface is highly polished, reflecting light. Helder, who grew up around Seattle and Spokane, was acclaimed for her “precisionist” scenes of Eastern Washington. Apparently, she was also known for strolling downtown Seattle with her pet skunk. Losey painted in styles from realist to surreal, and also created sets for the local Negro Repertory Theater Company and Seattle Opera. She loved the details of life. She was a member of the Women Painters of Washington, the Northwest Watercolor Society, and the National Association of Women Artists in New York. During the 1930s and ’40s, she worked in the precisionist style—hard-edged, clean-lined watercolors that focused on design, color, and form. Losey lived multiple artistic lives: in addition to her watercolors and WPA work, she was the director of Frederick & Nelson’s interior design department for more than 20 years in post-WWII Seattle.

“Portrait of Blanche Luzader Morgan (Losey)” by Z. Vanessa Helder (American) - Oil on masonite / c. 1939 - Cascadia Art Museum (Edmonds, Washington) #WomenInArt #art #WomenArtists #WomensArt #WomenPainters #BlueskyArt #ArtText #Helder #ZamaVanessaHelder #BlancheMorganLosey #CascadiaArtMuseum

A painting of about a dozen large northwest Native canoes hauled up along the dirt bank of a shoreline. Many white tents are staked out by the canoes. In the background is a three-masted sailing ship and further in the distance are many large buildings. The sky is gray with a pink tinge and is reflected in the calm waters in the foreground.

Very exciting news from the Cascadia Art Museum. The Garvey Family has made a generous contribution of more than 75 early Pacific Northwest paintings and additional financial support.

www.cascadiaartmuseum.org/northwest-ma...

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I stopped in last Friday Cascadia Art Museum in Edmonds to see the current exhibit, a retrospective of the works of Beulah Loomis Hyde, an important cultural figure in Tacoma as an artist and patron." #art 🖼️ #PNW #Tacoma #Edmonds #CascadiaArtMuseum #museum www.cascadiaartmuseum.org/structure-an...