Building Art Series: Six-Painting Series by Artist Inese Westcott

By Chieko (Susan) Brower | March 30, 2023

Seattle Unity’s new building is graced with six paintings by artist Inese Westcott: The Light in the Forest, By the Lake, Forest Light, Dancing Pine, Tree Life, and Ocean Blue.

Invite artist Inese Westcott to talk about her art and creative process, and she will in turn extend an invitation to walk the land with her. Explaining that this is the best way to be informed about who she is and what her art is about, she shares the history of the land and community and happily shows the progress on her family’s Barefoot Park project. At each stopping point, she has something novel to share: the myriad textures of the various sections of the Barefoot Park trail; the rustic wooden leaf cut-outs installed as educational stopping points; the magical ceramic vegetable head art on the tree trunks (akin to green man sculptures), placed to be joyfully discovered by future young walkers of the trail. She waits for the reaction to each of these shared treasures, much like a mother watches a young child exploring something the mother knows full well will evoke a wide-eyed and delightful sense of wonder.

This seems to be at the heart of her joyful and generous spirit: to share this sense of wonder and enchantment that nature has always brought to her life. The energy of the earth, sea, sky, and especially the trees, has nurtured her throughout her life and her sweetest desire is for the viewer to be similarly energized by the spirit of nature embodied in her art. For Inese, the earth is a magical place. For viewers of her art, she is the alchemist, “…taking every moment in, being at peace and embracing the flow when the mind stops racing and the synergy of the mind, heart and hand become one as the paint and color appear on the canvas.” Her use of nature’s colors soothes the soul and warms the heart, and nature’s energetic field imbued in her work brings peace and grounding to the restless spirit. This magic is in her art, and thus the viewer is transformed. Her devotion to this endeavor runs deep; her joy in being of service in this way both inspires and uplifts; and her art is truly a gift to be experienced and cherished.

Read more about Inese and enjoy more of her art at: http://www.inesewestcott.com/. Read more about her Barefoot Park project at: https://www.barefootparks.com/

Inese can be reached via her website.