The Opening Reception is Saturday, October 7^th, from 5 – 8 PM, free and open to the public. Two interactive programs are scheduled with the artist, on October 22^nd and November 12^th, both at BIMA. See www.biartmuseum.org for reservation and ticket information for these programs.

Linda Okazaki: Into the Light is a retrospective of paintings by the Port Townsend artist. Okazaki’s diverse influences – including dream logic, Goethe’s theory of color, nature, and childhood tragedy – combine into this large-scale exhibition of more than sixty oil, watercolor, and iPad works from the 1970s to present day.

Okazaki’s retrospective takes us on a highly personal journey over several decades, and through various artistic inquiries and themes. Her work draws from personal history and dreams, as well as a lifelong inquiry with art history and philosophy. One major passion is the emotional connection to color. Related to this, she created her own color palettes to reinforce and secure her visions.

Her paintings are often narrative and journal-like. Depending on the series, they are figurative and more easily translated – or surrealistic – with familiar yet not entirely plausible scenarios. These paintings invite the viewer along in the artist’s journeys, revealing stories through Okazaki’s visual vocabulary and fantasy vignettes.

Okazaki has worked through several series of paintings. These are not all sequential – some are revisited and expanded upon over time. The retrospective is not organized chronologically, but around these series: Personal Narrative, Domesticity and Nature Morte, Dream Logic, The Mother Wound, Landscape and Waterscape, Music, Song, & Theatre, The Briarcliff Series, and Birds.

Linda Okazaki received a BFA (1971) and an MFA (1975) from Washington State University, and has lived for many years in Port Townsend. She has been featured in several one and two-person exhibitions since the late 1970s including at Francine Seders Gallery (Seattle), Max Grover Gallery (Port Townsend), SEEDS::Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY), The Virginia Inn (Seattle), and Smith & Vallee Gallery (Edison). Numerous group shows include The Washington State Convention Center (Seattle), Jefferson Museum of Art & History (Port Townsend), and the Port Townsend School of the Arts, Gover Gallery (Port Townsend).

Her work is included in several prominent collections including Seattle Art Museum NW Collection, Microsoft, King County Arts Commission (4Culture), and the Seattle Arts Commission. Okazaki has also received several poster commissions, including Bumbershoot, Centrum Foundation, and Jefferson Land Trust.