Signs of Welcome: Len Eisenhood, Paintings from Bloedel Reserve, 2023

Painter and paper marbler Len Eisenhood will exhibit a series of works in October and November at Jeffrey Moose Gallery on Bainbridge Island. A reception will be held on First Friday, October 6th from 6 to 8 PM. A Facebook Livestream will be broadcast from approximately 5:10 to 5:30 with the artist providing a walk-through commentary on works in the show. At 7pm, Mr. Eisenhood will deliver an informal talk about his 2023 Residency as a “Community Creative” at Bloedel Reserve.

Mr. Eisenhood created the new work during his current residency at Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. Once the estate of a timber mogul, the Reserve is exquisitely landscaped and is rated as one of America’s ten best botanical gardens. During his residency as a “Community Creative” Mr. Eisenhood has painted dozens of works on paper that he marbles himself and conducted workshops that include making art, journaling and confronting our intimate relationship with Nature.

While Mr. Eisenhood studied briefly with artist Wayne Thiebaud in college, it was not until his exposure to paper marbling by local legend Don Guyot in 1980 that a fire started to burn and he began art-making seriously. The art in this exhibition is a subtle combination of work painted in acrylic and marbled paper. The sinuous lines and tones of the marbling reflect not only the bark and fiber of the wood, but also naturally occurring colors. Often it’s hard to distinguish foreground from background, transforming an objective view into an abstract one, an experience both startling and pleasant. The fluid energy of the marbled elements mimic and reinforce the subjects as objects which are alive and thriving.

Mr. Eisenhood was raised in an apple orchard in California, has worked as an orchardist and studied horticulture and international agriculture development at University of California, Davis.

His early career was spent in the Peace Corps as both a volunteer and, later, as a trainer. Education became a later career focus and Mr. Eisenhood received a Master’s in Education from the University of Massachusetts in 1972. He has primarily worked as a kindergarten and elementary school instructor since then. In the late 90’s he studied Scientific Illustration in a Certificate program at the University of Washington, where he studied with Tony Angell, Kathy Barker and Chuck Wood.