June 19 - August 28, 2026
Melinda Hurst Frye – Photography
Elena K. Abbott – Collage

Gallery Reception Saturday, August 15, 1-2:30pm.

Since 2019 Melinda Hurst Frye, has been making images of the forest floor, its cycles and partnerships, with the bulk of the work made in Kenmore. The work weaves art and ecology into a conversation about place and stewardship, while providing views of the Hoh Rainforest, second-growth forests from the Kitsap Peninsula and their nurse logs that serve as a foundation for new life, agroforestry endeavors working with the land, regeneration after fire, and the churning activity of Kenmore’s own St Eds. Working frequently in the field, I use a scanner as my camera to capture the smallest of eggs and exoskeletons, allowing the viewer to glimpse a world of small unions that build the greater whole of the forest. Additionally, I work in the studio, bringing in fungi and elements of the forest floor to compose and later observe the path of the mushroom’s spores as they settle on the scanner glass. 

Elena K. Abbott’s work is a celebration of the incomparable landscapes of our region expressed through found paper collage. Her work begins with collecting and curating “trash paper” for each piece — thumbing through the detritus of old magazines, catalogs, and calendars. Her imagery starts along the shores of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and travels south to where the seashore meets the open waters of the Pacific. The pieces then carry the viewer inland, exploring the diverse natural and pastoral landscapes that stretch along the western foothills of the Cascade Mountains and expansive eastern Washinton. Along the way, she celebrates the iconic birdlife that fills our skies, forests, and waterways. The journey ends by immersing viewers in mountain scenes from across the greater Pacific Northwest, with vistas of endless rolling peaks and the pleasure of resting along mountain streams and alpine lakes while majestic peaks tower above.

There will be a Gallery Reception to celebrate the artists on Saturday, August 15, 1-2:30pm. The artists will be speaking briefly on their work at 1:30pm. All are welcome to attend!