Artwork copyright Kathleen Frugé-Brown. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Sockeye Pair, Cedar River, 2000

Kathleen Frugé-Brown
(American, born 1955)

Location: Lakewood Middle School, Marysville

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Sockeye Pair, Cedar River is a painting by artist Kathleen Frugé-Brown. The composition pairs vibrant colors with expressive marks and texture. These details suggest two sockeye salmon are swimming through the current of a rippling river. It is part of her body of paintings that depict the Cedar River Valley near the artist's home and studio, in King County, Western Washington.

Frugé-Brown notes, "I am drawn to painting water because of its many-layered quality: you get to paint the things you see in the water and under it; the patterns of ripple, foam, and current; the reflections on its surface… and then there's the fact that it's always moving! You've got to paint with rhythm, and gesture, and delight: you can't get all picky and perfectionist when you're painting a river from life."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Lakewood School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Kathleen Frugé Brown is a painter and printmaker who creates artworks for public installation. Her work is inspired by and celebrates the Pacific Northwest wilderness. She states, "My hope is to share that with others, through paintings that invite viewers into a special place and moment, and through public art that strengthens and celebrates viewers' connection to their own landscape."

Frugé Brown received a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Washington in Seattle.