Artwork copyright Jenny Riffle. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Everything Time Studio, 2024.

Artwork copyright Jenny Riffle. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Everything Time Studio, 2024.

Artwork copyright Jenny Riffle. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Everything Time Studio, 2024.

Snoqualmie Valley, 2019

Jenny Riffle
(American, born 1979)

Location: University of Washington - Medical Center Northwest, Seattle

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Snoqualmie Valley by Jenny Riffle is about nature and its calming and healing effect on humans. Riffle notes, "I am especially interested in the forest and our connection to it, which can be seen throughout history in folklore and fairy tales. The forest is often portrayed as a very powerful place of transformation, once traveled through you come out the other side changed, empowered. It is a place to connect to nature, a place of contemplation and magic." This photograph was taken in green spaces around Seattle. Riffle tries to bring some of the power and magic of the forest to viewers, so that we can experience calmness and a connection to nature indoors. The Snoqualmie Valley is east of Seattle.

This artwork is part of a curated collection of Northwest-based artists by Dawna Holloway at the UW Medical Center Northwest in North Seattle, Western Washington. The local art selection committee wanted artworks that would create a welcoming, peaceful environment for the patient floors of the new Behavioral Health Teaching facility. The photographs were printed onto Acrovyn, an industrial wall covering. They span floor-to-ceiling to bring lush nature inside, transforming the residents’ sterile surroundings.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with University of Washington.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jenny Riffle is a photographer who works with narrative portraiture and landscapes that explore the psychological essence of a person or place. Her work also explores the power of nature in the Pacific Northwest.

Riffle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (2001) in Photography from Bard College in New York State and a Master of Fine Arts degree (2011) at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Riffle lives in Seattle, Washington. She has two published photography books and she teaches at Photographic Center Northwest in Seattle.