Artwork copyright Michael Lindenmeyer. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Blind Slough, 1998

Michael Lindenmeyer
American (born 1950)

Location: Anacortes Middle School, Anacortes

About the Artwork

Artist Michael Lindenmeyer’s painting Blind Slough shows a railroad bridge crossing the Columbia River. The location is close to the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge in Southwestern Washington. The refuge historically opened for waterfowl hunting in the fall. He notes that this creates a conflict between “an emerging ethic of conservation and traditional pioneer privilege of unlimited use of available resources.” While it may look like just a scenic watercolor, the artist notes that this history and conflict inspired him to paint the area.

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

About the Artist

Michael Lindenmeyer is an Oregon and Olympia, Washington-based painter. He spent many summers in the 1980s in the Victorian seaport of Port Townsend, Washington where he rented a studio above the Town Tavern. His artworks tell mythic stories about the West Coast landscape and the consequences of industrialization.