Artist finds inspiration on Camano Island

CAMANO ISLAND — Pollen had a lot to do with it.

If not for his physical reaction to the grass seed fields of John Ebner’s native Oregon, the prolific watercolorist might otherwise be a farmer somewhere in the Willamette Valley.

As a kid, Ebner’s asthma kept him inside during pollen season. He remembers a coloring book given to him to keep him occupied. He started drawing at an early age and fell in love with landscapes and color.

Good thing for the people who love his art.

Ebner’s impressionistic painting “Island Memories” is the poster art for this year’s Camano Island Studio Tour on Mother’s Day weekend and the following Saturday and Sunday.

Forty-some artists, 30 studios and three galleries are on the self-guided free tour. Tourists will see ceramics, glass, furnishings, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture and textiles.

The tour is Camano Island’s biggest event, attracting thousands of people, said glass artist Mary Simmons of the Camano Arts Association.

“Some people bring their mothers each year and haven’t missed a tour yet,” Simmons said.

Camano has more than its share of award-winning or well-known artists. The beaches, the forests and the views inspire many, including Ebner.

“Everywhere you look, there is inspiration,” Ebner said. “Camano is perfect for an artist like me.”

After high school, Ebner studied advertising art in Portland, then worked in sales and marketing for Hunter Douglas window coverings.

Ebner and his wife and business partner Paula moved in the early 1970s to Bellevue, where they were introduced to the arts and crafts festival there. Ebner remembered how much he liked art.

“Soon after Paula signed me up for a watercolor class. I was hooked and I studied with the best,” Ebner said. “I learned that watercolor has a mind of its own and that sometimes you have to just go with it. Pretty soon I was showing and selling my work at the arts fair.”

The couple moved to the northwest corner of Camano Island in 1998. Ebner is a founding member of the Camano Arts Association and a strong supporter of the studio tour.

Now 72, Ebner is as busy as ever. He paints each day, often from photos he takes just down the road.

He works on his computer and he has a new, huge printer in his studio, allowing him to produce limited-edition prints of his iconic Northwest landscape paintings of Camano Island, Deception Pass, Mount Rainier, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and people walking in the rain on ocean beaches and in downtown Seattle.

Ebner also produces his art on aluminum and glass, experiments with alcohol ink and acrylics, and he and Paula have created an artistic garden, which tour-goers also will see.

The tour’s featured artist this year is Karla Matzke, who will show her pastels. Her fine art gallery and 10-acre outdoor sculpture park on the south end of Camano have been an island destination for years. More than 80 artists are included in the gallery and sculpture park.

Also special this year is a retrospective of the art of the late printmaker Fred Pilkington at Forte Art on the north end of the island.

Another Camano artist and teacher John Delzell, 60, died from a heart attack on April 26. While his studio (No. 10 in the tour brochure) will be closed this year, some of his art will be featured at Studio 22. A tribute to Delzell’s life and art is planned for next year’s tour. A funding website for his wife and young daughter has been set up at www.youcaring.com/memorial-fundraiser/the-john-delzell-family-fund.

Camano Island Studio Tour 2015 from Johannes Happonen on Vimeo.

Artists on this year’s tour include Yonnah Ben, Chaim Bezalel-Levy, Sally Chang, Roger Cocke, Dian Dangler, Beverly Reaume, Marguerite Goff, Dale LeMaster, Susan Cohen Thompson, Lee Beitz, Marc Boutte’, Mark Ellinger, Ray Fossum, Dolors Ruscha, Mary Simmons, Kathy Dannerbeck, Marie-Claire Dole, Patti Pontikis, Liane Redpath, Gail Thein, Dotti Burton, Marilyn Crandall, Linda Demetre, Sylvia Domoto, Betty Dorotik, Jed Dorsey, John Ebner, Joan Enslin, Jack Gunter, Liz Hamlin, Diane Hill, Dan Koffman, Molly LeMaster, Karla Matzke, Bobbie Mueller, Janie Olsen, Robert Paczkowski, Frank Renlie, John Ringen, Helen Saunders, Pamela Searcy, Wayne Simmons, Sue Uhrich, Kathy Hastings, Terence Rabbitt, Nick Seegert, Chris Tuohy, Jeanne Wolfington, Bill Matheson, Pamela Searcy Wayne Simmons, Sue Taves, Kathy Edelman Hutchinson, Terri Jo Summer and Russ Riddle.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.

If you go

The free 17th annual Camano Island Studio Tour is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 8, 9, 10, 16 and 17 on the island and near Stanwood. The best way to start the self-guided tour is with a stop at Windermere Real Estate, Terry’s Corner, 818 N. Sunrise Blvd., on the island for a brochure and map. Or you can download the brochure and map from www.camanostudiotour.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.