Women find satisfaction, enjoyment, a little bit of themselves in art avocation

MOSES LAKE - Kayleen Simpson picked up her paintbrushes again during stormy times in her life. Deb Polito reconnected with art after seeing her son-in-law's reaction to a painting she presented to him as a gift.

The two women, colleagues at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin, are the featured artists for May at the Imbibe wine bar, 216 W. Third Avenue, Moses Lake.

"It's called the Boho Bird Show," Simpson, 23, said. It's all birds, "whether it's retro owls, to love birds - we have all different types," she said.

"We both got into birds at the same time and we always wanted to do a show that has a theme," Polito, 56, said.

It's Simpson's first show; she has nine paintings on display, with the rest painted by Polito.

Owls and love birds, as well as crows and song birds, are among the subjects. "It's a very eclectic group." Simpson said.

Polito's paintings are done with oils, while Simpson prefers acrylic, at least for the moment. "It's what I'm comfortable with right now," she said.

Their art is not all about paint, however.

Both found materials to add to some of their paintings, pasting cutouts from printed pages onto the canvas. Simpson said she lays lace across the canvas and spray paints it for background. Polito uses buttons, broken jewelry and metal cutouts on some of her canvases.

"That's another thing we've learned at the club (Boys and Girls Club). Recycle, recycle, recycle. You can make something out of anything," Polito said.

Simpson and Polito came up with the idea for the art show and pitched it to Imbibe owner Cynthia Dano, who scheduled it about six months out.

"Six months to paint," Polito said.

"And it flew by," Simpson said.

She was always interested in art, Simpson said. "I always dabbled in it," and took classes in high school, but drifted away as she got interested in other things. She took up photography and started her own business, Bohemian Roots Photography.

She started taking painting seriously the last couple of years, when she faced some big decisions and big events.

Her mother passed away, and she and her husband decided to adopt two children of a family member. With big things happening, painting became a refuge, she said. "I think coming back into painting has allowed me to find me again," Simpson said.

"It (painting) is one of those things you lose yourself in and you find yourself at the same time," Polito said.

She also was interested in art all her life, she said, but after school and starting a family she turned her attention to other things. "Being a mom, raising kids, working," she said. She picked up her paintbrush again about three years ago.

"I guess face-painting the kids (at Boys and Girls Club events) inspired me to get back on canvas," she said.

But what really did it was a request from her daughter, who asked for a painting of a favorite musician for her husband. "I painted this huge piece," and her son-in-law's reaction "catapulted" her back into painting, she said.

"I just started painting all these musicians," she said. They were the subject of her first show. Birds became the new subject after talking with Simpson about her paintings, she said. "When I saw her bird paintings, I was like, 'wow, those are really cool. We should do a show,'" Polito said.

Simpson said her first show is a little unnerving, but it's also very exciting. "You're putting you out there for others to see."

With experience from her first show behind her, Polito said she knows the comments - good and bad - will be coming, and she welcomes the feedback. The object is to paint subjects that other people will enjoy, she said.