Bits ‘n’ Pieces: Featured artist embraces tradition

Battle Ground artist Cindy Lunde considers herself a “full-time artist, when I have time.”

Lunde has been painting for more than 30 years — “I’ve been painting for as long as I can remember,” she said — yet has only recently begun showing her work to others. She’s entered pieces in the last two fall and spring juried art shows hosted by the Society of Washington Artists at the H.H. Hall Building in Hazel Dell. She earned an honorable mention in the fall 2012 member show.

“(The Society of Washington Artists) have really good demonstrations and shows. It’s a really good club for Vancouver to have,” Lunde said. Established in 1962, the society is open to artists of all media and skills.

“I just like to be around people who are artists, and I wanted to know what was going on with art in Clark County and Portland,” she said. “And I’ve hung out at Arts Desire for almost 20 years now.” Local instructor Bev Birdwell runs Arts Desire, which offers weekly art classes and workshops at its Minnehaha location.

Art has always been a natural fit for Lunde. “My family really valued art, and when we were kids, we’d have to go to the Portland Art Museum. They just valued art. It was always just part of our lives,” Lunde said.

She works in the traditional mediums of oil, watercolor and pastel, and in styles of the old masters, European artists who created work before the 1800s. “I’ve painted horses for years on my own, because I used to own horses. I like to paint scenery.” Her most recent subjects have been flowers and plants.

Lunde is the organizing chairperson of the Society of Washington Artists spring art show in May. While the club’s fall show is members-only, the annual spring show is open to all. She expects to see around 150 submitted art works in the spring show.

Lunde also will be the featured artist of the month at the Society of Washington Artists’ meeting, which will feature examples of her work. Visitors are welcome to attend the meeting, which will be from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the Vancouver Heights United Methodist Church, 5701 MacArthur Blvd., Vancouver. Visit societyofwashingtonartists.com for more information.

Bits ‘n’ Pieces appears Fridays and Saturdays. If you have a story you’d like to share, email bits@columbian.com.