Arts & Entertainment

Edmonds: Inspiring Laughter and Curiosity in Two Exhibits

James Martin and Dr. Ben Thal are showing their artistic creations.

James Martin and Dr. Ben Thal share many similarities. Both Edmonds residents enjoy telling a good story, whether it’s in person or in their artwork.

Now paired together in these two exhibits in Edmonds, both artists invite the viewer to unravel and enjoy the stories depicted in their characters.

The Edmonds Arts Commission present Martin’s paintings at the Edmonds Library and Thal’s Whirligigs in the EAC Display Case at the Frances Anderson Center through Thursday.

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James Martin enjoys telling a good story, in person and in his paintings.  According to Martin his visual narratives have “hidden meaning unrelated to the common relationship” and the viewer is invited to unravel and enjoy the stories depicted by his characters.

Martin is a longtime Edmonds resident and a Pacific Northwest native.  

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Dr. Ben Thal is trained as a surgeon and an untrained artist. Nearing retirement, he transitioned from a scalpel to a carving knife. He acquired skill in mechanics by dismantling stuff in his father’s junk shop in Bellingham. Before tackling whirligigs, he invented and patented instruments for ear surgery. Thal’s whirligigs are inventions, too. He says carving is difficult for him because he hasn’t had any wood carving or art training, but making them move is easy.  

Martin’s exhibit is at the Edmonds Library, 650 Main St, and features Martin’s work courtesy of Foster White Gallery in Seattle. Thal’s Whirligig exhibit is in the EAC Display in the Frances Anderson Center,700 Main St. For more information, contact the Edmonds Arts Office at 425-771-0228.


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