Something Mysterious Is Happening at Edmonds' Gallery North

Ready to step into another world?

This month, Edmonds' Gallery North presents "Mysterious Realms: Beneath and Beyond." The exhibit displays the undersea photography of Mary Bess Johnson and Darlene Lucas’s watercolor paintings of the cosmos.

Photographer Mary Bess Johnson uses studio photographic techniques in a most unusual setting—under the sea. “As I float in the sea as free of gravity as my host animals, it is my quest to capture the essence of fluidity and grace which, to me, is the hallmark of life in the sea,” she says.

Darlene Lucas is a well-known watercolor artist and local art teacher. She has at least one sketchbook for every year that she has been an artist. She fills the sketchbooks with images, thoughts, words, quotes, and drawings that provide inspiration for her paintings.

“Whenever I feel restless and can’t decide what to paint, I take a trip through my sketchbook and I’m on fire again,” says Lucas.

The concept for the exhibition was born when the two artists viewed their work side by side. They were struck by the similarities in shapes and patterns between their visions of the cosmos and the marine world.

“It seemed almost as if earth’s watery world was an emulation of the heavens,” Johnson says.

The result is a collection of photographs and paintings that allow viewers to explore territory not commonly experienced in everyday lives.

 Up in the loft this month is the art of John Manuwal, a local photographer who specializes in fine art photography, giving the viewer an up close and personal experience with nature.

“For me the beauty of fine art photography is to be able to create the picture that I see or feel,” he says. “I have the freedom to create a piece of art that is a part of me or an experience I am having. My goal is to enable the viewer to enter the experience."

The public is invited to meet the artists and enjoy the show at an artists’ reception on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Refreshments will be served. The artists also will be available to discuss their work at the Third Thursday Edmonds Art Walk this week from 5 to 8 p.m.

Gallery North is open 7 days a week and is located at 508 Main St.