Renton Artist Amanda J. DeSilver Reception This Weekend at Carco Theatre

Local artist Amanda J. DeSilver is creating "room to breathe" this spring with an Renton Municipal Arts Comission-sponsored art exhibit at the Carco Theatre through May 17, using natural landscapes of mountainsides, beaches, and even a lone street tree to soothe the modern mind.

The public is invited to "meet the artist" at a reception scheduled on Saturday, April 27, from 5 - 7 p.m. in the Carco Theatre Lobby. DeSilver, a graduate of Syracuse University as a printmaking major in 1993, said she sought to use natural landscapes provide the catalyst to creating new environments unfettered by internal and external obstructions.

"A great deal of our lives is spent in confined spaces-offices, homes, cars, structures not of our making," she said. "So too are we restricted by our modes of thought, habits and definitions ... Unexpected colors and forms open the mind to new possibilities and clear away the clutter of facts and figures. Contemplation and surprise allow the imagination to wander. I invite you to journey with me to wide open spaces and uncharted territories."

After years of travel, DeSilver settled in the Puget Sound area, impressed by the astounding beauty of the Northwest.

Her unique landscapes of the region inspired her to explore them through painting and collage, as well as on foot, according to a Renton Municpal Arts Commission. Her emotions during these adventures have influenced her bold and sometimes unusual use of color, said a news release.

DeSilver has exhibited in a number of alternative spaces throughout Western Washington for the past decade, participated in public art projects, and volunteered her time in various arts organizations.

For more information, visit DeSilver's website or her Facebook page.

Carco Theatre, adjacent to the Renton Community Center, is located at 1717 Maple Valley Highway at the intersection of I-405 and Maple Valley Highway. Please contact the theatre for viewing times at 425-430-6706 or at rentonwa.gov. For more information about the Renton Municipal Arts Commission, visit ArtsCommission.rentonwa.gov.

(Ed. Note: The information above is from a city of Renton news release.)