Cascadia Art Museum is pleased to present the work of Helen Loggie (1895-1976), a Bellingham resident who became nationally known for her etchings of the Northwest landscape, particularly the highly detailed studies of trees within the natural environment of Washington State. Our exhibition brings together a wide variety of works in various mediums from public and private collections with many being seen for the first time. The art dates from the early to mid-twentieth century.

Part of our exhibition features two of Loggie’s contemporaries who were also active in Bellingham including her early instructor Elizabeth Colborne (1885-1948) and her contemporary, Z. Vanessa Helder (1904-1968).

The exhibition also features a selection of large scale contemporary tree drawings by award-winning Edmonds resident, Donna Leavitt.

Loggie attended Smith College and the Art Students League in New York, studying with George Bellows, George Luks and Mahonri Young.

One of her strongest influences came from her studies with the prominent etcher, John Taylor Arms whom she met in 1929 . It was Arms who encouraged Loggie to seriously pursue etching and they remained lifelong friends and colleagues with Arms proofing many of her etching plates throughout her career. Following the example of Arms and other prominent American graphic artists, Loggie travelled to Europe and made numerous studies of architectural details and city streets.

In 1930, she built a house on Orcas Island, Wa. and divided her time between there and Bellingham, Wa. for the remainder of her life.

Her exhibition history includes numerous solo exhibitions including Seattle Art Museum in 1939 and Smithsonian Institute in 1944. She also participated in several prominent group exhibitions in Paris, London as well as the prestigious Venice Biennale.

The exhibition also features a selection of large scale contemporary tree drawings by award-winning Edmonds resident, Donna Leavitt.

image credits:

Helen Loggie (1895-1976), Unk & Es. Etching.

Elizabeth Colborne (1885-1948), Red Cedars – Old and New – Washington, circa 1940’s. Woodblock print.

Donna Leavitt, Thrust, 2012. Graphite.