A fine suit of scales and color he has. Strong and dedicated to his journey he is. The Salmon deserves our respect and admiration. His piece to the puzzle is a link we cannot break. That link is a specific presence that holds the balance of the whole, just by being here. If the links are broken, the puzzle scatters, the whole dissolves. His puzzle piece is a keystone. Let us not lose any of the pieces to our puzzle, nor interfere with or cause him to lose his.

This fish is comprised of aluminum, copper, and oil on wooden board. “While studying sculpture at Cornish, we were always looking for unusual material to bring to our pieces. Myself and lots of other students used to go to Boeing Surplus and see what we could find. I was working with metal a lot and these were aluminum, with self sticking back and bought a box full home. Have hung on to them in many moves, knowing that one day they would find their way into a piece of sculpture. The minute I took on the fish donation, I immediately thought of the aluminum circles as scales…being a sculptor, I collect a lot of odd things that inspire me. They always end up in a piece of work, and sometimes it takes a long time before that happens. Art is never on a time clock…it just happens.

Rella has been a practicing artist for 45+ years. Starting as an accomplished oil painter, she then studied watercolor and life drawing going on to an art teaching position at Southwest Oregon community College. Rella went to Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle receiving a BFA in art where she studied painting and sculpture with nationally-acclaimed artists such as Ed Wicklander and David Nechak. Further graduate studies in sculpture were at Central Washington University. Rella has worked at the Seattle Art Museum and was a term member for the Tacoma-Pierce County Arts Commission. She served as a board member of the Yelm Prairie Arts Association and was owner of the Schafer Gallery Art and Frame shop in Yelm, WA. Rella continues to work as a professional artist, accepting commission work, teaching privately, and has a wholesale art tile business that focuses on birds and landscapes along with fine art giclee prints.

Approximate Dimensions: 46” x 15”

Artist suggested value: $250

Donated By: Rella Schafer