AUGUST 2022 ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Mary Lascelles
One thing Skagit County isn’t lacking is fabulous photographers, most of whom keep their focus rather specialized. For our August artist of the month, it’s more about the light, shapes, colors, and mood – as opposed to subject – which means we get to see her vision in everything from wildlife and landscapes to portraits and studies of people. But more about that later. First, let’s learn about Mary Lascelles and the incredible path that led her to the PNW and Guemes Island.
Photography is the art form she’s pursued for decades in one way or another. It was her dad’s hobby. “I so appreciate him introducing me to my first camera at age 8. The spark grew HOT, and I really don’t remember when I ever left home without my camera.” And leave home she did! Mary grew up in Minnesota, which was a great place to grow up and dream about the big, wide world beyond. A hitchhiking trip to New Zealand at 29 changed the trajectory of her life going forward. She married a Kiwi while there (they’d met in Minnesota years earlier). Regarding their move back to the states, “We simply fell short of the dart we threw on a map while still DownUnder and ended up in Northern California rather than Oregon.” They worked hard for years in health care and a real estate brokerage they owned while raising their two sons.
In the past decade Mary and her husband have travelled to India, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt, England, Costa Rica, Israel, New Zealand, Chile, and Peru. She and Mark have just returned from a spectacular 5-week Sprinter trip to Alaska, BC, Alberta and western Washington. Mary shared that “the Sprinter allows us to get away at a moment’s notice which has turned out to be one of the best things in retirement. We were in Death Valley, CA in November and Denali, AK in June — the lowest and highest points in the USA.” Earlier this year, they flew to the Florida Keys to see their son and daughter-in-law and then on to Honduras for a Rotary project. Phew!And where were they when Covid hit big? In February of 2020, they went to South Africa to fulfill a bucket list trip. “Who would have guessed we’d experience lockdown there due to C19? It’s a memory, for sure!”
When asked what brought them to Guemes Island, Mary related that they’d had some boating vacations in the San Juans when their sons were young, and they fell in love with the area. “When we retired in 2016, we sold our home in Northern California and traveled for 15 months in our Class A motorhome with the idea of finding the perfect place to retire. Our younger son lived in Whatcom County, so we visited him and the area and fell pretty hard for Skagit County, the Valley, and Anacortes.” Their goal was to check out the USA and see what was out there and they saw a lot of great areas, but they love the West Coast. Ending up back in Skagit after a year, they road their bikes around Guemes one day and hurriedly looked online for homes for sale. “Lo and behold, there was one that fit the bill! We moved in 5 years ago in September and haven’t looked back.”
Mary is presenting Guemes Islanders with a wonderful opportunity. In her own words: “Covid has hidden too many of us away the past two years. I’d love to (re)connect with more folks on the Island. Recently, I was gifted a beautiful portrait lens which I look forward to mastering. It’s nice to change things up every so often, right? With that said, I am keen to offer some free portrait sessions to Guemenians in August. If you are interested, please contact me at mmlascelles@gmail.com to arrange a place and time. Casual settings and attire — perfect!”
In addition to this very generous offer, Mary has also created two coffee table books (Guemes Time and Guemes Island Scavenger Hunt). She is also formulating a new one for this year. They make fun and affordable Christmas gifts.
You can find Mary on Instagram (@BoomerEye) www.instagram.com/boomereye. If you are interested in prints of any kind (including cards), just shoot her a message.
Our Artist of the Month for August is offering FREE PORTRAITS FOR ISLAND RESIDENTS! Photographer, Mary Lascelles, is offering individual portraits to island residents during the month of August. She brings her skilled eye for details with shadows and light to capture images. You can schedule a time to meet, and she brings her camera to you. She often uses a location that offers a personal connection or a bit of humor. At the end you have a beautiful digital photo! Free is a very good price. Contact Mary at mmlascelles@gmail.com or (530) 515-6299.
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