Some people discover an artistic talent at a young age, possibly pursuing the passion as a hobby or building a career around the talent. Other people may not realize an artistic interest and ability until retirement. The art journey is varied for each of the unique artists who will be participating in the second annual Arts Walk at Panorama on Thursday, September 8 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Numerous accomplished artists, who live at Panorama, will be sharing their work including four distinctly talented individuals representing theater, literary, music and the visual arts.
Dale Witherow, a successful visual artist, has worked in a variety of styles and mediums. He is well known for his abstract and expressionistic work that often portrays landscapes, concepts, and feelings. He will be displaying some of his smaller paintings and prints during the Panorama Arts Walk. A larger collection of his artwork is currently on exhibit at Art House Designs in downtown Olympia.
Witherow shares, “I grew up in a small coal town in Pennsylvania. There was not a lot of interest in the arts so I surprised many when I pursued an Art Education degree then went on to receive a Master in Fine Arts from the Instituto Allende in Mexico. I taught art for four years in the public schools after which I taught for 30 years at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania before retiring and moving to Olympia.” While teaching, Witherow exhibited in shows throughout the Northeast and more recently he has painted and exhibited his work in galleries in Olympia, Seattle, Portland, Santa Fe and Scottsdale.
Mike Turner spent his professional life working for Disney, Toys R Us and teaching school. Yet Turner has always loved theater. He explains, “When I lived in New Jersey, we would go to Manhattan almost every weekend to see a play or musical. I traveled all the time for my job so I had little time to pursue any type of theater work. However, when I retired I took an acting class and was hooked. After that I started to audition for community theaters and I started to get parts. I did about a dozen or so plays including, ‘Anastasia,’ ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest,’ ‘Our Town’ and others.”
“When we moved to Panorama, I found that there was a great theater program here, including Readers Theatre, a resident driven theater group, Kaleidoscope and a theater driven ‘radio show’ group, KPAN. I have acted in and directed a number of Kaleidoscope productions. And since there are so many theaters in the area, I have even done a couple of plays at Olympia Little Theatre,” he says.
A ten-year resident of Panorama, Linda Kalkwarf has been writing plays and stories since she was a teenager. During the Panorama Arts Walk she will have two of her most recent stories read on stage by members of the Panorama theater arts group.
Kalkwarf shares, “In the past I had written stories and plays with no particular timeline. In school I’d write plays to amuse my friends. Later as an adult I volunteered to write newspaper articles for a library association in a small Midwest town. Since residing at Panorama, I have submitted stories to The Voice, a quarterly publication for Panorama residents including stories, poems and interviews. When my stories got published I had so much fun seeing my story in print, I decided to join a writing workshop at Panorama. The workshop is run by a professional Olympia playwright, and the discipline of writing something to read aloud each week was a great motivator for me. I have since self-published two pieces, one about travel experiences and one about a remote area in California. My big dream and ambition is to tackle fiction.”
Kalkwarf, who has also taken drawing classes might just be one to watch for a release of fiction with her own illustrations.
When Judy Konopaski and her husband moved to Panorama they immediately began the search for informal musical gatherings. Konopaski explains, “Music has always been an integral part of my life. I played piano as a youngster, sang in the church choir and went on to sing in a choral group with Stanley Chappelle at the University of Washington. However, as a mother and professional, I didn’t have time for group participation. I did not play a string instrument until I retired. At Panorama, we discovered a string group called ‘Strummin’ with Strings.’ We started our small jam at our home mostly focusing on Bluegrass but including compatible genres.”
“Soon Jamorama was born,” continues Konopaski. “Jamorama has played in several Panorama community productions and a talent show as well as informal gatherings. We continue to gather weekly to pick and grin. I have told friends ‘our music is the reason I get up in the morning.’” Jamorama will be playing outside across from the aquatic center from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. during the Panorama Arts Walk.
Visitors can stroll the Panorama campus to view the work of more than 60 visual artists while enjoying the sounds of live music and watch live stage performances during the 2016 Arts Walk at Panorama.
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