By Heather Caro

Photos by Chad Bremerman

It all began with a thorn — a goathead, to be exact.

Seattle book publisher Ed Marquand first rolled into the city of Tieton in 2005, while on a springtime bike trip through the Yakima area. Riding across a warehouse parking lot, his wheels were soon flattened by goathead barbs. A “for sale” sign on the vacant building that once served as a fruit-packing warehouse caught Marquand’s eye, and he slipped through an open door to peek inside.

Marquand recalls thinking, “Oh my god, this is such an amazing building! You could never afford space like this in Seattle.”

And with that, the spell was cast.

With a little research, Marquand found tiny Tieton’s (pop. 1,200) story was that of so many rural towns across the country. With sinking agriculture prices and a failing economy, Tieton had become unsustainable. And mom-and-pop businesses were unable to compete with nearby Yakima’s freeway-based commerce. Tieton was a shadow of its former self.

Like a modern-day pied piper, the well-connected Marquand set to work gathering investors and artists who had been priced out of space in Seattle and shared what he described as an emotional attachment and commitment to the town.

Together they invested heavily in Tieton properties — including the purchase of two warehouses, a church and several storefronts — none of which contained viable businesses. Remarkably, and with the aid of an almost exclusively local workforce, Marquand’s dream of building a “community of artisan businesses” soon began to materialize.

Today, one warehouse has been converted into 14 urbanesque lofts, while another accommodates two print shops, various galleries, workshops and artist studios (including sound artist and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Trimpin). The church has been transformed into Harvest Hall — a community event center that can be rented for weddings and other special occasions. Tieton Books and Paper Goods and Marquand Editions (marquandbooks.com) occupy a small storefront where high-end art books are sold alongside hand-bound editions, stationery and gifts.

“It’s more of a functional space than we could have ever imagined,” says Marquand, who is quick to list ideas for future endeavors, including the addition of a tasting room, café and a tavern, just as soon as the right like-minded visionary comes along to tackle the project.

Visitors to the town could easily drive by the warehouses and storefronts without ever realizing the accomplishments of the devoted artistic community. But, says Marquand, “What Mighty Tieton has done in the past five years is most impressive from the inside.”

For more information:

Mighty Tieton

P.O. Box 369 Tieton

mtieton@yahoo.com

mightytieton.com

Yakama artist HollyAnna Pinkham sits on her Yamaha V Star motorcycle while wearing traditional dress that she made, including a short-fringed buckskin dress decorated with bead work and elk teeth, beaded leggings and moccasins and beaded gloves.

By Heather Caro

Photography by Andy Sawyer

With the ease of an old friend, HollyAnna “Cougar Tracks” DeCoteau Pinkham, 42, sidles up to a table laden with colorful beadwork at her Wapato home. And soon, stories as colorful as the beads she weaves with begin to flow. The artist and Yakama tribal member’s tales are punctuated with laughter and told in Pinkham’s characteristic style, a fusion of stubborn confidence and glee. She tells of camping trips, of lessons learned, legends and fables — some recent, others historical.

One story begins with an heirloom: her great-great grandmother’s antique, plateau-style saddle. It was a saddle that had been captured in time by the famous Western photographer Edward S. Curtis, and passed down through generations.

Though she appreciated its beauty, Pinkham felt there was something not right with the saddle — it creaked and clicked under the weight of a rider.

Pinkham, who always has been interested in figuring out how things work, had never repaired a saddle. But, she thought, “I can fix this.”

She knew permission would never be granted for such an ambitious task. So, when her parents left town to visit relatives in North Dakota, Pinkham took advantage of their absence.

With a scalpel, Pinkham carefully peeled away the leather covering. Her efforts revealed a cracked saddletree — the wooden “backbone” of the saddle.

Pinkham set to work. Soon, pieces of the priceless family heirloom were dissected and lined up along her basement workbench — “So I would remember exactly what order to put them back,” explains Pinkham.

Yakama artist HollyAnna Pinkham hand-carves pieces of a saddle frame. Once carved, the pieces are joined and wrapped in elk hide that shrinks to create a solid frame.

It was then that her parents made an unexpected early return home.

“She was not happy,” Pinkham grimaces as she recalls her mother’s response to the scene. “She didn’t speak to me for a while.”

Despite the silence, Pinkham persisted with her repairs, crafting a new rawhide covering and inlaying wood into the damaged tree frame. She finished the saddle in time for the family’s annual trip to the Pendleton Roundup, though Pinkham had not gained her mother’s forgiveness.

As roundup preparations were being attended to, one of the event’s assistants noticed the repairs. With Pinkham’s family within earshot the attendant asked, “Who fixed the saddle?” No one responded to his question — including Pinkham, who admits, “I was scared I had ruined it.” But after careful inspection the man responded, “This is some of the best work I have seen.”

“I just smiled and walked away, never saying a word,” says Pinkham.

Soon, she was filling repair requests from family and friends back home. But Pinkham had grander aspirations: to create a saddle from start to finish, using traditional plateau methods.

So, one step at a time, Pinkham began.

She cut down trees whose wood was strong enough that it could cure through the winter without cracking, and then carefully crafted saddletrees. She hunted deer and elk to make their hides into buckskin, which she used to create sturdy saddle coverings. The labor-intensive process took up to two years to complete, with some saddles taking much longer depending on available natural resources. Finally, Pinkham hand-finished each saddle with intricate beading, using the leftover leather pieces to craft bridals and regalia to complete her vision.

This year, Pinkham is in the process of completing what will be her fourth double-horn women’s plateau saddle, made — as she says — “from scratch.”

Her work, and the fact that she is one of few within the tribe who still creates using traditional methods, has earned Pinkham widespread praise. Her saddles and elaborate beadwork have been showcased at Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Yakima’s Larson Gallery and the Yakima Valley Museum, among others.

Yakama artist HollyAnna Pinkham attaches some decorations to a double-horn plateau women's saddle she made. Pinkham is one of only a few who still uses traditional methods to create saddles.

But as one tale ends and the next begins, Pinkham’s tone sombers. She begins another story … one without an ending.

In 1993, just before her 23^rd birthday, Pinkham was diagnosed with cancer. Pinkham’s Native American culture (her heritage includes Yakama, Nez Perce, Cayuse, Umatilla, Grand Ronde and Cree) consider thought and language to have the power to influence reality. It is believed that even speaking the word “cancer” has the power to bring the disease into being. Because of this, Pinkham (who, because of her beliefs, still prefers not to reveal the type of cancer she had) told no one of the diagnosis or the yearlong treatment that followed. Not her mother, sister or husband.

“I worked 24-hour shifts (as a structural and wildland firefighter), so it wasn’t uncommon for me to be tired or not eat,” says Pinkham of her efforts to conceal the nausea and fatigue the treatment caused.

Pinkham completed the oral treatments and was in remission for 10 years. But in 2003, she was diagnosed with melanoma again. This time Pinkham picked up the phone to tell her sister about the challenge she faced. “She told me, ‘You must not have done something the first time that you need to do.’”

Pinkham, who was working as a federally certified law enforcement officer in Oregon, took her sister’s words to heart. “I quit my job,” she says, “and hit the ground at a full sprint.”

Having discovered firsthand the challenges of receiving cancer treatment while living in a rural area, Pinkham decided to help others in the same position.

After first getting permission from her tribe to speak out about cancer, Pinkham sewed a jingle dress with the initials LAF (Lance Armstrong Foundation) on the sleeve.

Armstrong’s Tour de France comeback and unprecedented winning streak after his own cancer battle created a wave of media attention, and Pinkham felt a connection to the cyclist who never seemed to quit. At each tribal dance, Pinkham used her dress as a conversation starter to talk about the foundation, which supports people affected by cancer, as well as the importance of early cancer screenings.

Pinkham was elected to the Yakama board of Native Cancer Survivorship and soon began lobbying for health care reform and cancer research in Washington, D.C., and Olympia — even crafting a black jingle dress for a formal lobbying soiree.

And as she dipped her toes into political waters and continued her own cancer treatments, others began to take notice of her efforts to bring adequate cancer care to rural areas.

Pinkham was elected as Washington state co-chairperson for the National Patient Advocate Foundation, which works with officials to outline legislative priorities. She was asked to serve as an advocate for the American Cancer Society. And she also began working closely with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle Children’s Hospital and her long-admired Lance Armstrong Foundation.

“When I started cancer work, (my focus) was ‘cancer in Indian country,’” says Pinkham. “But now it’s about cancer in rural America.”

Beadwork arm bands by Yakama artist HollyAnna Pinkham include a blue cross that is her family's symbol and shooting star flowers on a textured background of yellow that contains suns and horses in relief.

Her simple but firm message was clear. Everyone “deserves the same treatment as the next person, with respect to their individual beliefs.”

As she continued to lobby, however, a scheduled check-up brought disheartening news: another cancer site had been found. “I had it again,” sighs Pinkham.

Pinkham, who counts among her ancestors a long line of warriors, never lost her fighting spirit. “I can’t say I was ever scared — to die.” She pauses at this statement and then begins to laugh.  “I was mad. It was annoying. You can’t run from it — it follows you.”

Remission after this round of treatment lasted for nearly four years. But on June 4, 2008, Pinkham was diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time, with new primary sites including her vocal cords. She was also diagnosed with several autoimmune disorders, including polymorphous light eruption (PMLE), a rare allergy to sunlight that was slowly causing her to lose her vision.

The news hit Pinkham hard.

“I called my mom and just bawled ‘How (expletive) strong do I have to be?’ Then I laid in bed for two days and stared at the TV.”

On the third day, Pinkham was ready to fight once again. “(I said) that’s over now. I’m not going to let (cancer) govern my life.”

Pinkham once again underwent treatment that included five surgeries over 10 weeks. After speaking with her oncologist, she began supplementing the prescribed western medicine with native herbal medicines and as many “sweats,” powwows and dances as she could attend.

“My traditions and culture taught me to adapt,” says Pinkham, who in March was declared clear of all cancer.

Throughout her own trials with cancer, Pinkham has remained clear in her mission to improve care for others as well.

“It’s not just my story, it’s the story of every single person who has walked a similar path and faced the challenge called cancer … they are why I lobby. I speak for those who can’t or don’t know how to speak.”

“Cancer taught me a lot of things,” says Pinkham. “I don’t like to waste any time. There’s always something that needs to be done.”

And as she looks toward her future, Pinkham remains cautiously optimistic.

“After working in public safety for most of my life I’ve learned to prepare for the worst, hope for the best and pray you get something in the middle,” says Pinkham. “At 36, they said I wouldn’t live to be 38,” she adds, grinning triumphantly. “I consider myself to be 3 (years old) — it’s all about perspective. Today is a good day.”

Pinkham now has more than enough to fill her days. Between her artwork, lobbying for cancer care, working as a Yakama Nation homeland security emergency management planner and even going back to school — she’s pursuing a degree in social justice — the vivacious Pinkham continues to add chapters to her already remarkable life.

“Cancer taught me a lot of things,” she says. “I don’t like to waste any time. There’s always something that needs to be done.”

Hear HollyAnna Pinkham’s “How We Got the Fringe on the Heel of Our Moccasins” in this Turtle Island Storyteller Network recording.

http://www.turtleislandstorytellers.net/tis_washington/mp3/h_pinkhamj.mp3

Photos by Cal Blethen

Whether it’s the Sphinx in Egypt or Michelangelo’s David in Florence, Italy, public art is a hallmark of a civilized society. Yakima has been the fortunate recipient of a number of public art installations that have added a dynamic artistic dimension to our city.

But do you know where they are?[[Show as slideshow]]

Now that the warm weather has finally arrived, Yakima magazine invites our readers to get a group of friends together and embark on a scavenger hunt for Yakima’s “public art” … some in the most unlikely places.

The late Ellensburg artist Richard Elliott created Circle of Light, which wraps Yakima’s SunDome like a Native American headdress. During a summer heat wave in 1992, Elliott risked life and limb to hang like a window washer off the side of the dome, affixing by hand the 48,480 industrial neon reflectors to the side of the building.

The satirical sculpture Coyotes with Chickens, near the south side of Yakima Valley Community College’s pedestrian overpass across Nob Hill Boulevard, holds the distinction of being Northwest artist Richard Beyer’s last work of public art. Famous for his humorous Waiting for the Interurban sculpture on Seattle’s Fremont Bridge, Beyer’s Coyotes with Chickens depicts professorial “coyotes” deciding the fate of the student-like “chickens.”

Not far away, YVCC’s newly opened Glenn Anthon Hall features Three Allegories of Learning, by Seattle artist Steven Gardner. According to Gardner, “The three dramatic terra cotta panels found at the top of the lobby’s staircase … depict the importance of knowledge, growth, risk, patience and self-initiative.” Don’t overlook the glass panels on the stair rails that reflect the disciplines taught in the building.

Yakima artist Daniel Patton got the nod from the Washington Department of Transportation to create the stainless steel Sunbursts that epitomize Yakima’s sunny climate and appear on the I-82 overpasses. Installed in 2007, Patton worked with ASAP Metal Fabrications to literally torch and jackhammer the steel into the artwork it is today.

My Life and Times in Yakima, a painting by nationally acclaimed artist Roy DeForest, hangs in a rather unusual place: Yakima’s downtown library. A child of migrant farm workers, DeForest attended YVCC, later taught there and ultimately became a professor of art at the University of California, Davis. A leader in the “California Funk” art movement, DeForest died in 2007; his artwork appears in major art museums around the country.

Spiraling Upwards, a distressed green copper pillar in front of Allied Arts on Lincoln Avenue, was created by Ellensburg artist Debbie Young. The wrinkled green monolith was a gift from the past presidents of Yakima Allied Arts.

If you have time, take a purposeful stroll on the adjoining Labyrinth, created by Babs Rankin. Installed in 2001, the labyrinth replicates those in ancient cultures that were used for meditation.

The Yakima Valley Museum boasts what is likely the only Neon Garden in the country. Iconic neon signs from bygone Yakima businesses, such as the Yakima Bicycle Shop and the airport’s “Welcome to Yakima” sign, light up the museum’s great hall, greeting museum visitors and attendees to frequent dinner functions alike.

Abundance, a glass, steel, basalt and bronze sculpture created by father/son artists Michael and Chad Gray, makes a statement at the corner of Yakima Avenue and North Second Street. The basalt columns symbolize earth, water and sun, with the tallest topped by a multicolored, glass “horn of plenty” that lights up at night.

Bremerton sculptor Bill Robinson recently installed his abstract, coiled granite sculpture in front of Yakima’s former train depot on North Front Street. At first controversial, the hubbub seems to have died down and the piece is starting to remind viewers of Yakima’s prehistoric roots.

The Millennium Arts Plaza in the heart of downtown Yakima on South Third Street took four years and a community to create. Boston Artist Wen-ti Tsen oversaw the design of a circular plaza that reflects the importance of water, land, agriculture, multicultural heritage and the history of our Valley. No matter the season, the Millennium Arts Plaza has become a favorite  place for community gatherings and special events.

Know of a piece of public art we haven’t mentioned here? E-mail us at feedback@yakimamagazine.com

Art lovers in the Yakima Valley will be able to find plenty of inspiration this spring – and maybe a new piece of wall candy — at Larson Gallery’s 11^th annual Tour of Artists’ Homes and Studios on May 15.

The daylong, self-guided tour titled “Living with Art” allows visitors a peek into the homes and studios of six local artists, including Leo Adams and John Barany. See where artists live and create while viewing a wide range of artistic mediums, including pottery, wood art, fused glass, paintings and metal-smithing. Original artwork will be available for purchase at each home.

The $20 ticket ($5 for students) includes a full-color map of each home and detailed information about the featured artist. Tickets can be purchased at Larson Gallery, Oak Hollow Gallery and the Yakima Bindery, as well as each artist’s home/studio on the day of the tour.

For more information contact:

Larson Gallery

larsongallery.org

509-574-4875

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Yakima’s array of downtown venues has brought with it a new mix to the local music scene.  From bluegrass to blues, opera to oldies, there is a tune for every taste. Here are a few that we think are definitely worth the cover charge.

Cody Beebe and the Crooks

With two solo albums already under his belt, Selah native Cody Beebe is no stranger to the stage. He and his band, Cody Beebe and the Crooks, combine a melting pot of sounds and styles including blues, rock, folk and jazz to create their “Americana” voice.  Whatever the billing, there is lots to love about the catchy, energetic acoustics they bring to the stage.

“We are all upstanding citizens and college graduates,” says Beebe of the band’s criminally-inspired moniker (Beebe holds a civil engineering degree).  “So the ‘Crooks’ only implies that we steal hearts I guess,” he adds with a grin.

Catch Cody Beebe at venues such as Sportscenter, Sage and Gilbert Cellar

With a new album set for release this spring (recorded at London Bridge Studios – of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden fame) and an upcoming Northwest tour, Cody Beebe and the Crooks will likely be stealing hearts for many years to come.

Hear It: Cody Beebe and the Crooks play venues ranging from Lower Valley Wineries to sold-out clubs in Seattle; they have even opened for Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman.  They swing through the Yakima area every couple of months – watch for them at Sportcenter, Sage Restaurant and Gilbert Cellars.

www.myspace.com/codybeebe

Wayman Chapman

Between wailing guitar licks and a voice like melting butter, Wayman Chapman has been a fixture of the local music scene for years.  And while Chapman’s soulful blend of R&B, jazz and funk has taken him around the world, playing and recording with such notables as Oleta Adams and the late Larry Knechtel (of Bread fame), the Yakima native never strays long from the Valley where he first put down his musical roots.

“We play all over the place, depending on the crowd,” laughs Chapman of his varied playlist, which includes everything from the blues to Sinatra covers.  “I do what I like to call a ‘grown-folks night,’ where people can still come to dance and just have a good time.

Hear It: Wayman Chapman frequents locales throughout the Northwest, but when at home he hangs his hat at Yakima’s Speakeasy and Santiago’s.

www.waymanchapman.com

Coyote Ridge Bluegrass Band

Though only performing together for about two years, members of this Yakima band are well versed in their medium, and Coyote Ridge Bluegrass Band has already developed a loyal following.  Playing traditional, gospel and progressive bluegrass music with a big ol’ helping of down-home southern charm, Coyote Ridge entertains and captivates audiences of all ages.

“People often blow off bluegrass as too country or hillbilly,” says John Young, who plays mandolin and emcees for the band with a self-proclaimed “front porch kinda ease.”   “But,” he continues, “as folks listen to us, they quickly find that the acoustic is demanding, intricate and complex behind the Hee-Haw curtain.”

Hear It: The band’s rambunctious music is a house favorite at Gilbert Cellars in Yakima, but you can also find Coyote Ridge Bluegrass Band playing Northwest hometown celebrations such as the Zillah Bluegrass Festival and the Whistlestop Music Festival in Toppenish.

www.coyoteridgebluegrasswranglers.com

Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs play at venues such as Raw Space in Ellensburg and Yakima's Sportscenter

Star Anna & the Laughing Dogs

With a distinctive voice at once world-weary, impassioned and gritty, Star Anna and her band the Laughing Dogs will simultaneously break your heart and bring you back for more.

They’ve gathered acclaim for albums (The Only Thing That Matters was released in 2009) and performances from critics including National Public Radio and Sound magazine.  But in spite of the (much-deserved) attention, Ellensburg native Star Anna has managed to stay sweetly authentic with a sound that’s true to her rural upbringing.

“Growing up in the country and being surrounded by hills and fields and big sky, stars and stuff,” Star Anna once said in an interview with San Diego News Network, ”I think it has a lot of influence on me.”

Hear It: Though Star Anna and her band regularly play Ellensburg and Seattle venues – we think it’s worth the drive to see them perform live – watch the Sportscenter stage for scheduled appearances.

staranna.com

Buzz Bands:  Up-and-coming groups to keep on your musical radar

Short Bus Bobby

Short Bus Bobby

Rowdy and rambunctious with a know-it-by-heart ‘70s rock n’ roll playlist, a show by Short Bus Bobby is always a good time.  The dark-shades-donning members of the band include upstanding locals Randy Hyatt, Phil Luther and father-son duo Chad and Pat Peterson. The band plays “a gig a month” at venues around Yakima and has developed a strong Short Bus fan base. Get on the bus!  Watch for Short Bus Bobby at Sportscenter as well as local festivals throughout the Valley.

Adrienne Bousquet

Performing sultry jazz and crooning covers of Frank Sinatra, Etta James and Dinah Washington, among other classic greats, this blond bombshell is an “old soul” (though not yet out of her teen years).  Bousquet, a Prosser native, performs at Yakima’s Sage Restaurant as well as other local venues when she’s not away at college.

http://www.myspace.com/adriennebousquet

Kyle Smeback can be heard at local venues Sage and Gilbert Cellars among others.

Kyle Smeback

Singer/songwriter Kyle Smeback’s breezy acoustic style is a breath of fresh air to the local music scene.  Catchy guitar riffs and rich vocals blend to create a sound both unique and yet comfortably familiar.  Smeback can be heard regularly at venues around Yakima, including Sage Restaurant and Gilbert Cellars.

http://www.myspace.com/kylesmeback

Culture Club:  Broaden your musical horizons

Juan Barco

Born in Texas, Juan Barco spent his youth working as a migrant worker and learning the art of Tejano music.

After settling in the Lower Yakima Valley, Barco went on to receive his Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Washington, but he also continued to play music in conjunto bands.  Barco’s band was among the few selected to play at the opening of Benaroya Hall in Seattle.  His was also the first to play Tejano music at the Seattle Center Experience Music Project, where his work was featured in the “American Sabor” Tejano music section, and is slated for viewing at Washington, D.C.’s, Smithsonian in 2011.  Today Barco plays primarily in the Seattle area, though he also tours local school districts teaching the importance of education and maintaining a rich cultural heritage.

www.juanmanuelbarco.com

Yakima Valley Light Opera Company

This newly-formed local musical troupe is raising quite the stir – and an encore or two – with their lively renditions of popular arias such as selections from “La Boheme” and “Carmen.”  And though performances are often sung in German, French or Italian, you don’t have to be an opera buff to enjoy the show.  Watch for the troupe at Seasons Performance Hall and Greystone.  Brava!

"it's sort of urban old-country with an outdoor influence." Wolf says of his functional designs.

By Heather Caro

Photos by Gordon King

BJ Wolf is not a stereotypical knitter. You might picture a grandmother fashioning a two-sizes-too-small sweater.  Or a young mother carefully crafting booties for her infant.  But whatever you might imagine of the typical knitter, it is probably not the six-foot, outdoorsy persona of BJ Wolf.

But then again, Wolf is anything but typical.

Dressed in athletic pants and an REI pullover, Wolf, 46, looks more likely to be lugging a mountain bike than a Tupperware tub overflowing with perfectly knitted scarves.  Fidgeting in his favorite chair at Northtown Coffee House, Wolf is a constant blur of motion as he excitedly describes the transition from creating knits for family and friends, to what is now a business endeavor.

Seemingly unaware of the curious eyes peeking from around newspapers, Wolf begins extracting lengths of colorful knits. There are classic scarves and modern loops, designed to be wrapped around the wearer’s neck.  There’s even a Nordic-style hat that can be made into a neck warmer with the release of a drawstring – custom made for a snowmobiler with a habit of losing hats while warming up at the lodge.  “It’s sort of urban old-country with an outdoor influence,” Wolf says of his functional designs. “Everything I make I want people to be able to wear in everyday life.”

Wolf came by his characteristic “old country” designs honestly, having learned the art of knitting from his Scottish grandmother, Annie Kemp, or “Nannie,” by the age of 4.  “As young as I can remember I was drinking tea, eating shortbread and knitting,” grins Wolf. “It was probably her way of getting me to sit still.”

Thick woolen sweaters and scarves were a staple in Wolf’s family, as he recalls his visits to Nannie’s hometown of Troon, a coastal fishing village in Scotland.  He describes Troon as quaint, and yet “cold, wet and miserable.”

“The windows are painted open over centuries because they believe in the fresh air,” says Wolf.  “The best way to warm up is by wearing knitted stuff.”

Nannie’s lessons stuck, and Wolf continued knitting into adulthood. “I don’t like to stay in one place very long, so it’s good for when I’m watching movies, baseball games, whatever,” says Wolf.

Knitting became a way to fill downtime when Wolf joined the Army in his late teens. “I wanted to travel, to see the world,” says Wolf.  The military allowed him to do just that.Wolf’s military career encompassed the next 10 years of his life.  Wolf thrived in the high-stress atmosphere of a special-ops unit where he cross-trained as a medic, but it eventually became all-consuming. “The travel culture wears (on you) after a while,” says Wolf.

"There's no such thing as a bad color or an ugly color," says BJ Wolf. "It just hasn't been married with its match yet."

When it was time to move on from his military career, Wolf decided to enter the medical field. Working at both local Yakima hospitals, he used skills learned in the Army to memorize each physician’s preferences for medical equipment and eventually helped create a new “procedure specialist” position for himself. In the hospital setting, Wolf once again found a fast-paced, high-intensity atmosphere that complemented his personality.  There, he worked long stretches of time without taking a day off, sometimes for months on end.“I’m a bit of a workaholic,” Wolf admits sheepishly.  The grueling schedule and demands he placed on himself predictably led to burnout and so he decided to switch gears and left the medical field last year.

“In the Army and at the hospital, people counted on me to be there when they needed me.  I’m a pro at that to a fault.  I put everything and everyone ahead of myself,” says Wolf. “But for health and everything else, I needed to rest and relax – I could feel it,” he continues. “I don’t want to work myself to death or illness. I need to take care of me and still find a way to be productive.”

Knits from BJ Wolfs Mercantile feature Yakima inspired names such as "The Tieton" and "The Brownstown."

“I’m recharging,” Wolf says with a shrug as he describes how his quest to find equilibrium led him back to the unconventional hobby of knitting.  Though Nannie passed away nearly 10 years ago at the age of 86, it is through her long-ago lessons that Wolf may have finally found a way to balance work with relaxation.

“When you enjoy something, you take comfort in it,” says Wolf. “That’s what knitting is to me.” And for now at least, Wolf seems content to channel his seemingly boundless energy into creativity, as he plans his next ventures with knitting needles in hand.

Under the name BJ Wolf’s Mercantile, Wolf’s collection of knits includes scarves, hats, fingerless gloves, cowls and loops ranging in price from $35-$175.  Many of the knits are his own design and though each piece echoes his Scottish roots, Wolf finds inspiration in the Yakima Valley as well.  Knits on his Web site have names like “The Tieton” and “The Brownstown.”  Wolf says he also chooses color combinations based on the natural color palette in the Valley.  “I want to put some of where I live into what I do.”

Today, Wolf spends his days doing what he loves: networking with friends and family and retailing his knits on his website and places like Yakima’s Wild Lucy’s.

“I gather ideas from wherever I go,” says Wolf, “and I’ve been around a little bit.”

For more information, go online to www.bjwolfmercantile.etsy.com or email him at bjwolfmerc@gmail.com.

By Heather Caro

Photos by Gordon King

The bustling ICU is alive with alarms, blaring lights and myriad staff rushing to perform their own tasks when Denise Risley, 30, an intensive care nurse at Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center, keys her pass code into the locking doors.  Standing a slight 5 foot 2 inches tall with copper highlights and dark-rimmed glasses, Risley calmly navigates the chaos to a kitchenette, an oversized bundle wrapped in surgical drapes balanced in her hands.

Her entrance draws a small crowd of onlookers as the baby blue papers are drawn back to reveal the glossy modern painting that is Risley’s latest creation.  Textural elements such as glass and metal fill the piece, contrasting painted neutrals with a singular shock of red.  This particular painting is slated for the home of a prominent neurosurgeon in the valley, his name the latest addition to a rapidly expanding list of patrons who have commissioned Risley’s distinctive art.

“My work is sort of random and abstract,” Risley, a Yakima resident, says with a laugh, as she lists the recycled elements she routinely incorporates into her work.  Everything from EKG papers to sawdust, unused sterile packaging from medical procedures to tiny shards of glass from the time her 11-year-old used a slingshot to fling an ink pen through their sliding glass door.  Risley has enlisted co-workers in her search for unusual materials as well, bringing back colored sand from vacation spots around the world.  Pieces such as these are combined with color and other materials to create a look at once modern and uniquely classic.

“Sometimes people want to know what their artwork will look like (before it is completed), but I never know until it’s done,” shrugs Risley.  “I just add and take away until I like how it looks.”  Her patrons must like what they see as well, since Risley, who custom creates each piece after visiting where it will be hung, has more requests than she is able to fulfill.

Risley’s art sprang – as is often the case – from hardship.  Life has not always been rosy for the busy mother of three.  Two years ago, all that was normal came to a grinding halt when her 3-year-old son, Seth, was sent to the hospital for an appendectomy following abdominal pain.  The surgery went well; however, Seth’s blood pressure was abnormally high afterward.  Further testing found a 1 1/2 lb., grapefruit-size-tumor on Seth’s left kidney.  Risley rushed Seth to Children’s Hospital in Seattle, where he was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor, a treatable form of kidney cancer.  The tumor and Seth’s entire left kidney were removed immediately, and he began more than six months of chemotherapy.

Though Seth began to recover physically, the surgery and subsequent treatment left him reserved and withdrawn, not the spirited 3-year-old he was before his diagnosis. Unable to walk due to an epidural for pain control, Seth was confined to bed or a red wagon that his parents pulled him in as they walked the hospital grounds.

In an effort to help her son play again, Denise began art therapy with Seth while still in the hospital.  “We had to find things to do with him that didn’t require walking,” says Risley.  Gathering art supplies from the staff at Children’s Hospital, Risley and the staff held up paper for her son and helped him paint.  Framed paintings created by the two during Seth’s hospitalization still hang in their home as a reminder of time spent together there.

As they returned home to begin Seth’s recovery, Risley, without the aid of formal art education, continued painting in part for her own benefit.  “I didn’t have any control over what happened to Seth,” says Risley. “I needed to be able to do something (I could control).”  But what brought Risley’s artwork from personal hobby to a blossoming talent was the chance showing of a piece she had created as a housewarming gift for a group of co-workers.  When her co-workers found out the work was an original and not able to be purchased in a store, a tongue-in-cheek bidding war began.  That afternoon began her journey to a passion and a secondary income that today allows Risley to spend more time at home with her family.

Risley’s artwork has been commissioned by professional offices including The Yakima Valley Youth and Family Coalition and Yakima Neurosurgery Associates, as well as the homes and private offices of prominent colleagues and co-workers from the community.  Yakima Chest Clinic features a painting in its remodeled patient waiting room to celebrate its recent name change to the Lung and Asthma Center of Central Washington. Outside the medical community, her work can be found displayed downtown at Tim’s Downtown Tasting Room.  And during her first showing at Allied Arts Center’s Juried Art Exhibit in July, Denise brought home the Delma Tayor Artist’s Award.  Not a bad resume considering Risley has been showing and commissioning her artwork publicly for less than two years.

Today, Seth’s cancer is in remission and, says Risley, to watch him play there is little indication that just two years ago his health had been in such jeopardy.  Risley’s return to work came with a greater appreciation of her children and a promising career unfolding from a difficult time in her family history.  Her paintings, with found objects from her life incorporated within each design, are a little like Risley herself:  bold and exceptional with an ability to transform what was once broken into a work of art.