Page 11 - Demo

Special Advertising Section | Sunday, November 30, 2025 11wolves. A recurring motif in Pixie%u2019s work is the unmistakable evergreen forest-scapes of the Pacific Northwest.The creator behind those paintings is a private person who seldom looks at cameras.Another artist at Vibrant Palette, Brette Flora, uses abstract visions to reflect her inner life, usually in mixed media. Her acrylic painting %u201cHeart Girl%u201d oozes warmth while revealing an almost cubist-like influence.Flora%u2019s work at Vibrant Palette has led to showings in professional galleries and public places throughout the Seattle area, including her hometown gallery Vashon Center for the Arts. For Flora, it%u2019s all about self-discovery.%u201cArt is when I can be true to myself,%u201d she says. The Vibrant Palette program is part of the Parkview Services nonprofit organization that provides community engagement for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.Thanks to funding from the Kuni Foundation, 27 adult artists with disabilities meet twice a week in a 1,300-square-foot studio in the heart of the Equinox complex in Georgetown. Pixie has been there from the very start, nearly eight years ago.According to Zachary St. John, the program director for Vibrant Palette, not enough is being done to support these types of programs.%u201cSeattle is an affluent, art-saturated city, but opportunities for artists with [intellectual and developmental disabilities] remain few and far between,%u201d he said. %u201cPrograms like Vibrant Palette exist because the mainstream art world still overlooks people whose communication, behaviors or processing styles differ from the norm. Our artists are not hobbyists or participants in a %u2018special program.%u2019 They are fine artists with distinctive visual languages and a uniquely deep understanding of color, rhythm and form.%u201cTheir work is a form of language, and our job as a fine arts program is to make sure that language is seen, valued and amplified. Vibrant Palette bridges a gap that should not exist in the first place %u2014 a gap between creative ability and public access. We make sure artists who might otherwise be invisible have the space, support, supplies and outreach to be seen.%u201dLearn more or donate to Vibrant Palette at vibrantpalette.org. Brette Flora%u2019s %u201cHeart Girl%u201d uses abstract form to evoke warmth and femininity.An artist who goes by the name Pixie has been pursuing her craft at Vibrant Palette studios since 2017. (Photos courtesy of Zachary St. John via Vibrant Palette)Brette Flora, whose art has appeared in professional galleries in Seattle, pursues inspiration at Vibrant Palette.Continued from page 9