Country Life Special Section • Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Gardening • CL3 Dairy • CL4 4-H • CL6
Agriculture
Agriculture
Former nautical artist turns to farms
National raspberry council coming to Lynden
Williamson, of Ferndale, will be in upcoming Lynden show By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
LYNDEN — James Williamson, a local artist of ships and nautical themes in the past, has now turned his attention to Whatcom County farming. The Ferndale-based painter will be at the March 17-19 Lynden Spring Craft & Antique Show with some of his latest watercolors. “For years I have been painting ‘tractor tugs’ for Foss Maritime,” Williamson wrote in an email. “Now I have taken all that ‘tractor tug’ experience and turned my attention to actual tractors.” His completed subjects so far are: an Advance Rumely steam engine, a John Deere Model B tractor spotted on a Lynden farm, a Farmall H tractor on a local tractor lot, and an old pickup truck in a landscape with Mt. Baker in the background. Williamson has been doing the craft and antique show for five years, both spring and fall. He mainly brought his nautical and marine history subjects, but his appreciative viewers requested that he do “farm art.”
National membership reflects a strong local flavor By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
He has the ability to create paintings of machines. He attributes that to a degree in industrial illustration, after growing up in industrial Pittsburgh. “So it is easy to go from one subject to the other ... tugboats to tractors. Both are machines. The only difference is placing them on water or land,” he quips. “What ‘drives’ me to create more is the response I get from people. Many are excited to see such detailed paintings of tractors that oftentimes have special memories for the family. Others enjoy the Whatcom County landscapes I have created so far.” At the 30th annual spring craft and antique show, Williamson will talk about how he creates, discuss the history of his subjects and learn from visitors.
LYNDEN — The National Processed Raspberry Council, a national-level industry group formed in 2013, comes to Lynden for its next round of meetings on May 23-25. John Clark, veteran Lynden berry grower, is chair of the 12-member council, and at least four of six domestic producer members on the council are from Whatcom County, reflecting the dominance of local red raspberry growing. Ravinder Dhaliwal is vice chair, and Rolf Haugen and Adam Enfield are members. The full council, set up under federal law through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, also includes importers and foreign producers of processed raspberries that come into the United States, and one public at-large member. The exact locations of committee meetings the first two days and a full council meeting on May 25 are still being determined. Tom Krugman is the executive director of the National Processed Raspberry Council. “We chose Lynden for an obvious reason — it’s right in the heart of U.S. raspberry country and we want to make it as convenient as possible for as many industry members in Washington and British Columbia as possible to join us for this meet-
See Painter on CL5
See Raspberry on CL6
Local painter James Williamson has turned his artistic focus toward old farm scenes and equipment. (Courtesy photos)