Debra Van Tuinen and Julie Kluh ~ the Connection Between Two Olympia Painters
Here at Red Door, we LOVE art. Not only can it add that perfect finishing touch to a space, it also exudes personality and creates the opportunity for you to express who you are within your home.
We especially like recognizing and using local artists in our work.
There are a plethora of talented artists in Olympia and we wanted to share the stories and work of two Olympia artists with our Red Door Interiors community.
We had the opportunity to meet with both of these lovely artists and learned all about how they got to where they are today.
How long has art been their life?
What are the struggles of being an artist?
How does where you live influence your work?
These were some of the topics we covered during our time together.
Debra Van Tuinen has had a love for art since she was five years old. She started painting and playing around with outside art projects. She says she remembers looking at her mom and saying “I am going to be an artist when I grow up.” And that is exactly what she did.
Debra’s story starts in Michigan where she grew up. When she was in high school she started showing her art in local shows. After she graduated high school, she attended Hope College in Michigan because of its well-known art department.
In college, Debra primarily worked on black and white art pieces and etching. It was at Hope where one of her professors nudged Debra into the direction of studying abroad in London to further her knowledge of art.
Upon returning from London, she received her masters degree at the University of Washington. After graduation she traveled to Japan to study with a famous Japanese woodblock artists. This discovery of Japanese woodblock printing along with sumi painting is still incorporated into her work.
Debra loves the beautiful waters of Puget Sound and enjoys living on the water and spending time sailing. When first coming to Olympia she began to incorporate more light and color into her pieces.
Being out by the water has always been a big part of her life. Living in Michigan, she and her friends used to spend days out on the lakes and admiring the beautiful blue waters. In her art you will see a theme of nature. The names of her pieces reflect Debra’s fondness of being in nature.
She recently spent a month in New Zealand and has a new painting representing the beautiful colors of the land. She also incorporated the Maori language when naming her pieces.
For example this piece on the left, Kani Kani which means Dancing.
Not only does her art remain in Olympia, but she sells internationally and also was featured in the well known Netflix show Selling Sunset. Her pieces were used in staging a home being sold and the sellers loved the pieces so much they bought them for themselves.
When asked the question, “How long does it take to finish a piece of work?” Debra responds with “It takes a lifetime”. Meaning it takes a lifetime of preparation. Some paintings are completed quickly and others take more time. Pieces are hung up on her wall to look at as she paints and reflect on when they are “finished”.
When finished they are hung in the gallery, or Debra will continue to add new translucent coats of paint and details till finished.
She says: It can be a curse to define your true north from such an early age, forsaking other conventional pathways that are more financially sound, but for me it has been a blessing that has nurtured my belief in myself and allowed me to take more risks and cultivate them in my creative process and thereby reflect an undaunted human spirit to all of those who enjoy my work.
Before meeting with Debra and Julie I was unaware of the connection between these two artists.
Julie was previously an intern for Debra before she split off to begin her own journey with art.
The first thing you notice about Julie’s art was the immense detail in every single piece. When looking at the big picture, every piece Julie makes involves nature.
Similar to Debra, Julie knew she wanted to be an artist from a very young age. As a kid she was always painting and drawing flowers and sunsets. As time went on, she realized she had a gift.
She grew up in Olympia, and then attended University of Washington. At this time she was struggling with what to major in. Deciding between communications, events, graphic design, and interior design. She ended up focusing on fine arts.
She struggled with choosing art because she had always heard “nobody makes a living as an artist” but she knew deep down it was her passion.
After college, she did a little work in graphic design. It wasn’t until about five years ago that she started focusing on painting.
She started with little drawings and selling them online. Here she saw the power of being an online entrepreneur. She had the realization that she could paint and sell her pieces online to make a living.
At this time she was living on a sailboat.
Sailing has been a big part of her life and influence for her art.
At the age of 26, she and her boyfriend (at the time) bought a boat and lived on it in California. They decided they wanted to travel the world on their sailboat. They spent 2-3 years just prepping for the big adventure. They spent 10 years sailing down the coast of Central America and French Polynesia.
On the boat, she spent lots of time doing sketches and using colored pencils. Then in Tahiti, she started to gravitate towards the beauty of the surface of the water and learned how to draw those specific details.
After sailing for many years, she realized that she was ready to be back on land. She came back to Olympia and began to take painting more seriously. In 2017 she began to sell her pieces online and despite it being a slow growing process, Julie is now very successful.
If you look at Julie’s art, you notice a big theme of not just nature, but specifically waves. Julie says that the waves have always been something that stuck out to her.
Through her art, Julie feels she shares her life philosophy, “We are the water. We are flowing energy that is always changing and moving. We are part of a bigger whole”. When you look at her art, you can see this in her pieces. There’s a newfound appreciation of the waves, how they move.
Julie likes her art to bring good into the world. Part of what inspires her is the lifestyle of being an artist. She wants to produce pieces that benefit the community and spread light. She knows she has a gift and with that she wants to put it to good use.
Julie mentioned that it had always been a dream to open up a gallery of her own but didn’t see it in the cards anytime soon.
But she received a wonderful opportunity to have her own studio in the Market Building by the Valley Athletic Club in the Crafts District. It will be opening this summer so be on the lookout!
Overall, both of these artists are amazing and we’re so grateful to them for sharing their story with us. We love sharing where their art has taken them and the things they’ve learned along the way. I highly recommend looking for their pieces when you are looking for art in your home.
See Debra Van Tuinen’s art at her gallery space at 429 4th Ave. W and at vantuinenart.com.
See Julie Kluh’s art at juliekluh.com.
As always, if you have any more questions or are ready to take on a new renovation or create a beautiful new space in your home or office, we’d love to help. As art lovers, we’d love to help you find the perfect piece of art for your space and we’re currently booking clients for summer design projects. Just email us here.