Robert Feasley was a painter, drawer, traveler, son, husband, father, grandfather, student, teacher, friend and neighbor, who died in March.
A 30-year member of the fine arts faculty at Washington State University, his artwork was inspired by landscapes. Landscapes of eastern Washington, oceanscapes of western Washington, villages and countryside in Italy, France, Greece and Portugal.
He also painted a series of clam diggers and drew a series of Spanish villagers, all featuring his fine detail of the human figure.
His art will be celebrated Friday, thanks to collectors and friends, as part of Pullman’s ArtWalk.
“Most art shows have artists that are alive and contemporary,” friend and collector Stan Linden said, “but this person was very much a professional, who showed his work in the Northwest and beyond. And his friends were — and are — avid collectors and enjoyed his company.”
Stan and Lucy Linden met Robert “Bob” Feasley and his wife, Flo, during their time at WSU. Stan was a professor in the English department, while Lucy worked in the department of Human Development at the College of Agriculture.
“We lived quite close to them on College Hill,” said Stan. “Bob and I ran together every day.”
The friends quickly became collectors, because Stan said they admired Feasley’s subject matter.
The travel-loving couple, much like Feasley and Flo, liked his European and Mediterranean subject matter.
“They’re whimsical,” Lucy said. “Wherever he was, he interpreted the landscape.”
Feasley’s piece, “Aia, Santorini,” stretches across their living room wall. “The Yellow Pail,” a Portugal scene, hangs on the adjacent wall.
“His skill in depicting the human figure is quite remarkable, in both his paintings and drawings,” said Stan, who pointed toward a darker drawing of a old woman sitting in a Spanish scene.
“And his use of color,” Lucy added.
The Lindens found they weren’t the only friends in the area to collect Feasley’s artwork.
After the artist's death, collectors and followers spawned the idea to put together a Feasley art show for Pullman Artwalk.
At first, the couple thought they would just get a group together, and go from one collector’s house to another, have a glass of wine — or two — and talk about Feasley’s work. But interest grew, encouraged by Feasley’s widow, Flo. So, the group decided to display a show at the Gladish Community and Cultural Center.
Flo has loaned a large slide collection of Feasley’s works though the years, while Pullman’s Dick Domey has photographed a number of canvases that were either too large to transport safely or were not available for transfer, Stan said.
The Lindens will bring their collection, and Stan said original paintings from a number of other collections belonging to individuals, businesses and Washington State University will comprise the heart of the Feasley retrospective.
“It was an opportunity to pay due to a fine talent,” Lucy said.
Treffry can be contacted at (208) 883-4640 or ltreffry@inland360.com. Follow her on Twitter at: @LindseyTreffry.
->if you go: WHAT: Robert Feasley local collection and retrospective display WHEN: 4-8 p.m. July 19 WHERE: Gladish Community and Cultural Center, 115 NW State St., Pullman COST: Free NOTE: Visitors can park in the Gladish Community and Cultural Center lot for the entire night’s festivities. Pen and ink, watercolor and oil artwork by Sarah Jo Hamilton will also be on display at the Center. For a full list of Pullman Artwalk venues and artists, visit pullmanchamber.com/visit-pullman/chamber-events/artwalk/ and click on “PRINT YOUR PROGRAM HERE!” or right-click and choose “Save Link As ...” to save it to a folder.
Pullman ArtWalk band: Snake River Six The Snake River Six band has existed longer than any of its members.
Started by Neal Klemgard in the late 1930s or early 1940s, band manager Jeanne McHale estimates, the current New Orleans-style jazz band has six musicians, who play instruments such as trombone, trumpet, clarinet, piano, bass, drums and string bass. An 11-year member, McHale plays piano and sings, while 60-year member, Wally Friel, plays the slide trombone.
The band often plays a series of rotating solos, where McHale said musicians stray from the melody and feature quotes or diddies from other popular songs.
“We are very spontaneous, so the nature of the music that we play is you never really know what’s gonna happen,” McHale said.
Snake River Six will play at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Pine Street Plaza as part of Pullman’s Artwalk.
