My work is non-representational. I choose to work abstractly because this allows me to focus on what I most enjoy – shapes and the spaces between them. I am concerned with the size and shape of the objects, the repetition and variation of patterns, the tension created by the nearness or distance among objects, the emotional impact of the colors I use, and the sense of freedom in a piece. I aim to make art that is interesting from a distance and up close.
I work on paper with markers, ink and pencil, paint on Plexiglas, construct three-dimensional pieces using paper, and make monotypes on my press.
Representation
- Gold Country Artist Gallery, Placerville, CA
- San Francisco Women Artists Gallery
- The Island Gallery, Bainbridge, WA
- Cynthia Byrnes Contemporary Art, West Port, Connecticut
Solo and Small Group Exhibitions
- 2021 Patterns, ARTHOUSE on R Gallery, Sacramento, CA
- 2017 Between the Lines, The Island Gallery, Bainbridge Island, WA
- 2015 Thought Patterns, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA
- 2015 Patterns on Plexi, Solo Show, The Island Gallery, Bainbridge Island, WA
- 2014 Western Landscapes Invitational, The Island Gallery, Bainbridge Island, WA
- 2013 Pacific Regent Invitational Show, Bellevue, WA
- 2012 Edmonds Art Commission solo exhibit, Edmonds, WA
- 2009/2010 Woodward Canyon Winery; The Palouse was the Artists Series 2009 wine label – Walla Walla, WA
- 2005 Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, WA
- 2003 Deniz Askerli Musesi, Istanbul, Turkey
- 2002 Morgan Stanley, Santa Fe, NM
Juried Group Exhibitions
- 2023 Brand 51 Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper,Brand Library and Art Center, Gendale, CA
- 2022 Crocker Kingsley Exhibition, Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA
- 2022 California State Fair; Fine Art and Photography Show; Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA
- 2022 Strickly Abstract (Virtual); O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, online ohanloncenter.org
- 2021 Abstracted (Virtual); Art Fluent, online art-fluent.com
- 2021 Of the Earth (Virtual); Art Fluent, online art-fluent.com
- 2021 Winter Small Works Annual Show (Virtual); NAWA Gallery, New York, NY
- 2020 Boundless (Virtual); Art Fluent Gallery, Massachusetts
- 2020 Artists’ Choice 2020 (Virtual); Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC
- 2020 14th Annual Printmaking (Virtual) Exhibition, Merced Multicultural Art Center, Merced, CA
- 2019 Works on Paper, San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, CA
- 2019 Textures and Patterns, San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, CA
- 2019 13th Annual California Centered: Printmaking Exhibition , Merced Multicultural Art Center, Merced, CA
- 2019 Magnum Opus 30, Sacramento Fine Arts Center, Carmichael, CA – Honorable Mention
- 2019 Obsessed, Blue Line Arts Gallery, Roseville, CA
- 2018 Patterns, San Francisco Women Artist Gallery, CA
- 2018 10th National Juried Exhibition, Prince Street Gallery, NYC, NY
- 2018 World of Abstractions, San Francisco Women Artist Gallery, CA
- 2017 Brand 45 Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, Glendale, CA
- 2017 The Bowery Gallery Annual Juried Competition, Chelsea, NYC, NY
- 2017 4rd Annual Living Mark Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, OR
- 2017 Women Artists Coast to Coast – East, Prince Street Gallery, Chelsea, NYC, NY
- 2016 Women Artists Coast to Coast – West, Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA
- 2016 Expressions Northwest, Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, WA
- 2016 3rd Annual Living Mark Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, OR
- 2016 The Annual Washington State Juried Art Competition,Collective Visions Gallery, Bremerton, WA
- 2015 The Printmaker’s Hand lll, Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, WA
- 2015 Visual Voices, Larson Gallery, Yakima, WA
- 2015 The Annual Washington State Juried Art Competition, Collective Visions Gallery, Bremerton, WA – First Place Award in Painting
- 2014 The Annual Washington State Juried Art Competition, Collective Visions Gallery, Bremerton, WA
- 2013 5th Annual ISAP Online International Open show
- 2012 15th Annual Open ISAP International Exhibition, Paso Robles, CA, Juror: Katherine Chang Liu – Black Horse Materials Award.
- 2012 Scott Milo Summer Show, Anacortes, WA – Materials Award
- 2012 25th Annual Women’s Works Exhibition, Woodstock, IL
- 2011 EAFA’s 36th Annual Open Juried Exhibition, Seattle, WA
- 2011 California Open, Tag Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
- 2011 14th Annual Open ISAP (Internat’l Society of Acrylic Painters) International Exhibition, Santa Cruz, CA – Black Horse Materials Award
- 2011 Women Painters of Washington Spring Member Show – Teresa Asia Award, Juror Juliette Aristides, Director of the Classical Atelier at Gage Academy of Fine Art, Seattle, WA
- 2011 The Annual Washington State Juried Art Competition, Collective Visions Gallery, Bremerton, WA
- 2010 Women Painters of Washington Fall Members Show, First Place; Juror Barbara Shaiman Director of SAM Gallery, Seattle, WA
- 2009 “Bel Conte” WPW Members Show, Bellevue, WA – Second Place
- 2008 Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
- 2008 Sequim Arts Juried Show, Sequim, WA
- 2007/2006/2004/2003 Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, WA
- 2005 Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, Port Angeles, WA
- 2004 Gallery International, 2004, Alder Gallery, Cobury, Baltimore, MD
- 2004 Red Dot Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
- 2004 MOCA/Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, CA
- 2003 The Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM
- 2000 Joseph Gierek Fine Art, Tulsa, OK
- 1999 Fuller Lodge, Los Alamos, NM
- 1998 Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
- 1996 SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
- 1984 Textile Museum, Washington, DC
Publications
- 2020 “Spotlight on Irene Yesley” Style Magazine, January 2020
- 2011 “Taking a Different View” the Palette #39, September/October
- 1984 “Country of Origin, USA” Review, Fiberarts, May/June
- 1984 “Country of Origin, USA” Review, The New York Times, June 21
- 1983 Fiberarts Design Book II
- 1980 “Workspaces” Fiberarts, September/October
Corporate Collections
- Pacific Regent, Bellevue, WA
- Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, WA
- Swedish Hospital in Redmond, Mill Creek & Issaquah, WA
- Woodward Canyon Winery, Walla Walla, WA
- Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City, Arlington, VA
Education
- BS – Arizona State University
- MFA in Printmaking – Arizona State University
- MA in Education – Harvard University