Hood Canal artist on display in Belfair

Works by Hood Canal artist Heela Patel are featured during March at the Belfair Self Storage Gallery, 23270 NE state Route 3, in Belfair.

"My paintings capture the colors of the beautiful Hood Canal using canvas and heavy body acrylics. I settled here to distance my family from the crowd and corporate noise across The Narrows. In the natural richness of the Pacific Northwest, I have found great beauty and calm. I believe the outdoors is a gift to cherish, paint, and share," Patel wrote in an artist statement.

Patel immigrated here and used art and reading "as a form of escapism," she told the Herald in an email.

Patel felt "the pull of my parents' traditions and the very different cultural norms in the U.S., not feeling like I fit it anywhere at school. I spent a lot of time drawing on my front porch every day when we moved to a nice new neighborhood. I always excelled in art class, however I didn't pursue art in school," she wrote.

Instead, Patel attended business school and worked in the aerospace industry. Her Indian parents expected her to pursue "extreme education," she wrote.

Patel's employer allowed her to work from home during the pandemic and she started painting again, finding inspiration in the beauty of Hood Canal.

She's lived on the canal since 2017.

"My favorite locations are the view from my window (it is different every time I look out!), anywhere at the Theler Wetlands, and of course Twanoh State Park," she wrote.

She hasn't painted Twanoh yet but has many sketches from her hikes there.

Patel usually paints from photos.

"I gravitate toward colorful skies. I usually start a painting from life, however as my process is slow and the sky changes rapidly, I end up finishing from a photo. I hope viewing my paintings inspires others to go outside and appreciate this great gift from our planet. Or maybe someone will look at a painting and think 'oh I could do that!' or 'I would paint this differently' and be motivated to try it themselves!" Patel wrote.

While Patel loves impressionism and modern art, she finds most of her inspiration comes from local artists.

"Getting to know your local and WA State artists - a few of my favorite painters (and a metal artist) are Shirley Sakatani, Leilani Martin, Jon Bradham, Lisa Daniel, JW Harrington, Ray Hammer (amazing metal art!), Juan Rodriguez ... the list goes on and on!" she wrote.

"I know we are living in a very divisive time, but we can come together through our appreciation of the environment, art, food, ideas, and most importantly, kindness. Let's all just grow up and try to live our best lives. Find what truly makes you happy and share it with someone new!" Patel wrote.

Gallery viewing hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday.