Maya and Kate are two artists whose connection began in Ellensburg in 2009 as Maya was Kate's painting instructor at Central Washington University. They are joining to exhibit their recent works together in Paradigms at The Palace Gallery. Each of the artists brings various approaches to drawing and painting while both showing an appreciation for limited color, soft atmospheric depictions of space, and quiet observations of their surroundings. 

Meet the artists:

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Maya Chachava
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"​My work is driven by interests in human relationships, constructed identities and the nature of memory and nostalgia. I trust the inherent properties of the chosen media and rely on many variables along the way. The goal upon entering the studio is to solve visual problems, which  is an everlasting challenge and a source of joy."

Maya was born in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia (former USSR). She received BFA and Master’s Degree in English Literature from Tbilisi State Institute of Foreign Languages.
 Maya always wanted to be an artist, but her dream only came true when she moved to the United States. She earned MFA in Painting from the University of Washington and is currently an Associate Professor of Art at CWU.
 Mays’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in over 100 juried and invitational shows. Her paintings have been published in Creative Quarterly, Studio Visit and New American Paintings to name a few.
She works  with traditional oils, encaustic, printmaking and digital formats.
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 Kate Lund

“The artworks are the result of an ongoing investigation to find a true point of orientation to the natural environment. This curiosity began as a kid building forts and clambering through the woods, which led me to spend eight summers working as a wildland firefighter. Now I spend most of my time observing nature from my garden, or on a bike or a pair of skis; through these experiences in nature, I continue to find both satisfaction and unpredictability.
​ These drawings were created through direct observation. When I am outside, I collect objects and then bring them into the studio where I arrange them with man-made materials like tent fabric or wire fencing. Then I revel in the chance to carefully study and render highlight and shadow while occasionally allowing gestural mark making to enter the process. By studying, recombining and distressing these images and materials, I remain in appreciation of nature’s beauty while also communicating a sense of apprehension and anxiety.”
 
 Kate Lund is originally from the small town of Challis, located in Central Idaho. She received a Bachelors in Fine Art from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington and earned an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Montana. Her artistic process is reliant on being outside, collecting objects and photographing occurrences in nature. Kate is an artist and teacher; she teaches high school and college level art classes in Wallace, ID.