Greetings! We’re back after a short break and excited to return to our quarterly member showcase. For this quarter’s member showcase, we are featuring the unique work of John Kunin, Lupine Marshak, James Papp, Paul Ostermann, and Steven Ambrose. We would like to thank them for their submissions. Our members continue to impress us with their work, and we encourage you to submit your work for next quarter’s member showcase.
We often receive more submissions than we can feature. If you were not selected, please submit again, especially if you have new work to share. The deadline to submit for the next showcase is August 23rd, 2026.
If you are a PCNW member, and would like to submit to our Member Showcase, you can do so by clicking here.
Not a member, but interested in this opportunity? You can sign up here. Membership benefits not only include highlights like this one, you also receive discounts on classes, workshops, facilities rentals, and merchandise; as well as perks that include 20% off rentals, 10% off inkjet paper, 10% off darkroom paper & chemicals at Glazer’s Camera, and 10% off of coffee at Drip Drip Coffee House.
What are you working on?
Whalers Bay at Deception Island- An Elemental Meeting of Fire, Ice, and History
This six piece inorganic collection is part of a broader black and white photojournalistic story of Whalers Bay at Deception Island. The island lies just off the remote northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula in the South Shetland Islands. It is one of Antarctica’s most unusual landscapes—a flooded volcanic caldera whose narrow entrance, Neptune’s Bellows, opens into the sheltered harbor of Port Foster. The horseshoe shaped island earned its name when early sailors were “deceived” into thinking it was solid land until they discovered this hidden waterway. Shaped by eruptions along the South Shetland volcanic arc, the island is defined by black ash beaches, glaciers, and steaming geothermal vents that melt the snow and warm the shoreline waters. At Whalers Bay, Norwegian and British whalers built a major shore station in the early 1900s; today rusting whale oil tanks and abandoned research buildings—damaged by eruptions in the late 1960s—remain as stark reminders of its industrial past.
Artist Statement
John’s passion for photography was ignited in childhood, inspired by his mother, a photo inventory manager for Life Magazine whose work recalled the adventures of the titular character in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This early immersion in the world of light and shadow set the stage for a lifelong pursuit. From carrying his mother’s light meter at age six to mastering darkroom techniques by ten, photography quickly became his native language.
While his early work documented people, architecture, and distant lands, he discovered a profound solace in nature photography, a necessary counterbalance to the urban intensity of his New York City upbringing.
John spends his time now in the Pacific Northwest when not traveling. His work aims to evoke a range of emotions: to entertain, soothe, inform, and on occasion, to challenge perception. His keen eye invites the audience to ponder the immense beauty, culture, and diversity of our world, reminding us of our deeply intertwined and interdependent humanity.
What are you working on?
Intimate landscapes close to home is a project focused on the appreciation of what immediately surrounds us.
Artist Statement
Through macrophotography and my experiences in nature, I feel alive and connected to the universe. Nature has inspired me to create and continue to look closely, think more deeply. There is fragile beauty everywhere in the natural world, but it is fleeting. This moment is all there is, really. Through photography, I am able to capture the moment and meditate longer on the beautiful shapes the plant, animal, fungus or rock has to offer. By working with the image using the sun, light sensitive salts, and the slow exposures, I feel tapped into the flow of the universe and happy. The goal is to get to that flow state. These images are the output of one such flow state.
What are you working on?
Deeply informed by my 40 years working in marine shipping and by countless hikes along the streams, lakes, waterfalls, and snowfields that define Western Washington, I am working on a book titled “Blessings of the Waters: From Glaciers to the Sea.” It delves into the deep and evolving relationship that our community shares with water. From the Cascades Mountains to the shores of the Puget Sound, water is the connector between residents, tribes, farmers, fishers, municipalities, industries, agriculture and more. This project encompasses those with nature’s flora and fauna as well as the land itself. Together with essays from community members, this project elaborates on what water means for our community, how it is fluctuating, and why it matters.
Artist Statement
James K. Papp is a photographer and writer residing in Washington State. He is attracted to water features and the trees, hills, and skies that frame them. His art is inspired by mystery and awe.
Website
What are you working on?
This spring I worked on a set focusing on hummingbirds together with cherry blossoms.
Artist Statement
When I think of spring in Seattle, I think of the blooming cherry blossoms and of the many hummingbirds which come out to enjoy them. While cherry blossom trees are an idyllic part of Seattle’s identity, they are not native to America. Rather, they were a gift from Japan as a symbol of friendship. Likewise, hummingbirds are native only to the Americas, and are not found
in Japan nor elsewhere in Asia. To witness hummingbirds together with cherry blossoms today is to glimpse into a shared history between two countries on opposite sides of the globe.
At a time when my nation’s leaders are intent on vilifying any persons which don’t match a narrow view of “us”, viewing these little birds and flowers provides a gentle reminder of the value behind inviting friendships across cultures.
Website
What are you working on?
I’ve been working on so much this quarter! I’ve gotten into color film photography using Harman’s experimental film stocks, RED and Switch Azure; took my favorite ever night photo at the Urban Night Photography workshop; made my first tintypes and ambrotype at Wet Plate Collodion workshop; completed Photograph III: Black & White; was in my first group show and sold my first photo (of course printed in the PCNW darkroom); and was commissioned for my first photoshoot. It’s been a season of firsts and I couldn’t have done any of it without the knowledge I’ve gained at PCNW.
Artist Statement
When I think of spring in Seattle, I think of the blooming cherry blossoms and of the many hummingbirds which come out to enjoy them. While cherry blossom trees are an idyllic part of Seattle’s identity, they are not native to America. Rather, they were a gift from Japan as a symbol of friendship. Likewise, hummingbirds are native only to the Americas, and are not found
in Japan nor elsewhere in Asia. To witness hummingbirds together with cherry blossoms today is to glimpse into a shared history between two countries on opposite sides of the globe.
At a time when my nation’s leaders are intent on vilifying any persons which don’t match a narrow view of “us”, viewing these little birds and flowers provides a gentle reminder of the value behind inviting friendships across cultures.
Member’s Only Photowalk
Sunday, August 23, 2026 – 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Are you a PCNW member? Join us for an evening of creativity, exploration, and great company during this guided members only photo walk at Olympic Sculpture Park. Meet Kate Hailey at the Paccar Pavilion and meander along the Elliott Bay Trail towards Myrtle Edwards Park, with guided prompts to help spark photographic inspiration.
This walk is for PCNW members only. Not a member? Sign up here.
