This Friday night, July 14, Tsuga Gallery will celebrate its sixth anniversary of opening. There will be a reception at the Gallery, starting at 5 p.m. The reception is also the kickoff for Bald Eagle Days and for featured artist Robert Stowe.

Tsuga Gallery emphasizes works by local artists. Their exhibits include sculptures, paintings, carvings, ceramics, tiles, and other unique items. Tsuga Gallery was formed in 2011, by benefactor Janet Cimino in a century old building on Main Street of Cathlamet. Her goal was to bring artists and locals together to make, learn and participate in a community based art program. Still artistically strong today, Tsuga Gallery's goals are to continue Cimino's dream, bringing artwork to the Northwest.

Stowe and his wife, Elizabeth, moved to Washington a year ago, when he joined Tsuga Gallery. They bought a house in Cathlamet and have established an innovative studio environment to encourage his creative endeavors. Stowe's work include photographs, paintings, sculptures, and carvings. After high school, Stowe enlisted in the U.S. Navy, attending Electricians Mate's school in Great Lakes, Illinois and the Naval Nuclear Power School in Orlando, Florida. After the Navy, Stowe moved to the Bay Area in California where he matriculated at San Francisco State University.

Stowe began his career covering sports and taking photographs for a local newspaper. As a member of the National Press Photographers Association, he won both local and national acclaim. In 2004 Stowe became a certified diver, and began to explore new venues underwater. He has been the featured artist at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. Some of his work hangs in the Monterrey Bay Aquarium and has received multiple awards for his innovative underwater photography.

Stowe's recent work includes a variety of carvings in the Northwest style. While the imagery is familiar, the final pieces are clearly the product of a very talented artist with a uniquely creative perspective.

Stowe has been heavily influenced by Ansel Adams and Henri Matisse. His current endeavors in Northwestern art are being guided by Master Carver Tamara Hinck of Onalaska, WA.