Island-based artist Donna Lee Dowdney will be exhibiting her work as part of the Gail Harker Center for Creative Arts exhibition of diploma students’ work early next month.

Dowdney has studied art and design at Gail Harker’s Center for Creative Arts in La Conner, Washington for the past eight years, including completing hundreds of artistic projects and experiments.

This exhibition is free and open to the public. It is a celebration of the accomplishments of nine Level 4 Research for Advanced Design students who have each completed at least 2½ years of study with Gail Harker.

Students have chosen, researched, explored and developed a major inspirational theme resulting in an original body of artwork. Personal expression and complex imagery are features of the work on display, including wall hangings, 3-D items, design boards and sketchbooks.

“Art leads me on creative journeys of exploration and self-discovery,” Dowdney said.

“Art frees my mind to unleash new ideas,” she added. “This creative process allows me to capture the moment with fabrics, paints, printing, multi-media, and surface design techniques. Spirals in nature inspired my design theme. I love creating eccentric shimmering spirals that careen, twist, and wander. My imagination transports me through spirals of plant and animal life. Then my imagination carries me through whirlpooling ocean currents and spiraling galaxies. I experiment with mixed media to combine textures and colors of hand-dyed fabrics, painted papers, beads and found objects.”

Examples of Dowdney’s art can be found on her website at www.donnaleedowdney.com.

The exhibition is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 through Sunday, Aug. 10 at the Gail Harker Center for Creative Arts (12636 Chilberg Road, Mount Vernon).