Retired architect Warren Pollock learned how to draw with perspective at the age of 7. His family knew many artists, and their passion for their work shaped his worldview.
That’s why he gave away 26 framed prints of his drawings over two days in December — some of which are valued at $1,500 — while tabling on Winslow Way.
“Lots of people like art, but don’t buy it because of the cost,” Pollock said. “I like hosting art shows, but I never sell anything, and I want to share art so people can enjoy it. I started thinking, how cheap would art have to be for people to buy it?”
It turns out “free” is the magic number. About half of the recipients were Bainbridge residents, and most of the pieces are of recognizable local landmarks, Pollock said. The local angle and the ready-to-go print made it an easy addition to a home. “I’m sure they’ll take the prints home and hang them up,” Pollock said.
As an architect, Pollock has been drawing buildings for years, and he continues to take inspiration from structures around BI. He enjoys capturing complicated shapes and unusual views of familiar scenes, such as a “troll’s eye view” from beneath Agate Pass Bridge, the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial and the old ferry dock.
“Drawing from life is different than taking a photo, because you have to stare at the scene for a long time. A tree has ten thousand leaves — so which ones do you draw?” he said. “You have to edit your field of view down to things you can actually draw.”
Those unique angles can also bring out stories in people, Pollock observed.
His piece featuring the JAEM is mostly in black-and-white, except for the brightly colored garlands of decorative cranes that adorn the walkway. A young kid chose the print because he “liked coloring books, but didn’t always like to color everything.” The wooden ferry dock may no longer exist, but it has meaning for people on BI; his drawings are part of the historic record.
Pollock struck up a conversation with another art recipient, a woman who decided to take home a print of Agate Pass Bridge. Pollock initially thought he captured “a view nobody ever sees,” but to his surprise the woman recognized it instantly.
“This lady says, ‘I see that all the time!’ She whips out her phone, and it’s a picture of her wakeboarding in a nun costume,” Pollock said. “Apparently she wakeboards around there all the time, and she likes to dress up.”
It’s not just the artist-to-appreciator connection that matters. After decades of focusing on the built environment, Pollock discovered that the inclusion of people could breathe life into his art. Town & Country Market in Winslow is an iconic structure on BI, but he struggled to find the perfect angle that expressed the importance of the building.
“But then I realized — the experience is the people,” Pollock said. “I had never drawn people, ever. That’s an architectural custom.”
Personalizing art has also become his favorite part of working in the woodshop at the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network, where he is teaching a class on perspective drawing Jan. 15 and Jan. 23. Pollock has had both illustration and woodworking shows at the BARN, and he’s appreciated getting to connect with other artists and put a face to the name on his pieces.
Many people browsed his art at shows, but none bought his originals, which are typically large drawings in the 24-inch by 36-inch range. That’s why he decided to give away framed prints around 11-inch by 17-inch, which only cost around $7 to make. He plans to host another giveaway soon, perhaps around another gift-giving holiday.
“I’m not a starving artist. I don’t want to sell art; then I would have to draw things that people would want to buy,” Pollock said. “For me, creating art is just for the pleasure of doing it, not for the commercial enterprise.”