Haunting and Sweet, New Exhibit Pays Respects to Young Artist

A new exhibit at Aqus Café unveils new limited edition prints by a young Petaluma artist who died four years ago in a tragic hiking accident in the Marin Headlands.

Phoebe Washer was just 20 when she died, but she was already an accomplished artist with several shows under her belt. Now Washer’s family, including mother Drew Washer, who owns Heebe Jeebe gift store in downtown Petaluma, has released 13 new prints on paper and canvas as a way of honoring Phoebe’s memory.

Washer graduated from Petaluma High School in 2005 and was attending San Francisco State University at the time of her death. Although she was just starting out her career, Phoebe’s works are highly textured and multilayered and have been praised for their level of skill and imagination.

They include fantastical images of game boards, intestine filled wine bottles, old atlas maps that are simultaneously sweet and disturbing. The show runs through November 4.

All proceeds from the sale of artwork will go to the Phoebe Washer Foundation for the Arts which raises money for art supplies for schools and will award scholarships to local art students.

There will also be a reception for the new show on Saturday, October 20 from 4pm to 6pm at Aqus Café, 189 H Street.