By Sheila Lengle

Sarah and I started planning the event back in January. It was to be staged in her amazing garden that overlooks the Puget Sound. Due to scheduling issues, the date got pushed back from one in the summer to the first day of autumn. The weather looked iffy so we decided to bring it inside. Sometimes you have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. And we did get the best…a perfect, sunny fall day.

West Seattle businesswoman Sarah Cecil Martin and husband Rob Martin hosted the gathering to introduce local artists Susan Fagan-a wire and found objects sculptor and me-a painter, a sommelier and vintner Dainis Svarcs-co-owner of Abbe Winery, with hors d’oeuvres caterer by Leah Robinson. That’s me in the pix with Sarah and ob.

It was an enjoyable experience for the over 50 guests, and a beneficial success for Susan, Dainis, Leah and me. As a "thank you" to Sarah and Rob, 15 % of our sales were donated to their nonprofit of choice, The West Seattle Garden Tour. The event proved to be a perfect example of how a collaborative effort by a few people with a common goal can produce a satisfying outcome.

I’ll be sharing “Art things” and artists’ profiles in my weekly column. I want to showcase those special people who just need a little help getting their work seen by all of us who want to encourage and support them. If you know of such an artist please send me a brief message about why and how I can contact them. Sheila@LengleArt.com