A painting by local artist Rod Weagant (upper right) was part of the background for Gov. Jay Inslee’s recent TV appearance.
Twisp oil painter Rod Weagant had a unique cameo appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation last week when Washington Gov. Jay Inslee was interviewed by host John Dickerson. In the interview from Inslee’s personal residence on Bainbridge Island, Weagant’s oil painting of the luminous landscape and dramatic shadows at Moses Coulee occupied a prominent spot on the wall behind the governor.
Inslee purchased the painting about 20 years ago from a gallery in Chelan when he was a Congressional representative for this district, Weagant said. Inslee has always been a devoted patron of the arts, Weagant said.
Inslee loyally attends gallery openings and visits a gallery on Bainbridge that represents Weagant, the painter said. “It’s nice to have a governor who’s supportive of the arts and artists,” he said.
Weagant specializes in Plein air painting, working outdoors to capture the light and mood right on the spot. He painted the Moses Coulee painting during a visit to the canyon.
Weagant appreciates the exposure that galleries in this area provide, not only for regional artists, but also to acquaint collectors in Western Washington with the splendors and otherworldly contours of the landscape of coulees and channeled scablands.
Inslee’s Face the Nation appearance focused on the increasing number of COVID cases in Washington and across the country. The governor expressed alarm that some leaders, including Pres. Donald Trump, are not taking it seriously.
“The situation is critical in many places across the United States, and all the happy talk and wishful thinking in the world is not going to wash that away,” Inslee said. “So we are taking very strong measures to get people to mask up. We know that’s the solution from a health standpoint, and the way to reopen our economy.”
“One hundred percent masking means 100% opening up. And all of us should be on that bandwagon right now,” Inslee said.
Weagant’s studio in Twisp is still closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he looks forward to welcoming visitors in the near future.
