Life is art
Gallery owners see no reason to relegate art to the walls
by Hilary Parker/Photos by Tom O’Connor

For those who appreciate the ability to sit and contemplate fine works of art in the quiet setting of a gallery or museum, or for those who would rather gather their spiritual inspiration from nature’s grand palette, the home of Don and Cindy Hoskins offers both manners of meditation.
Located on Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, the home faces east toward Saratoga Passage on Puget Sound. On a clear day visitors can marvel at Mt. Baker and the Cascade Mountain Range through the windows that surround the back of the home. On a blustery day, the wind and waves put on a show.
But mother nature’s finery might not be the first thing one notices upon entering the Hoskins’ home – the stainless steel front doors, created by artist Tom Torrens of Gig Harbor, are a fitting portal to the gallery of fine art the couple has collected in their nearly 30 years as gallery owners.

Mindful design
Every square foot of the Hoskins’ home is part of the mindful design that allows art to take center stage. Blown glass, a framed collage, bold pottery, and a large metalwork sculpture – these obvious gallery-quality items are the expected pieces of the collection. But look closer: Nearly every item in the home was designed as art, from a pair of asymmetrical chairs and ottomans, to the dining room table, to the bedspread in the master suite.
The collection has a contemporary bent, but Cindy believes they’ve built their collection of timeless choices.
“What you see now, I think, will still look good in 20 years,” she remarks.
“We tell people to live with art; that it is not just for galleries,” adds Don, for whom the couple started their gallery, Earthenworks, to show his pottery.
And live with the art they do. “You should see it when my grandchildren are here. This becomes Romper Room with toys surrounded by art,” laughs Cindy.

Dream realized
Cindy says she feels fortunate to have realized the couple’s dream of living a life filled with art.
It was a dream with modest beginnings.
“We started from the ground up,” said Cindy. Don was creating his pottery in the garage in his spare time. His day job was as a junior high school art teacher. They started the business with $400, and would have borrowed another $400 if they could have convinced their parents to loan them the cash, quips Cindy.
The first Earthenworks gallery was located in Oak Harbor, but three years later moved to La Conner. Three years after that, the couple opened a second gallery in Port Townsend.
As small business owners, they’ve done it all, from sleeping on the gallery floor when inclement weather shut down the ferry back home to Whidbey Island, to remodeling a nearly condemned hotel into space for their gallery and a new hotel, which they also run. “You do what you have to do to make it all work,” said Cindy.

Built for display
When designing their second home with Oak Harbor architect Chris Saxman, their main consideration was for it to be a livable space that felt comfortable for family and entertaining.
To that end, the living room, dining room and kitchen are all open to one another, and a spacious deck outside expands the space in the summer.
The challenge for Saxman was to create an open living space while still giving consideration to ample wall space for hanging art.
“He had to create a space to show off the artwork we wanted to live with,” said Cindy.
Saxman had one other challenge: Make the structure itself interesting.
But Don says it really wasn’t a problem for Saxman. “If he hadn’t been an architect, he could have been a sculptor,” he says. The home has several rooflines and pitches that not only provide visual interest but also help shed water – and the evergreen needles from the trees that shelter the home. Inside, a spectacular open stairway creates a dramatic visual as well as an optimal canvas for displaying more art.
Don took a year off from working at the galleries to serve as general contractor on the home. He also left his own artistic mark on the home, designing the metal railing along the staircase and upper-level hallway.
Cindy worked with Barbara and Chuck Hertzler of Fine Wood Cabinets in Oak Harbor to design the kitchen with its maple cabinets. She also specified the granite countertops, slate backsplash and glass-topped bar with complementary barstools in the kitchen.
The couple gave much consideration to the materials, textures and angles in the home, remarks Cindy. Every surface has thought behind it.

Good energy
The same consideration was given to the art Don and Cindy have chosen to display in their home. The pieces are more than just objects of art, but also represent relationships with the artists who created them.
Those relationships are especially close with the artists from whom they’ve commissioned work. Other pieces came home from the gallery when they couldn’t bear to part with them.
“Some of our art is memories of being in business for 29 years,” says Don.
“They’re not just items, they’re someone’s creations,” continues Cindy. “And that’s good energy to live with.”