Schouten

Langley – Rob Schouten Gallery

Rob Schouten Gallery, now located on the corner of First & Anthes in Langley, is currently celebrating its 10th Anniversary. After nine years at Greenbank Farm on Central Whidbey the gallery moved to Langley’s iconic 1923 bank building in May of 2017.

The gallery is a showcase for many of Whidbey Island’s finest professional artists, some of whom have national and international reputations. Monthly changing exhibitions highlight the work of one of the more than 30 artists the gallery represents. Media shown in the gallery include painting, sculpture, glass, jewelry, ceramics, encaustics, woodworking and fiber art.

The gallery’s namesake, magic realist painter Rob Schouten, immigrated to the US from Holland in the late 1970s. After four years in Seattle, Schouten moved to Whidbey Island in 1983, where he was joined by his wife and gallery co-owner, poet Victory Lee Schouten, in 1989.

For 17 years the couple ran Great Path Publishing, a greeting card and print publishing house with distribution throughout the US, Canada and NW Europe. Feeling there was room for a high-end gallery that properly showcased the incredible talent that resides on Whidbey they opened Rob Schouten Gallery in 2008 and gradually were able to become one of the premier galleries on the island.

As time passed the gallery began attracting more established artists with reputations far beyond the island, including painters and sculptors with regional and national reputations. Soon Internationally known glass artists began exhibiting with the gallery as well, and a few years later the Rob Schouten Gallery won ‘Best Gallery in Western Washington’ several years in a row, beating 186 other galleries in the competition.

Plans are well underway to add an outdoor Sculpture Garden next to the gallery this summer. This beautiful garden will feature large sculptures in a variety of media, and offer visitors a refreshing setting to rest and rejuvenate.

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