Art with heart | Kitsap Week

Published 3:21 pm Friday, July 10, 2015

Max Hayslette at work in his studio. Photo: Johnny Walker / 2012

POULSBO — When anyone chooses to leave a portion of his or her estate to an organization outside of family, it is considered a sign of respect and admiration for the work of that organization.

In that vein, renowned artist Max Hayslette, who has called Kitsap home for several decades, has offered Martha & Mary a gift of enormous value and importance: A bequest of art that will include all unsold originals from The Northwest Collection and exclusive reproduction rights on all pieces in that body of work.

“Martha & Mary is a jewel in our community, and I am excited at this opportunity to contribute not just to a fine care center, but also to give back to a community that I have lived in for more than 50 years,” Hayslette said.

For those with even a passing knowledge of the art world, Max Hayslette is a familiar name. His paintings are on display in more than 300 private, corporate and public collections — from the Rockefeller Foundation and Stanford University, to the U.S. Department of State and the Ford Motor Corporation, as well as the Bainbridge Museum of Art.

His paintings have been available as custom art through Ethan Allen Interiors. His dreamy landscapes of French vineyards and Italian coasts are widely available as posters. One of his paintings can be seen on the wall of the birthing center in an episode of the TV show “Friends” (“The One Hundredth,” 1998).

Hayslette is also known for his abstracts.

Born in Rupert, West Virginia, in 1929, Hayslette graduated from Chicago’s Academy of Art in 1951. He studied under artist/sculptor Alexander Archipenko, who was connected to the Bauhaus movement, one of the most influential currents in Modernist architecture and modern design.

The Bauhaus had a profound influence upon art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design and typography; many of the movement’s driving personalities were living and working in Chicago when Hayslette arrived there to study art.

Hayslette worked for Olson Designers in Chicago, an industrial design firm specializing in exhibits. In 1962, he moved to Seattle to join Berg Craftsman, and designed exhibits for the 1962, 1964 and 1967 World’s Fairs. His design work for Pacific Northwest Bell and Boeing received national attention.

In 1972, he founded Olympus Graphics on Bainbridge, producing large-scale, abstract serigraphs for the design and corporate art market.

As an artist, he lived and worked in a studio in Eglon for more than 40 years. Much of his work is inspired by the outdoors and his travels around the world.

West Virginia University houses the Max Hayslette Archives Collection. And in 2012, the artist was named a Distinguished West Virginian by that state’s governor.

Recently, Hayslette turned to the landscapes and iconic landmarks of the Pacific Northwest, especially Kitsap County, as the subject of his paintings. Known as “The Northwest Collection,” these works feature rugged coast lines, harbors, mountains, forests and other scenes familiar to those who dwell in this region.

Hayslette has had a long relationship with Martha & Mary, providing art over the years out of his regard for the organization’s mission. In deciding to donate originals from The Northwest Collection to Martha & Mary, and reproduction rights for all those works, he will leave a tangible legacy for his adopted home.

Hayslette’s work, including some of The Northwest Collection, is on display at Almost Candid Photo, Frame and Fine Arts in Kingston. Owner Johnny Walker was instrumental in working with Hayslette to develop this gift to Martha & Mary.

“Considering my many long and close relationships in the Puget Sound, I feel honored to provide for a Northwest Collection at Martha & Mary that complements my archive collection at West Virginia University,” Hayslette said.

“That my art can also support Martha & Mary’s work in art therapy is a very rewarding opportunity to help others long after I am gone.”

According to Martha & Mary CEO Chad Solvie, the gift offers a potential new stream of income, but more importantly is a prestigious complement to Martha & Mary’s art- therapy program and art classes for younger and older people.

“This gift is more than a vote of confidence in what we do here at Martha & Mary,” Solvie said. “It is a visible and generous demonstration of our commitment to surpass expectations of stereotypical nursing homes in our society. It is one more piece of evidence that what we are doing is, indeed, the right thing.”

Martha & Mary is based in Poulsbo and has offices and campuses in 16 locations. Started more than 120 years ago, Martha & Mary provides childcare, early learning and school-age programs; in-home and geriatric care management; senior independent and assisted living; and rehab and skilled nursing care.