Alki Arts Gallery’s one-year anniversary will be celebrated there Sunday, July 10, noon to 10:00 p.m. So too will the many artists the cheery storefront represents, including painter, Sheila Lengle.

Lengle, a Highland Park resident and part time sales account manager for Robinson Newspapers, including the West Seattle Herald, has a long background in art and design, and, after some health challenges, is diving back into the professional art world.

“All my life I’ve had creative jobs,” said Lengle. “I had two artisan galleries in West Seattle beginning in about 1995. “The first was called Critical Mass, right across the street from Hiawatha Park. I called it that because I was hoping to bring a lot of artisans together which might stimulate the neighborhood at a point of critical mass and develop into a really strong relationship.

“Three years later I moved the whole business, and myself, to the old lodge where C&P Coffee is, the most wonderful building in the world. (5612 California Ave. SW) It was called the ecCollective Gallery and Studio Café. I had about 65 artists. I lived in the back room where the office now is. I absolutely loved being there. Then I had some health challenges and left it in 2000.

“In the last 10 years I was sick, not feeling any creative mojo, feeling invisible,” said Lengle. “My prior life was very dynamic, lots of clients, a big career. “

Then, last December, things changed.

“Former colleagues from my previous design business in southern California encouraged me to pull out my old gear and begin painting and it just flew out of me. Now I have passion and purpose and my mojo is back.

“The art came back to me and it’s like a therapy of life,” she said. “Now that I’m being more of my ‘real Sheila’, I’m being more social. I’ve joined the ArtsWest Artists Association, and now I am involved with the Art Walk. She describes her floral-patterned paintings as “very bright, very bold, impressionistic melodic work”.

“I would like to support myself with my paintings and hope interior designers, especially, take a look at my work. I’m here to make it a business, not a hobby.”

Lengle will be represented in the West Seattle Art Walk July 14 at Shoofly Pie, and August 11 at Brunette Mix.

”We will have an all day party running to 10:00 p.m. with dessert and champagne in the evening,” enthused Alki resident Diane Venti, who owns and operates Alki Arts Gallery with her husband, artist Tom Wyrick. “We want to celebrate our one-year anniversary and thank all the neighbors and artists. Everybody seems to appreciate having local, affordable art in their neighborhood. Sheila’s our newest addition and we’re happy to have her.”