A Picture-Perfect Fundraiser
By Brynn Grimley (Contact)
Thursday, July 12, 2007

Lenna Himmelstein | Kitsap Sun Mary Pocuis paints with watercolor at the home of Fran Niakan, where the Hood Canal Watercolor Society meets each Thursday. The group recently collected more than $10,000 in painting sales and donations for ALS. Pocuis' husband, Leo, suffers from the disease.

Lenna Himmelstein | Kitsap Sun Susan Reimer paints with watercolor at the home of Fran Niakan, where the Hood Canal Watercolor Society meets each Thursday. The group recently collected more than $10,000 in painting sales and donations for ALS.


CENTRAL KITSAP

In their professional and personal lives they are serious, confident women. As artists they are anxious and self-conscious about the work they spend hours creating.

Luckily for six Kitsap women, that dedication to mastering the art of watercolor painting has paid off, to the tune of $10,000 in sales at their first art show.

But unlike aspiring artists, the women will never see a penny of their profits. Instead it will go to the ALS Association's Evergreen Chapter to help fund ALS research.

On July 7 the women held a reception as the Hood Canal Watercolor Society. They framed and matted their paintings for the show, which was held at the Old Town Custom Framing & Gallery in Old Town Silverdale.

Through the course of the two-hour event close to 200 people perused the masterpieces — each person leaving with at least one piece of art.

ALS, or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis better known as "Lou Gehrig's disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Patients in the later stages of the disease can become totally paralyzed because of the neurological degeneration.

Hood Canal Watercolor Society painter Mary Pocuis' husband, Dr. Leo Pocuis, was diagnosed with ALS almost three years ago. He had to retire as a family practice doctor and since his wife Mary has become a full-time caregiver.

"It's just heartbreaking," said fellow painter Fran Niakan. "He's just a wonderful, wonderful guy."

Longtime friend of the Pocuises, Susan Reimer, a local pediatrician, masterminded the art show to honor Leo Pocuis. After speaking with Maria Mercedes Mackovjak, owner of Old Town Custom Framing & Gallery, Reimer presented the idea to her fellow painters.

"Mary's our dear friend and she's gone through a lot," said painter and family counselor, Karen Gorman. "I'm not sure I would have done it if it hadn't been a benefit."

With breathtaking views of Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains from Niakan's basement — where the women meet every Thursday — it's easy to see where they find inspiration.

"It's always a challenge," Niakan said as she worked at replicating a photo of an exotic-looking magenta flower. "But, it's good for my brain."

The women have known each other for years — some longer than others. More than 20 years ago Gorman and her sister-in-law Marilyn Gorman and Linda Tietjen took a painting class together.

While they loved the experience, each admitted their family life took away from painting. Now, with children out of the house, they've returned to a hobby they didn't realize they missed so much.

"We get so excited, we just get into it," Pocuis said. She added her husband is one of the group's biggest supporters. When she is stressed he'll tell her to put everything down and paint because it relaxes her, she said.

The women's paintings will be on sale at the Old Town Custom Framing & Gallery through the end of this month. Two other artists, Skip Junis and Evy Halvorsen, also offered 10 percent of their sales to the ALS chapter.

"They really put a lot of effort into this, and they were successful," said gallery owner, Mackovjak.

"They had unbridled enthusiasm and a desire to do something for a dear friend. I was just thrilled that it turned out well for Leo. They did it for the right cause."
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