Expression comes in art for mother, daughter

There’s something romantic about artists who work for joy, not recognition. Charlotte Trebilcock and her mother, H.M. Lloyd, are those types of artists.

In their Valley apartment, they have set up a work space, not tucked into a back room, but in the main living area. It serves as a constant reminder of who they are.

Lloyd, 58, started drawing when she was young, often getting into trouble for drawing on the edges of her notebook paper. She grew up in Otis Orchards, attended East Valley schools, and went on to take a couple of years of college courses at SCC and SFCC. Her desire to create art remained constant as she practiced regularly, finding her own approach.

Her pieces started in a fantasy style; doodles that grew into gnarled trees. She went on to perfect her current, more traditional style in pen and ink, or pencil, or oils. “I like old things,” she said, “like trains, cars, barns and portraits.” Her pieces are realistic and nostalgic.

She has shown publicly only once, in a gallery at U-City years ago. She has done some commissions via word of mouth. She has a day job but considers herself an artist first.

Trebilcock, 20, also drew during classes from elementary to high school. She has only recently started taking formal art classes under various teachers at Spokane Art Supply, Too in the Valley and at the one on North Monroe Street.

Trebilcock draws fantasy art or manga and American style comic pin-ups. Using pen and ink and colored pencils, her characters include strong female warriors and phoenixes. Her small collection of acrylic paintings could be considered fantasy mixed with abstract.

Currently she is showing her drawings at Fusion Odyssey, a comic book store at Sprague and Evergreen. Owner Troy Aldrich, decided to open up a back room as a gallery through the month of July. The space is set to become a comic book room where he might continue showing art. “Her work has gotten some positive responses,” he said.

Besides her drawing and painting, Trebilcock is in the process of making a film. “It’s a drama about family,” she said. Her grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s and lives at Good Samaritan Center, inspired the story. The film is called “Vergessen,” which is German for “forget.” When the film is complete, she plans to enter it in film festivals. She also is trying her hand at 3-D animated film, hoping to produce a short in the future.

Mother and daughter are happy to be releasing their imaginations onto paper, canvas or film. For now, appreciation is recognition enough, and their natural talents deserve that much. Like folk artists of the past, their work might one day be revered.