Welcome to Purple Sage Gallery
Tucked into the Methow Valley is Winthrop’s locally owned artisans gallery, Purple Sage Gallery. We have made it our mission to support local artists in their artistic lifestyle, journey, and endeavors to remain what they are: local artists. Hailing from the North Cascade Mountains, a bulk of our artists’ work encompasses that of the natural world around them, lush with forest-green shades and swirls of brightly colored flora scattered throughout the valley. Come by the gallery to see the Methow Valley from the eyes who document it through art.
Meet Our Founder
Complete with paintings, boxes of art, and a filing cabinet, Kathleen Jardin's gallery reflects her life as an artist and business owner in Winthrop, Washington, on the Old West Boardwalk.
Kathleen and her husband Kyrie own the local lodging company, Methow Reservations, as well as a regional artisan gallery, called the Purple Sage Gallery, which features the work of regional artists and friends from a lifetime. Kathleen keeps busy with the day-to-day tasks and decisions that equate to running two businesses, but every successful person has their origin story.
Donning colorful rimmed glasses and a smile, Kathleen recalled her high school years, where she excelled in business and math classes, but always found herself doodling or spending time in the art room.
"I realized I didn't want to be an art teacher and had no vision as to how to make money as an artist,” Kathleen said.
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Kathleen continued with this mindset while she attended Oregon State University, where she studied business and a multitude of art on the side. The two subjects eventually molded together one Christmas when her husband purchased everything needed to make enamel jewelry. She then began selling her work at the Portland Saturday Market.
That project morphed into a move to Whidbey Island after sampling selling work in Puget Sound at regional art shows, and eventually to painting silk scarves to coordinate with her colorful enamel jewelry. Later on, she started painting and dying yardage for a line of hand painted, washable silk clothing called "shorter, longer, wider, and taller.”
In her heyday, as Kathleen calls it, she sold her work at 26 art shows a year, including the demonstration courtyard at the Oregon State Fair. These events led into an open artist studio on South Whidbey Island, the purchase of a commercial building in Langley, and the opening of a "Gallerio,” where she could work and sell her own art and that of others.
In this time period Kathleen was the director of, and produced the Best of the Northwest Arts shows in Seattle and Portland for over 10 years, working annually with over 350 artists.
For the past 15 years Kathleen has lived with her husband, Kyrie, outside Winthrop on a farm they lovingly call "Greene Acres Farm.” The duo are "those" people...anything but farmers.
Because they own Methow Reservations, the gallery on the old west Winthrop boardwalk is open almost every day. The Gallery’s "living room" serves as a home base for the reservations company while also giving guests and visitors a reason to come in and say "howdy.” The gallery helps local and regional artists by featuring their work all while supporting the local community.
Kathleen buys art outright, rather than consignment, thus being a reliable income source to artists. Possessing and living with art and handmade creations is a way of life, posing as an excellent alternative to products mass produced.
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"Art Made by Hands You Can Shake" sums it up in a phrase Kathleen coined years ago.
"I've been blown away by visitor's comments every single day...it astounds me, people constantly say they Love the store, “ she said. “As I overhear this from my work cubby around the corner from the main part of the gallery, my face flames with enjoyment. More than one person has said, "You always have what speaks to me.”
