Artist-in-action studio brings “hidden images” to Poulsbo’s historic corridor.

POULSBO — In a sketchbook on her work desk artist Terry Christensen has drawn a swan at the base of a tree.

The unfinished lines are soft and elegant, soon, like many of her paintings, to be filled with color and the motion of brushstrokes.

But within the scene is an optical journey, a “more than meets the eye” creation. The piece-in-making is one in a series of “hidden image” paintings Christensen is developing.

Each contains what she calls “ribbon trees,” large, rootish plants with whimsical branches, and in them various surprises: horses, birds, bugs, plants.

Hidden images aren’t a new technique, she points out, but from the feedback she’s received her take may be a new one. Now, she’s put her pieces up for viewing in her working studio gallery on Front Street, where she paints each day and invites the interested to see her creativity in action.

From the Alaskan wildlife to the Arizonan terrain, her watercolors flow with coursing, illustrative quality, giving life to geese, fishermen and scenic landscapes.

“I like busy. Detail and busy,” said Christensen. “It’s like creating stories.”

Christensen has completed more than a dozen “TreeCreations,” and eventually would like to compile a coffee table book.

Her showroom also boasts Christmas-themed pieces, along with other art mediums by various Kirkland artists.

Drawing, she said, is the most artistic part; following her musings with paint is simply expressing it.

Christensen said she hopes all types of feedback come in from customers, as the self-taught artist enjoys discussing works with connoisseurs and other artists.

“You want to make sure you’re getting your point across,” she said.

Christensen opened her Poulsbo shop in August; previously she painted while living in Spokane in the 1970s, then took an architectural and jewelry-making tangent until coming back to her paint and canvass roots in 2004.

Her signature ribbon trees were building blocks she learned in high school, and in coming back to the craft she turned them into a style all her own, one she says comes “from within.”

And her complex pieces come with the added benefit of timelessness: “How do you not get tired of something?” she asked. “It has to be a never-ending story type of thing.”

For more information on Christensen and her work, call (360) 598-6443 or visit www.thetwistedbrush.com.