Each month, Blue Whole Gallery is proud to recognize emerging artists from our local community through our Student of the Month program. For July, we are delighted to feature the work of Patience Leto and Amari McAninch, two talented artists whose unique perspectives and creativity shine through in their artwork.
Amari McAninch is a visual artist born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her passion for creating and academics began at a young age. In high school, she simultaneously attended and graduated from Louisiana’s Pre-Professional Arts Training Center and the #1 ranked public high school in the state.
After moving to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, she enrolled at Peninsula College and will begin the school’s Welding program this fall to continue exploring different mediums and meanings through a new discipline. With the opportunity to move across the country, she continues to seek beauty and information everywhere, learn and connect with others, and express her ideas.
Patience Leto is a recent Sequim High School graduate with a passion for the arts. She plans to pursue a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Management with a specialization in Entrepreneurship and Marketing, while also working toward an Associate Degree in Fine Arts. She is also co-owner of Three Little Birds Studio d’Arte with her mother, where she helps support and promote the work of more than 30 artists. In addition to managing social media and inventory, she teaches classes and works directly with customers. Patience was selected as the recipient of the 2026 Shirley Foss Memorial Scholarship.
We invite you to visit the gallery throughout July to experience their inspiring pieces and celebrate the next generation of artists on the Olympic Peninsula.