Titles such as "Angina Pectoris: He used to rape her at night -- He bought her a diamond ring," represent one of the four large-scale mixed media drawings hanging on the wall of Kendrick's Billiards in downtown Bellingham.

The artist, Betty Bastai, 42, an Oak Harbor resident, originally from Italy, said the titles of the drawings are harsh but are what reality was like for her growing up with her family in Italy. The exhibit is called "Jekill & Hide: a preliminary investigation into my father's psyche." The art was on display at Kendrick's starting April 4 and continues until June 30.

"I called this series 'Jekill & Hide' because that is what my father actually was like," Bastai said. "He had a split personality."

Bastai never had a good relationship with her father. He was a difficult man with a difficult personality, Bastai said. The art and the exhibit are in response to the death of her father, who died in February, she said.

Bastai said her father bought her family nice things, such as clothing or a camera to show he cared, but when it came to showing affection in a normal, healthy way, he could not do it.

"By digging out my personal history, I was hoping to reach out to other people who had the same experiences as I did," Bastai said.

She wanted to reach out and connect to people who went through emotional turmoil, faced difficult issues or experienced abuse, Bastai said.

The exhibit features internal structures of the body, which she based on medical illustrations showing various techniques, Bastai said. Bastai's four drawings represent the brain, heart, lungs and kidneys.

She tried to convey what it means to be human and nonhuman, Bastai said. The drawings conjure thoughts of death, which is universal, and psychological and physical abuse, and domestic violence.

Bastai chose to display her artwork at Kendrick's Billiards because the venue had a lot of space, and they did not pressure her to sell her work. She had freedom to do what she wanted, she said.

Bastai said she wanted to push herself to create bigger pieces, which is why she created the 5-by-7-foot drawings in Kendrick's. She strived to create experimental pieces by increasing the scale but staying with the theme of the body.

Kendrick's owner Brian Rollo said Bastai talked with him about creating a show specifically for Kendrick's because of the large wall space. He agreed to show Bastai's experimental work.

Painter Tom Jensen, 57, has seen Bastai's artwork and said she is fearless. She has a clear vision, works well through her theme and expresses what she wants to say, he said. She is an excellent illustrator. Some images are disturbing, but she does her work very courageously, Jensen said.

Bastai said she started drawing when she was 8 years old after her 7-year-old brother died of leukemia. His death caused Bastai to have a nervous breakdown, and she began drawing. For approximately 10 years she drew mainly horses because of a family friend who had a horse Bastai would visit during summer vacations.

After high school, she became interested in photography, and her father bought her a camera. She then considered going to art school, Bastai said.

But when Bastai was 21 years old her mother died, and she felt obligated to move back in with her family and take care of her seven younger siblings, she said.

In 1989, she left Italy and moved to Ireland, Bastai said. Bastai moved to a rural community in Scotland in 1991. She lived in a little house with a studio and dark room in a corner. She became interested in acrylic painting and exhibited her art in the local community, she said.

Bastai then worked from June to November 1992 in India doing paperwork for an organization that promotes peace and understanding among people, she said.

She then returned to Scotland, where she attended Edinburgh College of Arts. Bastai specialized in painting in which she experimented with moving images. After earning her bachelor's degree, she went to Edinburgh's graduate program and earned her master's degree in painting, Bastai said.

In 2000, she applied for a job in the forest service in the United States. She became a cultural resource technician in Grandall, Wash., she said.

In 2002, the forest inspired her to create a series of paintings called "Cedar Songs," Bastai said. Acrylic paintings of cedar with bright colors on canvas make up this series.

Bastai's husband, Sam Osteen, 46, said Bastai is constantly drawing and sketching. She has a keen interest in nature, and most of her work subjects are horses, animals, nature and birds.

"Her connection with nature is so strong," Osteen said. "It's pretty wonderful for me to be around."

Bastai is trying to establish herself as an artist, and Osteen said he wanted to encourage her to keep that momentum. That is why she chose to keep her own last name, Osteen said.

Bastai is working on a mixed-media installation called "Mother and Child." She is trying to make it a community project in her hometown of Oak Harbor. Bastai said she plans to launch the exhibit Sept. 24-25 during the Whidbey Island Studio Tour. Bastai is asking community members to each send in a picture of themselves, their mother and their grandmother. She will then take the Rock House in Oak Harbor, divide it into sections and cover the walls with pictures of the people. She will cover the floor in rock salt, which represents the ocean. Many of the people in these pictures had to cross the ocean to get where they are by immigrating across the sea, and Oak Harbor also is near the ocean.

Bastai plans to play a soundtrack of orca whales in the background to add to the event. A banner of newspaper headlines related to environmental issues such as the effect of water pollution on orcas from the past few years also will be on the wall, she said. The purpose is to make a connection between people and the environment.

"Nowadays, in this culture, many people are so disconnected," Bastai said. "We have to preserve what we've got."

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