As the third term of Governor Jay Inslee came to a close this week, his official gubernatorial portrait was unveiled in the capitol. But as photojournalist Tim Straszewski found out, it's more than a picture.

Inslee's portrait, painted by Washington artist Grace Flott, debuted Tuesday after his final State of the State address to mark the end of his 12-year tenure.

A University of Washington alum, Flott is a Spokane native who now lives in Seattle . In an interview with The Spokesman-Review, Flott said she was “incredibly honored” to be selected to paint Inslee’s portrait.

Gov. Jay Inslee, who’s led Washington state for the past dozen years, delivered his final State of the State address Tuesday morning. Its theme? Progress.

Gov. Jay Inslee delivered his final State of the State address on Tuesday morning to a joint session of the Washington Legislature. Inslee, first elected governor in 2012, will leave the office as the longest current-serving governor in the United States and the first to lead Washington for three terms since the late Dan Evans.

In his final State of the State address to the Legislature, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee touted the enormous increase in state spending on various programs and services since he took office, while imploring lawmakers not to reduce spending as they write the upcoming biennial budget.

Inslee cautioned lawmakers against making deep spending cuts as they navigate the state’s looming budget gap, like those that were made in response to the Great Recession in the late 2000s. “It took years to build back what we lost in that era,

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee gives his final State of the State address in the House Chambers of the Legislative Building in Olympia on Jan. 14, 2025

The portrait was painted by Grace Flott, a Spokane native who now works as a painter and arts educator in Seattle. Flott was selected to paint the portrait following a competitive