Most who know him were not entirely surprised in May when he and partner Jennifer Nemhauser, an associate biology professor at the University of Washington, announced what they called “Deed of Gift.” The couple had used the bulk of the proceeds from Offenbacher’s 2013 Neddy Award in Painting, presented by Cornish College of the Arts—$25,000—for the purchase of seven works by seven local artists to donate to the Seattle Art Museum.