News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Summer is winding down, temperatures are cooling, and families are heading back to school. Where has the summer gone? Sisters Arts Association's final Summer Fourth Friday Artwalk on August 23 offers one more opportunity to explore the galleries of Sisters with friends.
Space in Common hosts oil painter Raina Verhey, whose impressionistic landscapes of the high desert and stone are a modern depiction of ancient and sacred spaces. Raina moved west from Georgia as a teenager. Her work is based on travels through Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico.
Stained glass by Mare Schelz at The Rickards Gallery.
The Rickards Gallery welcomes mosaic glass artist Mare Schelz. Mare's new show, "Optic Flow," is filled with colorful glass depictions of nature that flicker and catch your eye as you wander through them. Some are familiar, some are abstract; all are eye-catching.
"Shaman's Delight" by Caroline Stratton-Crow at Sisters Gallery.
Sisters Gallery & Frame's featured artist, Caroline Stratton-Crow, works in two- and three-dimensional realms from dancing junipers in watercolor and acrylic, to clay figures, spirit masks, and astrological projections. Her horses are an expression of freedom, strength, and power. Owls, symbolic of wisdom, and crows, which are quick-witted and smart, represent magic.
Toriizaka Art spotlights work by Nguyen Thanh Binh (Vietnam). Born in 1954, he graduated from the fine art university in Saigon in 1983. His paintings are rendered with subdued hues of creams, browns, and whites, punctuated with reds and blacks. Binh's preference for simplicity in composition and design reflect his own way of life. The paintings often express his sorrow and the sorrow of many in his generation. The elegance of his nudes and women in traditional Ao Dai moves beyond the form of his subjects to capture their grace and beauty. Japanese haiku inspires Binh. Just as a haiku contains only three lines, its meaning is profound. Similarly, art can have great meaning with minimal color and detail.
The Campbell Gallery at Sisters Artworks displays drawings by Maren Inga Veloso. Inspired by her mother's Norwegian heritage, Maren created many of these images in the public library on Orcas Island last September, after she came across a digital archive of antique embroidered shawls (Halskläde) from the 1800s, and a book about traditional Norwegian knitwear. She grew up around piles of sweaters and a collection of carvings made by generations of her family. Maren's work also adorns ceramics by her childhood friend, ceramist Laura Campbell.
Wildflower Studio features signed and numbered limited edition prints by local artist Norma Holmes. Norma works in pastel, and paints both plein air and in her studio. Wildflower also carries Norma's book, "Land Escapes," where she explores in depth several eastern Oregon destinations. The gallery also has new prints, cards and stickers by Kelly Rae Roberts.
Fall colors by Kathleen Keliher at Hood Avenue Art.
Hood Avenue Art this month features three artists. Ceramic Artist Susan Yokoyama's clay artistry began in the rich soils of Kula, Hawaii, and is now inspired by the colors of Central Oregon. Her interest is in the structure of Japanese tea bowls created using the raku process. Ruth Carroll paints dramatic landscapes of Oregon and her native California, primarily in oils. Pastel and oil painter Kathleen Keliher is known for her plein air studies that she develops into larger studio paintings.
Stitchin' Post's guest artist is Sharon Carvalho, whose "Piece by Piece" collection is free-flowing, organic, and improvisational. Starting with the vaguest of ideas, Sharon's art is inspired by shape, color, and serendipity. It involves piecing, applique, and mixed media, including fabric she designed and printed, commercial prints, and decorator textiles with lots of texture. It often consists of melding photographs she has taken and repurposed to her own style of mixed media. Using photo-editing software, she mixes images with other art and prints on cottons, silks, and other media.
"Carmel Bouquet" by Kathy Deggendorfer at Makin' It Local.
Makin' It Local features newly released giclee prints by Kathy Deggendorfer, one of Sisters' favorite artists. Inspired by her surroundings, color, and texture, Kathy's vibrant and colorful watercolors are whimsical representations of ranch life, her travels, and the environment.
Please be kind, and remember to shop local. All of the galleries - and most of their artists - are local and welcome your support. Sisters Arts Association reminds you to sign up for its Quick Draw where two tickets will be selected at random, each good for a $50 gift certificate.
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