"Breakfast in the Gallery"

Every Saturday morning in March, Amato's Gallery in downtown Beaverton will host "Breakfast in the Gallery," from 9 to 11 a.m. Coffee and continental fare will be provided, along with artists' demonstrations in a variety of media. Mark your calendars and start your Saturdays with a dose of artistic inspiration. Amato's Gallery is located within Amato's Florals, 12320 SW 1st Street, Beaverton.

We celebrated our official opening on February 12, with an artists' reception that was lively and very well attended. I'm exhibiting my work there along with sixteen other award-winning area artists; you can imagine how excited we all are to have a permanent fine art gallery in historic downtown Beaverton.

Stop in Monday through Saturday, 10 to 4, to see sculptures by Joni Mitchell, Joe Pogan and John Wisener; glasswork by Diane Ahrendt; ceramics by Beth O'Mahony; jewelry by Bert Cohen, Sheri Gorman, and Rosie Long; oils by Linda Baker and Michael Orwick; pastels by Brenda Boylan, Gretha Lindwood and Christy Perrine; acrylics by Chris Helton and Annie Salness; and watercolors by me. It's a very talented group and I'm proud to be a part of this exciting venture.

Chris Helton will be "up at the easel" on March 6; she'll be happy to share her process and field your comments and questions.

No need for reservations - just show up. Hope to see you there, Donna

Pastel Workshop with Kitty

Why do I always have to start off my blog entries with, "It's been a long time since my last blog." Isn't the point of a blog to make entries on a regular basis. I aim to do better in the future.

With that said, I had to share the delightful experience of the three-day pastel workshop I just attended with Kitty Wallis at the helm. We started Friday morning with color exercises based on value and temperature, and worked on transforming black and white photos into paintings using specific palettes. Of course we worked on Kitty's fabulous Wallis pastel paper - the best ever made. The hours flew and by the end of day one I was hooked. Too much fun - too much color eye candy. Day two started with Kitty demonstrating her pure pigment underpainting technique, followed by application of pastels. We each followed suit, this time working from our own color photograph. Day three was reserved for creating an array of handmade pastels to share and take home for future masterpieces!

The class was small but energy was high, and we all went away with smiles on our faces. New ideas, new materials, new friends - what could be better. I had a wonderful weekend - hope you did as well.