Saturday, September 28, 2019

Three Originals



Today I'm writing about three artists who were all original members of Art On Broadway gallery, which I founded with two partners back in 2010. Linda Baker, Gretha Lindwood, and Annie Salness took a leap of faith back then and have been loyal friends ever since. I'm thrilled to have them aboard for this leg of the journey.

Linda Baker is a resident of Lake Oswego, is married, and has two grown daughters and a son-in-law. She's a member of Oil Painters of America, The Portrait Society of America, Lake Area Artists and Painter's Showcase. She has served as president of Painter's Showcase and is currently serving as Vice President of Lake Area Artists. She studied art at the University of Wisconsin, Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago, and Scottsdale Artists School.

Linda is a "master" of still life oil painting, and uses rich juicy color and high contrast in her paintings of beautiful household objects and luscious-looking fruits and vegetables. When visiting her studio one time, I discovered she had a wall of shelving with hundreds of treasures she had acquired at garage and estate sales - many of the objects I had seen before as subjects in one or more of her paintings. She can make paint look exactly like china or copper and can so clearly create the illusion of flowers that you swear you can smell their fragrance when you're looking at her work.  Her paintings are very popular and hang in private collections throughout the nation. 

Linda says, "I want to create an emotional experience that comes from seeing some elusive or unrecognized beauty in an object, person, or scene. In a sense, art is for me, unveiling the beauty of everyday things."




Gretha Lindwood resides in the Cedar Mill area of Portland with her husband Walt, who is retired from the business world and spends his time these days writing and publishing novels. When I first met Gretha she was in the process of transitioning from graphic designer at Joe's Sporting Goods to fine art plein air painter, and I don't think she has ever looked back. She works both in oil on canvas and soft pastel on sanded paper, capturing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and sharing her work locally as well as in Carmel and Los Gatos California; Bend and Cannon Beach Oregon; Mercer Island, Olympia, and Port Angeles Washington.

Gretha is a member of Lake Area Artists, Appalachian Pastel Society, and Piedmont Pastel Society; and a signature member of Northwest Pastel Society. She attended Western Washington State College in Bellingham and earned a Professional Diploma from The Burnley School of Professional Art in Seattle Washington. She has continued to study by attending painting workshops with Mitch Baird, Camille Przewodek, Robert Gamblin, Richard McKinley, Albert Handell, Elizabeth Mowry, and others.

I'm impressed that Gretha has been juried into Portland Open Studios for the past six years and has participated in seven out of the last eight Annual Carmel Art Festivals, just to name a few of her recent accomplishments. Even with her busy schedule, she still finds time to teach pastel classes at Village Art Gallery near her Cedar Mill home.

"By painting in the traditional plein air style and by using an impressionistic touch," says Gretha, "my landscapes invite the viewer into the scene. My landscapes can bring to mind the smell of sage after a rain in the desert, the feel on your cheek of soft mist from a foggy morning, or the taste of a salty ocean breeze on your lips." Her work is valued for its vibrant color and strong design.





Annie Salness is amazing. She's an amazing person, an amazing wife and mother of four, an amazing artist - and a true inspiration to most everyone who knows her. Annie was actively involved in Art On Broadway in September of 2010 when the gallery opened. Two months later she suffered a massive stroke that paralyzed her right side. Because she was young and had been physically active she qualified for a special therapy program for stroke victims at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland and immediately began her long, hard road to recovery. She regained her speech, and over time learned to stand and walk and conquer stairs. But Annie did not regain the use of her right hand - her painting hand. She's amazing because she didn't let a massive stroke stop her from doing what she loved - instead she taught herself to paint with her left hand. Just like Molly Brown, she is unstoppable.

Annie was trained in bio-medical illustration but these days her goal is "to capture the purest essence of a person, an animal, or even a vegetable." She works with acrylic on panel in her basement studio and listens to music or an audiobook as she works.

"I love to capture special and often un-witnessed moments and express them in my paintings. I'm drawn to light, color or the glimpse of such a moment. I take random photos and ...often discover something wonderful that I didn't know I'd captured - and this discovery lends excitement to my process," she writes.

Annie says she feels inspired by the blank canvas. I feel inspired by Annie!



Thursday, September 26, 2019

Introducing Susan Helmer and Denise Oyama Miller

I'll start by introducing Susan Helmer and Denise Oyama Miller, two artists friends from Fremont CA and my days exhibiting with Artists 7. I love these two ladies - we have shared many wonderful moments - exhibiting, partying, planning, and traveling together along with the other members of the A7 group. When I invited them to become a part of Art In The Village, they both responded with warm enthusiasm. Despite the logistics of transporting the artwork, they agreed 100% to be involved.

Susan is a retired middle school teacher who loves cats and her husband, Max. As a child, she was introduced to art through classes at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. She still remembers the huge bottles of brightly colored tempera paint and the stone lions that lined the path to the museum. While attending San Jose State University, she earned a minor in art with an emphasis on crafts, especially textiles. She later studied bead design with Helen Dietze and was hooked on creating jewelry from beads. Then 20 years ago while on vacation in Washington, she discovered silk painting and was immediately hooked. She now only paints on silk using watercolor techniques with liquid dyes, and sometimes incorporates her love of beads into her paintings. Her subjects range from florals to abstracts, with a particular interest in leaves and colorful tropical plants.

I drove to Ashland one recent weekend and Susan and Denise drove up from the Bay Area so I could pick up their artwork. Of course we had a wonderful visit with lots of laughter and talk of days gone by.

Susan's silk painting of "Trucked Out" is 22x28 and will be on exhibit when the gallery opens in October.




I recently shared news about Denise and her "Connecting Threads" quilt in a post dated 9/24 and now it's time to reveal more about her background and creative passion. Denise was born in Baltimore, Md and moved to California in 1960. She attended the University of California Berkeley and worked in the Information Technology area at Kaiser Permanente before retiring to work full time on her art. Denise and her husband Dean have two married sons and three grandchildren.

Nature is a source of constant inspiration for Denise and she has chosen to work in textiles because they are adaptable to many processes and she has worked with some form of fiber most of her life. She looks for patterns, textures and color combinations that can be interpreted in fabric. She has an entire wall in one room in her house that is lined floor to ceiling in shelves of fabric of every color and pattern. I know because I've seen it. Her quilts capture the simplicity, peace and tranquility of being outdoors and she strives to make viewers feel like they are in the environment she has created. She also pays homage in her work to her Japanese ancestry and to Japanese art, which is often focused on Nature.

Denise's "Moment In Time" quilt will be on exhibit at the gallery when it opens.



Meet two or three more artists in tomorrow's post. Until then ...




Art In The Village - My New Fine Art Gallery in Multnomah

I'm so happy to announce the upcoming opening of my new art gallery at 7830 SW 40th Avenue, Suite #1 in Portland, directly across from the Multnomah Village post office. Art In The Village will open its doors with a soft opening on Friday, October 4; a Grand Opening is planned for early November.

The small, intimate gallery will feature works by twenty artist friends and will be open for viewing and sales each Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. My working studio is located at the back of the gallery, and I will have my artwork exhibited there.

A list of the twenty artists is shown below and I plan to feature one or two on each upcoming posts so you'll have an opportunity to learn more about them and their artwork. I hope you'll check in each day to see whose being introduced and become acquainted with their work and accomplishments. Here are some "before" images of Art In The Village.


 Exterior of building with new mid-century modern mural.



 From front door toward back, with studio space


My working studio


The transformation began last weekend when artists started delivering work


I'm proud to be able to share works by Amerinda Alpern, Linda Baker, Don Bishop, Alexandra Boyden, Wendy Givens, Terry Grant, Vicki Green, Tim Havens, Susan Helmer, Sam Hingston, Gretha Lindwood, Chas Martin, Denise Oyama Miller, Virginia Parks, Ana Quinn, Annie Salness, Barb Sedgwick, Cherie Shanteau, Elaine Tan, and Suzanne Vaughan.




Washington County Open Studios Coming Soon

Congratulations to Peg Falconer for starting Washington County Open Studios ten years ago, and who remains as the driving force behind this annual event.  In recognition of 10 years of the tour, the artists have come together and created a special deck of playing cards depicting images from this year's artists. The card decks are available on washcoart.org and at studios along the tour. I think you may want a deck for your own personal use as well as purchasing a couple decks for holiday gift giving.




Free catalogs listing all artists and a map with their location are available at libraries throughout the county or by contacting washcoart.org. The tour is always the third weekend in October and the hours are from 11 am to 5 pm.  

My home studio at 14595 SW Topaz Lane in Beaverton is on the tour along with several of my artist friends whose studios I recommend you visit - Gretha Lindwood, Virginia Parks, Ana Quinn, and Annie Salness.  These four talented women are among the twenty artists I invited to exhibit at my new art gallery in Multnomah Village. More on that later...

"In Full Bloom," Acrylic on Board - D Sanson




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Wednesday, September 25, 2019

BAM (Beaverton Arts Mix) - Reception October 3

Time again for Beaverton's annual fine art event at the Beaverton City Library on Hall and Fifth. The exhibit opens on Thursday evening, October 3, with an artists reception from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and continues through Sunday afternoon.

There were just under 700 entries this year and about 125 were accepted by the jury panel of Jim Lommasson, Linda Twichell, Liz Thoresen, and Renee Lopez. I feel honored to have two of my gouache paintings included, and will have another ten original unframed pieces in my bin.

I plan to attend the reception and hope to see many friends and fellow artists during the evening.

 Rainy Day in Montmartre, Paris -  Gouache


A View From A Room, Bordeaux - Gouache




Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Congratulations to My Friends Denise and Adriane

How lucky I am to know so many talented artists.

Denise Oyama Miller and I were part of Artist 7, a group of nine female artists who all resided in the East Bay of San Francisco and who regularly exhibited together in venues from San Jose to Mendocino. Denise worked primarily in watercolor and mixed media collage back then but spends much of her time these days creating fabulous art quilts. One of her quilts, "Connecting Threads," tells the personal story of her family's Japanese American history. In October she and her husband will attend the opening of the 16th International Triennial of Tapestry at the Central Museum of Tapestry in Lodz, Poland, where Connecting Threads will be part of a "Breaching Borders" exhibit. The show runs through March 2020. Congratulations Denise. Travel safely.

"Connecting Threads" by Denise Oyama Miller


Just learned that another of my artist friends from California, Adriane Dedic, had her design selected to be made into an Imperial Fan that was presented to Japan's Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako at the Prince's Enthronement as new Emperor last spring.  Six winning designs were selected and Adriane's Emperor and Peacock Butterflies entry was one of the winners, along with others from New York, Israel, London, and Tokyo. The actual fans were made in Kyoto, Japan using the winners' designs. What an incredible honor. So proud of you, dear Adriane.


Adriane with her Emperor and Peacock Butterflies Fan Design