Holiday Shopping Items

Less than two months until Christmas and I'm sure many of you have started your holiday shopping. Don't forget to stop in at Art In The Village and see what some of our artists have created as special gifts for the art loving people on your list. Keep in mind that these items are all handmade so the supply is limited.

Shown below is a glimpse of what you'll find:

 Small Glass Bowls by Vicki Green

 Glass Wine Stoppers by Vicki Green

 Handwoven Wool Scarves by Denise Oyama Miller

 Village Ornaments by Denise Oyama Miller

 Boxed Sets of Greeting Cards by Wendy Givens

Handmade Holiday Cards by Donna Sanson

Colorful Card Holders by Denise Oyama Miller

Don't forget to come out and help us celebrate our Grand Opening on Friday, November 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. Wine & refreshments, many of the artists will be present, and a drawing for $25, $50, and $100 gift certificates. Hope to see you this Friday. 

7830 SW 40th Avenue, Suite #1, Portland 97219

(across from the Multnomah Post Office - look for the mural on the outside of the building)

Number 20 of 20

Amerinda Alpern
The final artist in my group of 20 is Amerinda Alpern. She is also my newest artist friend, having met her in August through Chas Martin. I think she has more energy in her little pinkie than I do in my entire body. She is tiny, moves quickly, asks lots of questions, and is very generous with her time and possessions - she already staffed the gallery for me on a Saturday and donated a brand new jewelry display case to my new space.

Amerinda brings mobiles and jewelry to Art In The Village. She says, "The correlation between pieces I make to wear and kinetic sculpture stems from my desire to work between large and small objects, while continuing my exploration with texture, color and form."

Working with hand tools -  a rolling mill, files, torch, and polishing machine, - Amerinda creates in silver, bronze and gold. Her inspiration comes from a fascination with nature, walks in the woods, and a love of graceful modern shapes. "The juxaposition of the natural world and pure form continue to collide and provide continuous amounts of amusement in my studio life."

Amerinda holds an MFA in Sculpture from Colorado State University and a BFA from California College of the Arts.

Two by Two II

The other two of the four artists mentioned in my last post are Ana Quinn and Tim Havens. Both live in Aloha, Oregon and both are ceramic artists. They shared their work at Art On Broadway over the years as guest artists during monthly guest shows and holiday boutiques. Allow me to tell you a little bit about each of them.


Tim Havens - 
Tim's wife, Michelle, is a painter who specializes in portraits of cats and dogs.Together the two multimedia artists work out of their home studio. Their art is 100% handmade and every piece of art is one of a kind. They both participate each year in the Chehalem Mountain Art 
Affair..

The photograph below shows Tim putting the finishing touches on a tall lantern that is about to be delivered to its new owner.

Ana Quinn - 
Like many of the artists I have met over the years, Ana's interest in art - and particularly clay - began as a young girl. She shares that, "I used to sit on our porch and form figures out of modeling clay. Later when I studied anthropology in college, I was most interested in the Indian arts, which included making coil pottery and decorating it with bits of basketry and ropes pressed into the clay."

Some of Ana's wheel work includes bowls and platters painted with ancient Indian Art from the Mimbres culture, as well as cave art from the prehistoric caves of France. The majority of her work is made on the wheel and is both whimsical and functional. It is a marriage of her Anthropology studies and her love of clay.

In addition to showing at Art In The Village, Ana's working studio will be open this Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. as part of Washington County Open Studios. Visitors to her studio will be some of the first to see her new porcelain iguana which was inspired by a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador. Ana's studio is located at 20195 SW Imperial Street, Aloha. There will be signs to guide you.

Two By Two I

Today's introductions are the first two from a group of four. I became acquainted with all four when their work was exhibited during one of the monthly Guest Wall exhibits at Art On Broadway Gallery. Terry Grant designs and creates art quilts, and Barb Sedgwick works in embossed metal design.

Terry Grant -
Terry lives just outside Portland with her husband Ray. She has been sewing, drawing and painting since she was a child, and earned a degree in art with a concentration on painting and printmaking. It wasn't until she saw a group of beautiful quilts that it occurred to her that her love of art and textiles and sewing could be combined. She has never looked back.

Semi-retired from her career in Graphic Design, Terry spends most of her days enjoying her family, working in her studio, or writing. She has had several articles published in quilting magazines and is an avid blogger (www.andsewitgoes.blogspot.com); not to mention being one of the authors of Twelve by Twelve: The International Art Quilt Challenge.

You might have seen some of her quilt work in national and international exhibits or in one or more of the numerous books that include images of her quilts. She heads to Houston, Texas soon where her quilt, "Green Thumb," will be one of her 23 quilts on display at Quilt Festival Houston. Terry was selected for this year's "Rising Stars" honor along with one other candidate. Based on this wonderful image, it's easy to see why she is being honored.

Barb Sedgwick - 
Barb is a resident of Beaverton, Oregon and her art element of choice is texture. She says, "It captivates and motivates me, and is a fundamental quality of all my work. The attributes of light - depth, shadows, highs, lows - as well as touch are major components of my hand-embossed pewter, copper, or aluminum decorated assemblages."

Barb begins with flat sheets of metal and uses ancient techniques from Greece, the Middle East, European repousse, and Mexican repujado to magically transform plain sheets of metal into designs of whimsical animals, flora and fauna, geometric abstracts, everyday objects, etc. She then finishes her pieces with patina and polish which further bring out the texture and design, and applies a sealant. Wooden boxes, switch plates, journals, pieces of weathered wood, etc. become the supports to which Barb attaches her embossed designs - creating items that are both useful and beautiful.

"I thoroughly enjoy seeing people smile when they experience my creations and hope my artistic expression brings happiness to those who own my unique original pieces."

Four Down The Hall

In early 2019, I was invited by Dianne Erickson to rent space in her working studio at Suite #2, 7830 SW 40th Avenue in Multnomah Village. I immediately accepted her offer and the foundation for Art In The Village was laid. When Suite #1 became available in August, I proposed to the artists in the building that it become a gallery. Don Bishop and Suzanne Vaughan in Suite #5, and Chas Martin and Cherie Shanteau in Suite #7 liked my idea and made a 12 month commitment. All four have work in AITV in addition to their private working studios just down the hall from the gallery.


Don Bishop
Don paints mostly in oil and occasionally in acrylic; much of his work is done plein air, painting outside in the beautiful Northwest, capturing its light and scenic wonders. Originally from Southern California, he received a Bachelor's Degree in Art from California State University Long Beach. He now resides in Portland but credits the influence of Early California Plein Air Impressionists for the early development of his painting style.

Other influences on Don's work include George Innes, Franz Bischoff, William Wendt, and Maurice Braun, and the tonalist style. As his work evolves, Don feels his paintings have become a hybrid of tonalist, impressionist, and Hudson River School influences. His goal, "is to follow in the footsteps of the early masters, creating paintings that capture the qualities of light and color of the early impressionist movement."

Chas Martin
Chas has traveled down an art pathway for 40 years. After studies at Pratt Institute in New York City, he spent 10 years as an art director and creative director for ad agencies in San Francisco and Boston; he found time at night to paint.

 In 1980, he pursued painting full time and averaged an oil painting a day for nine months - then transitioned to dimensional work exploring sculpture, collage and box art. After moving to Hood River in 1981 he did wood carving for several years. He settled in Portland in 1998 and now works daily in his Multnomah Village studio, mentoring others, or leading workshops on painting, sculpture and the creative process.

His studio is adorned with his creations - drawings, paintings, and wall sculptures cover the walls, while the tops of his cabinets, files, tables and work stations serve as a stage for his collection of freestanding mixed media sculptures. Some fun and fresh. Some freaky. Each painted in a lovable palette, and each with a part human, part alien, part pillow appearance extending exaggerated appendages and exhibiting extraordinary balance. An imaginative mind at work!

Cherie Shanteau
Since Cherie finally got settled into her new residence in Beaverton she has been spending hours each day at work creating wearable art in her Multnomah studio. Hats, jackets, scarves, jewelry - she does it all and oh so beautifully. Recently her focus has been on wool hats designed to be fashionable while warding off the chilly temperatures of Portland's fall and winter months.

Cherie comes from a generations-old tribe of creative, hard-working women who taught her to design with fiber and textiles. She started out on a tiny hand-turned Singer sewing machine and then moved on to an old treadle machine. She was taught sewing, knitting, weaving, crochet, embroidery, and learned the meditation of clicking needles and growing rows.

"As I became older and had the opportunity to experience the dazzling beauty and remarkable ancient history and complexity of fiber and textiles throughout the world," Cherie said, "I began to recognize how strongly I was drawn to create with these same amazing tools and techniques." Cherie is determined to take the knowledge and skills that were handed down to her and use these gifts to create wearable art that will meet the needs of consumers today and tomorrow.

Cherie's product line is "Aware Ware" and she plans to concentrate on making hand-made pieces that are comfortable, distinctive, and sustainable.

Suzanne Vaughan
Suzanne grew up in New Zealand and showed an aptitude for the Arts from a young age. As a child, she absorbed and appreciated the intense vibrancy of the landscape, and paid close attention to texture, shape, line, and color. She started painting with acrylics in 2004 and realized it was a perfect conduit for her creative desire. She knew then she wanted to paint large, vibrant paintings just like her grandma had done.

After relocating to the United States in 2008, she switched to oil painting and began creating larger works that radiated positive energy and vibrancy. Her painting process involves an energetic, flowing, and rhythmic application of paint in an abstract expressionist style, similar to the technique used by Jackson Pollock. Numerous layers of pigments and glazes are applied to a canvas laid on the floor. Flicks, drips and brushstrokes of paint are overlaid, suspended in a luminous glow. With multiple applications, each layer interacts with the previous, building a surface with a complex visual texture suggestive of natural organic elements.

Last month Suzanne shipped an order of 17 of her large canvases to a company back east for their corporate offices. Cudos to you, Suzanne!

Meet More AITV Artists

Over my years at Art On Broadway, I met the following three artists - Alexandra Boyden, Sam Hingston, and Elaine Tan - one painter, one wood sculptor, and one jewelry designer. I'm honored to have all of them follow me to Art In The Village.


Alexandra Boyden - Pastel Painter
Alexandra works in pastel on sanded paper and her main subject is the landscape with an exploration toward abstraction. She first became fascinated by the landscape while on a trip with her grandmother to Antarctica where she was exposed to an "amazing landscape so unlike any other." The South Pole became her first subject. Now she begins with one of her photographs, a memory, or her imagination, and then plays with color, line, gesture, and ultimately a more instinctive approach.

"Not always having the right color can force a serendipitous substitution. I think it is this happy accident and intuitive abandon which can bring newfound integrity to a piece. I strive to make images equally compelling to their origins, but different," says Alexandra.

Alexandra majored in graphic design at The Rhode Island School of Design. She worked in galleries, museums, and as an exhibit designer at the Boston Childrens' Museum. Before moving to Lake Oswego with her husband and three children, her art was shown by galleries throughout Boston and in Maine.

Sam Hingston - Wood/Mixed Media Sculpture
Sam and his wife Chandra live in Beaverton where he creates his art in the studio he built in his backyard. His sculptures are mixed media but primarily made of wood; and his designs are inspired by nature and biology with a focus on form and structure. Sam says, "I find sea life and flowers to be particularly fascinating subjects. They embody what I love about nature - its absolute perfection. When people see my sculptures, I want them to marvel at them, study them, and wonder how they were made."

Sam's "Bloom" series currently consists of 26 completed fantastical flowers; his long term goal is to complete one hundred! He begins in the design phase and finds this part of the experience to be exhilarating since it challenges his imagination and allows him to come up with new forms that will challenge him technically.

"Color is not usually a part of my initial design phase. The tints I use are usually chosen as a sculpture comes together and the wood types are selected. I use a variety of woods in each piece and choose which types to incorporate based on workability, natural color, and grain. Saws and grinders are used to make the basic shapes for the individual parts, and then fine details are perfected using a rotary tool and sand paper."                                                                                                             

Sam is currently in school studying for a degree in mechanical engineering, which means less time in his studio. He expects that in the future, however, his education will open doors to a wealth of creative possibilities.

Elaine Tan - Jewelry Design

Elaine was born in China and now resides in the West Slope community of Portland. She believes her Asian background and upbringing have given her the ability to bring a multi-cultural sensitivity to her art, which is often inspired by life, nature, and feelings or reactions to an event. What excites her the most creatively is the process of weaving together the elements of color, texture and composition.

Elaine uses a variety of natural semi-precious stones, organic materials, metals, and other unusual materials to create her designs, and her work is known for its balance vs asymmetry, simplicity vs complexity, and its sense of "yin and yang" -  and always finished with unique custom findings. Many of her materials are selected during her trips abroad and lend authenticity to her designs.

"To ensure durability, I use the highest quality coated steel wire for stringing, paying particular attention to the finish work and quality of materials. My work is comprised of limited edition pieces and one-of-a-kind pieces," says Elaine.

More Introductions

While I was part of Art On Broadway Gallery in Beaverton, artists were added to the original group. Wendy Givens, Vicki Green, and Virginia Parks were three of the artists we represented and with whom I became friends. They were wonderful to work with and brought terrific artwork to AOB to exhibit and sell. So it was only natural that I would invite them to be a part of my new endeavor.

Wendy Givens -

Wendy grew up in the Willamette Valley with a love of nature and animals. She began drawing at an early age and her interest in art continued through high school and college, where she pursued a degree in elementary education and later earned an Associate Degree in graphic design. She and her husband Rick own a giclee printing business for artists, and she found that working with other people's art inspired her to get back to her own love of drawing and painting. Today she works in acrylic and incorporates elements of collage and drawing into her paintings.

Wendy shares that she is, "an abstract, mixed media artist" and "works intuitively, beginning with time spent just playing with the paint, adding and subtracting, reacting to each new mark. As I work, turning the canvas frequently, there usually comes a point when I find my direction and my marks become more intentional."

Earlier this year, Wendy spent ten weeks in Scottsdale Arizona where her work was juried into the prestigious Celebration of Fine Art.



Vicki Green -

After a career in IT, Vicki Green discovered she had another path to pursue. Her interest in glass work had begun about 35 years ago when she took a class at a local studio near her home in Vancouver, Washington. However it wasn't until a trip to Italy in 2004 while watching the Italian glass masters at work and visiting numerous glass galleries, that she was convinced she wanted to become a glass artist. Her work includes whimsical garden art, functional pieces, and beautiful decorative art objects.

Her glass art continually evolves and is often inspired or influenced by elements of nature, personal life experiences, and textile designs.

Always challenging herself, Vicki says, "I find myself exploring gradient lines, shadows, and depth which are attained through multiple processes and constant experimentation."



Virginia Parks -

Virginia is an archaeologist by day, but still manages to find time to consistently create small encaustic (bees wax) paintings. She was first drawn to encaustic painting by its antiquity. Virginia told me that beeswax was originally used by shipbuilders to waterproof ships in ancient Greece. In the following centuries and millennia, the addition of dammar resin and pigment to melted beeswax became an important technique for painting death portraits, religious icons, and other expressions of artistic creativity. The art form has experienced a resurgence in recent years and Virginia embraced it both for its unpredictability and its adaptability.

Working in her Tigard studio, Virginia "focuses my energy on exploring how to portray the natural world through color, line, texture, and multimedia applications. Birds, landscapes, trees, and flowers (some might call them weeds) are among my favorite subjects to interpret. The learning process is ongoing, bringing me joy every time I put wax to wood!"

Virginia is one of 50+ artists on this year's Washington County Open Studio tour. Her studio is #36 on the tour map.

Open Studios & More

The Fall tends to be such a busy time for artists with Art In The Burbs, Beaverton Art Mix, Local 14, Portland Open Studios, and Washington County Open Studios, just to name a few. I spent time last week attending a Sneak Peek in Forest Grove to kick off promotions for Washington County Open Studios on October 19 and 20; and to attend the Artists Reception for Beaverton Art Mix at the library where I was honored to have two paintings juried into Beaverton's annual major art event. This year there were about 650 entries, with 140 selected by the panel of judges to be on display. 

"Rainy Day at Sacre-Coeur Basilica," one of two paintings in BAM 2019

Portland Open Studios are always the second and third weekends in October, and our building in Multnomah will be open both weekends in honor of one of the building's artists - Dianne J Erickson  - whose work was selected for the tour. In addition to Dianne, six other artists will open their working studios for public viewing and my new art gallery will be open as well. Visitors can drive to one location and see the work spaces of seven artists along with their art work. Dates: Oct. 12/13 and Oct. 19/20; Times: 10 to 5 p.m.; Address: 7830 SW 40th Avenue, Portland 97219 across from the post office in Multnomah.

Art In The Village, my new gallery, will also be open Fridays both weekends with our regular Friday hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.