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!
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