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Paul
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Bathing
Suits in February?
Awards
Shows for
The Rest of Us
Ready
For Employee Idol?
There
are Dog People and
There are Cat People
Can't
Be Too Safe When
Mowing the Lawn
One
of Life's Greatest
Mysteries Explained
So
Much Food,
So Little Ocean
Time
Once Again to Bring
A Dead Tree Into the House
Remember
When These Were Your Biggest Problems in Life?
Dentists
– Masters of Understatement
Cell
Phones: You Gotta Learn It Somewhere
With
PVC, Anyone Can
Screw Up a Sprinkler System
On
Gambling
Can
We Get That Dog
to Read?
Is
Nicole Kidman Buzzing
Around Your House?
Tracking
the Origin
of the Elephant Ear
Television
Networks – The New Business Model for Chaos
Don't
Argue When the Ultimate Makeover Team Arrives
Stranger
in a Strange Land
One
Holiday Down,
A Couple Dozen To Go
Imponderables
I’ll
Have The Smaller, More Expensive Portion Please
It's
High Time for More Warnings on TV Ads
Ah,
The Joy of a Relaxing Vacation
There's
Nothing like Technology to Make Easier Things Harder
A
Puzzling Addiction
More
Imponderables
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Elegant
Images Photography: Portraits with a Passion
by
SONDRA HOLTZMAN
A&E Editor Simply put, Jon Neuenschwander, owner of Avenida Art & Frame
in Sisters, is a framing artist extraordinaire. “I’ve been doing custom
framing for over 15 years and have no plans to stop,” he says. “Presenting
art is a valuable skill. I believe there must be those who are dedicated
to the arts to enhance the artwork of artists who have other things to
do – get it on the walls, display it properly and make it worthwhile from
an aesthetic standpoint.”
According to Neuenschwander, choosing a framer is similar to determining
personal preference when selecting any other professional, like a doctor
or hairdresser. “When you find a framer you enjoy working with, in a sense
you appreciate the options and the style of framing they’re giving you,”
says Neuenschwander. “Finding a framer you’re comfortable with who delivers
a good product at a fair price in an expedient manner is the magic formula.
The general rule in any kind of custom service is quality, price and expediency:
pick two. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.”
Some time ago, a friend gave Neuenschwander a book with the inscription,
“Art is too important to leave to the masses.” Aside from priding himself
on extraordinary work with a focus on excellence, Neuenschwander believes
the best combination between client and framer is when they view a piece
of art together as a team. “It’s important for the framer to be a good
listener and find out how the client feels about the art and where it’s
going in the home or office,” he shares. “On the other hand, it’s also
a good idea for the client to listen to the advice of a framer. Perhaps
the framer notices the fact that an intricate piece of art would not be
easily viewed from a distance. In that case, you could say it needs to
be placed in a location where people are forced to get close to it, because
if you have something that’s very intricate and it’s way across the living
room, you’re never going to see it.”
Aside from an impressive selection of moldings in the store, Neuenschwander
has a full, off-site woodworking shop that can accommodate much larger
custom orders and specialty items. “There are so many options to consider
when framing a piece of artwork,” he says. “To me, it’s all about relationships.
I’m only as good as the last frame job that left my shop and my best work
is out in people’s homes where it should be. I’ve learned over the years
to listen to the customer first. The end result is rewards that culminate
in a great design they’ll appreciate for years to come.” Hours of operation:
Tuesday-Friday, 10am-5:30pm and other times by appointment. And a bonus:
clients receive free delivery of completed artwork. Information: 541/549-1475
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ENCORES
Local Artists in Juried Show
The works of four Central Oregon watercolor painters were juried into
the Spring Exhibition of the Watercolor Society of Oregon at the Columbia
Center for the Arts in Hood River. Cindy Briggs and Judy Hoiness of
Bend, Helen Brown of Sunriver and Winnie Givot of Sisters are four of
80 artists included in the show. Their work was selected by juror Donna
Zagotta out of 387 images entered in the show.
Bend Student Headed to
New York Competition
Scott Carroll, 17, will compete in the Classical Singer High School
competition in New York City over Memorial Day weekend in May. Winners
will receive cash prizes and university scholarships. In March, Carroll
was named as a finalist in the regional classical singer high school
competition at Highline Community College, Washington. Singers are required
to prepare three classical songs and sing one of their choosing and
one of the judges choosing. Scott will also attend master classes with
opera professionals. He studies with voice teacher Nancy Engebretson
and is a 2007 winner of a Sunriver Music Festival Young Artist scholarship.
Scott has been a member of the Children’s Music Theatre Group since
2003, playing Daddy Warbucks in Annie, The Beast in Beauty and the Beast,
Max in The Sound of Music and Horton the Elephant in Seussical in their
productions at the Tower Theatre.
Favinger Smith Accepted into National Association
of
Women Artists
Redmond artist Sue Favinger Smith announces her juried acceptance into
the National Association of Women Artists, the oldest professional women’s
fine arts organization in the United States. Smith submitted examples
of her Elements series on paper, as well as her professional exhibitions
history and resume, and will be formally inducted into the organization
in November 2008. Earlier this year, Smith was also accepted into the
Oil Painters of America on the strength of her landscapes. Smith graduated
from OSU-Cascades in 2005 with a Fine Art degree.
OAC Announces Cultural Tourism Grants
The Oregon Arts Commission announces nine awards totaling $74,750 in
its inaugural round of Cultural Tourism Grants. This new grant program,
made possible by increased funds approved by the legislature for the
Arts Commission’s 2007-2009 budget, supports projects and partnerships
that advance arts-based cultural tourism activities. In Bend, Arts Central
received $10,000 to support a collaboration between Arts Central and
the Bend Visitors and Convention Bureau to develop the region’s first
cultural tourism marketing initiative.
ArtMatch Reaches $200,000
ArtMatch received a generous donation of $50,000 from John and Nancy
James and Dinah Cross James in memory of their daughters Tali James
and Lindsay Malcolm. The Brooks Resources and the Bend Foundation matching
gift program was designed to encourage other community members—individuals,
corporations, public organizations—to make donations that would be eligible
for ArtMatch funds. With this recent donation, ArtMatch has now raised
a total of $200,000. To make a donation to ArtMatch and be part of the
history of public art in Bend, donations can be sent to ArtMatch, c/o
Arts Central, 15 S.W. Colorado, Suite #260, Bend, OR, 97702.
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