For complete First Friday Listings, click here
First Friday in Bend Welcome Autumn with Gusto
Complete first friday listings here
Art in the Atrium, Franklin Crossing, 550 NW Franklin
Abstractions by Pam Bird and Diane Watson.
Bird, an intuitive painter, strives to take her art beyond representational accuracy to experiential interpretation. She notes her delight in “interpreting the mysterious and intangible qualities of human experience through an expressive visual language.” The artist likens her process to that of a musical composer, continually working to create variations and contrast, seeking to offer the observer an engaging and emotionally stimulating experience.
Watson, also working in abstract imagery, notes that her painting is a constant search for “what comes next,” inspiration arising from within. Catalysts include earlier training, interests in personal transformation and, as exemplified in Opposing Forces, her current body of work, nature’s beauty and her concern for our Earth. The series relates to the struggle between human needs and the sustainability of the natural world.
Opposing Forces, based on deceptively beautiful satellite images, reveals the severe and continuing degradation of oceans, coral reefs, glaciers and forests. To illustrate the horror or this phenomena, Watson uses enamel (oil based), metallic pigments (representing trace metals such as aluminum and barium) , isopropyl alcohol and then extreme heat to stabilize the mediums. Creating metaphor of Earth’s peril with scorched, weathered and raw beauty, the technique is also dangerous and destructive.
During First Friday, Noi Thai serves wine and appetizers and the Tommy Leroy Trio performs jazz. Billye Turner, art consultant (billyeturner@bendnet.com), organizes exhibitions for Franklin Crossing.
A6 Studio & Gallery, 550 SW Industrial Way, Ste. 180, 541-330-8759, www.atelier6000.com
The art, beauty and allure of Japan’s famed floating world comes to life in A6 Studio & Gallery’s 2016 major exhibit, Opening Japan: Three Centuries of Japanese Prints. More than two dozen Japanese woodblock prints feature subjects that tantalized the bourgeois of 17th, 18th and 19th century Japan: elegant courtesans, celebrated kabuki actors, and far-flung destinations. Featuring master works by Hasui, Hiroshige, Yoshitoshi and others, Opening Japan celebrates the enduring beauty of Japanese prints. Thru November 20.
A full schedule of talks, classes and special events provide additional insight into Japanese art and culture. Tea teacher Marjorie Yap holds a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony in the A6 gallery on Friday, September 30. Art historian Ann Wetherwell of Willamette University discusses the pop culture aspect of ukiyo-e prints at Central Oregon Community College on October 11 and art historian Lorna Cahall traces the influence of Japanese prints on the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists on November 1 at the Bend Downtown Library.
Portland State University’s theater department provides an introduction to kabuki theatre and performs select scenes from The 47 Loyal Samurai at Tower Theatre on November 13.
Renowned printmaker and OSU faculty member Yuji Hiratsuka visits A6 in mid-September to give an art talk and display his prints in a pop-up exhibit on September 11. Midwestern artist Mary Brodbeck visits A6 to give an art talk on October 14 and teach a weekend workshop in traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking October 15-16. Frequent beginner-level classes in origami bookmaking and woodblock printing offer exhibit-goers a chance to explore Japanese art forms.
Admission to the exhibit is free; program costs vary. The exhibit is available during regular gallery hours: Monday-Friday 10-7pm, Saturday 10-6pm and Sunday 12-5pm.
Cascade | Sotheby’s
821 NW Wall St. 541-549-4653, www.cascadesothebysrealty.com
Featuring work from Artist Norma Holmes. Norma’s paintings are inspired by the beautiful Northwest, especially Eastern Oregon. Join us to meet Norma, view her work and enjoy complimentary wine and appetizers.
CENTURY 21 Lifestyles Realty
550 NW Franklin Ave, Ste 188
541-382-3333, amy.fredrickson@century21.com
Artworks of SageBrushers artists, Gillian Burton and Linda Shelton.
City Walls at City Hall
710 NW Wall St.www.bendoregon.gov/abc
Features Plein Air Painters of Oregon. The majority of paintings were done outdoors, in a short single painting session. A variety of media, oil, acrylic, watercolor or pastels are employed to capture the time and season of the Central Oregon landscape. Thru September.
COSAS NW
115 NW Minnesota Ave., 512-289-1284
Mexican folk art, Latin American textiles and David Marsh furniture.
Desperado Boutique
Old Mill District, 330 SW Powerhouse Dr. 541-749-9980
Featuring Bend artist Barbara Slater who is inspired by the “out west” way of life and cowboy culture with a touch of city glitz. Painting oils with energy and spirit, this artist’s pigmentation is rich and succulent, while her brushwork is bold and responsive. www.barbaraslater.com.
Douglas Fine Jewelry, 920 NW Bond St. Ste. 106, 541-389-2901, www.douglasjewelry.com
Featuring original jewelry designed by award winning designers Steve & Elyse Douglas. Douglas Jewelry Design has the largest variety of Oregon Sunstone gemstone jewelry in the Northwest.
EverBank, 5 NW Minnesota Ave.
Artwork by SageBrushers artists Terry Solini and Shirley Checkos.
Feather’s Edge Finery
113 NW Minnesota Ave. 541-306-3162, www.thefeathersedge.com
Our shop features functional, well crafted, handmade goods from Bend& beyond. We always have fun, new items featured for First Friday.
Junque in Bloom
50 SE Scott St.
SageBrushers artist Sue Lever.
Jeffrey Murray Photography
118 NW Minnesota Ave.
541-325-6225
www.jeffreymurrayphotography.com
Jeffrey Murray Photography features American landscape and fine art images captured by Bend nature photographer, Jeffrey Murray. Visit and enjoy a visual adventure of illuminating light and captivating panoramas from scenes in Central Oregon and across North America.
Jenny Green Gallery, 849 NW Wall St., 541-280-1124, jenny@jennygreengallery.com, www.jennygreengallery.com
A contemporary fine art gallery, recently opened for a limited engagement at the historic Liberty Theater. Visitors will enjoy an exciting exhibition of contemporary West-Coast art and receive a sneak peek of works the gallery will be taking to international art fairs later this winter.
John Paul Designs Custom Jewelry + Signature Series
1006 NW Bond St.,www.johnpauldesigns.com
Specializing in unique, one of a kind wedding and engagement rings in a variety of metals.
Junque in Bloom, 50 SE Scott Street
SageBrushers artist Jennifer Starr.
Karen Bandy Design Jeweler
25 NW Minnesota Ave., Ste. 5, 541-388-0155, www.karenbandy.com
Tucked between Thump coffee and Alleda Real Estate, Karen Bandy is Central Oregon’s only national/international award-winning jewelry designer, specializing in custom design in downtown Bend since 1987. Her designs are bold, fun and always very wearable. They fit the Central Oregon lifestyle, are made for each individual personally, and are always one-of-a-kind.
Bandy is also an abstract painter who is working on a new series called The Continuum. It speaks to life slowly evolving through time, nature, birth and death, but also how we try to box it up in a neat little package, containing it, veiling truths and forgetting the lessons of the wise ones before us. The subject matter and the physical process of working with paints speaks to this idea of ‘the continuum’ as Bandy works both transparently and opaquely, adding layers and scraping away, creating line and texture, and revealing hidden messages and truths.
Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:30-5, First Fridays, and by appointment at other times.
Lubbesmeyer Studio & Gallery
Old Mill District, second story loft, 541-330-0840, www.lubbesmeyer.com
The Lubbesmeyer twins offer a range of work created in fiber and paint. Through the twins’ collaborative process, they distill literal imagery into vivid blocks of color and texture, creating an abstracted view of their surroundings. Working studio / gallery open Tuesday thru Saturday.
Mary Medrano Gallery
25 NW Minnesota Ave #12, http://www.marymedrano.com/
Across from the Oxford Hotel. Contemporary art.
Mockingbird Gallery
869 NW Wall St., 541-388-2107, www.mockingbird-gallery.com
Kaleidoscope, an exhibition of new artwork from Richard McKinley, Bart Walker and Craig Zuger. All three artists are avid plein air painters and will be in the gallery for First Friday. Stop by to meet the artists, sip a glass of wine and listen to jazz provided by Rich Hurdle and Friends.
McKinley’s beautiful, ethereal landscapes glow with color infused with light. He applies layer upon layer of color to create the effect of atmosphere and depth. He prefers to work primarily enplein air, doing very little finish work back in the studio. Working in both pastel and oil, Richard sees a symbiotic relationship between his two preferred media.
Walker’s beautifully detailed paintings are reminiscent of early California landscapes, alive with deft brushwork and soft nuances of light. Bart paints exceptionally detailed landscapes that are both representational and impressionistic. He is passionate about working outdoors, painting the evocative beauty of nature and attempting to capture that exquisite moment of sunlight in the natural world.
As a landscape painter, Zugerpursues the challenge of how to capture the landscape as it is affected by atmosphere and shifting light. He will often backpack miles into an area in pursuit of just the right light.
Sharon Reed – Contemplation, acrylic on canvas
Oxford Hotel, 10 NW Minnesota Ave., 541-382-8436
The Oxford Hotel celebrates First Friday with artist Sharon Reed showing acrylic on canvas. The artist will be present at the champagne opening from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.
Reed, a studio artist living in Bend, encountered mystical experiences from an early age that continue to inform her perception of the world. With eyes wide open, she traveled in both outer and inner worlds, looking into, under, behind and beyond.
The artist perceives beauty and radiance in all things—a line, a crack, a form, a vibrant color and energy behind the immediately manifest. She notes that her acrylic paintings begin in her conscious self then take on a life of their own as Reed surrenders to the impulses of her soul.
Billye Turner, art consultant (billyeturner@bendnet.com), organizes exhibitions for the Oxford.
Pave Jewelry, 101 NW Minnesota Ave
SageBrushers artists Jack Bridges, Sherri Crandell and Sandy Carron.
Red Chair Gallery
103 NW Oregon Ave., 541-306-3176, www.redchairgallerybend.com
Featuring local artists during September. The Way We Art is the brainchild of Cindy Bennett and Tricia Biesmann. Cindy and Tricia have been fiber artists for many years and their nuno-felted wearable art is the current focus. Their scarves are known for the vivid colors and the soft flowing materials that wrap around you. Many travelers have loved The Way We Art Journey Toppers (scarf-shawl-poncho). They gather their fabrics ,new and repurposed, from all corners of the world. It gives Tricia and Cindy great joy when a beloved scarf or topper finds its owner.
Deb Borine has been creating art from fused glass in Bend for over 10 years. Using imagination, heat and gravity, Borine experiments with all aspects of warm glass to produce artful, yet functional bowls, platters and plates. Deb brings glass to life using color, texture and depth in her northwest inspired landscapes with a distinct painterly effect. The serene and tranquil landscapes she creates reflect light, energy, and the presence of nature.
Dee McBrien-Lee’s show entitled Being Human is clear evidence of her maturity and depth as an abstract painter. Included are a series of modern nudes paired with non-objective abstracts, each one touching on issues of the day as well as the simple joys of being. Bold color and design draw the viewer into each tantalizing piece encouraging us to dig a bit deeper by exploring our individual relationship with the works.
Sage Custom Framing and Gallery
834 NW Brooks Street, 541-382-5884, www.sageframing-gallery.com
Featuring select members of the High Desert Art league with Potpourri. As the name implies their show displays a varied array of fine art ranging from oils, acrylics, and watercolors, to encaustics and detailed drawings.
Oil painter Barbara Slater uses her rich palette of colors and bold brushwork to create a display of brilliant floral paintings. Vivian Olsen designs her dramatic animal watercolor paintings to express each subjects’ lively personality and behavior. MaryLea Harris creates bright and whimsical, multi-layered paintings that are filled with nature’s imagery and hidden meanings. Joren Traveller enjoys the challenge of using oils to paint landscapes inspired from her travels and also uses other media. Patricia Clark’s current works, created as drawings and paintings, depict environmental concerns of nature and ecology.
Townshend’s Bend Teahouse
835 NW Bond Street Bend, Oregon
Carissa Glenn, 541-312-2001 / Carissa@Townshendstea.com
An eclectic collection of past and present work, Jake Daggett exhibits watercolor and acrylic in landscapes, Art Nouveau, and abstracts in his exhibition entitled Debut Album, which is titled as such because he always listen to music when working. Jake is typically a pencil and paper artist, this exhibition is his first serious foray into painting.
Jake has studied graphic design and new media communications and is currently a licensed special education teacher.
Tumalo Art Company, Old Mill District. www.tumaloartco.com; 541-385-9144
Last Spring artist and avid rafter David Kinker, was invited on a 19-day trip through the Grand Canyon with other professional rafters, a celebrity or two and great weather. During that magical time he produced 30 or so drawings and paintings. Later in his studio many large paintings followed.
David remembers the Grand Canyon as full of unworldly beauty and grandeur. “Light, color, textures and scale bring all your senses into the moment. Daily walks become adventures of fantastical delights as water trickles down narrow side canyons though mazes of rock placed as if by the hand of some wondrously creative and imaginative god.”
David is well-known locally for his murals and art. He splits his time between painting, teaching and being a rafting guide.
The Wine Shop, 55 NW Minnesota Ave.
Features paintings by Tamara Vermette and Dianne Norwood.