Featuring Pamela Armstrong (Date Bags), Tina Brockway (Fine Art Pottery), Carolyn Waissman (Photography) and Vanessa Julian (Oils). Second Saturday artists’ reception and wine tasting April 13, 4-7pm at the Gallery.
Come celebrate with the artists at the Artists’ Gallery in Sunriver. There are lots of things to get excited about. Not only are we happy to embrace the bounty of spring, it is the second anniversary of this successful gallery. To honor the occasion, the gallery will have drawings each hour for beautiful, one of a kind, art pieces. There is no cost to enter, and you can meet the artist that created each piece. Enjoy the Second Saturday reception with the artists on April 13. Following are featured artists:
Carolyn Waissman, a local naturalist and wild life photographer, is showing a new collection of Central Oregon subjects titled Wild – Feathers and Flowers. Carolyn’s work has been extremely popular at the gallery since the grand opening two years ago. Art patrons return to the gallery frequently to see which new photography piece can be added to their collection. A frequently asked question is, “How long did the artist have to wait to capture that specific moment or animal expression?”
Her new pieces are macro (really close up) photographs that capture, in exquisite detail, each beautiful flower and wild song bird’s minute essence. Central Oregon offers a feast for artistic inspiration. Photographing the natural world is intrinsically part of Carolyn’s every day life in Central Oregon. Her joy is expressed in her personal interpretation of every aspect of nature.
Carolyn’s art is presented in multiple formats. Look for greeting cards, prints framed in eco-friendly bamboo frames and a variety of sizes of enlarged giclee canvas pieces.
Tina Brockway is an artist that enjoys working in multiple mediums, including graphic design, fabric design, en-caustic painting and pottery. Her love for art started early on in life, and it is easy to see the diverse influences of her training and travels in the pottery pieces that she displays at the gallery.
Many of her large fine art pieces (bowls, platters, lamps, unusual vessels) demonstrate the often “peacock” colors of the Raku pottery process. Some pieces boast delicate patterning reminiscent of lace. Other pieces display beloved scenes from Central Oregon such as Smith Rock.
Tina’s fine art pottery collection also includes smaller pieces like delicate cups and vessels with strong Asian influences. Large or small, each piece is made unique because of the combination of tightly controlled artistic design and the uncontrolled nature of the Raku glazing process.
Vanessa Julian is new to the Artists’ Gallery this year, so many regular patrons may not have had the pleasure of viewing her work. Vanessa’s medium is acrylic on both two and three dimensional surfaces. Locals may be familiar with her work through her well know poster, Sagebrush Hoppers, that she painted for the Bend Summer Festival. Gallery pieces include both whimsical paintings and painted boxes.
The artist says that her art is a reflection of the world that she sees, a world that she believes is full of “fat curiosities.” Her art is colorful, full of round shapes injected with colorful expressions. Her piece Bunny Box shows a gap tooth rabbit that can not help but bring a smile to everyone who looks at it.
Pamela Armstrong, also new to the gallery, is fabric artist. Come see her collection of beautiful “date bags.” A date bag is a special little purse, handcrafted of fabric remnants that may have previously resided in a grand room or were worn by someone special. These little gems may display Grandma’s old buttons, rescued from the jar in which they resided for decades. Maybe there will be the single earring, a brooch or broken pendant that can still sparkle and gleam in the light.
Pamela’s date bags encourage admirers to think about the stories that each of these embellishments could tell. What parties did they attend and what coats they may have fastened? Perhaps you will remember a special someone?
Like all art pieces, each date bag has a title. Although each piece is unique, they all have one thing in common. They are small and they are small for a reason. When you use your date bag, it helps you stay in the moment, not distracted by the entire life that you carry in your capacious day bag. You are free to enjoy dinner with a friend, a movie or a stroll in an art gallery unencumbered. It is just the right size to help create a memory. It is the perfect gift for a special friend or for you!
www.artistsgallerysunriver.com.