(Pottery above by Dori Kite)
July is a patriotic month and the Artists’ Gallery of Sunriver is all about red, white and blue and recognizing those that serve our wonderful country. Stop by the gallery for the monthly Second Saturday Celebration and hoist a glass or something yummy to eat to honor these great individuals. The party is on July 14 from 4 to 7pm. Since the gallery is open every day during the summer, please stop by and see what is new. Featured artists for the month of July are displaying some very notable pieces of art.
Featured artist Susan Harkness-Williams gladly takes her imagination with her everywhere that she roams. Her latest pieces, Happy I and II, are fine gourd art vessels that explode with color. Each piece is created with eye catching mixed mediums, a sort of “secret sauce,” and the artist’s signature carving style. Susan always strives for statement pieces in her creations. She draws inspiration from archeology, nature and husband Dave. A long time Sunriver resident, the artist plunges head first into mixed media creations of all types — masks, vessels and illustrated creations — with a style that is always evolving.
Painter and ceramic artist Marjorie Cossairt always demonstrates an evolving style. Even with her two medias, the gallery’s visitors cannot get enough. One of her newest pieces is an acrylic on canvas painting of running horses that is reminiscent of primitive drawings. The rich rust and turquoise hues of the piece set off the grey horses. Cossairt also offers up her more traditional watercolors of flora and fauna that have always been popular. Her smaller ceramic pieces with thoughtful words and beautiful glazes make wonderful gifts for anyone.
Collectors of pottery pieces from Dori Kite will be pleased to hear that she expanded her studio this winter to include a new kiln which has allowed the artist to evolve her style. Kite has been working on glazes and application for some time with the goal of creating a surface variation that is more like color in nature rather than the “flatter” commercial glazes. Her most recent inspiration, the beautiful Madras area landscape, is the basis of the fresh and fabulous greens, rich earth tones and subtle yellows and golds found in her newest pieces. The new kiln provides Kite with the means to capture the palate of colors that evoke the landscapes that inspire her. Her old “standby” tools — an old soap measuring cup, a ketchup bottle, ear syringe and a rubber basting brush and her fingers — allow Kite to pour, dunk, squeeze and atomize her way to some truly unique and beautiful pieces.
Fine art photographer Richard Frederick considers subject matter, light quality, creativity and a thorough technical understanding of the tools of the trade to produce his wonderful art photos.
However, what really compels the artist is knowing that a scene becomes a historic record at the instant the shutter is released. He chooses subjects that are provided by nature, have historical significance and can reveal a way of life. Frederick loves the gratification that he receives from creating a work of art that evokes a strong emotion in the viewer. At the gallery, visitors are compelled to stop and linger while contemplating the awe-inspiring landscapes and detailed still life scenes. Pieces can be custom printed in sizes that will meet a collector’s specific needs.