June 9 the gallery will recognize Greg Cotton (wood working), Vern Bartley (photography) Peter Roussel (pottery) and Deni Porter (vivid watercolor).
The Second Saturday reception draws people from all around Central Oregon and gives patrons and visiors an extended time to visit with the artists while enjoying light appetizers and sipping a favorite beverage.
Cotton as a founding member of the Gallery has a large following of locals who not only check in for what’s new but also for his tried and true kitchen art/gifts. He also has something for the fisherpersons in your life with exquisitely crafted fly boxes. Newest in Greg’s offerings are fine jewelry boxes. The dovetail joinery is appreciated by everyone. The exotic woods used make these an excellent gift choice for special occasionsranging from $15-$400.
Cotton also offers beautiful furniture and is commissioned regularly to create one of a kind piece. His goal is to have the furniture match the home, the owner and the feeling the patron wants to have when they look upon their treasure.
Bartley’s love of all things photographically dramatic keeps the sale of his images brisk. His images vary from exotic and amazing to incredible and jaw droppingly beautiful. He spends much of his time while working in the Gallery explaining to on lookers of just how he captured the particular shot. He offers monthly newsletters to followers and fellow photographers who are yearning to learn or want to add to their growing Bartley collection of photographs.
It goes without saying that Bartley spends as much time as needed to be the “image creator .“This month the Gallery features Yaquina Head Magic, the latest in a series of Iconic Images of Oregon Series that Bartley has been working on for the past three years. Yaquina Head Lighthouse is located in Newport, Oregon on the Central Oregon Coast. It is one of the oldest lighthouses on the West Coast and provides the perfect foreground for a remarkable Milkyway backdrop on an unusually clear evening.
Porter livens the Gallery with her vivacious personality which comes through in her water color paintings. She has just returned from months in the desert where she instructs groups of avid followers of her style and use of vivid color schemes.
She loves coming home to Sunriver. So much so that she created a Sunriver for the Seasons series that reflect that love of the outdoors captured uniquely here in Sunriver.
Animals provide Porter with the dual opportunity to explore both color and texture while capturing the unique attitude and expression of each subject. New Baby was inspired by a photo taken in Canyon de Shelly in Arizona. The Indian guide speculated that the wild donkey baby had been born in the last 24 hours. The day was ending as the new mother looked over her bewildered infant. The colors of the setting sun are reflected in the coats of the new family. In Fat Cat she captures the subject’s obvious disdain for anyone who doesn’t think that he is perfect. The painting, which shows off Porter’s sense of humor, was inspired by an article on obesity in pets.
Roussel started working with clay in the early 1960s. He was taught in a very traditional manner making utilitarian pottery and finishing them with very traditional stone wareglazes. He attended San Francisco State College in the ‘60s perusing a degree in fine arts.
After college Roussel went to Mendocino, California and set up an art program for Clearwater Ranch which had approximately 200 children who were autistic and were wards of the State. He introduced a ceramic program for the children to be able to express themselves by using clay as the medium. Their ages ranged from 4 to 15 years.
Roussel says, “What came out of this experience for me is hard to put in words. Their creativity and expression was from very realistic to things out of this world. It was during this time working with the children I also started experimenting with alternative methods of firing which I have pursued ever since. Saying I was affected by working with these children is a gross understatement!”
He now exclusively uses alternative firing techniques to finish all of his pottery. His techniques are known as pit firing, smoke fired, fuming, slip resist, horsehair, and sager firing. Each pot becomes a blank canvas so to speak and each surface treatment becomes unique unto itself. No two pieces of ceramic art ever ever the same. Constant experimenting and tweaking of formulas and methods keep the results fresh and alive for him and draws him into wanting to do another one to see how it turns out.
As of this writing, the Gallery artists were working with the new SHARC center to create art classes for the summer. The extended summer hours and days of operation made it impossible for classes to be held inside of the Gallery. But who wouldn’t want to round out their visit to Sunriver with an art class taught by professional artists? The classes tentatively planned are for beginners, but more experienced artists can jump in as well. Oil painting, jewelry, watercolor, figure drawing and more are on the possible agenda for summer.
Check with the Gallery www.artistsgallerysunriver.com call 541 593 4382, or visit the SHARC center for more information.