Sunriver Resort Lodge Betty Gray Gallery presents a fine art exhibit featuring Janice Druian, oil landscapes and Tracy Leagjeld, monotypes in the upper gallery. Druian and Leagjeld will be present at a reception in their honor on Friday, May 23 from 5–7pm. The exhibit continues through July 5.
Druian, Bend artist, presents oil landscapes reflecting the beauty of the Central Oregon. In describing her art she quotes Maynard Dixon, the famed western painter of the last century and inspiration to the artist: “My work…is not the regulation ‘Wild West’ type of painting. I aim rather to interpret the vastness…loneliness and sense of freedom this country inspires.”
Druian’s roots go deep in the West. Her family came across on the Oregon Trail, ultimately settling in California in 1852. It is this enduring connection with the West that inspires her landscape painting.
Deepening that connection, she lives overlooking the Deschutes canyon with an encompassing vista of the Cascades and the Ochoco Mountains, witnessing daily the rich visuals of the high desert light. The current body of work focuses on the light found in remote parts of Oregon and Idaho in the sometimes-opalescent mountains, vermillion cliffs and dramatic sunsets and sunrises that encompass the palette of the entire color spectrum.
Druian took a masters in art education at U of O under noted artists Laverne Krause and Frank Okada with continued studies including a concentration on Plein Air. Her art appeared at the 8th Annual (2014) Plein Air Invitational in Borrego Springs, the Yosemite Renaissance XV at the Museum at Yosemite National Park and from March through early May this year at the invitational Cowgirl Up: the Other Half of the West at the Desert Caballeros Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona, featured in the exhibit’s full-color catalogue.
Leagjeld notes that her art is a way to communicate and share with others her love and reverence for nature. She creates layered, subtly textured landscapes in monotypes stating “I love being outside surrounded by nature. Forests, meadows and deserts all have a different kind of energy and I strive to create paintings and prints that allow the viewer feel the spirit of the place.” Her work in the exhibit features Central Oregon imagery.
Leagjeld creates monotypes that are a form of printmaking whereby an original image is inked or painted onto a non-porous surface, such as a piece of plexiglass or metal then transferred onto paper by laying a piece of paper over the painted surface and applying pressure transferring the image to the paper. The artist prefers to use oil-based printer’s ink for its luminous sheen.
Sunriver invites the public to join the landscape artist’s reception on Friday evening of Memorial Day Weekend as well as the exhibitions at the Lodge, open all hours. Billye Turner organizes exhibitions for Sunriver Resort and provides additional information at 503-780-2828.
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