Catherine Bede
There is beauty in any moment. Even in the smallest things. Even when you aren’t expecting it. Beauty right beside you every day. It is sometimes hidden. Other times it is staring you in the face or whispering in your ear, even though you might not see or hear it. My art invites you to notice this beauty in your own life. To take it in. To feel its warmth. To breathe in the space that it creates for you. To open your awareness and discover that no matter what, this beauty is always here– if you only take the moment and look.
Darla Boljat
I create paintings in my home studio. I recently finished a series called the Seven Wonders of Oregon. I started painting thirteen years ago and enjoy creating art with acrylic oil and mixed media. I relish the challenge of recreating beauty seen all around us in nature people and animals. Most of my paintings are started by under painting the image in acrylic then finishing the details in oil paint. I teach acrylic painting at five senior centers every month. My students are ages 6-90 at the Sherwood Center For the Arts. I like creating commissions as well as painting just for the joy of it!
Michele Bufton
With 25 years experience I have tried many media but now I work mainly with acrylic, oil, and watercolor. I tend to work on one painting at a time, varying the work between the media depending on the subject matter. Figures take a contemporary look in acrylics, and I prefer oils while working from life with a model. Landscapes I like to complete in plein air on location, and then I work from those paintings in my studio for larger paintings. I enjoy working with water colors on florals and still life paintings. Sometimes I like to push the boundaries with acrylics mixed media and oils to create vibrant abstracts with reresentational forms. I just love to paint! Moving from one medium to the next keeps my paintings fresh and exciting as I work with varying subject matter. Please stop in and see what I’ve been working on.
David Cordes
I am a professor of organic chemistry at Pacific University, a small liberal arts college in Forest Grove, Oregon. While I love to teach and conduct research, I also enjoy exploring intersections of art and science through painting. In these paintings I examine some of the history behind the science of chemistry. This exploration began with a few paintings to decorate the pages of my doctoral thesis, but now includes works on a variety of themes, ranging from chemical warfare to the chemistry of mind-altering drugs. The paintings are not meant to function as teaching tools (although they can) but rather as departure points for reflecting on the complex interactions of history, science, culture and scholarship. Those who have a science background may find special richness in the work, but it is my intent that this artwork is accessible to those who have never had chemistry or science classes.
Susan Curington
I am in love, and in fact, completely smitten by Nature. I find it thrilling when the light dances through a backlit leaf or flower petal or by the radiance of a butterfly wing. Color in a hundred hues, vivid or subtle, and luminosity move me in the same way some people are moved by a special piece of music. Beyond words and straight to the heart. Similarly, I love the surprises inherent in creating art ~ both in seeing closely and carefully and in the unexpected while applying paint to canvas. I am third generation on my land and have known some particular trees since childhood. Being in the thick of nature daily and being able to see the stars at night I wouldn’t trade for anything. Through my paintings I hope to express the gratitude that I feel for the profound power and beauty of Nature.
Les Dougherty
Resting snug among the rolling foothills of the Tillamook forest, my workshop springs to life among the trees. As my medium of choice is just out my front door, the process of working and shaping wood runs full circle at North Woods Figured Woods. I enjoy making hollow-forms bowls end grain cutting boards and flatware. I like to work with each piece on an individual basis, letting the wood decide what to become. Paying attention to the fine grain figure and spalt the pieces that I work with brings me joy, especially in the act of revealing their form on the lathe. My current adventure is working with “cast” pieces, a fusion of innovative technology and the timeless beauty of wood.
Kathie Ellis
Watercolor is magic to me. 25 years ago, I first picked up brush and pigment and from then on I was hooked! Blending beautiful transparent pigment with water and then watching the unexpected flow over the cotton rag paper never ceases to amaze and excite. The magic that happens on the paper would never happen with brush work alone. This last year my husband and I built a studio on our 5 acres. My new space affords a beautiful view of the coast range and my goats in the pasture. I am very excited to share my studio with the public during this tour.
Peg Falconer
It is a little embarrassing, but I find paper exciting. I enjoy the feel of thread through my fingers, the mark that ink makes on paper. Sewing books and writing with my pens is a sensory experience. The thought that both of these artforms date back thousand of years, mostly unchanged, is another thrill. And I am intrigued with making everyday items personal as well as beautiful.
Penny Forrest
There is a very important word in Danish, hygge (hoogah) that does not translate directly into English. The closest we can come is “cozy”. Hygge is an important concept in Denmark, where the winters are long and dark. Hygge is about creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for friends and family. I try to capture this in my work by creating cozy and inviting spaces for viewers to dive into. I find I am increasingly inspired by the everyday and ordinary. I seek beauty in the mundane tasks and clutter of daily life-the little things we take for granted can mean the most, and I try to share that vision with other like-minded souls.
Evelyn Fritz
As a painter I work in various media. Watercolor has always been an exciting medium for me. Because of the wonderful new products and materials artists have to work with today, mixed watercolor medium has become vey challenging for me. I like experimenting with new materials and methods of application, which is leading me into a more contemporary and abstracted quality in my work. It has also led me into the use of another medium, encaustic, which combines well with my mixed media. Presently I am completely absorbed in abstract design using encaustics and acrylic/collage.
Joyce Gabriel
Keen on art making since childhood, I’m rarely without a pen and paper. I’ll take a note, draw, doodle and make little art cards to give away or to use as studies for future work. Opening my studio doors during the yearly tours is just the nudge I need to make more art. This year I am focusing on letterpress along with small whimsical watercolors. Walk through the backyard garden and up the stairs and you’ll find me inside ready to show you how I do my work and to pass along some inspiration.
Tim Gabriel
The manipulation of steel got into my blood in a welding class in high school. Since that time, I have morphed from ship fitter millwright and machinist to designer. Metal has been the path that guided me to where I am today. I enjoy collaborating with clients by forging my impressions of their personal vision to create both functional and ornamental works. Commissions have included gates, trellises, garden art, umbrella stands, mirror frames and bracelets. I am fascinated by the processes of shaping metal into three-dimensional ornamental objects. The permanence of forged steel saves me from the insanity of the throw away culture we live in now.
Linda Gerrard
As a fused glass artist, I enjoy making landscapes that typically include an animal or bird. I design and create pieces from my home studio using large sheets of glass that I hand cut, and crushed glass frit. Depending on the desired effect, I arrange layers of glass and fire multiple times to create visual depth. By controlling temperature and time in the kiln, the pieces can be completely smooth textured. Depending on complexity and desired design, pieces can take anywhere from 3 days to several weeks to make. I’ve shown in several juried shows, in open studio tours, and make commissioned pieces. It brings me great joy to see someone’s face light up when they see one of my pieces for the first time.
Chris Goldthorpe
As someone who grew up in the age of film I am fascinated by digital photography. I use Photoshop to transform raw images into something that is closer to how I feel about a scene. Some of my photos capture the mood of a place and time such as an afternoon at the beach or birds flying into the distance. Other photos explore scenes which exist only in the imagination. I am also intrigued by the use of high speed photography to capture moments that happen in a fraction of a second such as the bursting of a balloon or a splash of water. I am always interested in talking about my work and hope that you will find time to visit my studio.
Merry Goldthorpe
Please join me to see my newest work and for a bit of enchantment The felted wool characters continue in their travels to the Land of the Faeries as well as trying to solve the mystery of Oak Island. Photographs of their adventures will be available. I will also have new work in watercolor. Some pieces feature embossed paper, others are nature studies. My new watercolor collage pieces feature vintage documents with personal and environmental significance. So come and spin the wheel of Good Fortune. We look forward to seeing you.
Angela Grainger
I am a painter of nature, drawn to see and focus on the little things. I work with high pigmented liquid watercolors to create dynamic textured patterns in my paintings and employ nontraditional techniques using plant materials, herbs, legumes, salt stones and other elements. My goal is to give the viewer a look into the unique creations that surround us and to portray a feeling of magic and mystery. My hope is that the viewer will walk away from seeing my work with a new vision of what the watercolor medium can accomplish. My studio is a separate building sitting next to my house alongside a park. Its windows and light invite nature in and is a beautiful place to create.
Terry Grant
My artwork begins as memory-impressions of places I’ve been, people I have known, the world around me, yesterday’s walk, last summer’s garden. Memory is imperfect, exaggerating certain things, discarding others altogether. And similarly, while my work may resemble something real, it is reality edited, biased and colored by time and circumstance. I am always hoping to connect to the part of the memory that held meaning for me regardless of absolute accuracy. Recently I have begun using recycled clothing fabric which seems to come to me with its own memories. I feel it adds a depth and richness that I respond to. My background in painting and drawing is fundamental to what I do, but I choose to work with fabric for its familiarity and emotional connection to our human experience.
Jennifer Harlow
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. In sixth grade I ran a children’s art summer camp in my backyard. By winning art contests, my art career launched at 15 years old as a commercial muralist for a shoe company in Los Angeles, followed by a series of high profile murals. My art has been featured from LA nightclubs to paintings hanging in Carnegie Hall NY. I have regularly displayed my art in Southern California Colorado and Oregon. Painting my way across America, I shared my love of live performance painting in 14 States. Currently I own Blue Plume Studio and offer tailor-made art lessons for children and adults. My passion is to inspire the God-given creativity and our unique identity that each of us carry within.
Bob Heath
35 years working as an engineer has given me an appreciation for detail and design, that I now express in the form of glass. My work often features geometric patterns with strong lines and sharp contrasts, often incorporating abstract elements. Most of my work is carefully planned, starting out as a detailed drawing. I use this stage to try out multiple variations on each idea and to think through the process that I will use to implement the design in glass. Once I am happy with the design, I often create multiple components that are fused separately, and then cut, shaped and fused together to create the whole.
Sam Hingston
I create mixed media sculpture, primarily using wood with the addition of other materials like metal, glass, resin and ceramic. My ideas and designs are inspired by reflecting on the things I see in the world around me, and finding interesting ways to interpret them with a focus on form and structure. I use typical woodworking tools with an emphasis on grinders for carving and sanders for finishing. Using techniques like lamination and inlay, I create striking visual effects with color and grain. Craftsmanship is extremely important to me, and I pay particular attention to the quality of the finish.
Amanda Houston
Growing up on three continents, I have been inspired by much of the world. I now live on 30 breath-taking acres in an old historic hunting lodge, capturing the beauty that surround me. My home studio is a destination in itself amidst the wine country of Oregon, with 360 degree views of rolling farm land, Mt Hood and surrounding vineyards.Educated in Apparel & Textile Design, I was L.L. Bean’s first apparel designer in the 80’s, Nike’s first Apparel Innovation Director in the 90’s, and launched Niketown.com during the dot-com boom. I now teach pastel workshops, amd I am represented by 6 galleries along the west coast. I am a board member and an award winner of the NW Pastel Society and am published nationally.
Maria Huppi
I am a mouth painting artist. I became a quadriplegic in 2000 when a wind storm caused a tree to fall on the roof of our minivan while my husband Mike and I were driving. My passion for painting started when my mother gave me a paint by numbers kit, expanded when she showed me cards from the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (AMFPA mfpausa.com vdmfk.com) and continues to grow to this day. Most of my inspiration comes from a beautiful garden and pond in our backyard where we have added goldfish and koi. Daily visits from squirrels and birds bring the backyard to life. Before our accident I enjoyed being out in the yard and gardening. Now flowers grow on my canvas. Watching the flowers, koi and goldfish have not only provided peaceful therapy but also color and movement which inspire me to recreate with paint. Images by the courtesy of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Worldwide.
Patti Isaacs
Silk painting has allowed me to combine two of my favorite things; fabric and painting. I love watching with excitement as the dye careens across the silk and fills in each specific area of my design. I use the French Serti technique which literally means fences or boarders. The rich colors of the dyes and the sheen of the silk are the perfect medium for my paintings. Another passion I have is working with paper. In my travels to Japan I have brought back many beautiful washi papers that I incorporate into my pieces.
Paulina Kriebel
I create wearable art clothing in my 1000 square foot studio. I use textured clothing as my “canvas” and dye many garments then design and sew “mini quilts” to embellish them. Each piece features a unique little composition on both the front and back of the garment. I enjoy making landscapes. abstracts, nature. and playing with color on each piece.
Gretha Lindwood
When using soft pastel sticks, powdered pigments from the earth recompressed to fit my hand, I make my marks on the dry surface of sandpaper to record impressions of our natural world. If oil paints are my choice, I apply color on canvas to describe the landscapes that are the subject of my work. By painting en plein air in the outdoors and using an impressionistic touch, my landscapes invite the viewer into the scene. Crisp, refreshing and vivid are words that have been used to describe my paintings. The use of vibrant color and strong design are hallmarks of my work which I developed during my career as an illustrator and graphic designer. As a resident of the Pacific Northwest. I cherish our unique landscapes honed by water and time, and delight in capturing their beauty in the lush colors of pastels or oils to share with the viewer.
Michael Mason
I use carefully dried, pressed and placed botanical material for my art. Floral Impressionism is created with Nature’s color and form as brushstrokes. I am a local prize winning artist. I am a graduate of SFAI. I have been using the flora and organic medium palette for over nine years. My body of work contains over 150 pieces. Subject matter includes: landscape studies, animal images and abstracts. I am currently using my art to support natural habitat conservation.
Dee Montague
Hogwash Pottery is a collaborative effort by Erik Horn and Dee Montague. Erik throws on the potter’s wheel, while Dee uses hand building techniquues to alter each vessel, adding creatures and creativity. The pottery is centered around the garden theme: garden rocks, bird feeders, lily pads, frogs, slugs and many other little whimsical creatures to make you smile.
Michael Orwick
There is a reason we are drawn toward beauty. It is the language of God and nature. Nothing is more provocative than beauty – it inspires deep reflection and motivates me to create. I blend from a primary color palette painting wet into wet and with layers to both reveal and hide what lies behind; in this way I entice you into the painting. I love it when people share the feeling and stories my paintings evoke. It is my sincere wish that you will want to revisit these beautiful locations and painterly stories again and again.
JoAnn Pari-Mueller
Flora and fauna are my muses. Their infinite colors, patterns and shapes tug at my soul and provide a counterbalance in this sometimes impersonal and mechanized world. I capture their essence in watercolor, pastel or collage and often juxtapose elaborate backdrops, grids, borders or calligraphic writing that imparts a uniqueness to each.
Virginia Parks
As an archaeologist by day, I was first drawn to encaustic painting by its antiquity. Beeswax was originally used by shipbuilders to waterproof ships in ancient Greece. In the following centuries and millennia, the addition of dammar resin and pigment to melted beeswax became an important technique for painting death portraits, religious icons and other expressions of artistic creativity. The art form has experienced a resurgence in recent years and I embrace it both for its unpredictability and its adaptability. I am drawn to exploring ways to portray the natural world through color, line, texture, and multimedia applications. Birds, landscapes, trees and flowers (some might call them weeds) are among my favorite subjects to interpret. The learning process is ongoing, bringing me joy every time I put wax to wood!
Annie Salness
After years of training in illustration and bio-medical illustration, I love to capture special and often un-witnessed moments and express them in my paintings. I’m drawn to light, color or the glimpse of such a moment. I take random photos and then search through them. I often discover something wonderful that I didn’t know I’d captured-and this discovery lends excitement to my process. I also love working on commissions and appreciate being able to pause my life and contemplate someone else’s, and focus on what has meaning for them. While the stroke changed the way I handle my materials, painting is the one thing I know I can do. I can’t run hike or even drive that far any longer (right now) -but I am very grateful for my time in the studio.
Donna Sanson
I have been an active professional artist for over 25 years and an artist my entire life. My artistic journey has followed me from Pennsylvania to Upstate NY to Texas to Northern California and finally to Oregon almost ten years ago. I founded Art On Broadway Gallery in downtown Beaverton seven years ago – it is a true labor of love. I look forward to sharing my creative space with everyone; I love my studio. It is the reason we bought this house when we moved to Oregon. The previous owners had added it to the original house because the wife did arts and crafts and wanted a designated space with running water and built-in cabinets. It’s large enough to serve as an office and studio and the ample windows across the front and side provide lots of natural light and a welcoming feeling.
Alise Sewell
Branch Collective has existed since the moment I was born into my crafty family. The collective talent of my grandparents, parents and ever changing community has developed in me a love of art and craft and all things beautiful. I love drawing inspiration from the nuances of nature and challenging myself with unfamiliar mediums. Though my heart for creating things has always been a part of who I am, it finally got the name: Branch Collective in October of 2016. Living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, here in Hillsboro, Oregon, I get to be a part of a community that supports and appreciates art. Whether it’s sewing, embroidery, knitting, altered book art, jewelry, pottery, art installation, mixed media or interior design, I love creating with my hands. I am thankful for the COLLECTIVE creativity that has been poured into me, now I get to BRANCH out and affect others with what I create!
Victoria Shaw
My work as a potter and teacher starts from a place of nature and connection.Often I receive creative inspiration while walking in the woods. My work on the “Totemic Dream” series references the connection with nature, human forms and spirit. The large sculptures remind the viewer of ancient ancestral markers and guardian figures. Round orb forms like those found in nature rest easily upon disks. The pieces are stacked on a vertical or horizontal orientation allowing “play in space”. The totems are symbolic of the human journey seeking inner depth community and spirit. I am proud to be included in this show with my fellow potters.
Helvi Smith
It began innocently enough. The Crayola box with 8 colors soon advanced to the 16 pack then the 24 and then the box with 64 colors with the built in sharpener. There was no going back! It was when I started painting that I realized that I had found my reason to be on this planet. Everything fit into place. Me. The paint. The canvas. Everything just fit. I consider myself so danged fortunate to have found my passion in life because many do not! I am totally self taught and the challenges and mysteries of painting are constantly keeping me on my toes. What did you do yesterday? I painted! What did you do last Friday? I painted! What did you do the last 8 years? I painted!! I am a big believer in the “10,000 hour rule.”
Christy Stephens
I give my life direction and purpose in a creative and meaningful way through my art. I am inspired by God’s Word, nature and re-purposed vintage items. Through pattern, dimension, color and texture I carefully hand-craft each art piece. I enjoy working with a variety of media and feel that each piece is a dance between my imagination and my Creator’s inspiration. My recent faith journaling has been a documentation of my own faith walk and valuable lessons I’ve gathered along the way. I have been led to share my art with others in hopes that it will uplift, inspire and direct others. I warmly open my studio so I can share my journey with you.
Meylan Thoresen
I put a spin on traditional scenic artwork by first hand-carving and then painting the “canvas” of each piece. Be it a scene from the world around us, an homage to a past artist or something completely unique, each piece is an original. From a technical aspect I don’t consider myself a painter or a sculptor – I just try to make each piece come alive. Details of the carved depth and shadow lines adapt to the direction of the light source, and the oil colors of the painting vary based on the cool or warm light created by the time of day and season. I sometimes question my inability to focus on one subject matter but have come to terms with this as expressing my varied interests and keeping the work fresh.
Nanette Tsatsaronis
The beauty of the ever-changing sky and landscape will always be my greatest inspiration. I’m enthralled by the way the constant motion of the elements at play cast varying degrees of light and shadow on the earth as it influences all life. I have found no greater canvas than the fluidity of our spectacular Oregon sky. There is nothing quite like having a blank canvas, brushes and color-filled palette at the ready as you are surrounded by the miraculous beauty of nature. My paintings range from atmospheric landscapes to abstract expressionism. One of the things I love most about painting is that each piece I create is personal; it has a part of my soul in it. My goal is not so much to create a landscape seascape or abstract piece as it is to create art that will elicit an emotion in the viewer.
Bruce Ulrich
All art is an abstraction and painting is colored marks on a flat surface. They may form a recognizable image-but as Rene Magritte said “Ceci n’est pas une pipe.” (“This is not a pipe.”) Painting is my way of my of investigating different styles and uses of abstraction to explore landscape objects or color and textures.Some of my paintings are more about various materials used to create texture and build up surface variety. The items include joint compound, sub-floor leveling mix, perlite and texture modeling compound. Each creates different surfaces and takes paint differently. I also use found paper labels and other found objects as design or texture in the work.Trial and error, play and experiment all are part of my creative process as the painting develops. The final stages are about the look and flow for the piece as a whole and making that aspect work to create a sense of completeness.
Emma Weber
As an eclectic artist, deciding on which medium to use for a project can be a bit of a challenge. Sometimes I pick more than one! Mixing art forms is a delightful way to explore the expanse of a medium. By testing concepts and traversing various traditional forms, I can come away with something different each time I create. In my studio are influences of travel and all the art forms I’ve studied, that I coalesce into something undeniably me.
JoAnn Wellner
You will find my fully equipped glass fusing studio located in Historic Downtown Hillsboro. There I am often busy with a group of students, encouraging them with their projects and sharing ideas and techniques. My work is inspired by the beauty I see in nature. Detailed landscapes, textures and floral images are prominent in my work. In 2014, I attended Pilchuck Glass School and continue to take numerous classes from internationally recognized artists. I enjoy exploring the many techniques that are possible in kiln-formed glass.
Jim Zaleski
I work in pen and ink, watercolor, oil and other mixed media. I often scan (or digitize) my work in order to rework the images in Photoshop (an emerging creative process I call Image-alchemy). That said, the end result is a hybridized art form combining traditional media with high tech image enhancement. The final product is a fine art (Giclee) print, rich in color and visual energy, produced on a wide-format inkjet printer. Generally, I prefer the minimalist approach to my art, and my subject matter is both broad and eclectic, with figurative and abstract pieces dominating my work. I favor abstraction over realism, gesture over detail, and spontaneity over planning. As is my nature, my work often includes whimsical themes. While I indulge in such creative levity, I consider my art a serious study of the human condition (albeit tongue in cheek).
Art On Broadway Gallery
We are an art gallery specializing in original fine art by award-winning local artists. The Gallery is under the direction of acting partners Bert Cohen and Donna Sanson both of whom are participating artists as well as Gallery directors. The Gallery has been in business since the Fall of 2010 and was honored in 2012 with a Beaverton 4 Business Achievement Award presented by Mayor Denny Doyle.
Florence Street Studio & Gallery
Florence Street Studio & Gallery is a beautiful space in the upstairs of a large log home. Five artists share the space and have individual areas to do their art. As professional artists, we are busy with many organizations, painting, hanging shows, attending meetings, etc. but we all gather here every Tuesday to paint together, critique our work, and be open to the public. We’d love for you to visit. The space is gorgeous and so is the art.
Valley Art
Our nonprofit, all-volunteer organization represents over 85 Northwest artists. For 50 years the gallery has encouraged established and emerging artists, displayed and sold their work. Every two months new featured artists are given prime art space, publicity and a reception. Each month, on First Wednesday, Valley Art is open late and artist demonstrations are held. Affordable classes for all ages are offered in a mix of media and the pottery studio is a popular and busy space. Our recently updated gallery and all these events are open to the public. Artists will demonstrate during the open studio tour.
The Village Gallery of Arts
The Village Gallery of Arts promotes professional and emerging artists by offering high quality affordable art instruction for children and adults, and provides a gallery for our members to display and sell their work. The Village Gallery of Arts was founded in 1963 by a group of 10 artists who shared the idea of having a working teaching gallery, a place for exhibition and instruction. Today we are home to more than 150 Oregon artists. We enjoy a diverse group of artist and artisans who create fine works of art in virtually every medium.