Artists and Galleries 2019

Justin Becker

As a Master Artist I enjoy creating art that redefines a style and captures your attention. Inspired by the ever changing seasons of our local Northwest weather, and nature alike I never have to look far for my next composition. Working with local and international artists I am able to constantly discover new ways of communicating with art.

‘Art is Everything’, from everyday objects of necessity to the complexities of engineering. Art in and of itself is expressed through every culture through; style, color, texture, and mathematical systems of measurement. It is my goal to help others embrace their inner creator, and express each individual’s creative gift.

I work often in a variety of media, materials, and tools. Airbrush on handmade wood panels, colored pencils, custom framing, sculptural wood, digital photography, fine art giclee reproduction, screen printing, aluminum printing, steel, and concrete statuary. Location: Aloha Visit artist page.

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. Location: Hillsboro Visit artist page.

Alex Bell

When I first discovered seed bead earrings I wore them every single day. I would loose one, get a replacement pair, loose another, buy more and on and on. Eventually I realized that I should learn to make the thing I loved so much. That’s when I taught myself how to make seed bead earrings. It’s since turned into my passion and art form. Choosing the colors and designing patterns is my favorite part. I also love stitching and making things with my hands; beading satisfies that need to move my fingers and create. Check out more earrings @abelldesigns_jewelry on instagram. Location: Hillsboro Visit artist page.

Autumn Berliner

My initial paintings from my early 20’s were bold in subject and color. They show the viewer a narrative in a way that words cannot. The paintings I have created these last 3-4 years have been more refined with detail and depth and completely different themes. For some paintings I draw on my inspiration from Dali and further manipulate shadows or skies to hide imagery within. Some pieces have taken up to two years to complete as I use layer after layer of subtle washes. I mostly work with acrylic paint and some mixed media. Many of my backgrounds are created with water and spray-paint. My themes have mostly been surreal landscapes & forgotten places, none of which have yet been seen by the public. Location: Hillsboro Visit artist page.

D.K. Boljat

I enjoy the challenge of re-creating the beauty of nature into original paintings. My favorite subject to paint is trees, so being a native Oregonian provides ample inspiration for my art. I start with acrylic paint to create texture where needed and then I layer oil paint, adding depth to the painting. I consider the painting done when I see the beauty of the subject in it. I am an Inventor of a transparent brush organizer (Boljat’ s Art Buddy) which makes my life as a traveling art teacher a lot easier because I can see the brushes I have. I teach acrylic painting classes at five assisted living centers as well as classes and camps throughout the year at the Sherwood Center for the Arts. Location: Sherwood Visit artist page.

Michele Bufton

Welcome to my studio! I started painting at eleven years old and I haven’t stopped. The mediums have changed but color holds steadfast. With subtle tones and vibrant washes, each painting is enhanced by color, shapes and the harmony within. I love to paint outside, plein air, at different locations. There are so many choices in nature to render. When it all gets too serious, I break off into mixed media with more of a representational abstract painting, simply stated. I just love to paint! Please stop in and see what I’ve been working on! Location: Aloha Visit artist page.

David Castle

I paint abstractions infused with unexpectedly rich and vivid colors. My art is inspired by the variety of mountain and urban terrain I have explored throughout my extensive travels in North America. During my former career as a computer scientist, I spent years living, working and traveling throughout Europe. I like to draw from my exposure to the colors and shapes of these very different places as I combine paper, brush, oil and water, color, air, surface tension and gravity to create each painting.
As a constant innovator and experimenter, my painting process itself also inspires me nearly as much as my beloved trees and coastal horizons composed of sea and sky. Most recently, I’ve developed my own multi-layered techniques for abstract painting as I mix oil paints, pure pigments and watercolors. Location: Portland Visit artist page.

Martin Conley

I started sculpting with wood my last year in college after starting out in graphic design and acrylic painting. I was lucky enough to have a working career as a finish carpenter and learned a lot about working with wood which transferred to my sculpture. I found that wood gave me a tremendous amount of variations in color, texture and shape with which to start and has allowed me much flexibility in what I’m able to achieve creatively. I like taking discarded and deformed wood to sculpt as it has unusual features not found in straight wood. I also work in constructed pieces where shape and line are more important. I am now in shared studio space with several other artists. Location: Hillsboro Visit artist page.

Susan Curington

I’m in love with – smitten by – Nature.
I thrill at light dancing through a backlit leaf or flower petal or the radiance of a butterfly wing. Hundreds of vivid and subtle hues of color and luminosity surprise me. Many people are touched by music, I am deeply moved by color – sometimes near tears – with heartbreaking gratitude or giddy exhilaration.
Close observation of Nature is the best part about painting for me. Being still and seeing deeply; falling in love with what I see. The graceful curve of a flower petal, the myriad shades of green of a single leaf, the unexpected shape of the horizon line all inspire me.
My aim is to share the intimacy, vitality and lusciousness of Nature. My passion for creativity is a direct connection to the power and mystery of the larger force that surrounds and sustains all of us. Location: Gaston Visit artist page.

Pamela Dierickx

I live on a working century farm in picturesque Washington County, Oregon where our family has resided for 114 years. I am inspired by the colors, textures, and wildlife out my back door. After retiring from my career as a Labor and Delivery Nurse for 30 years, I returned to my first love, throwing pottery. It as a way to reconnect with my creative side. I think of throwing pottery as playing in the mud, and I feel like a young girl again playing alongside my mother, who was a talented oil painter and nurse. My pottery art reflects my experiences on the farm, my family, and my community. I make pieces to be used, to be shared and to be enjoyed during all the special moments of life. I want my pieces to become part of your family and help preserve memories for the next generation. Location: Forest Grove Visit artist page.

Anya Doll

Completely enamored with the human condition, my work takes me deep beneath layers of linguistic meanings and heart experiences. Life has taught me that dancing with chaos and life’s dichotomies surpasses wrestling them. I make fiber collage prayer/meditation flags because the process of creating them strengthens my ability to love and trust while sometimes finding myself buried beneath layers of the experience of those very words. This practice teaches me to hold space for others and for the world to be okay with chaos. In a meditative posture, layers of fibers are placed then sewn by lowering my machine’s feeder feet, so I move the flag around, essentially “painting with thread.” In this way colors and form are given depth, revealing that the best is often what glows up from beneath the surface. I am also branching out to make wearable art created from the same posture of meditative practice. Location: Forest Grove Visit artist page.

Kathie Ellis

Watercolor painting has been my personal delight for many years. The magic of watercolor is watching the flow of beautiful colors under my brush. My subjects vary as much as my moods. I think that my favorite subject would be birds and nests. This is my 3rd year participating in the tour. I really enjoy opening my studio, and welcoming new and old friends. Hope to see you at the “Mad Moisan Watercolor” studio this October. Location: Forest Grove Visit artist page.

Debbi Estes

Art captures a moment in time. The subject could be pensive, powerful, playful, pattern or simply present within its element. For me, art is exploration of this moment. I am always asking “what if?” – exploring mediums, texture and color in my work. The results are often fun and unexpected. And always colorful!
My current art journey began about 10 years ago, though years as an administrative professional included regular opportunities to create graphics, images and messages. I enjoy creating painterly collages, beginning with a face, landscape or piece of torn currency, simply allowing the image to develop organically until it reaches its final artistic destination. I paint and pour alcohol ink for fun and expression. I paint acrylic for delight in capturing a realistic point of view. Location: King City Visit artist page.

Peg Falconer

I am joining our Open Studios Tour after taking a couple of years off to return to school. It is so exciting to be making art again, and in a new studio space as well. After time “off” I have discovered what are the processes that bring me joy and am able to focus: clarity is an amazing muse. Ink and words on paper, tiny paintings in gouache and gold leaf, and of course, all kinds of books bound for someone else’s mark. To me, it is all about the process, paying attention to the unseen bits or tweaking of design that make a piece of art solid. I can only hope that the peace and felicity that goes into my work gladdens your heart as well. Location: Aloha Visit artist page.

Evelyn Fritz

I am a mixed media artist and have, over the years, worked in many media. When I work in oil I use a very traditional manner, painting subjects that are part of my everyday life. Whenever possible I paint on location.
Watercolor has always been a very exciting medium for me, and because of the wonderful new products and materials artists have to work with today, mixed watercolor media has become very challenging for me. I enjoy experimenting with new materials and methods of application which has lead me to a more contemporary and abstracted quality to my work. I have recently added encaustic to my selection of media.
Presently I am completely absorbed with abstract design and work with either encaustic or acrylic/collage.

Location: Aloha Visit artist page.

Joyce Gabriel

Keen on art making since childhood, I’m rarely without 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 tour is just the nudge I need to make more art. I gravitate to small whimsical works in watercolor, pen & ink, and lately, focusing my work on letterpress printing.
I prioritize my time beginning with my day job at Pacific University and strive to spend time art-making. When you come to the house, walk through the backyard garden, up the deck stairs and you’ll find me inside – along with my coworker and friend, Alex Bell – ready to show you how I do my work and to pass along some inspiration. Come take a glimpse and make a little letterpressed artcard on my littlest letterpress. instagram@GabrielGlimpse joycegabriel.com Location: Hillsboro Visit artist page.

Kimberly Ghaemmaghami

In the more than 35 years that I have worked as an artist, I have created pieces in many different media but favor sculpture and other three dimensional work. I currently work in sculpture, mosaic, painting and three dimensional collage. Growing up I was surrounded with art. Both my parents are artists and they taught me that creative endeavors give voice to ideas and feelings that words cannot. My concern for the environment and obsession with recycling led me to the media in which I currently work. The majority of the materials I use are repurposed. The paint, wood, metal, glass, and even canvases– almost all have had a previous life. I enjoy the freedom of expression these media allow and the many different techniques used in each unique piece. Location: Tigard Visit artist page.

Hailey Gibson

For me, art has been a pretty recent discovery. Throughout elementary school and middle school, I never had the opportunity to take an art class because I went to a really small school. Then, at the start of my high school career, I took my first art class. I instantly fell in love with it. Although I wasn’t particularly good at it, and at times I wanted to quit because I thought I would always struggle with it, I knew it filled me with peace. Creating art is my form of meditation. Even though it is sometimes stressful to not be able to create exactly what you had in your mind, it brings me serenity to shut down my brain and just try to create something unique and new. Another thing I love about art is the fact that you can only get better. I like seeing my improvement through every piece I create. My favorite media are colored pencils, pen, or acrylic paint. I like to be able to seamlessly blend, and these media seem to give me the best result.
After high school, I want to go to an art school. I don’t know exactly what I want to do as a career, but I’m interested in becoming a tattoo artist or a political activist and use my art as a tool for connecting to people. I want to see what I can do to make this world a better place simply by what I create.  Location: Banks Visit artist page.

Patricia Gifford

As a visual artist, I am hoping the viewer can get a tiny bit lost in my artwork. For the last decade or so, I’ve been enamored by icons of all types. My genre usually involves nature and music. It releases itself in bold color, simplified lines and shapes.
My mixed media collages, mostly fabric with other surprising additions, are a result of all things around me coming out in my imagination. My paintings are plein air, where you work outside with a portable easel. Many are finished in the studio. Location: Portland Visit artist page.

Lieta Gratteri

My main medium is watercolor with some oil painting on the side. I have been painting for eight years and love bringing living items into my art, such as flowers and birds. I love making them come alive, trying to capture a lot of texture on my paper. Watercolor has its own mind sometimes; it’s fun trying to control it or push it to what I’m looking for. I love pushing color which is great with flowers and birds. I’ve done a lot of shows and continue to be a member at Sequoia Gallery. Location: Hillsboro Visit artist page.

Linda Holland

After a successful career in graphic arts with my own business Holland Graphics, Inc., I immersed myself in the local art scene. I started by organizing the non-profit group that runs Influence Music Hall and Art Gallery in Hillsboro. Eventually I moved on to be on the board of Hillsboro’s Tuesday Night Market for three years; then received the Hillsboro Arts and Culture Endowment Award.
Watercolor is my medium of choice and I paint as often as I can. I’ve had my paintings juried by the National Watercolor Society three years showing in their California gallery. Currently I’m involved in Hillsboro’s Art Walk by selecting artists and musicians for two downtown businesses each month.
Pouring my heart and soul into the “vision” I witness as art touches people’s lives and my community and changes them has become my life-long mission. Location: Hillsboro Visit artist page.

Peter Irving

I began working in ceramics in 1967 while living in Los Angeles, California. My instructor at the time had studied in Japan with a Japanese National Treasure, and his teachings led me to an appreciation of Asian ceramic traditions that are still reflected in my work today. From glazes to surface design to form, all aspects of my work have Asian influences. I work exclusively in high fire stoneware. Most of my work is utilitarian in nature. The function they serve is always on my mind as I create. Because I have always led a simple life, I have had ample opportunity to spend time studying different techniques in both surface design and form. I have practiced ceramics for more than fifty years now and continue to explore different techniques. The opportunity to learn more is without end. Location: Tigard Visit artist page.

Patti Isaacs

I have worked with fabric dyes on silk for over 10 years. The excitement of applying the dye to the white silk and watching the explosion of color across the fabric has not diminished over the years. My work is done in the French Serti technique. I use silk Habotai and Charmeuse fabric with Procion dyes. I use gold or black gutta resist to contain the dye and create the outline and structure for my work. Another passion I have is working with paper. In my travels to Japan I have brought many beautiful washi papers that I have incorporated into my work. Location: Aloha Visit artist page.

Philip Lapp

I have collected odd shaped or unusual pieces of wood, always seeing something of beauty hidden beneath the surface. All pieces are turned from found or recycled wood. I never cut a living tree down to obtain wood.
Using the lathe as my palette, I begin exposing grain, texture and color of the wood. I may enhance and highlight the characteristics of the wood by carving, burning, coloring or doing anything that will bring out the beauty. Because God made every piece of wood unique every finished item is one of a kind, be it an abstract piece of art, a functional bowl, pen, bottle stopper or toy.
All of the originals are tactile and should be picked up and felt. All surfaces are food safe to use as utensil.
I hope you enjoy having your piece in your home as much as I did seeing it come to life. Location: Sherwood Visit artist page.

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 30 year 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. Location: Portland Visit artist page.

Cindy Marsh

Note that Cindy Marsh will not be in the Open Studios Tour this year.

Christine Martell

I am inspired by the many facets of trees – the roots reaching into the earth, the leaves soaking up the sun, the bark protecting against the elements, the branches exploring the sky. I love to watch them change each season. My current work celebrates the many facets of trees using a combination of photography, printmaking, and free-motion machine embroidery. It’s a technique where I stitch layers of thread onto a canvas with a transfer of one of my photographs or printed on fabric. I love teaching and exploring with others and want to inspire you to bring your creativity forward. My professional work includes bringing art into a variety of school, business, nonprofit, and government settings around our community. Location: Hillsboro Visit artist page.

Barbara Mason

I am an artist and printmaker working in my own non-toxic studio in Hillsboro, Golden Road Art Studios. I began studying printmaking in the early 80’s; I make prints and teach other how to do so. Solaplate Intaglio (etching) is primary but I do much more. Beautiful paper and strong imagery are in my work.

I am an arts advocate and active in the community. I am a member of Sequoia Gallery in Hillsboro and part owner of Waterstone Gallery in Portland. I think anyone can make art and everyone should be doing so.
I have exhibited my work nationally and internationally for the last 35 years. Come visit and see how easy it is to make original prints. Location: Hillsboro Visit artist page.

Michael Orwick

As a painter, what I remember about a location and what inspires me most is the effects of light and atmosphere. It is the thread that binds all my work. Light transforms the ordinary or even beautiful into the exceptional. My quest is to capture these fleeting moments and help people see things again through new eyes. Location: Beaverton Visit artist page.

JoAnn Pari-Mueller

I have always lived in the countryside and I always have been a collector. In addition to the countryside, frequent trips to the Oregon coast and worldwide travel provide an outstanding variety of wildlife, plant life, and scenery to use as starting points in creating art. I have also collected interesting objects of nature and textiles/crafts from around the world that provide additional inspiration.
Using mainly watercolors, pastels, and/or calligraphy, I love pursuing some fascinating feature of nature and portraying it in a new way. Often I may add words in beautiful lettering to help explain a feeling the subject invokes. Sometimes I like the starkness of a subject against a white background, other times I use richly patterned or colored backgrounds. Every day is a wake-up call to come up with new ways to visually explain the punch that nature gives me. Location: Banks Visit artist page.

Virginia Parks

As an archaeologist by day, I was first drawn to encaustic painting by its antiquity. I’ve been exploring how to use color, line, and texture to build up the layers of my encaustic paintings ever since. I love to paint everyday objects that often go overlooked, an empty bowl or a lone pear, a chair or a stack of books. The natural world is also a source of inspiration, especially seed pods and the other phases of plant life that may not be perfect but are infinitely interesting. The fun and challenge of encaustic is its flexibility. Recently I’ve started incorporating other media such as watercolor and paper collage. The sky’s the limit when it comes to the variety of tools and techniques one can bring to encaustic painting, and even though I still feel like I’m just scratching the surface, I’m having a blast as I explore! Location: Tigard Visit artist page.

Margaret Pike

I sold Maggie’s Buns after 21 years of serving colorful food, stories of travel and passion for people. I felt very lost until I unearthed my 40 year old kick wheel named Burt. I threw more clay on the walls, the driveway and myself then I managed to get into a form.
Well things got better and now I am creating colorful vessels for feeding the masses. Every bowl is inspired by travels around the world, the food I have eaten and the love of community.
Introducing Passport to Color. I hope you will come visit my studio, I will fill your bowl you purchase with wonderful soup and a place to share the inspirations from all the studios you have visited. Location: Forest Grove Visit artist page.

Marie-Helene Rake

After working with ceramic and fiber, I became fascinated by the transformation of metal into a wearable art piece.
My work is a reflection of my surroundings and the emotions that resonate from it.
I often play with contrast in the combination of colors, using bright and oxidized silver along with gold accents. It includes both organic and geometric forms, reflecting the space and movement in the natural world and the city life around me.
I use traditional techniques such as forging, forming, soldering and designing in wax for casting, as well as fabricating.
It is my aim to create comfortable, artistic jewelry that will become a special and unique piece for you to cherish and wear with confidence and joy. Location: Banks Visit artist page.

Annie Salness

After years of training in illustration and bio-medical illustration, I now enjoy finding, contemplating, and painting the random, fleeting moments in our lives.
Initially attracted by the light or color, I will either set up still lifes of my object, whether it is a flower, glass, vegetable, etc. I also take random photos of moments and then I search through them and often discover something wonderful that I didn’t know I had captured.
Searching for, finding, and painting these still lifes or “moments”, allows me to contemplate the subject.
I had a stroke several years ago that paralyzed my right side. Because I was right handed, I’ve learned to paint with my left hand. Location: Portland Visit artist page.

Donna Sanson

I am a painter – my work varies between impressionistic, expressionistic and abstract. I have studied, taught, owned a gallery, and endeavered to paint for over 30 years – but have been an artist my entire life. I love interacting with other artists and anyone interested in the visual arts, and appreciate opportunities to learn and grow from such interactions. My work can best be described as “simplified and exaggerated” because I concentrate on shapes and never adhere to what I actually see. The inspiration for each work is just a a glimmer to get my creative juices going and then I develop and alter the subject as I feel needed to solve the problems I create along the way. The results are unusual color choices and design elements. I invite you to visit my home studio and see new – and older – paintings. Hopefully you will note a change, a growth in my work, as I attempt to always challenge myself to do better. Location: Beaverton Visit artist page.

Amy Stoner

I make things with wood, wax and paper. From carving a woodblock, pulling a print on the press, to then applying layers of molten beeswax, I find joy in bringing disparate elements together to create unique, colorful compositions.
I often look to my work as a record of who I am, and where I come from. My mother is a quilter. My father is a woodworker. I relish the control needed in carving my woodblocks. I then “quilt” together a multitude of my prints and ephemera together. Finally, I complete the work adding my own unique layers of textured encaustic.
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from the University of Oregon (1998). I have been a professional working artist since 2000 and have exhibited and sold my work nationally. I have had my work professionally published in both books and magazines, as well as instructional videos on dvd and cable television. Location: Portland Visit artist page.

Emma Weber

Biogram

And what is art? Interpretation, non-restraint,
Expression, or release? Is it the heart,
Like one agonizing stroke of paint
Pleasurable, and peculiar, and in parts.
Emma Weber via J. V. Cunningham

I hold a degree in fine arts and writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I spend my artistic days designing for a picture framing studio, playing with paints or photographs, and co-opting works from old dead poets. Location: Aloha Visit artist page.

Kandyse Whitney

After working in glass since the early 90s (and fusing since 2009), I decided to trade in my glass cutter for a paper cutter (scissors) to make quilled paper art.

Quilled paper art is an art form that involves the use of narrow strips of paper that are rolled and manipulated to create various shapes. The most basic shapes are made using a slotted quilling tool and the resulting rolled strip can be kept tight or relaxed into a loose coil before it is shaped using fingers or a template. More advanced designs are created using different sized paper or techniques using a comb, jig, or other tools. This art form is traceable to the 15th century, possibly as early as the 13th or 14th century.

I am excited to transfer my love of color, design, and texture from glass to paper in this new (to me) art form.
Location: Beaverton Visit artist page.

Jim Zaleski

I am a “Tradigitalist,” a mixed media artist exploring the lines between traditional art and computer-based, image-enhancement software like Photoshop. I create original work in pen and ink, watercolor, oil and acrylics then scan (digitize) and rework it on a digital platform. The end result is a fusion of traditional art with high-technology. The final products are richly colorful and enticing, limited-edition prints, output on a wide-format, inkjet printer.
In terms of my artistic temperament: I prefer the minimalist approach to my art, and my subject matter is both broad and eclectic (with figurative and abstracts dominating my work). I favor abstraction over realism, gesture over detail, and spontaneity over planning. As is my nature, my work comprises both serious and whimsical content, (although I consider my art to be a serious, ongoing study of the ever-changing, always-challenging, human condition).
I invite you to come follow my efforts to bridge the gap between traditional art and these new frontiers of artistic expression. Location: Forest Grove Visit artist page.

Florence St.Gallery and Studios

Featuring Laurene Coleman, Jan Hardenburger, Pink Widdows, and Jan Youngman, this beautiful upstairs gallery with individual working cubicles is in Laurene’s home. This dedicated space has hosted workshops, critiques, social events, and is a gathering place for the prestigious Painter’s Showcase of Portland. Art is created here almost daily. We all are award-winning artists working in oils, pastels, and water-media, creating landscapes, florals, portraits, and abstracts. The gallery space is covered with wonderful art and the gals are always eager to share their art journey, demo and discuss the process. Discussing everyday life is also an option. Looking forward to your visit! Location: Beaverton Visit gallery page.

Golden Road Art Studios

Once upon a time, a printmaker and artist named Barbara bought a little house in Hillsboro, Oregon and Golden Road Art Studios was established. It is on Golden Road, not that long a street, maybe 1/2 of a mile. It is a cute little house on 2/3 of an acre built in 1956 by people named Anderson who raised their kids and lived full lives on the property. Now it is changing to a different life as artist studios.
Several artists have joined the Golden Road Art Studios where all the neighbors are pretty happy that the small house is not being torn down and the land developed into giant houses or apartments.
Barbara Mason and the artists at Golden Road Art Studios invite you to come and see how we work. The coffee is usually on and we are having a good time. Location: Hillsboro Visit gallery page.