Trending Articles

Friends of SOAR

For great posts about the business of art, check out The Artsy Shark HERE!
ArtistsBillofRights.org reviews competitions and appeals seeking creative content, listing those that respect your copyrights and highlighting those that don't. Art Matters! publishes calls to artists, and not all of them may be compliant with ABoR's standards. Visit their site to learn more.
We support the Embedded Metadata Manifesto.  Metadata is information such as copyright notice and contact info you can embed in your images to protect your intellectual property, save time when uploading to social sites and promote your art. Click to visit the site and learn more.

Water for Body, Water for Soul

At the end of summer, a simple gift of water. Blessings of refreshment to you!
 

September First Friday Artwalk – TODAY!!

Annekatrine, Ashland Promenade, Acrylic on Panel

Art & Soul Ashland
Annekatrine: Adventures in COLOR

Currently featured at Art & Soul Ashland are paintings by Annekatrine. Celebrating the beauty of nature in all of its forms, Annekatrine reaches into those mysterious realms and hopes to bring back something beautiful and magical in her paintings. Absolutely enjoying what the Pacific Northwest has to offer, she explains that it is her quest to depict the enchantment that she sees and feels when she is out and about.

Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Sunday: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Address and Contact Information:
247 East Main Street
Ashland, OR 97520
541-880-4100
www.artandsoulashland.com

Judy Weiner, Untitled, Oil on Canvas

Studio 151 and KS Wild
Judy Weiner: Ordinary Magic

This month’s exhibition at Studio 151 and KS Wild includes paintings by Judy Weiner. As a self taught artist, Judy managed to avoid the pitfalls of derivative work. Her deeply personal, objective, realistic, and surreal paintings can best be described as a careful blend of observation, intuition, and flawless technique. Mostly consisting of animals, her subjects always inhabited the landscapes of her farm outside of Grants Pass, Oregon.

Studio 151 and KS Wild will have a silent auction of Judy’s paintings in support of KS Wild. Bidding will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 1.

Hours:

First Friday Art Walk: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Address and Contact Information:
151 North Pioneer Street
Ashland, OR 97520
562 A Street
Ashland, OR 97520
541-488-5789
www.studio151ashland.com, www.kswild.org

Dave Leibowitz, Feelin’ Groovy, Photography

Ashland Art Works
Amy Baumgart and Dave Leibowitz

Currently featured at Ashland Art Works are vessels by Amy Baumgart and photography by Dave Leibowitz. Without a design in mind, Amy approaches each piece of wood individually and simply creates. Every step of the process brings her joy, from incorporating resin to add beautiful color and texture, to carving intricate designs and patterns. Alternatively, Dave is drawn to the backroads and the stark natural beauty of the mountains, forests, farms, and creatures that live in Southern Oregon. The simplicity and beauty is intoxicating to him and his goal is to captivate and inspire his viewers.

Hours:
Thursday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Address and Contact Information:
89 Oak Street
Ashland, OR 97520
541-488-4735
www.ashlandartworks.com

Robert Koch, Sunnyside, Acrylic on Panel

This month’s exhibition at Hanson Howard Gallery features paintings by Robert Koch and ceramics by Penelope Dews. Gestural strokes and spontaneous marks collide with color blocks in Robert’s narrative vignettes. Often prompted by found photographs, he takes the liberty to make his subjects humans or creatures inhabiting the same world. Similarly, Penelope produces ceramic sculptures, fusing a love of gardening with large-scale ceramics, from realistic to personified. They exude peaceful and playful expressions with a touch of fantastical.

Hours:
Wednesday–Saturday: 12 pm–5 pm

Address and Contact Information:
89 Oak Street
Ashland, OR 97520
541-488-2562
www.hansonhowardgallery.com

Jennifer Joy, Untitled, Photography

Gypsy Road Studio
Photography by Jennifer Joy

Currently featured at Gypsy Road Studio is photography by Jennifer Joy. Jennifer is a creative soul with a passion for nature, art, freedom, expression, and fun. She uses her creativity, natural beauty, sense of adventure, and love for nature to compose, create, and curate a broad expression of compositions in the form of photography. Jennifer enjoys sharing this experience with others because she believes that when humans play and connect while making art in nature, they also create memories and images that reflect beauty, strength, and growth.

Hours:
Wednesday – Monday: 12:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Address and Contact Information:
369 East Main Street
Ashland, OR 97520
541-708-6930
www.gypsyroadstudio.com

Other First Friday Art Walk Participants

American Trails Gallery features arts and crafts of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Creekside Pizza

Creekside Pizza features diverse artwork made by locally renowned artists.

Gallerie Karon

Gallerie Karon features artwork and photography along with antiques, artifacts, and jewelry.

John Pugh Studio

John Pugh Studio is the working space of muralist and artist, John Pugh.

Oak Leaf Studio

Oak Leaf Studio is the working space of painter and illustrator, Leif Trygg.

Siskiyou Galley House features original artwork by local artists and fine art reproductions.

The Ashland Gallery Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of the visual arts in our communities.

Thinking of Trees

 As I finish compiling a collection of poems, I’ve had to let many things go, including some grand quotes about trees. Since I can’t squeeze all of these beautiful bits into the book, I thought I’d share some here:  

 

 

The one who’s lying on his back under tall trees

is also up there within them.

— Tomas Tranströmer, “Breathing Space, July”

 

The trees spoke of patience.

— Suzanne Simard, Finding the Mother Tree

 

[I]n the language of trees there’s no grammatical mood: questions, statements, or commands—it’s all song, stripped of anything like judgement, intention, or need. 

Carl Phillips, Then the War and Selected Poems

 

Day brings what is going to be. Trees—

wherever they are—begin to stand. 

— William Stafford, “Letting You Go”

 

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord 

and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank, 

with roots that reach deep into the water. 

Such trees are not bothered by the heat 

or worried by long months of drought. 

Their leaves stay green, 

and they never stop producing fruit. 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT



5th Annual Let's Write! Event at the Guild!

The Southern Oregon Guild proudly presents the 5th Annual “Let’s Write!” Event – A Day of Writing for All Kinds of Writers, Exploring the Art of Language! This year’s theme is: The Power of Words & The Writer’s Conscience. Join 6 local writers on Saturday September 9 from 9 am to 5 pm at the Guild Gallery & Art Center, for a series of interactive workshops aimed to actively inspire your own literary practice!

The 2023 Keynote Speaker will be Paul Fattig, lifelong Illinois Valley resident and Marine Corps Veteran. Paul shares that “growing up poor without a television during the 1950s and ‘60s, I have loved books since early elementary school. Writing books is a dream come true for this former Kerby kid.” In addition to his keynote address, Paul will be presenting “Tapping into One’s Roots,” a non-fiction prose workshop.

Following the keynote address at 9:30am, will be three 90-minute sessions, each with a choice of two separate workshops, for a total of six different presentations. Facilitators will provide support while guiding attendees to create their own fresh writing. All presenters and workshops are described below.

Kokayi Nosakhere • Effective Protest Writing & Writing American History

Activist Kokayi Nosakhere, with 30 years of experience, invites you to learn what formulas work to effectively communicate political messages. Come prepared to learn who labor leader Emma Goldman is; to read a portion of Black Liberation Movement icon Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail;” be reminded of the wisdom of historian Howard Zinn – and to write your own 500 word editorial concerning a current event of injustice inside the United States of America. Also with the multiple controversies currently swirling around what it means to be an “American,” how do historians do it? What is the responsibility of historians in this “moment.” Learn about primary documents, how to find them and how to use them to “write” accurate “history.” Then, try your hand at the 5 paragraph method used by college students all across the country to convince their professors they actually heard the lecture. Five years ago, author, community builder and Black cultural expert, Kokayi Nosakhere relocated to Southern Oregon. In 2019, he attended the 12th Annual Beloved Music Festival. Since then, he has focused his energies on building a BIPoC Sanctuary.

Amy Miller • Relationship & Interdependence

In this 90-minute workshop, we’ll explore poems of relationship and interdependence between humans and animals, and humans and work. Taking some exquisite and varied poems as inspiration, we’ll write poems or short prose of our own about the physicality, challenges, and realities of work in our lives, and our complex connections with the animals and insects around us. Amy Miller’s Astronauts won the 2022 Chad Walsh Chapbook Prize, and her full-length poetry collection The Trouble with New England Girls won the Louis Award from Concrete Wolf Press. Her writing has appeared in Barrow Street, Catamaran, Copper Nickel, Narrative, Rattle, RHINO, Terrain, and ZYZZYVA, and she received a 2021 Oregon Literary Fellowship. She currently lives in Ashland, OR.

Paul Fattig • Tapping into One’s Roots

The focus will be on capturing a world that you know better than anyone else: your own life and times. Using documentary journalism, learn to write about the interesting aspects of your life, the good and the bad, the humorous and the tragic. Call relatives or childhood friends to rehash favorite anecdotes, then turn those anecdotes into chapters. Continually step out of your lane to read everything you can get your grubby little fingers on. Reading widely is an essential exercise to successful writing. As an Illinois Valley urchin, Paul Fattig attended Kerby Elementary School and Illinois Valley High School. After serving in the Marine Corps, he graduated from the University of Oregon in 1979 with a degree in journalism. A print journalist for 40 years, he retired in 2013 to write books. He is now writing his fourth book.

Gary Lark • Taking My Self to Work

Work is a two-way lens, what we do and who we are. Can we capture the alchemy that rises from the ordinary? I’ve been a carpenter, janitor, salesman, hospital aide and librarian; how about you? With your work, paid or unpaid, what have you observed there? What do you feel there? Is there a poignant moment hidden in the movements of the task. We’ll explore some poems and write a few. Gary Lark’s most recent poetry collections are “Easter Creek,” Main Street Rag, “Daybreak on the Water,” Flowstone Press and “Ordinary Gravity,” Airlie Press . His work has appeared in Beloit Poetry Journal, Catamaran, Rattle, Sky Island and others. He claims the Umpqua River as the main teacher in his life.

Diana Coogle • What’s on Your Conscience? Let’s Write About it!

Explore possible essay topics based on the question, what’s on your conscience? Then we will focus on various approaches to that topic: A narrative about a childhood incident? A process of how to salve a guilty conscience? The class follows a loose format of a few words of explanation followed by time for writing, then workshopping with a partner with input from the instructor. We’ll end with a nonobligatory sharing of essays. As an academic, Diana Coogle was a Marshall Scholar; taught at RCC, the University of Oregon, and Sweden’s Göteborg Universitet; and earned a Ph.D. in 2012. As a writer, she was a 20-year JPR commentator, published seven books, was an Oregon Book Awards finalist, and was a writing conference keynote speaker.

Michael Spring • Into the Surreal

Reality bumming your trip? Move into surreal poetry. Learn how to create poems with pliable dreamscapes. From talking buttons to hallways inside of leaves, you will discover yourself interacting with the unexpected, the magical, and the imaginal. In this workshop we’ll review what surrealism is and what it has to offer. Several prompts will be used to create surreal poems. Most of the workshop will focus on writing drafts and sharing your work. Michael Spring, of Brookings, Oregon, is the author of five poetry books and one children’s book. His poetry books have won several awards and distinctions, including The James Tate Prize, The Turtle Island Poetry Award, an honorable mention for the Eric Hoffer Book Award, and a Luso-American Fellowship from DISQUIET International. He is a poetry editor for Pedestal Magazine and Flowstone Press.

The day will conclude with an Open Mic at 4pm, in which participants can share the work they created throughout the day. Coffee, Lunch, and Refreshments are included. Event Fees are on a sliding scale from $35 to $55. Student fee is $25. Please honestly self-select your payment tier based on your financial picture. If the sliding scale would be a financial hardship, please call 541-592-5019 or email [email protected] to inquire about available scholarships.

Natural Acrylik Paint Has Arrived!

Natural Painting Workshop in Italy! Natural Earth Paint logo

Our Natural Acrylik Paint Has Arrived! Learn about Natural Acrylik Paint here! The first of it’s kind!After five years of formulation and testing, Natural Earth Paint is excited to share our newest product! Natural Acrylik Paints – sold in tubes and as a set. Plant-Based, Eco-friendly & Archival, these water-based paints behave exactly like conventional acrylic paints.Free of carcinogenic additives and petrochemicals, this paint is made with a plant-based resin, natural pigments and bio-based ingredients. Shop Here Natural Acrylik Paint: FAQ Q: How are these paints different from conventional acrylics? A:Conventional acrylic is made with a petroleum-based resin and a host of carcinogenic additives and preservatives (that give it specific properties and a long shelf-life). It also commonly includes petroleum-based or heavy metal pigments. Our paints are made with a plant-based resin, natural pigments, and bio-based ingredients while creating a final finish exactly like acrylic in that it is

Continue reading Natural Acrylik Paint Has Arrived!

A Welcoming Light at the SO Guild

SO Guild of Artists & Artisans logo

Our summer Guild Member Art Exhibit, A Welcoming Light, opened with a free reception open to the public on Sunday, July 30 at the Guild Gallery & Art Center. Guild Members made short presentations about their artwork in the show related to our theme! Art enthusiasts enjoyed live Jazz music from Terry D. Davis. Join us for the next reception! The Guild Gallery & Art Center is located in the historic Kerby Belt Building at 24353 Redwood Highway Kerby, OR 97531 and is open to the public Tuesdays – Saturdays 11am-5pm. Upcoming Classes & Workshops Summer Paint & Sip with Pure Life DesignsFriday August 4 • 4-7pm at the Guild Gallery Come unplug and explore your creative side with Ashley Mendes of Pure Life Designs for a SPRING PAINT & SIP EVENT on Friday August 4 from 4-7pm at the Southern Oregon Guild Gallery & Art Center in Kerby,

Continue reading A Welcoming Light at the SO Guild

Ashland First Friday ArtWalk – August 2023

August Spotlight Galleries and ArtistsFirst Friday Art Walk: August 4, 20235:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Alice Niemiec, Pink Peonies, Oil on Canvas Art & Soul AshlandAlice Niemiec: View from Ashland

Currently featured at Art & Soul Ashland are paintings by Alice Niemiec. Utilizingwatercolors and oils, Alice draws inspiration from the varying landscapes and nature thatare found in Ashland. In addition to exhibiting her paintings across the country, Alice hascofounded The Artist Guild of Detroit, a guild and gallery funded by General Motors thatpromotes young artists in the area.Hours:Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.Sunday: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.Address and Contact Information:247 East Main Street, Ashland, OR 97520541-880-4100artandsoulashland.com

Limei Lai, Always Together, Forever Apart, Fabric and Acrylic Fiber Arts CollectiveMixed Media Work by Limei Lai

This month’s exhibition at Fiber Arts Collective includes mixed media work by Limei Lai.Working with paint, fabric, and clay, Limei seeks to build

Continue reading Ashland First Friday ArtWalk – August 2023

August Guest Artist: Stefan Savides

Bronze Bird Sculpture We are delighted to present world-knowned avian sculptor, Stefan Savides, as our guest artist for August. Savides’ exquisite sculptures look as if they are about to move. Join us for a reception and come see his work at the reception on August 5th from 1 – 4 PM Gallery Exhibition dates: Aug […]

The post August Guest Artist: Stefan Savides appeared first on Art Presence Art Center.

Continue reading August Guest Artist: Stefan Savides

Three Watercolor Studies Done While Camping

Greetings! I hope this finds you enjoying your summer. One think I enjoy doing is watercolor studies while my husband and I are out camping somewhere. And, that’s what I want to talk about today. From Classes To Traveling. To explain, after spe…

Continue reading Three Watercolor Studies Done While Camping

REMINDER! Silvia Trujillo Art Workshop Next Thursday

Silvia Trujillo Art Workshop Next Thursday : Lavender Fields Forever 12x12 oil by Silvia Trujillo

Mark your calendar!

Don’t miss my art workshop next Thursday — July 27 (1–4pm) — at Central Art Supply. Come and join our fun and supportive group who enjoy all things art & painting related! It’s a small group (in a big room) which allows for a lot of personal attention. I’m there to consult and encourage, with many suggestions for new ways to improve your art skills

Bring projects you want to finish or start a completely new one under my guidance. I’m there to help!

Contact me soon to reserve your space. The class fee is $25.

Meanwhile, here are plein air paintings of Summer scenery – the result of painting outings in the hot sun, but so well worth it!

Questions about my art workshop next Thursdy? Contact me with one of the links below:Website: https://www.silviatrujillo.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistsilviatrujillo/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silvia.trujillo.5891eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/trujillo-impressionist-paintings?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

Continue reading REMINDER! Silvia Trujillo Art Workshop Next Thursday