FIRST FRIDAY & BEND EXHIBITS

While her work is rooted in a visual awareness of the physical world, she favorites emotional truth over visual realism.

Kira Frances creates oil paintings to investigate the nature of truth and share alternative realms of beauty. For her still life pieces, she sets up the objects and alters their context just enough to suggest a dream-like landscape; for her geometric pieces, she takes an idea and deconstructs it, revealing the concept through the display of shapes and angles.

Lindsay Gilmore creates abstract landscape paintings inspired by the colors and compositions that have captivated her while on adventures outdoors with her family.

Ashley Paggi (Ash Cascade) is a surface pattern designer whose bohemian/ retro style evokes a polished yet gritty sense of place. While she mainly licenses her art, you can find some of her own products such as bandanas, mugs and stickers, at The Stacks.

Alyson Brown (Wild Folklore) is a photographer and stylist specializing in beverage and botanicals. While she focuses most of her time on brand development and content creation, Alyson is also The Stacks in-house mixologist for First Fridays. Call the studio for hours and appointments.

Touchmark at Pilot Butte

(Previously The Alexander)

1125 NE Watt Way

541- 238-6101 • touchmark.com/senior-living/or/bend

Encaustic artist Janice Rhodes is displaying her unique works created using the ancient technique of hot wax painting at Touchmark at Pilot Butte (formerly the Alexander) through the end of May.

Tumalo Art Company

Old Mill District

541-385-9144 • tumaloartco.com

For Tumalo Art Co.’s first solo show of 2023, David Kinker has created paintings of an epic year of adventure. Grand Escape opens April 7, from 3-7pm during the Old Mill District’s First Friday Gallery Walk.

In the fall of 2022 David took an 18-day raft trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon — for the fifth time. He then spent seven weeks in Chile and

Argentina, including hiking and backpacking in Patagonia, and a two-week river expedition down the Rio Grande Colorado of Argentina. “As a personal practice of meditation I am driven to paint even on wilderness trips. I am emotionally moved by beauty and natural wonders and paint plein air on my trips as a way to be fully present in observation and the senses.” After arriving home, David dives back into the experience by creating large studio paintings in response to his connections to the places and people he meet, hoping to share his sense of wonder with others.

Tumalo Art Co. is an artist-run gallery in the heart of the Old Mill District open seven days a week.

The Wine Shop

55 NW Minnesota Ave.

541-389-2884 • thewineshopbend.com

The Wine Shop is showing oil paintings by SageBrushers Art Society member Karen Cain Bond. Karen’s passion as an award winning western artist is to portray the contemporary cowboy. She’s studied under Harley Brown, Richard McKinley, Thomas Blackshear and CAA artist Bruce Greene. Come enjoy these beautifully rendered depictions of the modern cowboy along with one of the fine wines on offer. Showing thru April.

SEND US YOUR FIRST FRIDAY PHOTOS!

Send us your photos from your gallery or shop of artists, patrons and hosts to be featured in Cascade A&E Magazine each month! Send all photos (and remember to include names) to ae@cascadeae.com.

Got questions?

Call 541-388-5665 or email marcee@cascadebusnews.com.

Hudson and Sophia Turbity admired each piece in the “Make a Wish” group show at Tumalo Art Co. but Nancy Becker’s colorful glass birds were Sophia’s clear favorites.

Introspection and self-evaluation are always alive in Michelle Lindblom’s paintings. The artist is a prolific blogger who analyzes her emotions and behavior to fuel her art. “I’ve always painted as a means to release what’s inside,” she says. “The more I write, the more I can make sense of my environment.” Her bold and colorful abstract acrylic paintings are showcased at Red Chair Gallery in April.

A recent topic she has blogged about is the emotion of rage in society and herself and the need to release it. In our currently polarized populace, we see everyday occurrences of enraged behavior all around us — in the supermarket, a parking lot or a waiting room. Lindblom writes about letting it go through art, words, music or activism. “I use written words and visual art to bring my rage to the surface,” she writes.