Discover ‘Hug’ and ‘Interdependence’ at the Betty Gray Gallery

By Jim Fister

August is a wonderful time to be in Sunriver. The weather is typically good, and activities are at a high point. The Betty Gray Gallery at the Sunriver Resort Lodge is featuring two local artists, adding to the summer fun.

Upstairs, artist Paul Bennett is showing a set of monotype prints, entitled, “Hug.”

Bennett previously had success with photographic prints of masked faces known as “Pandemic Portraits.” He has returned to take a look at portraits by asking people to hug and turning these into images. Bennett presents a visual chronicle of the human need to touch. This exhibit will start in July and run through the remainder of the summer. Bennett has two books, “Pandemic Portraits” and “Hug,” where he explores the human interactions of the last few years. The books are available on request at the Artists’ Gallery Sunriver in The Village at Sunriver.

Downstairs, Alisa Looney’s inventive ReEnamelware se - ries, “Interdependence,” will be exhibiting through August. Looney creates original images in glass by fusing kiln-fired layers of enamel to steel forms, in this case using repurposed and often-discarded household items. The purpose of her work is to inspire the connections and care of our planet and each other. Looney will donate 5% of proceeds from sales of this exhibition to the Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory, to support its mission to inspire present and future generations to cherish and understand the natural world.

Make sure to come see these wonderful works on display while enjoying all the other