From the
Gallery Red
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE VALLEY ART ASSOCIATION
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
Valley Art Gallery
We welcome you to the
2022 Main Street Forest Grove, Oregon
Artists’ Reception Saturday, January 11, 2-4 p.m.
503•357•3703 www.valleyart.org
Valley Art welcomes photographers John Pedersen and Brenda Somes and Sculptor Robynn Fulfs.
Gallery open Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m. and special occasions.
Complimentary refreshments will be served.
Art warms a chilly winter day
Valley Art is dedicated to supporting working artists and encouraging beginning artists. We exhibit exceptional artwork and offer art classes for the entire community at affordable prices. Valley Art board meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30p.m. These meetings are open to all who might like to attend.
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Caught My Eye...
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Classes & Workshops for Everyone
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A Portland resident, his March 2011 photo of sunset over the ocean near Strawberry Hill, south of Yachats, is featured on the cover of the 2013-2014 Oregon Blue Book. John is committed to providing
Bristlecone Bulge by John Pedersen
This winter Valley Art will be a warm place, due to the “fired-up” artists showing in our gallery.John Pedersen, Brenda Somes and Robynn Fulfs will show their work during January and February, 2014. Photographer John Pedersen has been a photographer for most of his life and shares his love of nature through his visual art. Using natural light and compelling composition, he draws the viewer into his scenes of wonder. A Pacific Northwest native, he also travels extensively to observe the sights and rhythms of nature. He most enjoys the western United States with its rugged coastlines, lush verdant forests, rivers and waterfalls, snow covered mountains and unique desert landscapes. “I try to bring a unique perspective to every image I create, from wide sweeping landscapes to intimate nature portraits,” he says.
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Caroline’s Corner
Art warms a chilly day... the highest quality fine art images available. Every step of the process is exacting: Capturing the image with the finest equipment to ensure initial image quality; using the best digital development techniques; and printing on archival quality photo paper at one of the most respected print labs on the West Coast. -- these all go toward making this artwork a lasting treasure. Robynn Fulfs “White Mountain” by John Pedersen grew up on a rural eastern Washington wheat farm and is a lifelong equestrian. She enjoys drawing the subjects that have always been part of her life, such as the rolling Palouse hills and farm animals. Her work is earthy - quite literally - since her clay animals originate from the earth. She tries to capture the movements, textures and behavioral quirks she has observed and enjoyed in animals and geography. The physical process of building in clay is very rewarding. “Most often, I approach my pieces with Sculpture by a basic idea of what Robynn Flufs shapes, textures and overall mood I want to achieve. Then, using what the clay gives me, such as wet and pliable slabs, or scraps that are dry and brittle, I respond
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January/February 2014
Sculptures by Robynn Fulfs
to the challenge of building forms that actually stay together. “Those forms become objects that reflect emotions, familiar gestures and movements. The glazes and surface treatments are done to enhance the form and bring an enjoyable tactile sensation to a visual piece. “The majority of my work is fired at cone 6 oxidation, with layers of oxides and glazes.” Robynn has a bachelor of fine arts and a master of fine arts from Washington State University. Brenda Somes works and lives in Forest Grove. She recently bought a house and has been working on that when she’s not at her “real” job or volunteering. In Florida where she grew up, Brenda gained her first photography and darkroom mentoring in a very small high school camera club of three people. In college she continued with photography, combining it with her degree studies in wildlife ecology.
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She has incorporated photography into every job she has held since college. “Photography is a wonderful way of connecting with people,” Brenda comments. “Especially when you’re introverted by nature. It has opened many doors.” About 19 years ago Brenda began her personal artistic photography pursuit. “I’m drawn to capture color and texture—the touchability of a subject.” Development of her art was fueled by the frustration of capturing only visual elements of a moment. “There is so much more to any given scene or moment than just sight. My goal is to pull the other senses into the visual spectrum,” says Brenda. To capture the “sanctuary of the forest,” she incorporates the mossy, green mood of
“Wasilla Moon” by Brenda Somes
her subject and the quiet, peaceful stillness. This might sound difficult, but once you view her photos you will experience it too. Brenda’s work has been featured on several regional magazine covers as well as tourism and vineyard publicity materials. Rounding out both her love for photography and for the community, she has begun another project to connect people and fulfill unmet needs: theGivingGrape. com. Brenda’s website tells the story of her micro-enterprise that combines wine, art and charity. The idea is to donate a piece of her artwork to a participating winery that will sell, raffle or auction the work with the raised funds benefiting the “micro cause.” The viticultural community is often quite aware of little needs in their communities and together, Brenda thinks her art and others efforts can combine to benefit many. She hopes in time to involve other philanthropic artists and community-oriented wineries to participate. “A grape’s a pretty small fruit, but a little grape can do a little something.”
One of four “Giving Grapes” by Brenda Somes
Caught my eye... Happy New Year! The holidays are over and the New Year looks bright at Valley Art. As I think of the past year I marvel at the successes we have had: The Annual Artist Event had the highest sales ever and Chalk Art was a resounding success despite the
Valley Art Association
weather. We continue to make improvements around the gallery with new paint, new LED lighting, more classes and new volunteers. We received grants this year to help with our education department and our mural project for the rear parking lot wall. So come in and see for yourself—we love to show off all the amazing local art in our community! —Lynne Magner, Valley Art Board President
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Something for Everyone Art Classes & Groups —WANTED—
Art Instructors for Winter and Spring Classes The Art Education department at Valley Art is searching for art instructors in a number of fields: Wood working, Watercolor, Acrylic and Oil Painting, and other arts. For more information, please contact Charlotte Lumae (charlotte.lumae@gmail.com) or Skip Buhler (doyle_buhler@hotmail.com). Thank you for your interest!
Homeschool pottery class Tuesdays, January 14 to February 4— 10-11:15a.m.
In this class we will spend the first three weeks working with clay and the final week will be focused on glazing. Projects will include different techniques including work with slabs, coils, and pinch pots. Each class will have a planned project as well as some free time to work with the clay. Class size maximum is 10 students. For students in 1st grade or higher. Please contact me for further information and registration: Kalika Stanton—Kalikastanton@gmail.com 971-219-9022 Cost is $40.00 per student, $25 for each additional sibling in a family.
Adult Pottery Tuesdays, September 10 to October 29—6:30p.m. until 9:30p.m. Pottery class is for adults 18-years and older at levels of pottery skills from beginning to intermediate. Learn to hand build or throw pottery on the wheel. Demonstrations will be given each night. Stoneware is $12.00 per bag and porcelain is $16.00 per bag. Tool kits are available for $15.00 each. You must bring your own towel and apron. Class size is limited to 10 students so sign up soon! Call Christine at 503-501-7589 or email her at huraytc@gmail.com. Cost is $109.00 for members and $119.00 for non-members. Supplies additional.
Forest Grove Camera Club Wednesdays (except 1st Wednesdays)— 7:30 p.m.
The Forest Grove Camera Club is a member of the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and the Columbia Council of Camera Clubs. The club participates in a variety of competitions, evaluations and provides programs as well as field trips. Instructor: Carol Berget cberget@msn.com Cost is $25 Annual membership / $5 student / $10 Associate membership
Quilting Studio: 101 Fridays—9 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
This is an ongoing class and may be joined at any time. All levels, from beginning to advanced are welcome. This is the time to do your own work; get expert advice on a special project; and meet with other local quilters. Join the fun! Cost is $28/year for members and $43/year for non-members. All events and workshops take place in the Valley Art Gallery workshop space unless otherwise noted. Valley Art is located at 2022 Main Street in Forest Grove. Parking is available along Main Street and in the public parking lot located directly behind Valley Art, a half block to the west. Gallery hours are Monday–Saturday 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Always stay up-to-date with Valley Art events at valleyart.org/events.
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A Mural for the Community
Above: A sketch of the mural design that will brighten the West side of the Valley Art gallery building.
Valley Art is working on a pretty exciting project; a mural on the back of the gallery building. We are going to spruce up the parking lot with a colorful representation of Forest Grove.
buildings. So far we have raised about half of the funds to complete the project. We need to raise a little more than $3,000 more to bring it to life!
The mural will take place in the summer of 2014 and there will be an Unveiling Celebration with the completion of the Mural.
Will you help us reach our goal? Your donations are welcome and may be mailed to: P.O. Box 333, Forest Grove, OR 97116, or dropped off at the gallery front desk. Please specify that you would like your donation to go towards the Mural Project. As always, your contributions are tax deductible.
In addition to offering a beautiful spectacle for the whole community, we hope that our project will inspire other business owners to likewise beautify their
Elf Workshop recap By all measures, this year’s Elf Workshop was a huge success, and a fun Saturday for all. The tables were pleasantly crowded the whole time and the children stayed busy creating all kinds of holiday crafts. We made a quick list of the artistic creations made, and these included: cards, babies in walnut cradles, santas, trees, elves, candy canes, snowflakes, snow men and holly decorations. Some were still drying when we finished. Charlotte Lumae, Mary Welch, Maggie and Justin Ota, and Skip Buhler supervised the fun, as did some of the participant’s parents. A big thanks to everyone who joined in and made this event a memorable and festive time of joy! We’re looking forward to next year! Valley Art Association
Many young friends joined us to get busy creating art projects at the Elf Workshop.
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Great to see you at the Annual Artist Event!
This year’s Annual Artist Event, “Local Treasures”, was a great success and the wonderful volunteers and faithful members of Valley Art are to thank for helping to bring this event to its successful conclusion. Valley Art would like to thank its very hardworking, dedicated AND faithful volunteers that make this event happen every year. This years’ group was headed by Kay Bridenbaugh and Merrie French. Caroline Dau, Carol Dean, Jerry & Margaret Hoerber, Debra Rose, Lois Rifken, Marcia Alajoki and many more gave long hours to make AAE happen. Valley Art, would not survive without their efforts and true dedication. We are so grateful for these volunteers! Each year the gallery is given a new look for this event. The make over could not be accomplished
without the help of our tremendous group of artists. They remove work that has been on display in the gallery and bring in new work for the Annual Artist Event and holiday sales. Then the volunteers get to work inventorying, cleaning and setting out the new display of art for all to enjoy and appreciate. The Annual Artist Event is an exciting time for everyone at Valley Art. We celebrated the opening of the event with Members Night; later welcomed in the business community on Chamber Night; and Family Day brought the event to a close. Valley Art continues to welcome its community all through the holiday season and throughout the year. We thank our community and gallery members who participated in these events and hope your shopping visits are always a success!
At top (l-r): Dana Zurcher holds up a winning drawing ticket drawn by Lynne Magner at Member’s night. Richard and Christine Kidd chat with others while taking in the new display of art. Bottom (l-r): Margaret Hoerber and Caroline Dau arrange the table decorations for the Member’s night. Members gather hoping to win one of the door prize drawings. Gallery friends and volunteers, Bev Camp and Margaret Hoerber enjoy a laugh once their work is done.
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January/February 2014
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Caroline’s
Corner
The left overs are finally running out and the company has gone home. I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday season of joy, feasting and catching up with all those you love near and far. Valley Art enjoyed a terrific Annual Artist event this past November and all who contributed food and drink have my special appreciation and thanks!
Apples and Brie with honey and nuts 2 tart apples 6 oz. brie at room temp. 1/3 cup fine chopped nuts, oven toasted 1/4 cup lavender flavored honey Fresh ground black pepper
Core apples and cut in 1/4 inch slices. Blot with a paper towel to dry them off a bit. Cut brie into thin slices and criss-cross on top of apple slices. In a small bowl, mix the toasted nuts and honey with a generous grinding of pepper. Place a dollop on top of each brie slice.
January 11 we have a show reception and I welcome your contributions of food and helping hands.
Your Name Here lights up a room!
If you can help with food set up, please give me a call at 503-747-7321.
Glowing with pride! THANK YOU!! In the last quarter of 2013, Valley Art undertook the relighting of the gallery. While that process will continue for a few more months, it is time to thank the gallery supporters who contributed one or more adopted bulbs to the gallery. Judy, Barbara, Jerry, Jeanne, Lynne, Caroline, Judy, Mary and John, Bev and John, Brenda, Sabien, Norm, Linda and a
few others who wanted to contribute in complete anonymity, thank you all! We hope when you visit Valley Art and see how bright and wonderful the gallery looks, you feel personally responsible for lighting up the room! We will still take contributions to adopta-bulb for $20 if there are those who still wish to be a part of this wonderful gallery improvement project.
Our thanks goes to the September 22 mailing party who help in getting this newsletter from our gallery into your hands. Linda Wilke, Nancy Bond, Nedra Hathaway, Jack Howard, Bob Oetken, Karen Oetken, John Welch, Christiana Mayer and Bev Camp—we couldn’t do it without you! How can you become a Valley Art Volunteer? Drop by the Valley Art Gallery or pick up the phone and call Caroline, our volunteer coordinator at 503-747-7321. Tell her what you love to do and hear what VAA needs help to accomplish. Volunteers working with children must provide either a current teaching certificate or be willing to undergo a background check. Come join us and have a lot of fun helping this wonderful community arts outreach!
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Join the conversation! Scan this QR code to like Valley Art on Facebook. NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S.P.S. POSTAGE PAID FOREST GROVE OR PERMIT NO. 5
Valley Art Association P.O. Box 333 Forest Grove, OR 97116
OF SPECIAL NOTE... Valley Art is entirely volunteer-run and we could use your talents too. Please call us for ways you can contribute to this artistic asset of Forest Grove! Don’t forget, Valley Art is a non-profit organization that benefits the community with art classes and other artistic outreaches. Your year-end tax deductible gift will help support Valley Art programs in the year to come.
Featured Artists Show January-February Show Reception, January 11, 2-4 p.m. Did you know Valley Art has wonderful Valentine gift ideas?
Valley Art Gallery presents
Featured Artists Show The works of Robynn Fulfs, John Pedersen and Brenda Somes
Sculpture by Robynn Fulfs
Photography by John Pedersen
Art photography by Brenda Somes
Opening Reception Saturday, January 11 • 2-4 p.m. Show runs January- February
2022 Main Street • Forest Grove, OR
Gallery hours are 11a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday Valleyart.org • 503-357-3703