Interview with Teri Sokoloff of Sokoloff Glass

"Joy" by Teri Sokoloff


Detail of "Joy"

*Where are you from originally?
Oahu, Hawaii, I have an independent mother who felt life would be better for us on the islands. She was right!

*I hear you live in Brownsville now.
I live a bit north of Sweet Home a place we call Frog Hollow for the evenings we are serenaded by these wonderful creatures.

*What is life like there?
Very peaceful, the friendships I’ve made are wonderful, sunrises & sunsets incredible, topped with the evening songs by the creatures of Frog Hollow.

*What first got you interested in glass?
On the beach in my youth collecting tumbled glass, I was always intrigued by the soft colors as the light pierced the glass. After taking a stained glass class I began working with a contractor fabricating windows for custom homes using my own designs. In the late 80’s I took a fused glass workshop and started incorporating fused glass elements into my stained glass windows.

* Was that the first medium you started with or did you experiment with others prior? I have always dabbled in something creative though nothing serious until I worked with glass.

*Could you describe your process?
It all depends what I want to achieve. I use a variety of tools and techniques.

*How is your approach to functional items, such as your wall lights, vs free form items different?
With functional items I first work on the mechanics. Working with glass is and has been very spontaneous for me. I usually don’t draw out a design unless I’m working with a client.

*Where did you learn your technique?
W, D & E: working, developing and experimenting in my studio.

*Did you have formal glass training?
I studied glass blowing at California State University San Bernardino & San Bernardino Valley College. Once I realized the expense of having a furnace in my studio I started focusing on kiln-formed glass and torch working.

*How have you evolved as an artist?
I rely more on my imagination and skill to drive my work into new directions.

*Who/what are your inspirations?
Everything and anything around me even the people in my life, it always amazes me how something or someone can trigger an idea.

*Has being a member of Oregon Arts Alliance helped you?
Yes.

*How so?
OAA has helped East Linn Artists (ELA) which has helped me by offering classes in East Linn County and giving us advice to the direction of our art group.

*What are your plans for the future, either personally or as an artist?
As an artist I have a few new ideas I’d like to focus on. Personally I would like to spend more time in my garden, the orchard and enjoying what life has to offer.


"Fall Splendor" by Teri Sokoloff


Detail of "Fall Splendor"

Interview with Poet Laura LeHew

-Where are you from? Where do you live now?

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. I lived in Lexington Park, MD for 6 months—long enough to marry and separate from my first husband. I moved to Oakland, California two months before the big quake and I put a bid on a house in Eugene 2 months after I got my MFA in 2003.


-When did you first start writing poetry and why?

I didn’t start writing poetry until I was 40. I had been camping in Oregon with my friend Andy and we were driving back through the Avenue of the Giants. It was a beautiful day—weaving through the shadows and sunshine. A puppy leapt out of the old growth forest onto the road and I hit it. There was no camp ground, no stopped cars. He had no tag on him. That impact made me re-examine my priorities and I went back to the Bay area and started writing.


-Could you describe your process?

My poetry comes to me mostly complete. I sit down at the computer and write it, doing a wee bit of editing along the way. I then take it to critique group, make some edits and if I am unsure I’ll take the poem back to the group and make some further edits. I find it very hard to write or even put a book together for my press until I have the picture of it in my head. Many times in the shower or late at night before bed the poem will demand to be written. If I don’t write it then I will lose it. I do most of my writing on a computer though I do carry a journal but it is mostly for jotting thoughts or words down. It comes in handy—one of my most published poems, “Beauty,” was written at an Emeralds game as the light was fading.


-How have you evolved as a poet?

I am pushing the edge of poetry to see where it might go for me. What makes a poem? Narrative is easy. Life is not narrative. I find the layers of what is unsaid to be interesting excavation. Following the duende to wherever the poem takes me.


-When and how did you start Uttered Chaos? What were your motivations?

I started Uttered Chaos as a reading series with Colette Jonopulos—one of the editors of Tiger’s Eye Journal, another Eugene based small press. We had trouble finding the right venue to host our series so we disbanded. In 2009 I revisioned Uttered Chaos as a small press.


-I’ve heard in the last two years you have published 180 poems. How many submissions do you have to submit in order to have that kind of success and how do you know which literary journals to send your poems to?

The average submission to acceptance ratio is 30:1. From 1/1/09 through 1/31/10 I sent submissions to approximately 296 journals or anthologies, of which 180 were accepted for publication, several journals took multiple poems. Research and networking. You have to read the journal to which you are submitting to know if they will accept your work. Duotrope.com is a huge research tool for all writers, as is winningwriters.com. Also I have found large writing conferences such as the AWP invaluable. Many times the editors of journals are on panels or at book tables and are often amenable to questions. Small regional conferences such as OSPA www.oregonpoets.org hold are really great too because they are smaller and you can meet and share local resources with other poets, as well as the workshop leaders.


-How do you measure the success of a poem? Do you think all poems have value or do some have more than others?

Poems are like family. I love them all but in different ways. I am happy when they find jobs in journals or when they win a prize but I also value the unsung poem in my to be published folder. I know, someday, they will stand as they are written or go through further editing and publication. There is always hope.


-How does being a participant of weekly writing groups affect your work?

First I can only work to a deadline. Second I cannot waste time. So that means I must write at least 52 poems a year. Additionally, I am in a second group that meets twice month so that is another 24 poems a year that I can get written. As an artist I realize that everything I write is brilliant. The feedback that I receive on my poems is invaluable to me. I know what others think works about the poem, what others think doesn’t work about the poem. I can then make changes based on this feedback.


-Please name three poets that are underrated, and if you desire, three poets that are overrated and explain why.

Underrated: Kit Kennedy, Gwendolyn Brooks, Wisława Szymborska.
Overrated: Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, and Ted Kooser.

Read a body of work by each of these 6 poets and the answer will be self-evident. Read it like an artist. What is on the surface, what is underneath?


-I understand that you are a science fiction fan and that you attend science fiction conventions. How does that inform your work?

Actually when I was young my mother read to me from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, no watered down Disney in my house. Later I discovered that my mother hid science fiction on the bookshelf, which I was inclined to sneak into my bedroom and read after my parents had gone to bed. She also took me to the drive-in to watch all night creature features, letting my younger sisters sleep but I had to stay awake with her because she was scared. My first chapbook, Beauty, is a retelling of fairy tales. Cinderella is a vampire, etc.


-I also hear you have 8 cats. Do they inspire or influence your poetry?

As of this week I only have 7. I sometimes write narrative poems about my cats. Sometimes my cats tell me when it’s time for a break and though it is frustrating they are always correct. I come back and write better.


-Oregon Arts Alliance has recently welcomed writers and poets under their artist umbrella. You are a member and on the board. Why did you decide to become involved with OAA?

I think that art and writing and music are all artistic endeavors. I think it’s important to fuse them together, as the same thing—painting—sculpting—singing words. What better way to see this happen than to join with the OAA.


-What are your plans for the future, either personally or as an artist?

My projects include a book of poetry about my sister’s alcohol induced dementia “Thirst,” a noir murder mystery “It’s Always Night, It Always Rains,” poems of witness “This is a Reminder,” and hybrid poems “The Parameter of Regret.” Robert Tomlinson and I put together a gallery show dedicated to—the connection between the conception of an artwork and the response of poetry called Original Weather. Uttered Chaos will publish 4 books in 2011. Details are on my website www.utteredchaos.org.


-Anything else?

My favorite color is lime green. I don’t really like chocolate. Coffee is my second love. I often get inspiration for writing by watching TV. A word, a phrase, will send me off researching. I used to read a book a night now I barely read a book a week.


Below is one of Laura's poems:


The Other Laura

lives on the East Coast over
extends her credit never easier
she bakes cookies fresh from the fridge—no mixing
no mess for her perfect cookie cutter
family two children a girl and a boy
who never cut class and, of course,
she is married happily
to a man. She has 2 dogs—golden
retrievers she calls them Jack and Jillian
feeds them bits and bits of leftovers.

The other Laura is bone thin her
friends think she has an eating disorder
but don’t want to upset her. Debtors call
leaving cryptic messages that she erases
she never has anything to wear would rather
be shopping. Each night at precisely 10 PM
she tucks her boy and then her girl in though they
are too old and say boldly “awe mom” slips serenely
into plaid flannel sheets pops on the news kisses
her perfect man chastely on his perfect lips.

The other Laura has no crazy sisters, aunts
family all rather Norman Rockwellish drinks
a glass of Pinot Noir doesn’t worry if today
is the day she becomes a drunk someday this
other Laura hopes to travel the world or at least leave
the backyard, PTA, suburbia and when her head hits
her memory foam pillow she dreams of eating
1 dozen cream filled maple bars cropping
her hair short dying it blue one—long—hot
night tied up with Canadian born actor Nathan Fillion

wakes to Quaker instant oatmeal
dried cranberries.

Interview with Heather Soderberg

Interview coming soon!!!

Interview with Brooke Stone Jewelry

Wolf Rug

-Where are you from? Where do you live now?
Brooke: I was raised outside of Boston, spent a short while in Southern California as a young adult and came to Eugene in 1969 as a young mother. I was part of the "Back to the Land" movement, although I did not realize it at the time. Jim was raised in Eureka, California, in the redwood forest. He came to live in Oakridge in 1974. We have been working together manufacturing our line of animal totem jewelry since 1990.

-When did you first become interested in the arts and what mediums did you work with initially?
Brooke: As a child I started out working with blockprinting. An artist friend of the family gave me some tools and a piece of battleship linoleum. My first blockprint said "Noel" and much to my surprise, when I printed at, it said "leoN"! It was an important lesson....also, I have always worked with fiber. All the women in my family sewed, so I learned from them.

-What mediums do you work with now?
Brooke: I had a first career making wearable art which incorporated batik, applique of many different materials like felt, velvet, leather, fur, old buttons, etc. I made fitted vests and jackets, which I sold at Saturday Market, then at 5th Street Market and then I began doing the east coast shows organized by the American Crafts Council. I did wearable art for about 15 years, then switched over to metal. I got my metals education at LCC, in Dan White's program. (He was a fabulous teacher)! I have been making my living in jewelry-making since 1987. I work with animal totem images, using lost wax casting and many other processes. For a complete explanation of these processes, see the Studio Tour on my website: http://www.brookestonejewelry.com/studio-tour.php To see the jewelry which Jim and I make together, follow this link to our Art Gallery: http://www.brookestonejewelry.com/animal-totem-jewelry-online.php I have also been making hooked wool rugs since 1999; working with Dyed in the Wool Rug Hookers Guild here in Eugene. Like most hookers, I do not sell this work, but hook for the fun and the joy of it!

-How have you evolved as an artist?
Brooke: My vision has matured. I don't have any trouble thinking of new ideas. What I have found is that working with the medium brings ideas to the surface. You might say that the imagination and the medium are inextricably intertwined.

-What do you do if a work turns out differently than expected or you do not like how the piece is coming together?
Brooke: I think of designing a new piece as an exploration, so I expect the process to undergo many changes from beginning to end. I welcome problems as opportunities to "struggle creatively". I don't expect the process to be easy...

-What/who are your inspirations?
Brooke: Nature and its processes are my inspirations. I study natural history, botany, zoolology, mythology and anthropology to understand something about the animals I work with as subjects.

-When did the two of you first meet? How did your relationship impact your respective artistic careers?
Brooke: Jim and I met as students at LCC in the late 1980's. I would say that our lives as husband and wife and as working partners are completely inter-connected. I don't see any separation between the two parts. We have division of labor in the business, each working on parts that we feel comfortable with. We have our own small foundry on our land where Jim does all of the casting. I design new work and we both work in the manufacturing ....we do all of the processes ourselves in our shop.

-When did you start Brooke Stone Jewelry together? Why did you choose to name it after just Brooke?
Brooke: I already had a business called "Brooke Stone Jewelry" when Jim and I started working together in 1990 and the business already had name recognition. Also, when we first started working together, we weren't sure we could actually make a living that way. So we left the name that the business already had. As it turned out, we were able to make a living selling our jewelry and have been doing that since 1990.

-Has being a member of Oregon Arts Alliance helped you? How?
Brooke: I think it is necessary to support the arts in our community and OAA's mission is an important one. OAA has helped us gain exposure, even though we've been around for a long time. The facebook workshop recently taught by Diana Richardson was very helpful to me.

-What are your plans for the future, either personally or as artists?
Brooke: I plan to forge ahead and make art as long as I possibly can. I can't imagine life without art!

-Anything else you would like to add?
Brooke: For young artists planning to make a business of their art, I would advise: Take deadlines seriously. Never miss a deadline, no matter what! You might have 3 kids sick at home with nasty colds, but if you miss the deadline, you will lose the account!

DRAWING MARATHON DRAWS A CROWD

Drawing Marathon Draws a Crowd
Drawing + Artists + You = Fantastic Fun
The Oregon Arts Alliance (OAA) hosted its first drawing marathon at the OAA Gallery on Friday, November 5, 2010, in Eugene, OR.

In case you missed the drawing marathon, here’s how it worked:
Artists drew throughout the evening, working from live models or imagination. Immediately after a drawing was completed it was placed on the gallery wall for viewing pleasure and purchase as a benefit for OAA workshops and exhibitions. Visitors witnessed artists at work and chatted while solo musicians and Honest Connie & the 5 Finger Discount provided music. Ninkasi Brewing Company and Territorial Vineyards provided beverages while the Creative Duck Store at the U of O donated art supplies for the event. Each model’s fashion sense could be captured in drawings, be it a furry hat, cat-eye glasses, a hat à la Robin Hood or Queen Slugasana’s trail of rainbow balloons. It was fantastic to see artists’ different interpretations of the models.

Roger Rix, court photographer for Queen Slugasana, liked the energy the drawing marathon produced. "This is wonderful. It’s exciting to see this many artists and different mediums," Rix said. By the end of the night, the gallery walls were covered with drawings; no space left uncovered!

Pencils, Charcoal, Pastels, Oh My!
Over 30 artists participated in the drawing marathon, and artists used an assortment of mediums: pastels, charcoal, colored pencils, watercolor, pencils and chalk.
This was graphic designer, illustrator and writer Stephen Stanley’s first drawing marathon. “I thought it would be a fun thing to do,” Stanley said. During the drawing marathon, Stanley worked from the models with pencil and white pastel. Whether the technique is tight or loose “depends on my mood,” Stanley explained.

I chatted with Halley Anderson, a student at the University of Oregon, as she worked on a linear colored pencil drawing. Anderson found out about the drawing marathon while on the First Friday ArtWalk. Anderson decided to participate because she “saw everyone else doing it, and it looked really tempting.”

Brandi York of Springfield, OR, sat on the floor working on a pastel portrait, and we talked about her evening thus far. “It’s one of my favorite atmospheres to be surrounded by other artists and just drawing,” York said. York enjoys portraiture and figure drawing and works in all mediums, though her primary and favorite medium to work in is pastel.

For Nicola Calvert, the evening was full of charcoal and pastel drawing and running into old friends. “It’s the social highlight of the week, maybe of the month,” Calvert said.
Art is “moving back into being an integral part of my life,” Calvert explained, who works with mixed media. Calvert liked seeing other artists’ work. “The drawings are very inspirational…” Calvert said.

Emily Pesek, a portrait artist, worked on portraits in pencil, smudge pencil, and woodless pencil.
“You see reality a little more clearly,” Pesek said of drawing. Pesek expressed admiration for the OAA and its mission. “I think it’s beautiful that the Oregon Arts Alliance is so devoted to honoring the artistic process and genuinely supporting art for art’s sake,” Pesek said.

Farley Craig is a full-time artist who teaches figure drawing and figure painting at the Maude Kerns Art Center in Eugene, OR. During the drawing marathon, Craig drew with charcoal and chalk, though he also likes to work in oils.

Chandra Valli Paetsch, a freelance artist, illustrator and photographer, registered for the drawing marathon because “it sounded like so much fun.” Valli Paetsch worked from the models using mixed media: ink and colored pencils, in her drawings. “It’s great to watch other artists work. I’ve never had that opportunity,” Valli Paetsch said. Valli Paetsch is up for another drawing marathon. “I really hope it happens again,” Valli Paetsch said.

We are Thankful for… You! It was great seeing such an awesome turnout for the event. Thank you for coming and supporting artists and art!

Thank you:
Artists
Models
Solo musicians and Honest Connie & the 5 Finger Discount
Sponsors: Ninkasi Brewing Company, Territorial Vineyards and the Creative Duck Store

For photos of the event, go to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oregonartsalliance.

Upcoming Event:
OAA Fine Arts & Crafts Show (formerly the Oregon Crafted Sampler Show) begins Friday, November 12, 2010, at the OAA Gallery with an opening reception from 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The show features 30 of our member artists representing a collection of mediums: Glass, Wood, Ceramics, Painting, Jewelry, Fiber Art and Sculpture.
Opening reception is Friday, November 12, 2010, from 5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The show runs November 12 through 21, 2010 at OAA Gallery, 881 Willamette St., Eugene, OR.
Regular hours Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 am to 5:30 pm.

Drawing Marathon this Friday, November 5

by Sara Bishop

Yikes! Friday is drawing near, what are your plans? Why not come to the Drawing Marathon presented by the Oregon Arts Alliance (OOA) at the OOA Gallery from 5 – 9 p.m.

The Drawing Marathon is a FUNdraiser (emphasis on the fun!) to benefit OOA workshops and exhibitions. Observe artists at work and have the opportunity to own one-of-a-kind pieces of art.

30 artists will be creating drawings in an array of mediums working from still lives, costumed models, including Queen Slugasana, and from imagination. An exquisite corpse (a collective drawing) will also be created.

After a drawing is completed it will be placed on the gallery wall and will be available for purchase for $25. Music from Honest Connie & the 5 Finger Discount will be provided along with solo musicians. Food, drink and merriment are also on the agenda for the evening.

Art supplies are donated by the Creative Store @ U of O. Thank you to our sponsors, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Kent Anderson & Associates, and the Creative Store @ U of O.

See you Friday!

Who: You!

What: Drawing Marathon, a FUNdraiser

When: Friday, November 5, 2010 (during the ArtWalk)

Where: 881 Willamette Street

Interview with Sheila Roth

Interview took place Saturday, October 9, 2010

Can you describe your first encounters with art?

My mom was a designer and my father was a chef at his catering business and restaurant; I saw and tasted creativity all around me. My interest in art was instilled into me in my childhood. My mother would take me to the museums and plays in New York. Art was an early love for me. My aunt and uncle owned the Chelsea Hotel where many artists lived and because of its permissive atmosphere, artists, writers, musicians, and dancers were allowed to do most anything they wanted. I heard wonderful stories and saw the works of many artists from the hotel. The most famous was Andy Warhol.

As a young woman, I started selling my work in a parking lot on La Cienega Boulevard, which was the home to all the major art galleries in Los Angeles in the 60’s and 70’s That is where I really learned about selling art. I was also a frequent visitor to those galleries and I was able to develop my own taste and aesthetic based on the seminal shows I saw over a fifty year period.

Have you taught any courses?

I started teaching in 1973 at Los Angeles High School. I was in the art department and taught printmaking, intaglio, lino cuts, and collography with my teenagers and some of the staff. After the earthquake of 71, the school was moved into a temporary structures and then we had a chance to reconstruct the art department. We researched the records and were able to restore the department to its previous status and that is how I got the etching press. We were dealing with kids that were really underserved and the teachers in the department were able to offer a bounty of selections which enabled our students to flourish. I also taught ceramics and did a lot of sculptural work with them. I established a fabulous art gallery at our school. A local artist with a large format camera taught kids about photography and we got to have a gallery for a whole year before they made it into an office. This gave students with little art exposure a chance to curate shows for professional artists as well as themselves. At the same school, I insinuated myself into a performing arts workshop and taught a stagecraft and art production. I knew very little about the craft, but with my students, forged ahead and helped create sets, lights, costumes, and promotional material for such plays as: Hair, Anything Goes, Godspell and others. This experience added to my understanding of the use of space and light on images.

I took classes in printmaking at UCLA as part of its professional printmaking program. Then I purchased an electric printing press for my own use and ran a workshop for professional printmakers, mainly in intaglio in a store front established by a friend. There, I was able to observe some fine artists use their skills and create series of prints to sell in galleries.

I’ve heard you talk about owning gallery in California. Can you tell us more about that and your Collector’s Club that you started?

I left teaching because my father died and mother had a stroke, in a sense, they were both gone in about a period of one day. I knew I needed more money to take care of my mother who was in a convalescent hospital and whose special care was left to my sister and me. We started out with a picture framing store, I had worked in several throughout college, which sold art, but mainly offset prints. After a year, I took over and expanded to an art gallery and picture framing business. The art scene was graphics in those years because Los Angeles was a hub of burgeoning workshops and ateliers. I sold serigraphs, intaglios, mono prints, and lithographs. There were many ateliers, which were like studios, but much more. I started out slowly and purchased pieces and then convinced the ateliers and wholesale galleries to let me take things on memo. In one evening, I may have had over a $100,000 in borrowed art because the workshops saw my sales records and trusted me with their work. I invited people to look at them, and then brought back what didn’t sell. Purchases started slowly at first, until I started educating clients on the process and demonstrating how some of these pieces of art were made. Then collectors began to purchase more than one piece at a showing and the business grew from our visits to ateliers and artist’s studios. We went all over Los Angeles looking at the top of the graphics market, viewing and discussing local artists as well international artists. My clients became very inquisitive. Some of them had 30 or 40 pieces. Eventually I started to branch out and I made contacts with ateliers in Europe. I brought in original Matisses, smaller ones around $5000 in range, and Chagals. I also was able to buy several legitimate works by Dali, some were images from the book of Dante’s Inferno.

One reason the gallery was able to be solvent during some tough financial times was that the gallery did a lot of picture framing and display work. I framed all of the gold, silver, and platinum records for Warner-Electra-Asylum records. Also, I did display work for an famous eye surgeon who wanted to take samples of his surgical process to conferences. We framed a wide variety of work for all types of businesses and it always astounded me that people found me in that small corner of Valley and trusted me with some rather major projects.

I also got a chance, through Title Nine, to compete for contracts. I worked as an art consultant for the Southern Californian Gas Company. Every person at regional offices selected a piece of art for their respective areas. I traveled all over with prints and catalogs to assist them to create a pleasant work environment. Then, I did consulting with restaurants and selected art for their businesses.

I also worked with the historian for the archives of the Catholic Archdioceses of Los Angeles at the San Fernando Mission. I helped restore the works after another major earthquake. I helped set up the displays and reframed damaged documents and art in the gallery as well as the archives. We made sure everything there was properly conserved. I was thrilled to work with Father Weber, the historian, and learn so much about the history of Los Angeles. During that period, I was hired to lecture on printmaking and collecting by a major department store as part of a series of lectures for their employees.

Did you ever return to teaching?

I went back into teaching, while still working at the gallery, when the recession hit; that recession was not quite as bad as what we are in now. I was only going to go back for a year, but I was enjoying myself so much that I stayed. When I left my business to my brother in the 90s, I went back to teaching full time.

I became involved in the Humanitas Program, a national interdisciplinary teaching program. We were trained year after year to connect all the main disciplines to show how they were all linked. Art was one of the major parts of the program at San Fernando High School, were I worked when I returned to teaching. We designed a concept where we would raise money and then take our students all around the Los Angeles area to experience special venues because some of them had never been out of the San Fernando Valley. We started by taking them to major museums. It was so exciting to watch our students makes the intellectual connections. We were trained by the Getty with their scanning method, showing students what to look for in a painting, how to see rather than just evaluate.

Here at Oregon Arts Alliance, you are heading the Collector’s Club. Can you tell me more about that?

The idea is to allow people to feel less intimidated and select things that they like. It could be based on a process they find intriguing or an artist’s demonstration which piques their interest. I hope they will find something new that will open up their eyes. For me, I couldn’t live without my art. If I didn’t have furniture, I would still have art. I would like to pass on that real connection I have…a connection to make collectors out of them. You don’t have to be rich to buy art in this area because the prices are affordable. This is the best time to collect! You can buy it slowly, carefully…lovingly.

What made your decide to leave California? How have you adapted to the changes once you transitioned from a big city to Eugene?

I came to Eugene to escape the frenetic pace of Los Angeles. Sometimes, I really miss all that energy. I miss the selection of plays and films, and most of all, I miss the shows at the museums I frequented. This area is beautiful, but I miss the connection with the art world and major players and major exhibits. Eugene is a university town and I thought that there was a lot going on in the art world, and there is, but it still has much room to grow. I want to be a part of that growth. Eugene has culture here, but artists are not able to make a living. To be a real city of the arts, artists must be able to make their living doing art. Residents seem to leave the city to purchase art elsewhere. Our Art Collector’s Club will focus on artist and sales here, in the Eugene area.

What mediums do you work with now? How have you evolved as an artist?

I’m not doing printmaking because I don’t have any place to work. Now I am working in watercolors because they are so very vibrant. I am trying to rid myself of everything I have done in the past and I have spent the last year experimenting. I have taken a quote from Paul Klee which says, “For me art is taking a walk with a line.“ I don’t want to repeat the same idea of landscape or figure representation. I want to start an image and let the painting take me somewhere instead of me predicting the outcome. I do fractured images which dissect a piece and reconstruct it.

Can you describe your experiences with Oregon Arts Alliance?

First of all, I think the people who work there are so gracious and capable. I was asked to be on the Exhibits Committee. And I joined immediately. The minute I started to serve on the committee, I was so impressed by the openness and willingness to help artists. I got to meet other artists and became involved with the first sampler show. I took part in the 6x6 show too. Since the move to the Willamette gallery, this is one of the most dynamic organizations of its type in Eugene. For me, it’s where the action is! I want to promote art sales and collecting with some of the most vibrant artists I met in the Northwest.