Spring is in the Air for April’s First Friday

(Artwork above by David Kinker)

Check out new exhibits, meet the artists and see where art is popping up around Downtown Bend and the Old Mill District this First Friday!

Alleda Real Estate
25 NW Minnesota Ave., Ste. 1, alledarealestate.com
Featuring artist/photographer Kris Cranston First Friday from 5:30-8:30pm.
I was born and raised in Bend, living on our Tumalo farm since the ’70’s.After retiring from a 25 year teaching career with the Redmond School District  I returned to Tumalo Community School to teach art. My current paintings are acrylic and include painted paper, tissue paper and pen and ink. Using mixed media allows me to create a variety of textures and layers which adds to the artistic narrative of each piece.  I value the whole process of each piece. I like to work on large and small surfaces, including large murals or panels. One of which is on site at the Tumalo school.”

Art in the Atrium, Franklin Crossing
550 NW Franklin St.
Art in the Atrium, Franklin Crossing, invites the public to First Friday, April 6 from 5–8pm, featuring narrative and figurative allegorical oil paintings by noted Bend artist, Paula Bullwinkel. The artist will attend the April 6 opening.

Also appearing in the Franklin Hallway of Franklin Crossing is a selection of Ann Bullwinkel’s (mother of Paula Bullwinkel) oil landscape painting in memoriam to the artist. Both exhibitions open on April 4 and continue through April 28.

Paula Bullwinkel arrived in Bend with a noteworthy background as a professional photographer in New York City and London for 18 years. Hired by Andy Warhol (Interview), and working on assignment for Vogue, British Elle, The London Sunday Times Magazine, Bomb and others, the artist captured the female figure and attitude in a narrative format, usually fantastical and sometimes absurdist. She continues to explore this theme in her current paintings and prints. Billye Turner, art consultant, organizes art events for Franklin Crossing with info at 503-780-2828 and billyeturner@bendnet.com.

BEND ART CENTER
550 SW Industrial Way, Ste. 180
541-330-8759, bendartcenter.org
Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm. Exhibit admission is free.
On Display: April 6-May 27, 2018
Opening Reception: Friday, April 6, 5-7pm
Sukha Worob, a master printmaker from Bozeman, Montana, upends the role of the artist and the gallery visitor by encouraging the public to help create his exhibits. Worob applies his imagery to special rollers and stages them in the gallery. Anyone can pick up an inked roller and add marks to an evolving “prinstillation.”
Also on display in April, Sisters artist and A6 Member Paul Alan Bennet presents a series of mixed-media prints called “Imagination and the Stars.” Bennett will be printing in the studio on First Friday, March 3, from 5-7 pm.

Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty
821 NW Wall St. 541-383-7600, cascadesothebysrealty.com
March’s featured artist is Joyce Hanson. Joyce is a wife, mother and grandmother to seven beautiful grandchildren. After a lifetime of pursuing the creative arts, she finally found her passion. The process of creating stunning one of a kind paintings has given her the utmost satisfaction. In fact, there is scarcely a day that goes by that she is not experimenting with new color pallets and techniques. She mainly does abstracts but has done some landscape pictures as well.  She is always inspired to hear others interpretation of beauty.

desperado a boutique
Old Mill District, 330 SW Powerhouse Dr., 541-749-9980
Presenting a new installation of paintings by Central Oregon artist Barbara Slater. Don’t miss Slater’s collection of oil paintings including Raven Bros, a wildlife painting using vivid color to capture this iconic symbol of good luck.

Movement Mortgage
550 NW Franklin, Suite 138
Renne Brock and Sharon Tillinghast, of the Green Door Studio are hosting an Opening at Movement Mortgage adjacent to The Atrium at Franklin Crossing in Bend. Brock’s paintings portray “The Abstract Abstraction”. Tillinghast’s work will feature Feminine Energy, offering paintings of women in widespread cultures and environments. Come talk with the artist from 5-7pm or call for a private showing. Renne @ 650-380-5039 or Sharon @ 541-480-9955

Jeffrey Murray Photography
118 NW Minnesota Ave., 541-325-6225, jeffreymurrayphotography.com
Features American landscape and fine art images captured by Bend nature photographer, Jeffrey Murray. Visit and enjoy a visual adventure of illuminating light and captivating panoramas from scenes in Central Oregon and across North America.

John Paul Designs Custom Jewelry + Signature Series
1006 NW Bond St.,johnpauldesigns.com
Specializing in unique, one of a kind wedding and engagement rings in a variety of metals.

Karen Bandy Design Jeweler
25 NW Minnesota Ave., Ste. 5, 541-388-0155, karenbandy.com
Tucked between Thump coffee and Alleda Real Estate, Karen Bandy a Central Oregon national/international award-winning jewelry designer and abstract painter, specializing in custom design in downtown Bend since 1987. Her designs are bold, fun and very wearable.
Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:30am-5pm, First Fridays and by appointment.

Layor Art + Supply
1000 NW Wall St., Ste. 110, 541-322-0421, layorart.com
Layor Art + Supply  will be featuring Portrait Connection’s inaugural event Painting Presentations: Artists to Families! Friday, April 6 at 5pm. Portrait Connection, a nonprofit organization uniting the arts with children’s healthcare, presents the First-in-the-Nation: Artists to Families, giving of portraits designed to bring a sanctuary of joy into homes facing serious childhood medical conditions. The portraits will be available for public viewing at Layor Art + Supply throughout the month of April. Please join us for the opening on April 6th to witness a quintessential act of giving!
See you there! If you unable to attend and would like to make a contribution in support of
children’s health and the arts, please visit www.portraitconnection.org

Lubbesmeyer Studio & Gallery
Old Mill District, second story loft, 541-330-0840, lubbesmeyer.com
The Lubbesmeyer twins offer a range of work created in fiber and paint. Through the twins’ collaborative process, they distill literal imagery into vivid blocks of color and texture, creating an abstracted view of their surroundings. Working studio/gallery open Tuesday thru Saturday.

Mary Medrano Studio
25 NW Minnesota Ave., #12
408.250.2732
www.MaryMedrano.com
Step away from the crowds and relax in an art studio that is filled with the latest works by Mary Medrano. Located above Thump Coffee and across from the Oxford Hotel in the heart of downtown is a hidden gem of a studio. Stop in and see what’s new.

Mockingbird Gallery
869 NW Wall St., 541-388-2107, mockingbird-gallery.com
This First Friday, April 6, from 5-9pm, Mockingbird Gallery will present a completely different experience for our art patrons. This month’s show is called “Outside Perspectives” and is a six-person guest artist invitational exhibition. It will feature the works of G. Russell Case, Brent Cotton, David Gray, Marc R. Hanson, Ron Hicks and Denise LaRue Mahlke. All these artists are coming to Oregon from outside states: Texas, Mississippi, Montana, Washington to name a few. Come join us and get a glimpse of what’s happening outside of Mockingbird Gallery. Dairy Queen Cher will be joining us again and handing out her delicious home-made cheese samples from Prineville. Also it will be the last performance for Rich Hurdle and Friends. Rich has decided to retire and pursue other activities. So please join us for what will certainly be a memorable show. We will have this exhibit hanging through April.

Oxford Hotel
10 NW Minnesota Ave., 541-382-8436
The Oxford Hotel presents Karen Bandy’s expressionistic, acrylic paintings of Cascade Range peaks and other colorful and imagined scenes through April 27. Karen Bandy, an artist since childhood, studied at the University of Oregon exploring drawing, painting, sculpture and design. Then in Portland, she created a successful career in jewelry design, continued through her 1987 move to Bend.

Her exhibit at the Oxford features expressionistic imagery such as Soul Attraction, a depiction of recognizable human forms walking across a vast blue expanse defined as water. Also, as a combination of expressionistic and abstract imagery, Bandy renders paintings with bright, complimentary hues as abstract foregrounds and expressionistic, yet recognizable objects such as Cascade Range mountains, serving as background.

Billye Turner, art consultant, coordinates the Oxford Hotel exhibition schedule. For additional information please contact her at 503.780.2828 or billyeturner@bendnet.com.

Peterson/Roth Gallery
206 NW Oregon Ave., Ste. 1, 541-633-7148, thegallery@petersonroth.com, petersonroth.com
This First Friday, April 6th, from 5-9 pm Peterson/Roth Gallery will host an exhibit featuring artists Jessica Ives and Thomas McDonald. We will have wine, cheese and fun!

For Maine artist Jessica Ives, kinesthetic intelligence and imagination are very important. She loads her body with movement, just as she loads her brush with paint.

Ives says, “Ours is a technological age of screens and machines and we choose to live much of our lives outside our bodies, our very vehicles for being human. My paintings succeed when our bodies remember themselves.”

Local artist Thomas McDonald says, “The beauty I see in nature is that way because of the eroding forces of wind, rain, sunlight and time.” McDonald scrapes, spills, washes, redraws and mixes the colors and mediums right on the canvas without premeditating a result. He lets it sit before he does it again, waiting for “it” to reveal itself.

Premiere Property Group
1133 NW Wall Street, Ste. 103, 541-241-6860
MyBendRealEstate.com
Join Premiere Property Group for First Friday Art Walk with artwork on display as well as libations and snacks, 5-7:30pm.

Red Chair Gallery
103 NW Oregon Ave., 541-306-3176, redchairgallerybend.com
For the 7th year Red Chair Gallery welcomes the artworks of Emerging Artists from Bend, Mountain View and Summit High Schools. The front of the house will feature juried works from all three schools including painting, photography, ceramic and sculptural works. Along with Red Chair Partners, 3 school interns participated in jurying in the work. Each student becomes a Member Artist of the Gallery for the month of April and all art must be for sale. Our Interns will be available on First Friday to talk with our guests and voting for “People’s Choice Awards” will be held on First Friday during the reception. Blick Art Materials has donated gift certificates for First and Second place winners so be sure to come out and vote for your favorite piece!

Sage Custom Framing & Gallery
834 NW Brooks Street, 541-382-5884, sageframing-gallery.com
Featuring artist Nancy Misek’s Exploring Central Oregon from April 3-21 with reception on First Friday, April 6, 5-8pm.

Nancy Misek is drawn to painting the landscape of Central Oregon.  Capturing a special moment or feeling with pastels, her goal is to bring the viewer into her paintings.  With her art she hopes to give the viewer a taste of the spirit of the beauty that surrounds us, and what she feels each time she is out experiencing its wonder.

 The Bend Store
NW Wall Street, 541-389-4700, bendstore.com
Featuring paintings by local artist Kristine Cooper for all of April. For First Friday art walk, Kristine will also be doing a “pop-up shop” with her new line of prints – one night only!

Kristine Cooper is a recent transplant to Bend as of August 2017, formerly living in Seattle and Spokane. She studied studio art at Seattle Pacific University, and since 2016 participated in a variety of art shows. Art and the process of creating have always been the heart and soul of Kristine. The sidewalks outside of her house growing up were filled with chalk drawings. She found art to be a healthy outlet at a young age to process life change and challenges.

Abstract art became Kristine’s main art form beginning in 2015. The shift in artistic style was seen as a way to challenge her art process, and remove herself from the expectations of creating perfect art. Her use of acrylic paints to create vibrant colors and expression is unique, as it acts as her visual diary. She is passionate about how colors interact with one another to evoke a feeling or emotion, and uses painting as a way of processing life. Artists that deeply influence her work include; Mark Rothko, Claire Desjardins and Kirsten Jackson. When Kristine is out of the studio you will find her hiking the endless trails in Central Oregon, finding funky items at the local thrift store, and enjoying coffee in a cafe.

Townshend’s Bend Teahouse
835 NW Bond St., Carissa Glenn, 541-312-2001, Carissa@Townshendstea.com
Featuring Finding the Flow by artist and outdoor enthusiast Christina McKeown on exhibit April 1-May 31 with a First Friday Artist’s Reception on April 6 from 5-7pm. A professional whitewater kayaker, McKeown finds a never-ending stream of art inspiration while adventuring outdoors. She packs watercolors and inks as they are the best medium for her water adventures and stow easily in a small drybag. McKeown expresses her love and joy for the rivers and mountains through her bright and colorful palette and hopes to inspire those viewing the work to preserve and appreciate the beauty of the environment.

Tumalo Art Company
Old Mill District, 541-385-9144, tumaloartco.com
Avid river rafter and kayaker, David Kinker is the featured artist in April at Tumalo Art Co. The show opens April 6, from 4-8pm, during the First Friday Gallery Walk.
Expressions of the wild and special rivers he journeys, are the focus of his new work. “Whether a grand canyon or a crooked river, the time spent there is called river time, the ribbon, the life the water brings,” says David. Painting in acrylic and oil David captures the essence of the light, the stillness or rush of water, and the sense of timelessness experienced on the water.
Well-known for his mural work which can be seen at Tower Theatre and St. Charles Medical Center, as well as his landscape and abstract paintings, David also teaches and makes his own custom wood frames.

Village Interiors
750 NW Lava Rd.
Suite 120 541-389-6515
Come join us at Village Interiors and get caught up in the FUN and ENERGY of the many unique paintings by Sandy Melchiori!

Village Interiors  will be featuring the BOLD, BRIGHT, TEXTURED paintings of Sandy Melchiori, an oil painter and landscape designer from Sisters, Oregon.  Their new and second location showcases beautiful home furnishings and decor for your new home or remodel that will make your home the talk of the neighborhood. Sandy’s liberal, expressionistic brushstrokes of big, bold cows, roosters, sheep, local pastoral landscapes and paintings from her travels complement the kaleidoscope of colorful, you can’t live without home furnishings and decor.  Her work encompasses many subjects from pink jackrabbits, to multi colored roosters, Oregon orchards, Barcelona streetscapes and more.  Wake up your senses and stomaches.  We will also have yummy light appetizers and wine. Journey through Village Interiors, where there is something interesting and beautiful in every direction in this wonderful addition to Bend’s art community.

The Wine Shop
55 NW Minnesota Ave
The Wine Shop’s April exhibit features the work of SageBrushers artists Lee August, Suzie Richman and Sandy Carron. Lee learned to draw and do shading by copying from comic books when she was a child. Then in high school and college she explored many media and earned a minor in art with a major in English. She taught high school English but returned to creating art upon retirement. She paints with acrylics which are “forgiving” and allow her to experiment with styles, surfaces, mixed media, and subjects.

Suzie earned her college degree in Interior Design and had a long career in that field. After coming to Bend she found SageBrushers and is excited to be able to work in different media. She finds self-expression through art and it brings her serenity and peace. Sandy has been a full time artist and educator for many years. Since coming to Bend 3 years ago she has had the time to continue her creative passions through painting and drawing. She paints with oils, acrylics and watercolors and loves showing her work at local businesses.

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