(A Sense of Wonder, mixed media by Rebecca Sentgeorge)

We would like to get in line with everyone else to wish a Happy 250th Birthday to America. Of course, in Sunriver we’ll be without fireworks, focused on celebrating in other ways. One way will be to celebrate the creativity of local artists. The Betty Gray Gallery in the Sunriver Lodge is featuring two photographers, while the Nancy McGrath Green Gallery at the Sunriver Christian Fellowship will be featuring a variety of Central Oregon artists starting in July.

The Nancy McGrath Green Gallery features 12 artists from the High Desert Art League in Every Picture Tells a Story. Opening July 1, the show offers a sampling of mediums including watercolor, photography, acrylic, mixed media, pastels and encaustic painting. Visitors to the gallery can view each piece, then engage further by reading the accompanying story. Join the artists for light refreshments and lively discussion at the opening reception on Sunday, July 12 from 11:30am-1pm. Every Picture Tells a Story runs through September 30. Nancy McGrath Green Gallery is open weekdays, 1-4pm and directly after church service on Sundays. The gallery is located at 18139 Cottonwood Road in Sunriver, across from the North Store.

Kristina Zieglar will be featured in the upstairs gallery at the Betty Gray Gallery of art at the Sunriver Lodge through the summer. Kristina is a landscape photographer based in Bend, where she has lived for over 30 years. As a young child, she loved visiting the woods near her home in Illinois and staring up at the night sky. This led to many adventures hiking, backpacking, climbing mountains, and international travel. Kristina started serious photography upon her retirement in 2016. Kristina has specialized in what is called “astro landscape photography.” Her aim in her photography of the night sky is to combine the scientific, artistic, and spiritual aspects of studying and photographing scenes that many people are unable to see. She has introduced many people to the wonders and magic of the night sky, both through her photography and teaching.

Downstairs, the gallery features a show from photographer and Sunriver resident Paul Evanson. Paul’s photography is rooted in a deep love for Central Oregon and the quiet power of its landscape and wildlife. His work focuses on the region’s high desert light, forests, rivers, mountains, and native wildlife, capturing the brief moments when nature reveals something extraordinary. Rather than simply documenting a scene, Paul builds his photography around patience, timing, and presence. He returns to the same places again and again, waiting for the light, mood, and movement that transform a moment into fine art. Paul’s show will be on display through the summer as well.

Please come visit us to enjoy a quiet July 4th experience in Sunriver, or any other beautiful summer day. Sunriver is pleased to offer art both outside and inside, and we enjoy visitors any time.

Thank you for supporting art in Central Oregon.