A Cheer for All Fantastic Fathers

((L-R) Pottery by Peter Roussel, photography by Barbara Gonzalez, photography by Carolyn Waissman and watercolor by Dianne Lay)

Hurray for Fathers’ Day! The Artists’ Gallery of Sunriver is ready to cheer for all fantastic Fathers on Saturday June 8, 4-6pm. Even though Father’s Day is officially June 16, come to the Gallery in The Village, bring your favorite “Daddy” and enjoy beer, wine and great eats. Oh — and do not forget the beautiful art and entertaining artists!

This month, the Gallery is pleased to welcome a new artist, photographer Barb Gonzalez. Gonzalez is “always on the lookout for the presence of wonder.” This Bend resident loves to hike and immerse herself in the magical landscapes, fairyland forests and waterfalls, and dramatic coastline of the Pacific Northwest. Gonzalez uses her extensive photography experience to hone her ability to connect to what makes a place unique. Using dramatic light, composition, and lines to tell the story and transport the viewer into the very heart of the moment. Bar will be on hand for Second Saturday to take us on a journey of a photographic artist!

Watercolor artist Dianne Lay displays new paintings for this event.
Oh, hello is from the series My Sunriver Walks. It captures the surprise in the expression of a deer that was grazing along the Deschutes River. (You will just have to imagine the artist’s surprise.) A second piece from this series is titled What’s Up? and treats the viewer to a close in look into the eyes of a cute baby deer. Lay’s delicate touch is evident in her use of beautiful watercolor glazes and the glow created by her use of translucent paint.

Long time Gallery artist, potter Peter Roussel started working with clay in the mid-1960s. Although his initial training was in traditional utilitarian pottery and traditional stoneware glazes, his work with children became a turning point in his experience as a potter — an experience that he finds difficult to put into words. He was, however, affected by creative children in the best of ways! The potter now exclusively uses alternative firing techniques to finish all his work. Each piece is a blank canvas, and each surface treatment is unique unto itself. Just like nature, Roussel produces pieces that are a range of light to dark rich blues using copper sulfate in the firing process. Raku, pit, sagger, and smoke firing along with ferric chloride are wrapped in aluminum foil and fired to different temperatures to bring out distinct colors. When everything cools down nature’s serendipity is revealed.

Photographer Carolyn Waissman says that photography melds her love of nature and art. It also provides a great reason to be outside in fantastic places like Central Oregon, North America or Europe, or Africa, or well, apparently anywhere in the world! Waissman’s Wildlife Portraits series is a close-up intimate portrait of the essence and attitude of each animal.

The Artists’ Gallery is in Building 19 in the Sunriver Village next door to the Mexican cuisine restaurant. Open daily 10am to 6pm.

ArtistsGallerySunriver.com • 541-593-4382

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