(Spring Path in Carmel Valley by Ruth Carroll)
Even with the mild winter, it’s always exciting to see April come to Sunriver. As the weather improves, we still embrace the quiet on the paths and in our local businesses. This is a great time for locals in Central Oregon to come visit and enjoy several new shows at the galleries in our community. To encourage you, all of our major galleries will be hosting receptions for you to enjoy.
The Betty Gray Gallery of art at the Sunriver Lodge is showing the works of husband and wife Kay and Gordon Baker. Kay and Gordon moved to Bend over 27 years ago. When they arrived in Bend, it didn’t take long before Gordon became active in the community, donating his time to various organizations, in addition to hiking in the mountains with Kay and their dog. It was not long after their arrival that Gordon discovered painting. Plein air was perfect for combining his love of the outdoors and painting. His knowledge of geology was an advantage to painting mountains and waterfalls. He never called himself an artist, but instead a geologist who paints. Gordon passed away October 2, 2025, and this show is a memorial to his body of work.
Kay spent most of her early married years taking care of their three sons and volunteering in her church and schools. Years later, she began painting and selling her work. When the couple moved to Bend, she joined SageBrushers Art Society. She was one of the founders of High Desert Art League, and she and Gordon were two of the founders of Plein Air Painters of Oregon. She is also a studio painter in oils and pastels.
Downstairs, the gallery features a show from new artist Rebecca Howland. Rebecca spent most of her childhood in Southern California, soaking up the sunshine and always with a book in hand. She attended the University of Utah, where she got to nerd out about the wonders of the human body for four years as a Biomedical Engineering major. She graduated in 2018 and took a job in Portland, Oregon. When Rebecca moved to Oregon, she was astounded by the variety of ecosystems in the state, from the towering pines of the lush coast to the juniper shrubs of the high desert. As a self-taught painter, Rebecca draws inspiration from the natural world, bringing vignettes of imagination to life through her artwork.
The works of Rebecca, Kay and Gordon will be on display through May. A reception for the art will be held on Sunday, April 19 from 4-6pm. Come meet Rebecca and Kay, pay your respects to Gordon, and enjoy drinks and light refreshments.
The Nancy McGrath Green Gallery opens a new show in April as well. Stories of Our Favorite Places: Landscapes From the Heart begins this month, with a reception with the artists on Sunday, April 12 from 11:30am-1pm. The show features works by Plein Air Painters Oregon (PAPO) with paintings created outdoors from nature, as well as studio paintings of places dear to the artists’ hearts. The show runs through June 28. The Gallery is open weekdays, 1-4pm and directly after church service on Sundays. 18139 Cottonwood Road in Sunriver, inside the Sunriver Christian Fellowship building.
In addition, the Artists’ Gallery Sunriver will hold its normal Second Saturday event on Saturday, April 11, from 4pm to 6pm with its usual array of snacks and drinks.
Elsewhere in Sunriver, Jim Fister and Barb Gonzales are showing at the Sunriver Public Safety Building, which is open 9am to 4pm on weekdays. Jim finds cast-off woods and creates pieces that allow the wood grain to show flow and direction, which creates composed pieces that highlight the wood rather than tooling. Barb’s photography highlights the local wonders of Central Oregon, showing scenes that are familiar, but captured in ways that give the viewer new appreciation of our wonderful area.
Come enjoy Sunriver while the weather is nice and the crowds are thinner. And please come visit to meet the artists at our multiple art receptions. Have a great spring.