Summer activities have reached a peak of excitement in Central Oregon and the Artists’ Gallery of Sunriver is no exception. August 10 is the Second Saturday Artists’ Reception in the Village in Bldg 19. The reception is 4-pm with wine and beer tastings and a meet and greet with the artists.
Nancy Cotton
Cotton, a fabric artist, has been a staple at the gallery since it opened, and she keeps her art fresh with the introduction of new fabrics and techniques. The use of color in her fabric art catches the eye of all visitors each time they enter the gallery. Then as the viewer takes a closer look, the detail of her work becomes apparent. Cotton’s pieces include reversible hats, table runners, napkins, wall hangings, and large quilts.
Recently she developed a passion for Celtic Knots, and she has found a way to translate their beauty into fabric art. In her piece, Kells Knot, the artist utilizes batik fabric to make the knot stand out from the deep purple background. The intricate stitch work echoes the form of the knot as it radiates outward.
Chuck Chamberlain
Chamberlain, an acrylic painter, is able to effortlessly depict the detail provided in nature. It sometimes seems that he is able to paint every leaf on a tree. His masterful use of color and texture result in paintings that have a strong feeling of atmosphere. In some pieces where lightening rips through the sky the viewer can almost feel the electricity in the air.
One of Chamberlain’s favorite subjects for his pieces is old barns. He is exceptional at capturing the texture of the wood, the lushness of the landscape, and the beauty of the sky. Several of his paintings with barns as the subject are cleverly framed using (what else) barn wood.
Marjorie Cossairt
Judging by the shear number of her paintings that leave the gallery under the arm of a happy new patron, Cossairt is one of the most popular artists at the gallery. Her watercolor paintings beautifully demonstrate two completely different watercolor painting techniques. Many of her paintings are about nature’s creatures, a small forest animal, a bird or maybe a dragon fly. Cossairt uses a misty and atmospheric style to capture the natural home of each creature, then depicts the subject in a more controlled and realistic style. The result is captivating.
One piece on display this month catches a moment in time when a hummingbird drinks nectar from a flower. The viewer can almost hear the beating of his wings and smell the sweetness of the flowers.
Kathleen Keliher
Keliher, a pastel painter, is a new add to the gallery this summer, but she is not new to Central Oregon. She originally moved to Bend in 1998 where she founded the Plein Air Painters of Oregon. Although the artist lived in Portland for the past five years, the subject matter of her paintings lets the viewer know that Central Oregon never left her heart. She is clearly happy to be back to her home in Bend.
Keliher’s pastel technique perfectly captures the immense beauty of the Central Oregon landscape. When you gaze into one of her paintings, it seems that you can see forever. One painting on display this month depicts the exact brilliance of the blue sky against the intense gold on the cliffs and mountains. The brush is the exact combination of blue gray and green. The painting is the essence of the high desert.
541-593-2127 or 541-593-8274, www.artistsgallerysunriver.com.
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