(Pink Whispers by Mel Archer) On two-and-a-half acres of sagebrush and juniper trees outside Redmond, Mel Archer and Colleen, his wife of 55 years, live in an art-filled home overlooking the Deschutes River. Nearby, a low building houses a studio that feels equal parts sanctuary and engine room. Three kilns anchor this room of 1,600…
(Silence in Movements by Molly Freitag at St. Hemens) Molly Freitag, a longtime Central Oregon artist and chaplain, paints abstractions that shimmer between landscape and inner life, between sky and cell, and between river current and nerve current. It’s important to Molly that her paintings do not sit still. They open. They suggest. They keep…
(Three Sisters Sunrise in progress, 54×21 powder-printed fused glass and stained glass mosaic by Jesica Carleton) Early afternoon sun pours through two large studio windows in Bend. Outside, an expansive yard is curated with sculptural garden stakes, rainbow glass tiles and mosaic sculptures. Inside, jewel-toned window panels reflect the light, and a vibrant assortment of…
(William Blair, artwork by William Blair) As a multidisciplinary artist, William moves seamlessly between crafting clay vessels, painting surreal dreamscapes, and running a business designing huge outdoor water features where stone, plants, and water interact harmoniously. “My first love is the outdoors, and that love influences all that I create, whether it’s a backyard waterfall…
(Sculpture by Jack Perry) Jack Perry’s Redmond home and studio have paintings, posters, and abstract sculptures on every wall. At 76, Jack’s artistic vision has never wavered, born not of trends but out of a lifetime of grit, love, and an abiding bond with the land that raised him. That bond began in Walla Walla,…
(Fuschias by Cheryl Graham) Cheryl Graham and her husband Jerry have lived in Oregon for 30 years. Growing up in California, she remembers at the age of six, she was praised by her teacher and other children because her drawing of a mouse looked a lot more detailed and realistic than those done by the…
((Left) Joy King by Dominique Ovalle-Kongsli (right) Dominique Ovalle-Kongsli) Dominique grew up in the Bay Area where her earliest memories are of a house filled with music — two pianos being played on separate sides of the house. “My entire family is musical, and I remember painting to music as soon as I could hold…
(Snow Flurry by Valerie Smith) Some people inherit their passion through years of practice or discovery, but for artist Valerie Smith, it began at five years old with a flipped-over wooden table, a crayon, and her mother’s encouragement. “I thought I was drawing a dog,” Valerie recalls, chuckling. “My mom came over and said, ‘Valerie,…
(Stephanie Cissna) Raised in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, Stephanie grew up surrounded by city life. “As a child, I was always drawing, always creating, and I knew I wanted to be an artist,” she recalls. “My parents valued art. My mother’s oil and watercolor paintings were displayed in our home, while my father…
(Emerging Cathedrals by Krystal Allen) Krystal’s journey into art began as a child in Orchard Park, New York. She learned that announcing she was bored inspired her mother to give her tiring chores. Pads and pencils became her constant companions. “Drawing kept me busy and, more importantly, it became a way for me to process…
