((Left) Support with Joy (Right) Instincts Call Me Home | Sculptures by Alisa Looney) Creating art as an instrument for change is the goal of many artists. In creating her art, Alisa Looney’s goal is to foster ecological and social healing. “I want to bring into light the interdependence of all living things,” she explains….
(Multimedia mosaic art by Joanie Callen) The mosaic art pieces made by Joanie Callen are a feast for the eyes. They sparkle with crystal beads, flash with iridescent dichroic glass, shimmer with gold and silver glass feathers, and bristle with pointy dagger beads. Her shapes are also distinctive: Animal shapes like birds and frogs are…
(Necklace and pendant by Anne Von Heideken) The classic look of Southwestern-style jewelry is the perfect choice for just about any outfit a woman could wear. Now that everyone is dressing more casually than ever, it can spiff up even jeans and tee shirts. You can find it at Red Chair Gallery, where jeweler Anne…
((L) Columbia River Gorge, (R) Hedgehog Cactus | Photography by Mike Putnam) For landscape photographer Mike Putnam, timing is the key to success. Many of his stunning shots show brilliant arrays of mountain wildflowers or blazing autumn foliage, with the Cascade Mountains as a backdrop. They are the result of his painstaking effort to be…
((L) Michelle Lindblom in her studio (R) Water by Michelle Lindblom. Photo courtesy of Red Chair Gallery) Introspection and self-evaluation are always alive in Michelle Lindblom’s paintings. The artist is a prolific blogger who analyzes her emotions and behavior to fuel her art. “I’ve always painted as a means to release what’s inside,” she says….
((Left) Melissa Woodman. Photo courtesy of Red Chair Gallery (Right) Blue Spruce baking dish by Patrick Woodman) When a new generation takes over a family-owned business, there is usually an orderly transition. In the case of Blue Spruce Pottery, the changeover was completely unexpected, due to the death of founder Michael Gwinup one year ago….
(Tyler Haas. Photo courtesy of Red Chair Gallery) Jewelry designer Tyler Haas loves creating unique jewelry with beautiful flowing lines —be it Art Nouveau swoops and spirals, swooshing arcs that resemble Asian calligraphy, or swirls that are inspired by the jewelry and armor of The Lord of the Rings movies. For example, a vibrant rainbow…
(Autumn Stillness, 36×48 watercolor on canvas by Linda Swindle) Watercolorist Linda Swindle loves to paint animals. “Animals have a universal appeal,” she says. “I like them because I can give them personality.” Animal portraits, unlike human portraits, do not have to look exactly like the subject, she points out. “I can make them sad, funny…
(Painting by Rebecca Baldwin) Rebecca Baldwin takes vacations in places that lend themselves to the landscape painting she is known for. This fall that was biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes in Idaho, a 73-mile long paved trail (a former railroad route) that passes through forests and marshlands and skirts Lake Coeur d’Alene and…
(Encaustic by Janice Rhodes) How does an artist start the work day? Encaustic artist Janice Rhodes drives to her studio, a converted garage near the First Street Rapids Bridge on the Deschutes River. She turns on her slow cooker to heat the wax that is the principal medium for her art and then takes a…
