((L-R/T-B) The Power of Mountains by Michele McKay, Over the Fence by Denise Rich, Waterfall by Michelle Oberg, Crooked River Clouds by Judi McAlpin, Tlingit Sentinel by Kathleen Kaye, Morning Walk on the Deschutes by Terry Solini, Sheep Gracefully Grazing by Kim Smith, Coming Home by Dianne Lay)
Landscape art is ubiquitous in Bend. It permeates our homes, doctors’ offices, and public spaces. Every other utility van in town features an artistic interpretation of our mountain peaks.
To celebrate this force of nature, SageBrushers Art Society is presenting its first gallery show dedicated to this genre. The Landscape Show runs through April. Over 35 artists are represented. Media includes photography, oil, pastel, watercolor, fused glass, and acrylic.
SageBrushers Art Society is the oldest arts organization in Bend. It has over 200 members and is run completely by member volunteers. Periodic classes and workshops are open to non-members. In addition to the gallery, there is a working studio and a library.
Why landscape? For the artist interpreting a landscape, the challenge is more in painting the feeling and not just the scene. It can be the strength of mountain peaks or the drama of a river dance. For the viewer, a good landscape should also stir a personal emotion – is it calming, is it exciting, is it peaceful? Viewing a painting should be an experience. Does it take you to a time and place that will always be with you?
The emotional connection to the great outdoors is the guide for oil painter Susan Hood. “I’m in love with the landscape. There is nothing that challenges or enlivens me more than setting up my easel in the midst of a scene that takes my breath away. I seek to reveal the aliveness and sacred presence I experience in the natural world. I paint in the hope that my work invites others into a more intimate relationship with this remarkable planet we call home.”
Photographer Michele McKay reflects: “I feel fortunate to have walked in some of the most beautiful mountains on Earth and have tried to capture their presence — sometimes dynamic, but often simultaneously powerful and serene. I strive to do justice to the amazing and beautiful landscapes around me!”
For painter Scott Dyer, the landscape is an ever-changing source of inspiration. “I’m drawn to landscapes because they hold emotion without asking for explanation. A stretch of water, a line of trees, the weight of a sky – carries its own quiet poetry. When I paint a landscape, I’m not trying to record a place as it looks, but as it feels in a fleeting moment: the calm, the longing, the stillness, or the sense of something just passing. The goal is to paint strictly from emotion, loosely, and to try to evoke that same emotion to the viewer.”
sagebrushersartofbend.com • 117 SW Roosevelt, Bend • Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 1-4pm and by appointment