(Paulina Falls by Gordon Baker )
The relatively mild winter weather is now turning to spring here in Sunriver. We’ve seen visitors continue to come to the area for the fun, winter events. As the weather starts to change, we will see people from far away and just over the pass come to visit the area to wander the paths and to see the wonderful art. Our gallery scene is coordinating a day of art for our residents and visitors. Sunriver is a magical place in March and April, and we encourage you to come visit us to see the beauty of early Spring.
On Saturday, March 14, from 3-6pm, the Nancy McGrath Green Gallery, the Betty Gray Gallery and the Artists’ Gallery Sunriver will participate in the Art in the Circles, with all three galleries open and showing their latest work. At the Nancy McGrath Green Gallery, you can walk through the yarn storm to enter their latest fabric art show. You’re greeted with an oversized hand-stitched Julia Child, an interpretation of a quilting spider, and a woman inside a fabric frame who escapes with a touch of a QR code. Fiber, Fabric and Story features 11 Central Oregon artists using fiber, mixed media and other textiles in surprising ways. The exhibit includes embroidering, weaving, quilting, crocheting, felting, dyeing, printing — along with artificial intelligence and yarn storming. Materials range from reclaimed linens, lingerie and knitwear to tree branches, photographs, COVID masks and rusty tools.
Visitors to the gallery during Art in the Circles can participate in a community art project, as well. The gallery is located at 18139 Cottonwood Road in Sunriver, inside Sunriver Christian Fellowship, across from the Sunriver Marketplace, and is open 1-4pm weekdays and after services on Sunday.
The Betty Gray Gallery of art at the Sunriver Lodge is showing the raku pottery art of local artist Melissa Woodman in the downstairs gallery through March. Melissa grew up in the Blue Spruce Pottery clay studio run by her parents, and she has been developing her own style with the raku wall plates and tiles and what is displayed here. Melissa’s work carries on the fun of Blue Spruce, a pottery family that many of us have known for decades.
Upstairs, a new show featuring husband and wife Kay and Gordon Baker starts in March through May. 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. He also enjoyed hiking in the mountains with Kay and his 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. He was also a prolific studio painter. His knowledge of geology was an advantage in painting mountains and waterfalls. He painted in oils and acrylics. He never called himself an artist, but instead a geologist who paints. Gordon passed away on 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, when the older two sons were off to college, she began painting and selling her work. When they 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. The two of them enjoyed their trips to the lakes and mountains, bringing their packs and paints and painting the beautiful scenery. A reception is planned in April for their show, and Art in the Circles viewers may see the work all day at the Sunriver Lodge.
We will be continuing our Art in the Circles events throughout the year, but please come to see our shows on March 14 and visit the Artists’ Gallery Sunriver for their regular Second Saturday from 4-6pm.
Elsewhere, 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, creating 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. Please come visit our exhibits whenever you’re in Sunriver and make sure to ask for a tour of the new fire station.