2017 Ashland Open Studio Tour Artists
Artists create because they have no choice: after breathing it is second nature. Creation is an avocation, not always easy, but always fulfilling. Artists also have lives, but a life grounded in the creative process. Usually if an artist isn’t making art they are thinking about making art. Meeting an artist on their own terms in their studio is a casual affair. Their artistic natures often spill over into lovely gardens and whimsical unexpected touches. An artist’s studio is a work place where their oeuvre and working methods can be viewed in tandem. Artists are a varied and quirky lot, sometimes quite proficient in a number of mediums. The hallmarks of an artist’s work are often punctuated by forays into other creative mediums, because an artist’s life is suffused in the creative process.
Scroll down for more about individual artists for the 2017 Ashland Open Studio Tour in Southern Oregon
Please click on the artist's name to visit their website
Angelique Stewart
One morning a few years ago, out of the blue, I decided to buy a loom. I taught myself to weave on that first rigid-heddle loom, and quickly upgraded to an 8-shaft floor loom so I would have more options for high-quality fabrics.
Now, I weave and sew elegant home decor that is made to last – like tea towels and table runners – and stylish, chic accessories, including scarves and shawls. I love using high-quality organic materials and time-proven techniques, but with a modern sensibility. It’s important to me that the textiles I make last a long time. I don’t ever want to make anything that’s disposable. I also paint using encaustics and acrylics. Craftsmanship and skill are important to me, and I constantly challenge myself to try new techniques and learn new things.
The overarching theme in my work is simplicity and serenity. I’m always looking for peace and that feeling of calm that can be elusive in today’s stressful world. I try to evoke those feelings in my weaving by working with classic patterns and just a couple colors per piece, and in my paintings by abstracting nature and boiling it down to its essence.
One morning a few years ago, out of the blue, I decided to buy a loom. I taught myself to weave on that first rigid-heddle loom, and quickly upgraded to an 8-shaft floor loom so I would have more options for high-quality fabrics.
Now, I weave and sew elegant home decor that is made to last – like tea towels and table runners – and stylish, chic accessories, including scarves and shawls. I love using high-quality organic materials and time-proven techniques, but with a modern sensibility. It’s important to me that the textiles I make last a long time. I don’t ever want to make anything that’s disposable. I also paint using encaustics and acrylics. Craftsmanship and skill are important to me, and I constantly challenge myself to try new techniques and learn new things.
The overarching theme in my work is simplicity and serenity. I’m always looking for peace and that feeling of calm that can be elusive in today’s stressful world. I try to evoke those feelings in my weaving by working with classic patterns and just a couple colors per piece, and in my paintings by abstracting nature and boiling it down to its essence.
Ann DiSalvo
Native to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with an art degree from UW Stevens Point. Spent twelve years in the arts and natural sciences in Kentucky. Moved to Ashland in 1993. Opened a studio with Bruce Bayard on A St. in 1998 and became involved with many organizations centered in the arts, most currently as Secretary of the Ashland Gallery Association and editor of the Ashland Gallery Guide. Facilitating two figure drawing sessions each week in Ashland. Participated in every Art Along the Rogue Street Painting Festival in Grants Pass until 2012. Founding member of the Pomegranate Group, a women's figure study session. Tutoring drawing in the Studio privately, and occasionally in classes. Specializing in dry media: pastel, charcoal, pencil; but expanding into others periodically to explore ideas in various realms. Portraits, plein air, allegory, fables, graphic serial, illustration; are all considered. Portfolio shows work in book covers and page illustrastion, wildlife and botanical illustration, card design and ad illustration. Mixed media is ever-present.
Native to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with an art degree from UW Stevens Point. Spent twelve years in the arts and natural sciences in Kentucky. Moved to Ashland in 1993. Opened a studio with Bruce Bayard on A St. in 1998 and became involved with many organizations centered in the arts, most currently as Secretary of the Ashland Gallery Association and editor of the Ashland Gallery Guide. Facilitating two figure drawing sessions each week in Ashland. Participated in every Art Along the Rogue Street Painting Festival in Grants Pass until 2012. Founding member of the Pomegranate Group, a women's figure study session. Tutoring drawing in the Studio privately, and occasionally in classes. Specializing in dry media: pastel, charcoal, pencil; but expanding into others periodically to explore ideas in various realms. Portraits, plein air, allegory, fables, graphic serial, illustration; are all considered. Portfolio shows work in book covers and page illustrastion, wildlife and botanical illustration, card design and ad illustration. Mixed media is ever-present.
Bruce Bayard
Bruce began oil painting at age 9, and is mostly a self-taught artist. He has worked in a wide range of media and techniques including oil, acrylic, casein, collage, lithography, etching, screen printing, graphite, crayon, encaustic and assemblage.
In 2000, Bayard began an exploration into digital technology as a means of creating art and has been using that medium exclusively ever since. His current work involves using video and still images combined into a “moving electronic collage” for performance art and for film.
Bruce began oil painting at age 9, and is mostly a self-taught artist. He has worked in a wide range of media and techniques including oil, acrylic, casein, collage, lithography, etching, screen printing, graphite, crayon, encaustic and assemblage.
In 2000, Bayard began an exploration into digital technology as a means of creating art and has been using that medium exclusively ever since. His current work involves using video and still images combined into a “moving electronic collage” for performance art and for film.
Cheryl Kempner
I make things that make me smile. Hundreds of brightly colored clay birds have been created in my studio – they are silly and whimsical. The birds hold flowers, balance books on their wings, hold a teapot or a bouquet of stars. These crazy birds evolved during a time of a family illness; hand-building fun birds helped me cope. Today the clay birds have expanded into the garden and have combined with metal. My husband welds and I use a plasma torch to cut recycled steel. It has been fun to fuse clay and steel into new creations for the garden.
Hopefully you will be able to visit my studio during Ashland’s Open Studio Tour in October. Walk through my hillside garden and enter the kiln room. My works are fired in two electric kilns. I work with both low-fire and mid-range clays – a typical firing lasts for more than seven hours and reaches over 2000 degrees. My studio has a panoramic view over the valley. I am a hand builder, so I stand and work at my raised counter. A three-foot slab roller flattens the slabs of clay that I shape into my art work. In fact, the crazy birds are formed from strips of clay that are paddled around a balloon. Come see the studio.
I make things that make me smile. Hundreds of brightly colored clay birds have been created in my studio – they are silly and whimsical. The birds hold flowers, balance books on their wings, hold a teapot or a bouquet of stars. These crazy birds evolved during a time of a family illness; hand-building fun birds helped me cope. Today the clay birds have expanded into the garden and have combined with metal. My husband welds and I use a plasma torch to cut recycled steel. It has been fun to fuse clay and steel into new creations for the garden.
Hopefully you will be able to visit my studio during Ashland’s Open Studio Tour in October. Walk through my hillside garden and enter the kiln room. My works are fired in two electric kilns. I work with both low-fire and mid-range clays – a typical firing lasts for more than seven hours and reaches over 2000 degrees. My studio has a panoramic view over the valley. I am a hand builder, so I stand and work at my raised counter. A three-foot slab roller flattens the slabs of clay that I shape into my art work. In fact, the crazy birds are formed from strips of clay that are paddled around a balloon. Come see the studio.
Claudia Law
Before I was a textile artist I was a painter. For several years I owned my own business in Manhattan, New York, painting backdrops for commercial photography. I love to paint, but for me, painting is a like standing on top of a rounded hill, while working with textiles is a peak experience.
Being able to paint on fabric, which I often do in my art quilts, is about as good as it gets, and I revel in each current project, even while planning (or starting) the next one. I love combining traditional and new piecing techniques, and have created what I call ‘Free-Style Piecing” (sewing cut pieces of fabric together in a way that mixes planning with spontaneity). Those I’ve taught this technique to call it “liberating”.
In my art, I’ve always stretched myself, and have become so used to the “fear factor” when trying something new that it doesn’t concern me too much anymore. My focus is to combine fibers, paints, thread sketching and embellishments to create texturally rich and beautifully colorful art quilts, featuring landscapes, Celtic knots and themes from nature. I also find connection to and inspiration from quilters from the past, in my work restoring antique quilts.
And, in items such as potholders, coasters, and placemats, function and aesthetics are combined. In other words: no potholder is too pretty to use!
Before I was a textile artist I was a painter. For several years I owned my own business in Manhattan, New York, painting backdrops for commercial photography. I love to paint, but for me, painting is a like standing on top of a rounded hill, while working with textiles is a peak experience.
Being able to paint on fabric, which I often do in my art quilts, is about as good as it gets, and I revel in each current project, even while planning (or starting) the next one. I love combining traditional and new piecing techniques, and have created what I call ‘Free-Style Piecing” (sewing cut pieces of fabric together in a way that mixes planning with spontaneity). Those I’ve taught this technique to call it “liberating”.
In my art, I’ve always stretched myself, and have become so used to the “fear factor” when trying something new that it doesn’t concern me too much anymore. My focus is to combine fibers, paints, thread sketching and embellishments to create texturally rich and beautifully colorful art quilts, featuring landscapes, Celtic knots and themes from nature. I also find connection to and inspiration from quilters from the past, in my work restoring antique quilts.
And, in items such as potholders, coasters, and placemats, function and aesthetics are combined. In other words: no potholder is too pretty to use!
Denise Kester
Denise Kester is a renowned teacher and international artist. She has been teaching workshops for 23 years in the creative process including monoprinting, collage, and book arts. She has presented “Awaken and Amplify Your Creativity” with Dr. Jean Houston’s Social Artistry Seminars and Women of Wisdom conferences of Seattle WA. Denise is Artistic Director of Drawing On The Dream, an art distribution company since 1992. She exhibits her work at Hanson Howard Gallery. She is a recent featured artist on Oregon Public Television’s Art Beat.
Denise Kester is a renowned teacher and international artist. She has been teaching workshops for 23 years in the creative process including monoprinting, collage, and book arts. She has presented “Awaken and Amplify Your Creativity” with Dr. Jean Houston’s Social Artistry Seminars and Women of Wisdom conferences of Seattle WA. Denise is Artistic Director of Drawing On The Dream, an art distribution company since 1992. She exhibits her work at Hanson Howard Gallery. She is a recent featured artist on Oregon Public Television’s Art Beat.
Denise Souza Finney
Denise Souza Finney is a painter who lives in Ashland Oregon. Her studio is a converted one hundred year old barn surrounded by lush gardens. She works in acrylic and paints the figure, flamenco dancers, and poppies. Her paintings are colorful, gestural, and semi abstract. "I love to play with the different qualities of acrylic paint. You can make it as thin as watercolor and as thick as a bas relief." Through high school and college she studied jazz dance and ballet and had the sincere intention of pursuing a career as a dancer. However, "I was just as passionate about painting, and it was necessary to give my full attention to either one or the other." Having once been a dancer and now a practicing yogi, she is very aware of beauty and expressiveness through movement of the body. "I strive to show movement in my paintings and the intention of action or stillness in my work. Those two behaviors invoke a lot of feeling and are a basic premise of the human condition"
Denise Souza Finney is a painter who lives in Ashland Oregon. Her studio is a converted one hundred year old barn surrounded by lush gardens. She works in acrylic and paints the figure, flamenco dancers, and poppies. Her paintings are colorful, gestural, and semi abstract. "I love to play with the different qualities of acrylic paint. You can make it as thin as watercolor and as thick as a bas relief." Through high school and college she studied jazz dance and ballet and had the sincere intention of pursuing a career as a dancer. However, "I was just as passionate about painting, and it was necessary to give my full attention to either one or the other." Having once been a dancer and now a practicing yogi, she is very aware of beauty and expressiveness through movement of the body. "I strive to show movement in my paintings and the intention of action or stillness in my work. Those two behaviors invoke a lot of feeling and are a basic premise of the human condition"
Elaine Frenett
As this Colorado tomboy plucked “pollywogs” from ponds, played “cars” with the boys next door and sewed doll clothes for the numerous dolls she can still name, Elaine was drinking in the color and textures that enliven her paintings. Although she majored in “Art” in high school, it wasn’t until, when studying for her B.S. in Graphic Design in California, adding an “Illustration” focus, that she discovered watercolor. “Watercolor spoke to me the very first time I met it. The transparent layering mesmerizes me as I work, the organic movement of each peculiar pigment over brilliant, white cotton paper punctuates my encounter and the dense richness of strong values stimulates a hidden voice within me”, Elaine recalls.
Transitioning quickly into Fine Art, then adding plein-air and expanding that into visual journaling, she finds herself moving away from the predictability of replicating scenes, digging more deeply into what “story comes out of her”. This award-winning artist has been published from New York to Los Angeles, is in collections private and museum. She continues instructing monthly at the Ashland Art Center and leading her annual women’s retreat. Elaine finds that it’s those magical, mystical watercolors that steward her endless exploration.
As this Colorado tomboy plucked “pollywogs” from ponds, played “cars” with the boys next door and sewed doll clothes for the numerous dolls she can still name, Elaine was drinking in the color and textures that enliven her paintings. Although she majored in “Art” in high school, it wasn’t until, when studying for her B.S. in Graphic Design in California, adding an “Illustration” focus, that she discovered watercolor. “Watercolor spoke to me the very first time I met it. The transparent layering mesmerizes me as I work, the organic movement of each peculiar pigment over brilliant, white cotton paper punctuates my encounter and the dense richness of strong values stimulates a hidden voice within me”, Elaine recalls.
Transitioning quickly into Fine Art, then adding plein-air and expanding that into visual journaling, she finds herself moving away from the predictability of replicating scenes, digging more deeply into what “story comes out of her”. This award-winning artist has been published from New York to Los Angeles, is in collections private and museum. She continues instructing monthly at the Ashland Art Center and leading her annual women’s retreat. Elaine finds that it’s those magical, mystical watercolors that steward her endless exploration.
Elin Babcock
Creativity is an integral part of my life’s philosophy. Each time I ventured into a specific artistic medium, I found myself building bridges from one discipline to another: painting with sculpting; sculptures with poems; poetry with play writing; art with psychology; teaching with learning.
The philosophy has not changed though the materials have. Assemblage sculpture joins found objects that have lost their way; wood with rusted metal; wire with glass; common objects and delicate feathers mixed with re-bar.
When first introduced to wire wrapped jewelry, I chose gemstones because they were “pretty” and combined them with gold and silver. As I learned my craft, I was being taught the power and myth of each gemstone by touch. The open back of the design allows the stone to be worn against the body, thus enhancing its powers.
Creativity is an integral part of my life’s philosophy. Each time I ventured into a specific artistic medium, I found myself building bridges from one discipline to another: painting with sculpting; sculptures with poems; poetry with play writing; art with psychology; teaching with learning.
The philosophy has not changed though the materials have. Assemblage sculpture joins found objects that have lost their way; wood with rusted metal; wire with glass; common objects and delicate feathers mixed with re-bar.
When first introduced to wire wrapped jewelry, I chose gemstones because they were “pretty” and combined them with gold and silver. As I learned my craft, I was being taught the power and myth of each gemstone by touch. The open back of the design allows the stone to be worn against the body, thus enhancing its powers.
Harriet Greene
Sculpting in marble creates a strong affinity for the earth which grounds and gives me a wonderful sense of achievement. I carve my sketch onto a marble slab, ink it, register a piece of paper, rub the surface and pull a print. Each print is an original.
I was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec; studied drawing and painting at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts, etching at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art and stonecut printing with Canadian sculptor Stanley Lewis. Drawn to the west in 1978 I moved into a log cabin in Grand Teton National Park and fell in love with the wilderness. Native American tribes traveled through the valley on their way to Yellowstone. Being in such close proximity spurred my interest to their plight. I have completed a series - “Indian Oratory of Eight Great Chiefs.” Work in Progress: “Sculpting for Peace” 5 pieces of marble, 1’x2’x4”
I have shown in galleries in Canada and the US. "Going Home," a 3-dimensional sculpture and my coyote stonecut print both won prizes in "Women Artists of the American West" exhibits.
One-woman show: Montreal, QC, Calgary, AB, Stowe, VT, Jackson Hole, WY, Taos, NM, a 4-group show on Canyon Road in Santa Fe. She has a newly published book, "Crossing the Boundary, A Return to the Wilderness and Freedom"
Sculpting in marble creates a strong affinity for the earth which grounds and gives me a wonderful sense of achievement. I carve my sketch onto a marble slab, ink it, register a piece of paper, rub the surface and pull a print. Each print is an original.
I was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec; studied drawing and painting at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts, etching at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art and stonecut printing with Canadian sculptor Stanley Lewis. Drawn to the west in 1978 I moved into a log cabin in Grand Teton National Park and fell in love with the wilderness. Native American tribes traveled through the valley on their way to Yellowstone. Being in such close proximity spurred my interest to their plight. I have completed a series - “Indian Oratory of Eight Great Chiefs.” Work in Progress: “Sculpting for Peace” 5 pieces of marble, 1’x2’x4”
I have shown in galleries in Canada and the US. "Going Home," a 3-dimensional sculpture and my coyote stonecut print both won prizes in "Women Artists of the American West" exhibits.
One-woman show: Montreal, QC, Calgary, AB, Stowe, VT, Jackson Hole, WY, Taos, NM, a 4-group show on Canyon Road in Santa Fe. She has a newly published book, "Crossing the Boundary, A Return to the Wilderness and Freedom"
Ilene Gienger Stanfield
Start with truth, then manipulate it. This is where Ilene Gienger-Stanfield’s current painting style has evolved to after 20 years of artistic exploration. Her unfettered compositions of people, places and things are powerful in design, accuracy, and thick passages of unique color.
Gienger-Stanfield’s studio is in the hills of Southern Oregon where she holds weekly figurative session and teaches private lessons. She has taught workshops nationwide and has signature status with American Impressionist Society, Pastel Society of America, Northwest Pastel Society and master signature status with Women Artists of the West.
Ilene’s first intensive studies were in portraiture where her sensitivity to capturing the character of her subjects honed her drawing skills. Always open to learning she then began observing subjects in a more abstract thought process in regards to seeing only color shapes and how they fit together. This observation of shapes led to a broader range of subjects such as still life, landscape and figurative. Often Gienger-Stanfield does not know what she is painting, but instead only the shapes she is painting. The last influential injection into Ilene’s current painting style was to strive for more original and clean color.
Start with truth, then manipulate it. This is where Ilene Gienger-Stanfield’s current painting style has evolved to after 20 years of artistic exploration. Her unfettered compositions of people, places and things are powerful in design, accuracy, and thick passages of unique color.
Gienger-Stanfield’s studio is in the hills of Southern Oregon where she holds weekly figurative session and teaches private lessons. She has taught workshops nationwide and has signature status with American Impressionist Society, Pastel Society of America, Northwest Pastel Society and master signature status with Women Artists of the West.
Ilene’s first intensive studies were in portraiture where her sensitivity to capturing the character of her subjects honed her drawing skills. Always open to learning she then began observing subjects in a more abstract thought process in regards to seeing only color shapes and how they fit together. This observation of shapes led to a broader range of subjects such as still life, landscape and figurative. Often Gienger-Stanfield does not know what she is painting, but instead only the shapes she is painting. The last influential injection into Ilene’s current painting style was to strive for more original and clean color.
Julia Janeway
My work will always be about my love for story. I find inspiration in describing fleeting moments of life’s larger narrative—a magpie alights on a fence, a man tries to describe a flying fish for a 1902 nature book, a swallow’s wings turn sharp against the sky as it dives.
My mother was a potter and art teacher. Under her influence I grew up making art, but concentrated on the written word in school, eventually earning a PhD in literature in 1994. That same year my mom died from breast cancer, leaving me her well-used wheel, kiln, and a series of mysterious glaze recipes. It took nearly ten years and several moves later to see what I had inherited. I found myself in Southern Oregon, teaching literature but connecting with a group of ceramic artists who showed me how to shape the fog of grief into the delight of working with clay. During those years, my studio was a 6X6 foot pumphouse where I worked every spare moment, making pots and competing with the pump and waterlines for space. My kiln was outside. As a result, I like to say that my apprenticeship in ceramics was literally affected by the rolling of the seasons and the events of the natural world around me.
The illustration-aspect of my work borrows heavily from books, particularly woodcut and lithograph prints. I often incorporate words into my designs and layer colored engobes and underglazes. Each piece is hand carved from drawings or patterns of my own. Unless otherwise stated, my work is dishwasher, oven, and food-safe.
My work will always be about my love for story. I find inspiration in describing fleeting moments of life’s larger narrative—a magpie alights on a fence, a man tries to describe a flying fish for a 1902 nature book, a swallow’s wings turn sharp against the sky as it dives.
My mother was a potter and art teacher. Under her influence I grew up making art, but concentrated on the written word in school, eventually earning a PhD in literature in 1994. That same year my mom died from breast cancer, leaving me her well-used wheel, kiln, and a series of mysterious glaze recipes. It took nearly ten years and several moves later to see what I had inherited. I found myself in Southern Oregon, teaching literature but connecting with a group of ceramic artists who showed me how to shape the fog of grief into the delight of working with clay. During those years, my studio was a 6X6 foot pumphouse where I worked every spare moment, making pots and competing with the pump and waterlines for space. My kiln was outside. As a result, I like to say that my apprenticeship in ceramics was literally affected by the rolling of the seasons and the events of the natural world around me.
The illustration-aspect of my work borrows heavily from books, particularly woodcut and lithograph prints. I often incorporate words into my designs and layer colored engobes and underglazes. Each piece is hand carved from drawings or patterns of my own. Unless otherwise stated, my work is dishwasher, oven, and food-safe.
Linda Dixon
Linda has been painting for more than 20 years and holds a BFA from the University of Central Oklahoma. She teaches painting and mixed media techniques to students of all skill levels.
Her work employs drawing, painting, collage, and found objects. Linda's pieces feature floating panels, recesses and textures. The paintings begin with layers of transparent color and are often finished with metallic paints. She strives for a luminous and vibrant interpretation of the subject. Recurring themes of metamorphosis, adaptation and growth are prominent in her latest series.
She is represented by the Ashland Art Center Gallery and maintains studio 3 on the upper level. More information about her work and classes is available at ljdixon.com.
Linda has been painting for more than 20 years and holds a BFA from the University of Central Oklahoma. She teaches painting and mixed media techniques to students of all skill levels.
Her work employs drawing, painting, collage, and found objects. Linda's pieces feature floating panels, recesses and textures. The paintings begin with layers of transparent color and are often finished with metallic paints. She strives for a luminous and vibrant interpretation of the subject. Recurring themes of metamorphosis, adaptation and growth are prominent in her latest series.
She is represented by the Ashland Art Center Gallery and maintains studio 3 on the upper level. More information about her work and classes is available at ljdixon.com.
Linda Elesiya Evans
Linda graduated from the University of California at Davis with a B.A. in Art & English in 1970, studying with the foremost artists of the time, among them Wayne Thiebaud and Jose Arguelles. Since 2007, Linda has been painting in pastels & oils with Medford artist Roni Marsh. In 2008, Linda also studied with internationally known instructors Terri Ford & Bob Rohm, and in 2009 & 2010 with master pastelist Albert Handell. She dedicated 2011 & 2012 to advancing her oil painting skills with Mt’ Shasta’s Stefan Baumann. Since May 2013 Linda has had the opportunity to learn advanced pastel & oil techniques with internationally renowned artist Richard McKinley, right here in the Rogue Valley. Now Linda exhibits paintings in both media in local and state galleries & competitions, and she has won awards & press coverage for her “Personalitrees” series, and was invited to participate in 2011’s “Shifting Patterns,” climate change explored through art. This year long project was sponsored by the Oregon Art’s Comission.
Linda graduated from the University of California at Davis with a B.A. in Art & English in 1970, studying with the foremost artists of the time, among them Wayne Thiebaud and Jose Arguelles. Since 2007, Linda has been painting in pastels & oils with Medford artist Roni Marsh. In 2008, Linda also studied with internationally known instructors Terri Ford & Bob Rohm, and in 2009 & 2010 with master pastelist Albert Handell. She dedicated 2011 & 2012 to advancing her oil painting skills with Mt’ Shasta’s Stefan Baumann. Since May 2013 Linda has had the opportunity to learn advanced pastel & oil techniques with internationally renowned artist Richard McKinley, right here in the Rogue Valley. Now Linda exhibits paintings in both media in local and state galleries & competitions, and she has won awards & press coverage for her “Personalitrees” series, and was invited to participate in 2011’s “Shifting Patterns,” climate change explored through art. This year long project was sponsored by the Oregon Art’s Comission.
Margie Mee
I feel almost like a native on my 5 acres outside of Ashland, and I love being in my own “natural habitat”! I think of my entire life as “art” so coming here 17 years ago began another chapter. I paint in oil, but most of all love welding found objects and farm equipment created into sculpture. Many old, hand forged pieces are so beautiful in my eyes! Each of my pieces is “one of a kind”. I rarely cut these fragments, but try to fit them together to please my own aesthetic. Often they are whimsical, sometimes abstract and in their own beautifully, natural rusted patina “make my day”!
I graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Theatre, and a minor in Art. My work has been shown in Portland at Portland Community College, in Eugene at the Maude Kearns Art Center, Hanson Howard Gallery and Illahe Gallery in Ashland, and Rogue Gallery and Art Center in Medford, as well as Pascal Winery. I do accept commissions when our vision and the clients have something in common that seems irresistible! In the last four years, my partner, Michael Bianca and I have worked together, and he brings a talent and humor to what we make.
I feel almost like a native on my 5 acres outside of Ashland, and I love being in my own “natural habitat”! I think of my entire life as “art” so coming here 17 years ago began another chapter. I paint in oil, but most of all love welding found objects and farm equipment created into sculpture. Many old, hand forged pieces are so beautiful in my eyes! Each of my pieces is “one of a kind”. I rarely cut these fragments, but try to fit them together to please my own aesthetic. Often they are whimsical, sometimes abstract and in their own beautifully, natural rusted patina “make my day”!
I graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Theatre, and a minor in Art. My work has been shown in Portland at Portland Community College, in Eugene at the Maude Kearns Art Center, Hanson Howard Gallery and Illahe Gallery in Ashland, and Rogue Gallery and Art Center in Medford, as well as Pascal Winery. I do accept commissions when our vision and the clients have something in common that seems irresistible! In the last four years, my partner, Michael Bianca and I have worked together, and he brings a talent and humor to what we make.
Martin Goldman
I graduated from the College of William and Mary with a bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and worked on Madison Avenue as a cartoonist, graphic artist/designer, art director/TV producer and TV commercials director.
I left the fast track of Madison Avenue and Hollywood to pursue my own peripatetic path, which led from Stowe, Vermont to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Taos, New Mexico and points in between.
I wrote and directed my first feature film for Paramount Pictures. My TV commercials for Coca Cola and Faberge won the Bronze Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
My painting “Pretty as a Picture” was a finalist in the “ARTS FOR THE PARKS” national competition. My classical photograph “Mother and Son” won in the New York Magazine photograph contest and “Freedom” was a winner in the annual photo contest of the Albuquerque Arts Magazine (2009). I have published a cartoon book called “DON’T WORRY" and my newly published memoir "Mad Ave to Hollywood."
I graduated from the College of William and Mary with a bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and worked on Madison Avenue as a cartoonist, graphic artist/designer, art director/TV producer and TV commercials director.
I left the fast track of Madison Avenue and Hollywood to pursue my own peripatetic path, which led from Stowe, Vermont to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Taos, New Mexico and points in between.
I wrote and directed my first feature film for Paramount Pictures. My TV commercials for Coca Cola and Faberge won the Bronze Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
My painting “Pretty as a Picture” was a finalist in the “ARTS FOR THE PARKS” national competition. My classical photograph “Mother and Son” won in the New York Magazine photograph contest and “Freedom” was a winner in the annual photo contest of the Albuquerque Arts Magazine (2009). I have published a cartoon book called “DON’T WORRY" and my newly published memoir "Mad Ave to Hollywood."
Marydee Bombick
In the mid-sixties I found myself with a free summer between grad school and beginning a teaching career. A college near my home offered a class in ceramics, which sounded like fun. That class began what was to become a lifelong love affair with clay. There have been many interruptions along the way, but I have always returned to pottery as a favorite hobby. After retirement I dedicated more of my time to my work through a local adult education program and participated in my first shows. The move to Ashland in 2005 brought with it a studio of my very own. Where cars once parked now I make clay pieces some thrown and many hand built, though the number of hand-formed pieces seems to increase as I age. Garden art has become a special interest. I create birdbaths and lots of owls, chickens and other figures to nestle among the plants. Add to this, cups, bowls, platters and vases, and an ever-changing collection of glazes and the variations are wonderfully endless.
In the mid-sixties I found myself with a free summer between grad school and beginning a teaching career. A college near my home offered a class in ceramics, which sounded like fun. That class began what was to become a lifelong love affair with clay. There have been many interruptions along the way, but I have always returned to pottery as a favorite hobby. After retirement I dedicated more of my time to my work through a local adult education program and participated in my first shows. The move to Ashland in 2005 brought with it a studio of my very own. Where cars once parked now I make clay pieces some thrown and many hand built, though the number of hand-formed pieces seems to increase as I age. Garden art has become a special interest. I create birdbaths and lots of owls, chickens and other figures to nestle among the plants. Add to this, cups, bowls, platters and vases, and an ever-changing collection of glazes and the variations are wonderfully endless.
Megan Headley
I enjoy taking objects, experiences, or places and breaking them down into shapes, patterns, colors and textures. My inspiration sometimes comes from nature and the particular energy that a place has. Other times my work is informed by a more personal space- the mental space one travels to when doing nothing. In Taoism it is referred to as "Wu Wei", the paradoxical "action of non-action".
I find that these spaces are best explored on a large scale. Large works encourage a relationship to be automatically formed between the viewer and a piece of art. Not only does the painting itself take up space but a new area is found between the viewer and the work. A once two dimensional surface begins to take on a three dimensionality. By employing tangled circular and geometric shapes a certain sense of connectivity within the piece occurs- creating works that differ in appearance but are connected by their structural components.
Prior to becoming pregnant in 2013 I usually worked with oil paints. My pregnancy, however, forced me to explore other mediums as I could no longer work with toxic materials. I grew to love the immediacy and freshness of water colors. My most recent series involves the organic shapes and forms of abstract octopus eggs. Octopi are one of the few species that die after giving birth. I connect with this transformation of self and sacrifice.
I enjoy taking objects, experiences, or places and breaking them down into shapes, patterns, colors and textures. My inspiration sometimes comes from nature and the particular energy that a place has. Other times my work is informed by a more personal space- the mental space one travels to when doing nothing. In Taoism it is referred to as "Wu Wei", the paradoxical "action of non-action".
I find that these spaces are best explored on a large scale. Large works encourage a relationship to be automatically formed between the viewer and a piece of art. Not only does the painting itself take up space but a new area is found between the viewer and the work. A once two dimensional surface begins to take on a three dimensionality. By employing tangled circular and geometric shapes a certain sense of connectivity within the piece occurs- creating works that differ in appearance but are connected by their structural components.
Prior to becoming pregnant in 2013 I usually worked with oil paints. My pregnancy, however, forced me to explore other mediums as I could no longer work with toxic materials. I grew to love the immediacy and freshness of water colors. My most recent series involves the organic shapes and forms of abstract octopus eggs. Octopi are one of the few species that die after giving birth. I connect with this transformation of self and sacrifice.
Michael Gibson
Raised and educated in Houston, Texas. Recived my BFA from Houston Museum of FIne Arts with continuing education at the University of Houston. Worked for Faroy Design Inc. in Houston as a designer. I ended my work ther as their Art Director, responsible for product design and catalog production. Spent the next 26 years working for the Art Institute of Houston and Seattle. Taught life drawing, illlustration, painting, graphic designs and photography... also developed the INstiitue Art History curriculum.
Currently retired in Ashland, Oregon, continuing my passion for art, travel and photography. Have done lecturing on art, art history and travel, also judging and constructive critique for local art groups. My work may be viewed at Ashland Artworks in Ashland, Pomadori Bistro & Wine Bar in Medford, and my website.
Raised and educated in Houston, Texas. Recived my BFA from Houston Museum of FIne Arts with continuing education at the University of Houston. Worked for Faroy Design Inc. in Houston as a designer. I ended my work ther as their Art Director, responsible for product design and catalog production. Spent the next 26 years working for the Art Institute of Houston and Seattle. Taught life drawing, illlustration, painting, graphic designs and photography... also developed the INstiitue Art History curriculum.
Currently retired in Ashland, Oregon, continuing my passion for art, travel and photography. Have done lecturing on art, art history and travel, also judging and constructive critique for local art groups. My work may be viewed at Ashland Artworks in Ashland, Pomadori Bistro & Wine Bar in Medford, and my website.
Pamela Ourshalimian
I am fascinated by perceptions of self image, and subsequently the value placed on the physical form, especially that of women. Recently, I have begun to explore the driving force behind these perceptions.
My art is an abstracted expression of my own personal experiences. I distort and exaggerate the form to create a personal connection between the painting and the viewer. It is our deepest desires and humanness that I wish to visualize and communicate. Staying within the intrinsic human form allows me to go beyond my perceived reality, allowing my essence and energy to emerge through each piece.
I have explored many mediums and methods throughout my life. I attended the Flint Institute of Arts in Michigan in the 1970s, and have lived throughout the country in places as varied as Santa Barbara, Michigan and Hawaii. I now call Southern Oregon home. Here there is an abundance of talented and skilled artisans, whom I have had the pleasure to learn from and work with.
My continued studies have allowed me to explore a myriad of mediums. Most recently, I have re-explored water-color, attending workshops around the Pacific Northwest and studying with nationally acclaimed artists.
I am fascinated by perceptions of self image, and subsequently the value placed on the physical form, especially that of women. Recently, I have begun to explore the driving force behind these perceptions.
My art is an abstracted expression of my own personal experiences. I distort and exaggerate the form to create a personal connection between the painting and the viewer. It is our deepest desires and humanness that I wish to visualize and communicate. Staying within the intrinsic human form allows me to go beyond my perceived reality, allowing my essence and energy to emerge through each piece.
I have explored many mediums and methods throughout my life. I attended the Flint Institute of Arts in Michigan in the 1970s, and have lived throughout the country in places as varied as Santa Barbara, Michigan and Hawaii. I now call Southern Oregon home. Here there is an abundance of talented and skilled artisans, whom I have had the pleasure to learn from and work with.
My continued studies have allowed me to explore a myriad of mediums. Most recently, I have re-explored water-color, attending workshops around the Pacific Northwest and studying with nationally acclaimed artists.
Richard Newman
Richard is a transplant from the East Coast
(Boston and NY). He works in a variety of media including two and three dimensions. He is a graduate of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. His teaching and academic career as artist and college art professor spans close to seventy years. His studio, which he shares with his wife and fellow artist, Rochelle Newman, also features a separate gallery.
Richard is a transplant from the East Coast
(Boston and NY). He works in a variety of media including two and three dimensions. He is a graduate of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. His teaching and academic career as artist and college art professor spans close to seventy years. His studio, which he shares with his wife and fellow artist, Rochelle Newman, also features a separate gallery.
Rochelle Newman
“Art defines a life.
Art is both metaphor and matter.
Art places a frame around experience.
Art provides the lens through which to view the world.
Art is the cloak I wrap around to protect my spirit.”
-Rochelle Newman
“Art defines a life.
Art is both metaphor and matter.
Art places a frame around experience.
Art provides the lens through which to view the world.
Art is the cloak I wrap around to protect my spirit.”
-Rochelle Newman
Sarah Burns
Sarah Burns was born in 1976 in Eugene, OR. She is a representational, observation based painter. She uses traditional methods and materials. Subjects include figure, still life and landscape. “The more I make and study art, the more I find I am studying science. In order to understand what I see and create more convincing illusions, I might look into the biology of the retina, light, geometry, human muscular and skeletal anatomy, meteorology and geology. In turn, this scientific inquiry inspires wonder and awe for the natural world, so, in addition to its purpose of feeding the practical part of art making, it ultimately feeds the mercurial, harder-to-define emotive and spiritual part of creating art.
I approach my subject with a little bit of scientific distance too. I try to be as fair as possible to my subjects and tell the truth of what I see. Obviously what I see is filtered through me and I choose subjects I find beauty in and feel affection for, but I do want to be specific and make documentaries in paint. I hope they will be eventually be seen as part of a historical record, like a family album for a region.”
Sarah Burns was born in 1976 in Eugene, OR. She is a representational, observation based painter. She uses traditional methods and materials. Subjects include figure, still life and landscape. “The more I make and study art, the more I find I am studying science. In order to understand what I see and create more convincing illusions, I might look into the biology of the retina, light, geometry, human muscular and skeletal anatomy, meteorology and geology. In turn, this scientific inquiry inspires wonder and awe for the natural world, so, in addition to its purpose of feeding the practical part of art making, it ultimately feeds the mercurial, harder-to-define emotive and spiritual part of creating art.
I approach my subject with a little bit of scientific distance too. I try to be as fair as possible to my subjects and tell the truth of what I see. Obviously what I see is filtered through me and I choose subjects I find beauty in and feel affection for, but I do want to be specific and make documentaries in paint. I hope they will be eventually be seen as part of a historical record, like a family album for a region.”
Suzanne Etienne
Suzanne Etienne is an Ashland resident, a Northern California transplant and acclaimed beloved local talent. Her artistic passions lie with the abundance and beauty of Rogue Valley gardens, farms, and vistas. As a seasoned traveler and joyful explorer of the world's sweetest corners, it is no surprise that her paintings are living in award-winning architectural homes from Palo Alto, San Francisco and Napa up the coast to Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria, BC.
Her many years as a go-to San Francisco Bay Area interior design and gallery owner paved the path for her unique gift and fine eye for living with beautiful art that makes a room sing. In her work, whether it is her colorful iconic rooster series or dreamy landscapes, there is the unmistakable impressionistic influence.
Suzanne lives life fully, joyfully, with a generous heart and spirit. Her work, in its luscious colors and nostalgic themes, is a direct extension of her life as a thriving artist in Ashland, Oregon. She lives in a renovated turn-of-the-century bungalow with an adjoining art studio with her husband, retired attorney, Bob Etienne. She welcomes the opportunity to work on custom pieces and offers private classes in her railroad district art studio.
Suzanne Etienne is an Ashland resident, a Northern California transplant and acclaimed beloved local talent. Her artistic passions lie with the abundance and beauty of Rogue Valley gardens, farms, and vistas. As a seasoned traveler and joyful explorer of the world's sweetest corners, it is no surprise that her paintings are living in award-winning architectural homes from Palo Alto, San Francisco and Napa up the coast to Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria, BC.
Her many years as a go-to San Francisco Bay Area interior design and gallery owner paved the path for her unique gift and fine eye for living with beautiful art that makes a room sing. In her work, whether it is her colorful iconic rooster series or dreamy landscapes, there is the unmistakable impressionistic influence.
Suzanne lives life fully, joyfully, with a generous heart and spirit. Her work, in its luscious colors and nostalgic themes, is a direct extension of her life as a thriving artist in Ashland, Oregon. She lives in a renovated turn-of-the-century bungalow with an adjoining art studio with her husband, retired attorney, Bob Etienne. She welcomes the opportunity to work on custom pieces and offers private classes in her railroad district art studio.
