Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council
Reinvigorating local programs. Connecting neighbors with artists. Supporting arts education.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION: As many of us struggle through this time of isolation and limitation of “normal” activity, what do we long for? Artists have considered some of these leading questions:
What do we wish we could do?
Whom do we want to see?
Where do we long to go?
What do we wish to experience?
How do we hope the world will have changed?
How do we hope WE will have changed?
What are the silver linings, the positives that have arisen during this time?
Are there things we now appreciate & reflect upon more deeply, observe more fully?
How has COVID changed us, forced us to grow?
Each artwork is accompanied by an artist statement, to give our viewers context and meaning. Most of the artworks are for sale -- nearly all works $150 or less -- and may be purchased here through PayPal. Artists receive 80% of a sale. WACC's 20% commission will cover any necessary shipping costs, the rest of the commission will go to support WACC's future programming, as we strive to bring arts & culture to our community.
Thank You to Regional Arts & Culture Council,
Clackamas County Cultural Coalition, and
Oregon Cultural Trust for making this exhibition
and all of our programming for 2021 possible.
The exhibition is past. The works have been removed from our store.
DREAM BEYOND COVID
Wisdom of the Woods
photograph of mixed-media installation
24" x 36"
NFS
Nature is my place to experience abundance.
The slower I walk determines the fullness of all my senses.
Quiet becomes peace.
Creativity becomes all present.
Hope begins to feel possible.
Connections of love abound.
These “gatherings” of my paintings, photographs, natural objects and written words were found along my path.
Balance, depth, and serenity are my intentions.
The Reunion
latex house paint & acrylic on unstretched drop canvas
153cm x 183cm
$3500
This work is a Jesus painting. This work was about my thoughts about Jesus, his last week of life and the moments that led up to his death, based heavily around my understanding of Mark’s account of Jesus’ journey to the cross. I used Jean Frederic Bazille’s composition from his painting Reunion de Famille (1867).
Just like Frederic’s painting, all but one of the figures is directly looking at the viewer. The one figure in my work that is denying the viewer gaze is Jesus. He is depicted as being a black male figure that the viewer can only look upon. Each of the disciples with their own symbols gathers around Christ. All of the disciples' eyes address the viewer with a gaze that for me, can seem to cause a sense of unease and concern. It is as if one just walked in on a private moment.
Unlike Bazille’s painting which was set in Montpelier, France, this one depicts a beach scene that in my mind represents Miami. Miami, from my understanding of the art world, is much like Jerusalem. Jerusalem being both a holy site and one of extreme vice during the days of Jesus as well as being a cultural epicenter. Miami in my mind functions in a similar way today with its extremes of rich and poor, art enthusiasts from all over the world are right now making their way to Miami to see what is most recent in the art world at the Miami Basel.
Just like Fredric I have put my own likeness into the painting as one of Jesus’ disciples, whom I feel like I most relate to. This work allowed me to explore a few thoughts and feelings about my own faith and what I understand about Jesus.
The Weight of Water
pigment print, signed artist proof
16" x 12"
$60 (unframed)
I have steadily become increasingly reliant on technology to cope with the isolation of the pandemic. Now, coming out of a severe winter storm, three days without power in frigid temperatures during a pandemic felt surreal... there was no escape. Now, warm again, connected again, technology at my disposal, all of my thoughts are looking forward to a transition to something better. The thawing of an icy winter, and the warm rebirth of spring. A melting, a fluidity to daily life, an accelerated elemental metamorphosis.
The Lonely Table
Photograph on canvas, pigment ink, 1.5” gallery wrap
20” x 14”
$150
Every one of us has experienced loneliness during this pandemic. I’m looking forward to being able to freely associate, expecting we will have a new appreciation of people, and rancor will diminish. When we can go out for a cocktail, play pool or billiards with strangers as well as friends, send a drink to the folks celebrating a special occasion across the room, tensions will begin to ease. I so dream of that day.
The Box Office Opens at 8:00
Photography, pigment print
Image 10” x 20”, framed in grey wood frame 12”x 22”
$140
I think one of the most important messages of this last year, the Year of Covid, is that we need people. We’ve all watched and streamed videos and movies on television and other devices. But at best we’ve watched alone or with our immediate family. Is going to the theater to watch movies dead? I don’t think so. I think we gain from the excitement of shared experience, watching and reacting to the same event at the same time – together, and will flock to the theater, concerts, art exhibits – whatever brings us in contact with people who want to be there also - when it feels safe. Now, even the buildings look lonely. I think we all dream of filling them up.
Tilt-a-Whirl
Photograph on canvas, pigment ink, 1.5” gallery wrap
18” x 12”
$130
I think we have all missed eagerly-awaited events – the yearly traditions like the fair, anticipating the rides and games on the arcade, the food, the fun. I think even those of us who don’t particularly like the fair may be giving it a fresh view. We can ride alone on the Tilt-a-Whirl and enjoy it, but how much richer the experience is with laughing, screaming, squealing children – AND adults – to share it with. I dream of post-Covid life, when we can freely return to group activities. I think we will see these events with new eyes. I hope the freshness will last.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
watercolor on paper
$325
That is how I’ve felt for the last year. Dealing with PTSD from childhood trauma and the judgment from those around me has been one of the worst times in my life. Healing through art is sustaining me.
When the Wind Winds
watercolor on clayboard
12" x 12"
$195
Longing for those beautiful times when I could feel free and soar. Just to be outdoors helps to forget for awhile.
Champs du Lavande
watercolor on canvas
20" 16" framed
$450
It’s time spent in my garden that have been the most healing for me this last year. I wait with anticipation for the first signs of Spring to emerge.
Untitled
acrylic & NuPastel on watercolor paper
14" x 25"
$250
During this pandemic, we've seen the elimination of Black bodies followed by loud voices, oppostion and earnest hope. The loud voices stake their ground, but we often cannot understand the lay of their lands. Perhaps, when a new normal is found, the loudness will become real conversation staking territories for a better place to dwell.
Untitled (Gold)
acrylic & NuPastel on watercolor paper
18" x 36"
$250
The lockdowns brought a new immobility for some of us to struggle with. During the pandemic, I had heart bypass surgery after a surprise heart attack. By the time the pandemic is over, I will have adjusted to my new immobility.
Lotus Small
acrylic & NuPastel on watercolor paper
8.5" x 17"
$250
For some friends, the pandemic has incapacitated them. My 70-plus-year-old friends have experienced unparalleled isoation. I have not seen my mother for almost a year now. She has held none of her grandkids nor hugged any of her own children. Arms and legs removed; immobility as she's never yet experienced in her 80-plus years. One dose down, another scheduled for March 1. Then life begins again!
Picture Window
acrylic on wood
10" x 12"
$150
Another piece in my series about solitude and anthropomorphizing any living thing within sight. I am so fortunate to have a safe, warm home, and greenery to gaze out of a window upon.
Ladies in Waiting
acrylic on cardboard
18" x 24"
NFS
Though the intent of this piece was never to capture a real life experience, I am struck now by how carelessly all these dream characters share space. The image provokes a sense of wistful longing in me now, as if they are living in a world of casual touch that is no longer accesible to me.
As a painter, I have been drawn to creating works like this that involve a lot of time-consuming detail but don't take up a lor of mental or emotional energy.
Fishbowl
acrylic on cork
12" x 14"
$150
This piece is about the lethargy of quarantine, about being alone in a domestic space and the unexpected places we find small doses of comfort or companionship. I've never been great at sitting with my thoughts or experiencing the moment, but maybe I can paint a version of myself engaged in this practice to remind me of its importance.
In the Middle of Mongolia
digital photograph, archival inkjet print
11" x 14" in a 16" X 20" frame, matted
$120
Mongolia was probably the last place on earth we would have considered visiting, but after an incredible horse-trekking experience there in 2017, we yearn to go back there, or to other out of the way places. Travel of this kind will have to wait until after COVID has subsided, but it's always in our dreams. This is the Ursa Major ger (the Mongolian word for yurts) camp in central Mongolia. We stayed here for two nights before embarking on a three-day horse trek across the vast and wide open Steppes. Someday, after COVID, we'll do that again.
Ruby Beach Sunset
digital photograph, archival inkjet print, matted
$120
The COVID pandemic put a temporary end to all photography workshops and group field expeditions. One of the best ways to learn the art of landscape photography is to spend time in natural areas with expert photographers and other like-minded people. This photo was taken on Ruby Beach on the Olympic Peninsula during a weeklong workshop with photographers Jerry Dodrill and David Muench. One of the keys to successful landscape photography is being in the right place at the right time. Professional photographer-instructors know how to make this happen. I dream of being able to do this again.
Mongolia Sunset
digital photograph, archival inkjet print
11" x 14" in a 16" x 20" frame, matted
$120
In 2017 we were invited to join an expedition to ride horses in Mongolia. We spent three weeks there and fell in love with the place and the people. And the horses. We've been wanting to travel, but that's not possible until COVID subsides, but we think frequently about Mongolia and other places we've been to. This picture was taken from our campsite on the first night of a three-day horse trek. We were enjoying the last light of evening with our fellow travelers and Mongolian guides when these horses walked across the ridge behind the camp. Horses are everywhere in Mongolia, having been a hugely important part of its history, and still today play an important role in the livelihood of the nomads. After COVID, perhaps we'll return.
Pizza by the Slice
acrylic
8.5" x 5"
$145
We all look forward to fun nights after the pandemic ends.
Friday Night in Sellwood
photography
10" x 8"
$100
Moreland Theater makes a go of it during COVID. No movies, just popcorn. Neighbors gear up for at-home movies, buying huge tubs. Acts like these define a community.
Snowy Egret
wood sculpture
15" x 7.5" x 3.5"
NFS
During this COVID quarantine I enjoy watching birds fly through my backyard, pausing to nibble seed, take a sip or splash in the birdbath. I dream of flying high where the birds can go, to travel far and wide above and beyond the restriction of the pandemic. Fly through the forest, over the seashore, high above the city, free to go wherever I want. Oh, to be free as a bird!
“Sheltered”
Acrylic painting with real leaves on wood board
12” x 12”
$150
It's been a year now when I was in Germany getting the News about Covit 19.
My flight back home was scheduled for two days before the travel shut down, March 13.2020.
My paintings reflect the situations from over the last twelve months. We are all tangled in one way or another during this pandemic. Staying home for so long most of the time let us feel cut off from the world out there.
But I feel sheltered in my little bubble of family and a few friends. In person, but mostly through video chats I am happy to be able to have, I can see my family, who lives around the world, literally.
And now, after these twelve month I am ready setting off to the new normal. I am still reserved, but getting excited about a healthier future for all.
There are real leaves in my paintings on wooden board, one painted in silver or gold to show rays of hope. I am still looking forward to better times after all of this pandemic and it's costs.
“Tangled”
Acrylic painting with real leaves on wood board
12” x 12”
$150
It's been a year now when I was in Germany getting the News about Covit 19.
My flight back home was scheduled for two days before the travel shut down, March 13.2020.
My paintings reflect the situations from over the last twelve months. We are all tangled in one way or another during this pandemic. Staying home for so long most of the time let us feel cut off from the world out there.
But I feel sheltered in my little bubble of family and a few friends. In person, but mostly through video chats I am happy to be able to have, I can see my family, who lives around the world, literally.
And now, after these twelve month I am ready setting off to the new normal. I am still reserved, but getting excited about a healthier future for all.
There are real leaves in my paintings on wooden board, one painted in silver or gold to show rays of hope. I am still looking forward to better times after all of this pandemic and itss costs.
“Setting Off”
Acrylic painting with real leaves on wood board
12” x 12”
$150
It's been a year now when I was in Germany getting the News about Covit 19.
My flight back home was scheduled for two days before the travel shut down, March 13.2020.
My paintings reflect the situations from over the last twelve months. We are all tangled in one way or another during this pandemic. Staying home for so long most of the time let us feel cut off from the world out there.
But I feel sheltered in my little bubble of family and a few friends. In person, but mostly through video chats I am happy to be able to have, I can see my family, who lives around the world, literally.
And now, after these twelve month I am ready setting off to the new normal. I am still reserved, but getting excited about a healthier future for all.
There are real leaves in my paintings on wooden board, one painted in silver or gold to show rays of hope. I am still looking forward to better times after all of this pandemic and its costs.
Plantas Mi Amigos (My Friends the Plants)
textile, embroidery
16" x 16"
$150
I embroidered this piece to help myself relax during the Covid-19 pandemic. I am surrounding myself with my friends, the plants, to shield me from harm, and to support my colorful heart that gives me life. That is a dream I had not too long from now.
Also currently on exhibit:
Corona Portrait Project
Curated by artist and WACC board member
Benjamin Mefford, the Corona Portrait Project
is an international exhibition that includes
hundreds of artists, reaching viewers in more than
90 countries around the world. The challenge was for artists to create a self-portrait in response to the
self-isolation brought on by the global pandemic.
To learn more and view the exhibit, visit:
https://www.coronaportrait.com/
Sofonisba Anguissola
Self-Portrait, 1556