Where Do Artists Make Art in Tigard?

“I’ve worked in many spaces in and around my home over the last 20 years.  My first studio was in a corner of the master bedroom on a tall drafting table where I could paint out of reach of my toddler and preschooler.  My current work, in porcelain clay, requires several different kinds of spaces depending on whether I’m throwing, hand-building, sculpting or doing horsehair raku.  Now, I lovingly call my studio Thing 1 and Thing 2,” says ceramic artist, Susan Gallacher-Turner.

Susan says, “Thing 1 is my garage where I throw, do raku and fire my work in the kiln. Thing 2 is inside my home where I hand-build and sculpt.  But no matter whether I’m working in Thing 1 or Thing 2, Jilly, my sweet yellow lab, is there curled up on her bed keeping me company.”

See where artists, Pam Nichols, Susan Gallacher-Turner and Virginia Parks make art in Tigard and in your neighborhood during Washington County Open Studios Tour, October 17 and 18 from 11 am to 5 pm. Over 40 artists will be opening their studio doors for you.  And it’s FREE.

Encaustic artist, Pam Nichols describes her new studio, “I’m so excited about my new studio space. If you were at my studio last year, I have upgraded to the whole downstairs of our split level house. There are no stairs to come into my work space just a few turns. Having this new space allows me to work on much larger panels, to have all my tools and supplies easily read to use. My dog loves to hang out with me due to how cool our downstairs is during this super-hot summer.”

Inside or outside, upstairs or down, artists find many creative ways to create.  And they’ll show how they do it and where October 17 and 18 from 11am to 5pm. Free tour map and artist information is on the Washington County Open Studios Tour website www.washcoart.org

Open Studios Helped Me Find My Way Back to Clay.

It had been a tough few years.  My dog died.  I broke my wrist and had to have surgery.  A roof leak repair tore apart my studio walls and floor.  My husband got laid off.  We were doing our best and I took every gig that came along to help make ends meet. 

One thing I knew in my heart even as my mind raced with fear, I would not give up on my art.

I’d been showing and selling my copper and screening masks and mixed media work for almost a decade.  But it was open studios that helped me stay on the art path and find my way back to clay. 

I opened my studio that weekend hoping to see new people, buoy my spirits and make a little money selling copper jewelry and masks.  I did all of that, but it was the encouragement and generosity of my visitors that helped me the most.

One couple, who had bought several of my masks at gallery shows, stopped by and noticed my clay sculptures scattered about my studio and home.  They asked why they hadn’t ever seen them before.  I told them, honestly, I’d given up on clay because I couldn’t afford to pay to have the clay fired and I didn’t have my own kiln.

Then, something amazing happened: the man gave me his kiln.  And months later, when I went to haul it home, he insisted I take his electric wheel, too.  My mind told me no, but my heart said yes.

I scraped together enough cash from my open studio sales to pay an electrician to put in a 220 line for the kiln and an kiln expert to do an inspection.

I used the kiln months later to fire some new clay masks, but the wheel was pushed into a corner of the garage collecting dust.  You see, I’d had wheel throwing classes as a teenager.   I failed miserably.  I walked away from the wheel, embarrassed and turned to hand building, which I did well.  I told myself that I had to have wheel throwing classes to use the wheel and at the time, I couldn’t afford them.

A year went by and I just started teaching a mask making class that made me exactly the same amount of money as one wheel throwing class.  Even though times at home were still tough, I decided I would sign up for that one class.  The day I was to start class, my husband got a full-time job.  I was able to take two years of classes.

Now many years have passed.  My life has changed for the better in so many ways.  My wrist is healed and strong.  I have Jilly, my lovely lab in my life. My husband is happy working at what he loves and so am I.  I still make masks and mixed media pieces.  But because of open studios I, now know that I can throw in clay, after all.

So when you open your studio, remember to open your heart as well, because you never know what wonderful people you’ll meet and amazing things that might happen for you, too.

See Art in the Making in Tigard Next Weekend. Free.

 

“I’ll be making masks, doing under glazing or stamping into clay with tools you find around the house like a fork, pattern marker and citrus reamer,” says Susan Gallacher-Turner, Ceramic Artist.

“When people come to my studio, “ says Virginia Parks, encaustic artist, ”they'll get to see almost the entire process, from prepping the wood panels before I start painting, to the process of building up layers, incorporating other media, and using tools and techniques to develop the painting. I'll demonstrate various techniques and explain the process I use for making the medium. I'm always happy to talk about the process, so visitors are welcome to ask me anything!”

Stella Kaser, photo collage artist describes,  “I have just completed a new collaged holiday greeting card. Guests will be able to see examples of my process towards making this card as well as the finished product, from its initial layout.

Get a free tour map at www.washcoart.org and spend this Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19 from 11 am to 5 pm visiting art studios during Washington County Open Studios.  Forty artists will be demonstrating their techniques for you and some are right in your own Tigard neighborhood. 

Karen French, Potter, says, “I’ll be throwing different clay forms.  They can ask me to make something in particular.  I’ll also be trimming pots and getting them ready for the bisque fire.”

“People can watch me use a torch to move around the encaustic paint (beeswax, resin & pigment), and see it swirl and blend together creating some incredible designs/patterns,” explains encaustic artist, Pam Nichols.

Laurie Svec adds, “Art studio visitors will likely see me working on Japanese paper wrapped egg shells. I hope to have some eggs at different stages of the process available to see. I will try to have an evaporative ink painting in progress too - under a gooseneck lamp to warm the ink and water. The Brownian Movement helps to evaporate the color onto the paper in unusual ways.”

You can see art in the making October 18 and 19 from 11 am to 5 pm in the suburbs and country during Washington County Open Studios. 

Get a tour map and directions FREE at www.washcoart.org 

What weird techniques do artists use in Tigard?

Susan Gallacher-Turner's sgraffito bowl

“Dental tools, citrus reamers, homemade stamps, forks, wire are just some of the things I use to make marks in my clay.  I also sculpt window screening to add to my clay sculptures and masks,” says Susan Gallacher-Turner, ceramic artist.

Virginia Parks with her encaustic work

Virginia Parks, encaustic artist explains, “Sometimes, people will say the entire medium of encaustic painting is weird and different, using melted beeswax mixed with tree resin and pigment and painting. While it's melted, how weird is that! But it's an an ancient art form with a newfound following, so it's not all that unfamiliar a technique anymore. Personally I like to play around with building up texture on the surface of my paintings, creating air pockets and divots that others often try hard to smooth away with the torch. Then I fill those holes with oil pigment sticks to add visual depth to both the subject and background of my painting.”

Laurie Svec's eggshell mosiacs

 “I have been working with egg shells for over 40 years. Painting and decorating egg shells, and cut out shadow box style Christmas ornaments. I have used ostrich, rhea, emu, goose, duck, turkey, chicken, pigeon, dove, quail, cockateel, and finch eggs,” adds Laurie Svec, multi-media artist.

Wonder what other weird techniques you’ll get to see during Washington County Artists Open Studios? October 18 and 19 from 11 am to 5 pm, 40 artists will be demonstrating their techniques for you. 

Karen French with her raku kiln

“I do horsehair raku. This is the process of using horse tail and mane hairs as the reduction medium,”says Karen French, potter.

Stella Kaser's photo collage

Stella Kaser, photo collage artist says, “I use traditional quilting patterns and techniques as well as my own abstract versions to collage pieces of my past photographs together.”

Pam Nichols in her studio

“I use dried coffee grounds, glass frit, shaved metal, spice cloves, dried passion tea leaves, metal objects and my most favorite thing ferric oxide (rust)!,” encaustic painter, Pam Nichols explains, “I transfer rust from metal objects to paper which I incorporate into my painting or I will rust right to my encaustic paint,” Pam Nichols, encaustic artist adds,  

You can see art in the making October 18 and 19 from 11 am to 5 pm in the suburbs and country during Washington County Open Studios.  Get a tour map and directions FREE at www.washcoart.org