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

How do artists create art?

JoAnn Pari-Mueller painting

How do tubes of paint, brushes, canvas or paper become a painting?  What happens to a lump of clay on a wheel that turns it into a porcelain bowl?  Why do the layers of colored wax stick to the canvas?

This is the magic of creation, experimentation and experience that turns ordinary materials into art.

And this year, during the Washington County Open Studios Tour, 42 artists will let you see the magic happen right in their studios.  All across Washington County, artists will be opening up their studios and giving you a chance to see the process of making art. 

In Hillsboro, you'll see Tim Gabriel bend steel into intricate shapes.

Patti Issacs will be painting on silk in Aloha.

In Beaverton, Peg Silloway will weaving colored threads together on a loom.

Virginia Parks will be melting wax into colorful paintings in Tigard.

In Forest Grove, Paulina Kriebel will be making wearable art clothing.

Les Dougherty will be turning native woods into bowls in Gaston.

In Portland, Jo Reimer will be using papers, paint and more to create mixed media collages.

And JM Starz will be painting in acrylics in Sherwood.

There's so much to see!  And all for FREE!   So make your calendar for October 17 & 18th.

For more info on artists and tour map click on this link or go to www.washcoart.org

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 

Ask an Artist: Virginia Parks, Encaustic.

Ever wonder how an artist becomes an artist?  Why they make art? Where they get their inspiration and what you’ll see when you visit their studio? 

Here’s your chance to get find out.

What inspires you and how does that come through your art?

“Nature is my primary inspiration. While you really can't get more beautiful than the real thing, I like to explore the colors, textures, and creatures-- both floral and faunal-- in a way that honors the feelings of happiness and gratitude that Nature evokes for me.”

What’s your favorite part of your process?

  

“For me, the favorite part of the process is coming up with new ways to incorporate images or ideas created in different media, printing a figure drawing onto fabric, for example, or taking a design inked on paper using a handcut stamp and fusing it into the wax as a layer to build upon.” 

What weird and different material or technique do you use?

“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.”

When people come to your studio, what will they see you doing …what part of your process?

“When people come to my studio, 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 (that's the one part of the process I won't be demonstrating since it takes up a lot of room and concentration). I'm always happy to talk about the process, so visitors are welcome to ask me anything!”

Why are you an artist? What got you interested in art?

“I'm an artist because the creative process brings me joy. I'm happy playing with everything from fabric to paper to wood. My mother and my older sister inspired me when I was very young, as both were excellent sewists and my sister could draw anything from life. I started taking classes in different media -- watercolor, pastel, life drawing, woodblock printing --  until I found one into which I could incorporate all those techniques and more, Encaustic painting. It's been an adventure ever since and I feel like I'm still just scratching the surface.”

You can see more of Virginia’s work and visit her studio during Washington County Open Studios tour October 18-19^th from 11am to 5pm.

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