A broad palette
Artwork of all kinds on offer at Toledo’s First Weekend
The local arts community of Toledo is a significant presence on the coast, with galleries and studios dotted throughout the town. On the first weekend of every month, the arts community opens its doors to visitors and art lovers to give a behind the scenes view of their works and see what’s new. Stop by all participating locations on Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5.
The ocean-inspired “Sculpture and the Sea” exhibit continues at the Yaquina River Museum of Art with its official opening reception during June’s First Weekend event. The exhibit and sale features works from the Michael Gibbons Trust Collection, the Museum’s Permanent Collection and regional, national and internationally recognized artists. Included in the exhibition are sculptures by Martin Eichinger, Nano Lopez, Janet Runger, Jill Perry Townsend, Paddi Moyer, Julian Morillo, Mark deGraffenreid and Michael Magrath.
Artists Jill Perry Townsend and Janet Runger will talk about their sculptural process on both Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 3 pm, with complimentary wine and refreshments served. The exhibit will remain at the museum through June 30.
The Yaquina River Museum of Art is located at 151 NE Alder Street and will be open on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to yaquinarivermuseumofart.org.
Across the street at Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery, original oil paintings by the late regional painter will be on display. A focus for this month will be “Quiet Moorage,” a plein air work along the bay in Panama City, Florida. The painting draws the viewer into a gentle scene along the docks, peering through the branches of the verdant live oak trees of the region. Gibbons’ works often celebrate these contemplative moments, pausing to appreciate the beauty of nature.
The Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery is located at 140 NE Alder Street and is open on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to michaelgibbons.net
On the next block, Ivan Kelly Studio and Gallery will feature “Morning Over the Flood Marsh,” an oil depicting a local estuarine scene with the dawning sun glowing through the mist on a congregation of buffleheads.
“I love the qualities and effects of light on my chosen subjects,” Kelly said, “be it a meadow, an ocean beach, a Teton peak or on the coat of an elk in the early dawn.” Kelly is a nationally recognized artist and has been a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists since 2000.
Ivan Kelly Studio is located at 207 East Graham Street and is open on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to ivankelly.com.
On Main Street, Crow’s Nest Gallery and Studio is a treasure trove for art lovers, featuring the works of 15 local and regional artists from sculpture and fused glass to painting and photography. Floating among the sculptural pieces are Susan Jones’ woven reed jellyfish. After taking a break from basket weaving due to surgery, Jones started a new basket project. Halfway through, she flipped the basket upside down and remarked that it looked very similar to a jellyfish. These woven sculptures, which Jones calls “Magical Medusa baskets,” flow through an open room in grand organic form. Other featured artists at Crow’s Nest include founder and assemblage artist Janet Runger, art; Tish Epperson, watercolor; Val Bolen, tile and ceramic pieces; Paula Teplitz, sculptural jellyfish mobiles; Jeff Gibford, digitally manipulated photographs; Sylvia Hosie, photography; Veta Bakhtina, oil paintings; and Alice Haga, fused glass. Crow’s Nest Gallery and Studio is located at 305 N. Main Street and is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.