Art thou ready for May?
The galleries, studios and public art displays in Toledo are closely woven with the scenes of industry from the paper mill, shipyard and railway. At the start of every month, the town celebrates its art community with First Weekend, an opportunity for the local art galleries to open their doors and connect local artisans to the public.
During this month’s First Weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, May 6 and 7, the Yaquina River Museum of Art will continue its newest exhibition “The Majors,” an exclusive selection of large paintings from the museum’s permanent collection. Featured artist and well-known local painter Marion Moir will be giving a talk on Saturday at 1:30 pm about her painting in the exhibition as well as her artistic process. Moir studied art at Oregon State University and attended workshops from the noted California School painters and many other inspiring teachers in the US and Japan. She taught watercolor, collage, gyotaku and mixed media in Newport and around the country. She has been a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon since 1981, and has won numerous awards and grants for her work. Known for painting on location, she is an artist who strives for adventure in her art.
“Plein air is my favorite,” she said. “The excitement of what I might find around the corner intrigues and changes me.”
The Yaquina River Museum of Art is located at 151 NE Alder Street and is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to yaquinarivermuseumofart.org.
Across the street at Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery is another rare find from the late artist’s studio, an oil painting of a rural home against a wild backdrop, “Pioneer Mountain Homestead.” The view of the painting looks as though you are peering through the trees at the lonely house. Pioneer Mountain was one of Gibbons’ favorite places to paint, and this work shows why. The wilderness along with the people who have cultivated their lives on the mountain shows a harmony that he often sought in his works. The Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery is located at 140 NE Alder Street and is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to michaelgibbons.net.
Just up the way, Ivan Kelly Studio & Gallery will have several new coastal and landscape oils, including a special feature on “Roosevelt,” a painting of an elk looking out to sea along a Pacific coastline. Roosevelt elk are common to coastal forests and this particular bull has ventured out to have a look over the Pacific. What does he think about it all? This piece captures Kelly’s mastery of wild game as well as his ability to capture the rugged beauty of the coastline. A native of Northern Ireland, Kelly is known for both his big game works and maritime paintings. His work includes publication in International Wildlife Art Journal and includes Coastal Landscapes in national shows, "American Society of Marine Artists", Public Art Museum Traveling Tours throughout the States.
Ivan Kelly Gallery is located at 207 E Graham Street and is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to ivankelly.com.
On Main Street, Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio will feature the works of more than 15 artists. As gallery-goers enter into the space it is hard not to notice the beautiful glass mosaic works of Val Bolen gleaming like gems against the windows as sunlight makes her works sparkle. See her work in the gallery as well as the works of Crow’s Nest owner and assemblage artist Janet Runger; Alice Haga, fused glass; Sylvia Hosie, photography; Paula Teplitz, sculptural jellyfish mobiles; Jeff Gibford, digitally manipulated photographs; Tish Epperson, watercolors; and Susan Jones, woven fiber jellyfish.
Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio is located at 305 N. Main Street and will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Also on Main Street are the newest selection of artists for the ART Toledo Phantom Gallery program. Currently featured are the works of photographer Taylor Bennett-Wiens and emerging photographer and high school student Tayla Stevenson. Phantom Galleries is a project that promotes available commercial building spaces on Main Street by exhibiting local art. See Taylor and Tayla’s art at 355 N Main Street. Learn about currently featured artists’ work in the biographies posted next to their exhibited spaces. For more information, go to ARTToledo.com.