Better gather for ‘Better Together’

Join local artists for special evening hours and entertainment at a Summer Open House this Friday July 7, at the Pacific Artists' Gallery in Lincoln City.

The event will highlight “Better Together: A Collaboration of Minds and Mediums” by encaustic painter Sara Hemmer and ceramicist Sam Jacobson, on view the entire month of July. The duo’s first collaborative effort is a series of free-form ceramic clouds that Jacobson creates with a relief-type texture before she fires the pieces.

Hemmer then highlights the debossed texture by painting with molten wax and fusing with a torch.

The two art forms of ceramic and encaustic might seem vastly different, but are very complementary, as this series demonstrates.

“When viewed up close, ceramic glaze and encaustic wax pigments create tiny abstract patterns that result from firing various pigments under high heat,” Jacobson said. “We often joke that we get lost in these tiny patterns of our work. Similar to fractals, these micro patterns resemble the macro patterns we see throughout our coastal landscape.”

Both artists prefer organic forms and nature-inspired palettes seen throughout their solo works as well as their “Better Together” series.

The open house will also have music provided by Steve Hovey, plus refreshments. Hemmer will demonstrate the ancient art of encaustic wax and fire painting. Catherine Hingson and Josh Bryant will be painting live throughout the evening.

The Pacific Artists’ Co-op Gallery is an artist-owned collaborative of 30 juried artists working in a variety of media to create unique works of art. The event is held in tandem with the Artists’ Studio Association, a non-profit community of artists hosting art classes for students of all ages.

Friday’s open house runs from 5 to 7 pm at the Pacific Artists' Gallery, located on Highway 101 at NE 6th Drive, next to the Lincoln City Cultural Center.

For more information about Pacific Artists’ Co-op Gallery, go to pacificartco-op.com. For more information about Artists’ Studio Association, go to asaart.net.