Blooming marvelous
On the first weekend of every month, members of the Toledo art community swing open the doors of their studios, galleries and museum for First Weekend, an opportunity for the general public to not just see the art but mix and mingle with the people creating it. Have a look at what’s new in Toledo this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1 and 2.
At the Yaquina River Museum of Art, the Schoolhouse Exhibit space will be hosting an opening celebration for a solo exhibition by Colleen Caubin, “Heaven in a Wildflower.” Caubin is a highly admired painter in the region whose still life and plein air works attract viewers everywhere. She has created art her entire life and has made a living as a professional artist and instructor. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including being named as one of Pastel Journal’s Top 100 Artists, and was selected as the 2015 Cape Perpetua Artist in Residence. Her work invites viewers into her world, making them feel at home amongst nature.
"Heaven in a Wildflower" is a representation of Caubin's exploration of a more abstract style. Venturing throughout the Yaquina watershed to paint the pieces of this exhibition, the pieces reflect a wild quality as she captures the very essence of the moment — from the tangle of grasses to the glow of the sun rising through the trees.
"This is the key painting for me,” she said. “It records not how it looks, but how it made me feel. If you go there you might not see this, another fleeting moment, maybe never to happen again."
Visit with the artist while enjoying complimentary wine and cheese on Saturday from noon to 4 pm. The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 30.
The Yaquina River Museum of Art is located at 151 NE Alder Street. For more information, go to yaquinarivermuseumofart.org.
Across the street at Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery, a display of original paintings by the late renowned artist will feature “A Pumpkin Patch,” painted on location in Connecticut during the fall of 1997. Gibbons was in the middle of a month-long exhibition in the area when he came across this New England cottage and plentiful pumpkin patch. The scene captures the early autumn magic with still-blooming flowers and trees just starting to turn gold. The orange pumpkins nestled amongst the leaves in front of the cottage gives the piece a storybook quality.
Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery is located at 140 NE Alder Street. For more information, go to michaelgibbons.net.
On Main Street, Crow’s Nest Gallery and Studio will feature the works of 16 artists. The gallery-space run by assemblage artist Janet Runger always features new and exciting works. Like gems shown throughout Crow’s Nest, the mosaic works of Val Bolen catch the light of the sun and dazzle. Often creating highly detailed scenes with glass and tile, Bolen shows her remarkable ability to make her work dynamic and multidimensional.
Other artists and work are Runger’s found object assemblage art; Veta Bakhtina, oil paintings; Alice Haga, fused glass; Val Bolen, tile and ceramic pieces; Paula Teplitz, sculptural jellyfish mobiles; Jeff Gibford, digitally manipulated photographs; Tish Epperson, watercolors; Sylvia Hosie, wildlife photography; and Susan Jones, woven fiber jellyfish.
Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio is located at 305 N. Main Street in Toledo and open from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.