Connect Four
The four artists coming together for “Connections,” the new show at Lincoln City’s Chessman Gallery investigate layers of relationships through assemblage, beading, mixed media, color, collage and technology.
The acrylic painting, collage and digital mixed media by Debra Hovey; acrylic painting/mixed media by Barbara Wallace-Haake; assemblage art by Jennifer Norman; and woven and embroidered beadwork by Jennifer Rose will be on display from Friday, Dec. 10, through Monday, Jan. 10.
The exhibit will open with an in-person reception from 5 to 7 pm on Friday, Dec.10, with artists in attendance. A virtual gallery tour will be posted to the center’s Facebook page, @lincolncityculture on Saturday, Dec. 11.
Connections refers to building bridges, reuniting and recording thoughts, dreams, feelings and memories through the gradual building up of an image through multiple layers of acrylic, collage and mixed media.
Beginning with family mythology — a force we never leave behind — we add our own perceptions and modifications to make sense of the world. Whether the story is disturbing, startling, comforting, alien or familiar, by telling stories we connect with others.
This exhibit also explores the link between the urbane and the natural, the civilized and the wild, between the mundane and the mysterious.
Wallace-Haake uses acrylic paint and mixed media to explore her journey through different stages of life. Each piece tells a fragment of a story about family history, connections, sense of self and belonging in the context of transition and change. She seeks to interpret events and history through personal iconography and symbolism to tell a story and evoke a feeling.
Hovey creates acrylic paintings that incorporate a variety of mixed media art combinations, ranging from collage to digital painting. Her artwork is an exploration on the mysteries of nature, spirituality and relationships.
Rose, a lifelong artist, remembers drawing her first bird and being showered with compliments from a beloved aunt. She has tried her hand at several crafts and with several mediums, but it wasn’t until she discovered beading that she felt that perfect fit.
Mainly inspired by nature and lore of First Peoples around the world, she often incorporates things found in nature, using everything from feathers and shells to beetle wings and leaf skeletons, and even animal skins or parts like wings and bones, all harvested humanely.
Norman uses “trash” to create pieces of art.
“Who among us has not wished for a do-over?” she said. “My mission, as an artist, is to take what has been broken, discarded or washed up on the beach and give it new life… a second chance.”
Norman grew up on a family ranch as a member of the Yakima tribe, spending much of her time on horseback wrangling and taking care of animals. The earthy style of her work reflects the dusty, rustic and gritty nature of her past and places a spotlight on small natural items that usually go unnoticed.
The Chessman Gallery is located inside the Lincoln City Cultural Center at 540 NE Hwy. 101 and is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Thursday through Monday. For more information, go to lincolncity-culturalcenter.org, or call 541-994-9994.