Face it, these are cool

Celebrate the creative diversity and inventive style of Arlon Gilliland at the Newport Visual Arts Center from Saturday, Jan. 7 through Feb. 25.

The multidisciplinary exhibit, “Celebrating Artistic Diversity” invites viewers on a journey through Gilliland’s variety and ease of play in mask-making. He does it all: acrylic, watercolor, drawings, realistic, abstract, collage, ceramic masks and even masks crafted from paper rolls.

While he clearly has an affinity for creating his own art, he is also passionate about helping other artists learn and grow. A seasoned instructor, having taught art on the Oregon Coast for more than a quarter of a century, Gilliland will be helming two upcoming classes at the center: paper tube mask-making on January 28, and a two-day class on air-dry clay masks on February 11 and 18. Both classes are suitable for adults and youth ages six and older accompanied by an adult, and all materials will be provided.

The Newport Visual Arts Center is located at 777 NW Beach Drive and is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to coastarts.org or call 541-265-6540.