You heard it here First
The artists of Toledo will greet the New Year with a fresh perspective this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 6 and 7, when the town’s galleries and studios open their doors for First Weekend.
The Yaquina River Museum of Art will be continuing its exhibition “Promise” for its final month. This celebratory exhibit features Latin American and European works of art that showcase the beauty of the holidays. Included with pieces from all over the world are works of iconography from US- and Europe-based creators, both antique and modern.
On Saturday, Jan. 6, Judy Gibbons will present a talk on her collection of Latin American art that she curated while living in Colombia, with a central focus on “Village Life in Colombia,” a painting by Juan B Toro that she bought in the ’70s in Bogota.
“Often compared to a Grandma Moses style, surely someone he never heard of, Toro paints to fill this canvas with scenes he somehow wishes to convey to the viewer albeit in a primitive manner,” Gibbins said. “His details of violence take us to ‘happenings’ we wish to expect we will not see. At the same time, be aware that he is not without hope as his brilliant colors and subject matter lead us to change at the top of this painting.”
Saturday will also feature a talk from Rev. Pauline Morrison, a deacon in the Episcopal Church and a board member of the Yaquina River Museum of Art, on “The Venerable Lady of Korsun,” an icon created by Sherry Lynch of Portland’s Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
The talks will start at 1:30 pm. Light refreshments will be served.
The Yaquina River Museum of Art is located at 151 NE Alder Street, and will be open from noon to 4 pm both days. For more information, go to yaquinarivermuseumofart.org.
Across the street, Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery will be showcasing one of the late artist’s well-known works, “View in Schreiner’s Garden,” a spring landscape painted on site at Schreiner’s Iris Gardens in Salem. Gibbons would often use Schreiner’s gardens as a painting location and source of inspiration for his plein air works. “View in Schreiner’s Garden” showcases Gibbons’ ability to capture the vivid beauty of irises across a sprawling landscape. Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery is located at 140 NE Alder Street, open from noon to 4 pm both days. For more information, go to michaelgibbons.net.
On Main Street, Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio will feature the works of more than 15 artists, including paintings by Veta Bakhtina, whose work draws viewers into fantastical worlds. Also shown in the gallery are the works of Crow’s Nest owner and assemblage artist Janet Runger; Alice Haga, fused glass; Val Bolen, tile and ceramic pieces; Paula Teplitz, sculptural jellyfish mobiles; Jeff Gibford, digitally manipulated photographs; Sylvia Hosie, wildlife photography; Tish Epperson, watercolors; Carol Connett, mixed media; and Susan Jones, woven fiber jellyfish. Crow’s Nest Gallery & Studio is located at 305 N. Main Street, open from 10 am to 5 pm both days.